Instead of running away from the crisis in Japan, researcher Sandeep Purane prefers to stay back and help with the relief work; it is his way of giving back to the country that has given him so much joy
Instead of running away from the crisis in Japan, researcher Sandeep Purane prefers to stay back and help with the relief work; it is his way of giving back to the country that has given him so much joy
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At a time when foreign nationals in Japan are leaving the country for fear of a major nuclear crisis, Sandeep Purane, a Puneite, has decided to stay back and work for the relief of Japanese nationals.
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| Through thick and thin: Sandeep Purane has been working in Japan for the last one-and-a-half-years |
u00a0He has been working in Japan for the last one and half years, and is amazed by the spirit shown by the people of Japan in coping with the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown that struck the country on March 11. Purane narrated his experience to MiD DAY and how they survived the most powerful quake.
Shaking experience
"Niigata prefecture is well known for earthquakes. I remember that day, I was with my Japanese colleagues conducting our experiments and suddenly I felt something going wrong and noticed that everything was shaking. We had to rush out quickly. Even though it was a big earthquake, I noticed the quickness of Japanese people. My friends asked me to go out first and then they started closing all the machines, gas and electricity," Purane said. "We came out of the building and it was so terrible that the whole building was shaking and I couldn't balance myself. It lasted for about four minutes. We started working again but after in intervals of 30 minutes we experienced after shocks for rest of the day. This drama continued for another two days.
Fortunately, the Japanese infrastructure is strong enough to cope with the quake," he said.
Reaching out
Purane said, "We have an Indian Scientist Association in Japan (ISAJ) who are in touch with embassy officials. Most of the Indians are flying back home because of the seriousness of radiation emitted by the nuclear plant. Most of my friends have already left for India. Many companies are sending their employees to some other locations like Osaka, Hong Kong or India. But I am volunteering to do relief work."
Purane said he would be joining the technical team for radiation measurement. "I would love to help the people and the country who have helped me since last one and a half year. Today we had an announcement for volunteer. I will shelter few people in my apartment if needed," said Purane.
Radiation serious
"After the tsunami waves attacked the nuclear sites, all the plants were shut down but cooling down of the reactor chamber is essential in order to stop the complete chain reaction. I discussed the radiation levels with one of my friends Jayaprakash who is working for Japan Nuclear Power Plant Safety Department, located in Kashiwazaki in the west zone. According to him, currently the radiation level is going up and crossing the healthy limits of 50 nGr/hour in our area," Purane said. "Fortunately, the air is blowing from Sea of Japan to east, so we have observed a slight increase in radiations but it is below normal value. Some radiations were also found near Fukushima area."
Amazing willpower
Purane was amazed by the resilience of Japanese nationals who have been calm and doing their best to help and support the government and other affected areas.
"They understand the problems of foreigners. I haven't seen such courage and confidence anywhere in the world. There has not been a single looting case in Japan. That's the best thing I have observed. People are still standing in queue for buying stuff at convenient stores," he said.
No wonder Purane wants to stay back and help out in such troubled times.
Kudos to his spirit.
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