In 1998 a tropical cyclone hit the coast of Kandla in Gujarat and took away at least 3,000 lives in a few hours. While the cyclone was the catalyst, one of the main causes for the magnitude of the loss of lives and livelihoods was that the systems and infrastructure to deal with such disasters were ill-prepared.
The scale of devastation seen over the news prompted two young architecture graduates – Dr Manu Gupta and Dr Anshu Sharma, the founders of SEEDS (Sustainable Ecological & Environmental Development Society), to board a train and head to Kandla to offer whatever help they could
Over the years, SEEDS has provided emergency assistance to more than 830,000 people and positively impacted the lives of more than six million.
