Car Nicobar (Andaman and Nicobar Islands): Against the force of an unpredictable ocean, man's unconquerable resolve to survive has stood like a rock.

People have rebuilt their lives from nothing, parents have stared death down and little children, many of them orphans, have shown the courage of brave warriors. And Moses Reuben is learning the art of making money at the age of 66, an idea totally alien to him and others from the Nicobarese tribe.

For decades the Nicobarese were happy earning just enough to get by selling dried coconuts to factories. But the tsunami last year changed all that. Most of the shops in Car Nicobar were run by people from the main land.

After the tsunami, they all fled from the island. It was then that people like Moses decided to set up general stores like this one, from the compensation money that they received from the government.

"It's no longer a dream. It's now a reality. The tsunami made us more developed. It has taught us how to lead our lives. Our eyes have finally opened," says Reubens.

Like Moses, 32-year-old George Lucas is trying some thing new too - growing vegetables.

All these years he would wait for vegetables to be brought into the island by ships from the main land. But not any more. Thanks to the money that came in as compensation today, George is the proud owner of a modest patch of land.

Not only are his men happy with the wages that they're getting, but George himself is also thrilled with the money pouring in from this little shop he runs alongside. And not to forget, food never tasted this good!

"It feels good to come to the fields in the morning and take a look at the crops. Its a great feeling to see the vegetables flourishing here," says Lucas.

The tribal council on the island is pleasantly surprised at this sudden change of heart among the Nicobarese.

Says Tribal Council Member, Martin Luther, "We are all so surprised! It completely goes against the nature of the Nicobarese people. Now they are all earning money in different ways. They've taken it up as a challenge."

In the midst of all the devastation that ripped through Car Nicobar, perhaps the only good thing that came out of it all was that the Nicobarese people discovered a side to them, they never knew existed.