BBC commemorates tsunami anniversary with specials

BBC commemorates tsunami anniversary with specials

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC is marking the first anniversary of the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004 with some specially commissioned programming.

On Radio 4, the Tsunami Audio Memorial on 17 December 2005 has created a memorial in sound and gathered sounds and stories for an historic audio tribute to the region and the people affected by the tsunami. In collaboration with the World Service and the Asian Network, listeners and online readers were invited to send in their stories, testimonies and sounds.

Whether it's Indonesian fishermen bringing in their early morning catch, conch shells being blown at dawn and dusk in Hindu households, or the cacophony of a traffic-filled street in Thailand, not forgetting the sea, the birds and the wildlife, this is an evocative and unique collection of sounds.

These are stories by those who lived to tell the tale. The programme will also be a memorial, in sound, to those who didn't. Overturning The Tide on Radio 4 tells the the extraordinary story of one man's journey from despair to finding hope. On 26 December last year, within the space of a few minutes, Karibeeran Paramesvaran's life changed irrevocably. All three of his children died when the deadly tsunami wave hit the shores of their home town, Nagapattinam, on the southern tip of India.

Journey to the Heart of the Tsunami airs on BBC One on 21 December. This brings an underwater expedition to journey to the source of the tsunami, over three miles down, deep below the ocean surface. Viewers will come face to face with the damage caused when two of the Earth's tectonic plates smash into each other.