Barry O’ Brien and Steve Waugh with some kids at a recent tsunami fundraiser auction. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Till Christmas last year, it was a word you?d only come across in a geography exam, and when you did, you?d probably skip the question. Now, even Nadia knows that it is the name for huge destructive waves caused by an earthquake under the sea; and she?s only seen five Christmases!

Even Nadia knows that parents lost their children and children their parents; people lost their homes and homes their people! Even Nadia knows that it?s taken a catastrophe like this to get the world community to close ranks. When I asked her if she would like to tell the friends who were coming to her birthday party, to save the money they would spend on a gift and send it to the people who had lost everything, she chose to sleep over it. The next morning as she kissed me before leaving for school, she said, ?Daddy, I?m going to tell my friends not to buy me a present. Jesus has given me so many things!?

The party didn?t happen and, incredibly, Nadia didn?t miss it. What is happening now is even more incredible: every time she sees a shot of the sea on TV, she inquires if Jesus is taking care of the children who lost their mummies and daddies. Of course, he is, I tell her ? through his angels!

It?s at times like this that parents self-assess that they aren?t doing too badly; it?s at times like this when parents realise the true worth of the school their children are in. The school Nadia goes to is the one I went to for a couple of years ? across the street! That makes me doubly proud, because, while Nadia?s involvement with those devastated by the tsunami is wholly spiritual, another Martinian?s, is hands on.

Mohammed Jadwet wore the black-and-yellow tie with pride, but that was it! He was a good student, not a brilliant one; a decent sportsman, not a good one; a chap you hardly noticed. ?A reliable friend; but not someone who would make a difference to the world,? was my assessment of the fellow I sat beside in Class XI. How wrong I was!

Some 25 years on, I sat beside him again ? last week at a fundraiser ? listening to the most powerful ?come together? song since We are the world. While Usha Uthup and Emile Isaac?s creation filled the ballroom with melody and hope, and every singer worth his microphone belted out a line, Jadwet took his specs off and wiped what looked suspiciously like a tear. I was moved, I knew what he had been through, I know what he wants to do.

As president of the Andaman and Nicobar Chamber of Commerce, a committed Rotarian and the man at the helm of the family settled in Port Blair, Jadwet has been deeply involved in post-tsunami relief work.

Henry, a Car Nicobari leader, himself now homeless, has pinned much of his people?s hopes on the simple bloke who wasn?t even made a Prefect! Henry, the 1,000 other Car Nicobaris who have been rehabilitated at the ITF grounds by the Army and most other tribals, trust my classmate enough to let him into their protected world.

The Jadwet family, the island?s biggest traders and shipping magnates, has come to Calcutta to dig deep for strength and support. The city, spontaneous and sensitive, has responded quickly and quietly.

Within two days of the tragedy, the good-evil, little machine was being put to good use. An SMS was doing the rounds. Initially on the Rotary network, it went to all sorts of people. They soon collected all sorts of things from food and medicines to clothes and drinking water. Before you could say twelfth night, 60 tonnes of relief material was sailing on January 6 to Port Blair. Dashing across by air, with determination levels sky-high, were Sandip Nowlakha of the International Association for Human Values (Art of Living), Dr Kavita Ajmera of Silver Springs, Ritika Poddar of B.P. Poddar Foundation, Rotarians Shekhar Mehta and Binod Khaitan, and the lady who won?t take ?no? for an answer ? Shamlu Dudeja of Calcutta Foundation.

The team got back after a week and continued on its mission ? Together We Will! In fact, that?s what they decided to call themselves. Putting the cart before the horse, they were on their way even before they were registered, by organising the fund-raiser at the Oberoi Grand. Between the dinner and the auction, which I had the privilege of conducting, Together We Will pulled in a cool Rs 35 lakh. Of course, that had less to do with me and more to do with that saint of our times standing beside me ? Steve Waugh, but one felt hugely satisfied and pumped up to do more.

So after Steve, who balances the Big Cs of Commerce and Charity better than anyone I know, paid me a compliment straight from his heart, I walked up to Jadwet. About a year ago he had invited me to Port Blair to work with students and teachers. He had then said it was cool if I charged him a fat fee. Now that this Japanese word had turned the world on its head and brought it much closer, I decided to stand by my friend. Along with my small but dedicated team I have offered to be of assistance to any education-related rehabilitation project on the island. Filled with pride for Jadwet?s school, Nadia?s and mine, I salute my buddy and eagerly await his call to sit beside him again ? or even behind him!

Together we called on the city again last Saturday by organising a concert on the grounds of the same school. While the Church of North India, TTIS, Red FM and the groups Dhwani and Insomnia responded like Calcuttans always have, sadly, no one else did. The excellently-organised concert was poorly attended and left Sangeet Shriodkar, Madhumita Das and their young team, shattered.

What shattered me was the fact that two bands ? a Banglar maati group of boys and an Indy-pop foursome reaching for the asma ? actually charged them ?reduced professional fees?, if you please! While the former are still awaiting their 10 grand cheque, the latter has been most accommodating except for the manager, who is ?upset? that the second installment of Rs 40,000 was not paid!

I was so upset on hearing this that I wanted to do one of three things to the Bangla band and this Shylockesque manager. The first was? never mind! The second was to advise them to learn from the likes of June, who modelled the outfits we auctioned, Ritu Kumar and Anamika Khanna, who donated them and the many artists who slogged for weeks to create their works that went under the hammer. The third was to invite them to spend a day with Nadia!