Eight years after a tsunami struck the Tamil Nadu coast killing thousands, fear of the unknown continues to raise its head if and when there is news of a possible disaster. This time, in Nagapattinam district, many felt that the world was coming to an end on December 21 — based on a Mayan calendar prediction.

“There was an unknown fear in the days preceding December 21. Even children used to ask whether the world would come to an end,” said N. Dhanalakshmi of NGO Social Need Education and Human Awareness.