(22 December 2005 6:45 am)

MUMBAI: On the first anniversary of the natural disaster that affected millions, DD is paying tribute in the form of a documentary directed by Kevin Sim. The film tells the story of the Asian tsunami directly through the experience of those who were deeply affected by it.

Co-produced by FBC Media Pvt. Ltd, the documentary Tsunami: Wave of Disaster will be telecast on 25 December at 10:00 pm. This has been the second co-production between the Mumbai based FBC Media Pvt. Ltd and Diverse with the last project being, Indian Finishing School, for Channel 4, UK.

Powerfully told through individual testimony, Tsunami: Waves Of Disaster unfolds the personal story of the tragedy. It's as close as one can get, through a documentary, to watching the catastrophe unfold through the eyes of the survivors, states an official release.

With tens of thousands of western tourists enjoying a Christmas on the beach, the most destructive wave in history was just a few hours away. Few people had any clue then of what was about to happen.

Yet for the Onge tribe - on a small island in the Indian Ocean - they knew all was not well. Believing that the earth and the oceans rest on a giant tree, which is sometimes shaken by evil spirits, they are constantly vigilant for signs of impending natural disaster, the release adds.

The Onge trust the natural world and regard natural disasters as proof of God's displeasure with man. One fisherman notes: "You have an account in the bank, we have one in the sea. It was a great shock that a sea that meant so much to us would do this."

In Banda Aceh, Indonesia just before eight o'clock local time an earthquake struck. The city of Banda Aceh on the Western tip of Sumatra was just sixty miles from the epicenter. A short time afterwards, one local child recalls: "They shouted, 'the sea water is coming' … People were screaming and then I saw itI thought doomsday had arrived." The waters hit whilst he was in the mosque and he held on to the walls with all his might.

In marked contrast, the Onge saw what they thought were signals of impending trouble and headed for the forests inland. One tribesman notes: "We remembered what our ancestors taught us. That land and sea always fight over boundaries."