Shajahan Baitalik (Hassan) (Director, A. P. F. S. / Padma)※This post is renewed with the link to Mr. Hassan's shop "Padma". You can see the link from →here← (Japanese).
○ My motivation to go to the disaster area
I wanted to do what I can. No matter how much we think “it must be horrible”, we do not understand what disaster victims feel. We cannot understand. How hard it is to have one’s family die. It is very hard. You cannot go home, take a bath and go to sleep. How can it be? For such people (disaster victims), I want to do something, anything, whatever I can to tell them “keep on fighting”. This is where I work (Padma: Italian & Bangladeshi restaurant), so this (providing meals) is what I can do the best. I wished that everyone had something warm to eat just for once so I can show my sympathy.
○ Not for the interviews, but for the disaster victims
First I thought to go (to the site) without even saying my country of origin or my religion. I did not want to say. I do not do this for publicity. I told to interviewers too that “I have not come for interview” and turned them down. I told them to ask questions while I kept on working. (I came to help disaster victims,) not for that (the interviews), but as a same human being.
○ Together with everyone
There are also people who say (to me) that I should leave Japan but we are in this together, so I only leave when all the Japanese (leave).
○ Happy, for the first time in my life
Happiness. I felt happiness for the first time in my life. I have not slept for about three days. I was very tense and the hard work was also a great deal. I drove (the car) all the way and back, so my body was in a messy condition. (After the project when I went home,) I took a bath and tried to drink a can of beer but I was so tired that I could not. My body was.
I slept for four hours and went back to work. The weariness of my body was all gone. Why? Because I am happy. I am happy, so I recovered from the fatigue in an instant. Usually when I drive for a long time, my feet start to hurt but this time I did not feel anything at all.
All the elderly people keep hanging on under such painful circumstances. It is cold. There is no food. They are in a situation where they cannot go outside. It is snowing. They are eating onigiri (rice balls) only, onigiri with no flavor, just plain rice. (Having seen that, at the disaster area) I could not eat from morning. At the same time, we are living in such luxury. Thinking of that, I could not eat. That (when we finished distributing meals) was the first time that I first ate the onigiri I got (from the disaster victims).
Preparing meals for 500 people was not difficult for me as a professional, what was different is that until now I cooked for customers. Customers eat, they pay. It is business, so if it sells I am lucky. If it does not, that is just the way it is. This time, if there is any kind of mistake, if something is late, there is no second chance. I promised 500 meals, I said I would do it and it is OK, I took responsibility. I was extremely tense; it was a huge pressure because it was such a situation that no failures were allowed whatever the reason of incapability. This kind of experience was for the first time. I could overcome this, so I am happy now. Until now, I have never thought of what happiness is but (this time) I could get a taste of happiness. I will definitely never forget that elderly people and children too asked for a second portion and were very happy.
○ My gratitude to Ms. Mega (prefectural employee coordinating for us locally) and the employees of the city hall
I think it is not strange if I say we owe it to Mr. Kato’s friend, Ms. Mega; she did the most important job. It really helped. If it was not for her, we could not find back roads, since it is not in the car navigation system and there was no one to ask. She provided us information and came at six o’clock (to the interchange); she did not sleep (too much for sure). I am grateful for that. I am also grateful for people at the local city hall for letting us come. Otherwise we could not have gone.
○ To the citizens of Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture
I think it is devastating without all kinds of goods, without family, without friends, so it is not uncommon to feel that there is nowhere to go or lose one’s desire to live.
We all have to keep on fighting not only for ourselves. Everybody is supporting you to give you strength. For everybody all over Japan, for everybody all over the world too, you have to start everything from zero again because I think you are strong. You can overcome it for sure. Believe it and work hard. Thank you very much.
○ Applauded at Matsusaki Elementary School
Thank you all. Being applauded was extremely embarrassing. It should be the other way around (normally, I should applaud to all of them), should not it? It was very embarrassing. They (disaster victims) can complain me (living in Tokyo), they can push me. While I live a luxurious life in Tokyo, they (disaster victims) have to face such horrors and (still) they applauded me. It was embarrassing.
○ About buying up things
People (in Tokyo) buy too much, they are in a panic. They (in the disaster area) get only one onigiri (to eat). People (in Tokyo) are buying things saying there is no this or that. Even if they do nothing (any supporting activities), I wish if they would just go (first) and see it (the disaster area) once. I think they would realize the wrong (buying up things) they do.
○ From now on
I would like to cook or help dismantling there.
If there was anyone to look after my business for me (in the meantime)…
