When the tsunami struck the coast of Tamil Nadu four years ago, the village of Poompuhar in Sirkali taluk of Nagapattinam district as one of the worst affected. When the waves withdrew, more than death stalked the coastline. With livelihoods and homes gone, Nagapattinam was a land of the living dead. But thanks to the efforts of two women, after four years, the farms are beginning to be productive once again. Canals of a traditional irrigation system have been de-silted and farmers who had been shattered by the tsunami now have hope for their landholdings. Manimekhalai, 52, then the president of Poompuhar panchayat and Bhuvaneshwari Kannan, 39, an agricultural expert, stepped in promptly. Manimekhalai was a dynamic and much admired local leader. Bhuvana, as Bhuvaneshwari is popularly called, is a post-graduate in agriculture with specialisation in plant genetics.