I left Bombay to work with the relief effort, but found I could be of greatest service reporting the story of India's condition Any time of the day, but especially early in the morning, the East Coast Road that connects Madras to Pondicherry is a beautiful drive. The road hugs the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu. You can see the beach in the distance and the Indian Ocean shimmering beyond.

You can also see how far the Dec. 26 tsunami pushed inland -- almost to the edge of the road. The beaches and land beyond are now swamp, uncultivatable for two years due to the sea water soakage. Everywhere along the drive there is wreckage. The settlers on the beach have moved inland, just below the East Coast Road. They're now under green canvas or blue plastic tents, all in neat rows, set up by the Indian army, who were the first rescuers on the scene after the tsunami.

I'm headed to Cuddalore, one of the three most affected tsunami areas of India after the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Nagapattinam, a district just south of Cuddalore. We drive by the former French colony of Pondicherry, with shops that sometimes have signs in Tamil, English, and French. I'm looking for my contact, Damu of charitable organization AID India. I'm eager to help (see In the Wake of the Tsunami").

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