Jayarasa Abilash, who was a baby when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck, commemorates the event at a memorial in Sri Lanka.
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His father, Murugupillai Jayarasa, spent three days searching for his scattered family, with little left to his name in those early hours but a pair of shorts.A nurse had taken the baby from the hospital, but returned him after hearing that his family was alive. “The hospital named the child ‘Baby 81’ and listed the names of nine people who claimed the child, omitting us,” he said.
Today, Abilash is sitting for his final high school exam. Solid and good-natured, he hopes to attend a university to study information technology. Later, as a teenager, Abilash read more about the events that tore him from his family and brought him back, and he lost his fear.“Now I only take it as my code word,” he said, joking. “If you want to find me out, access that code word.”His father said memories of those frantic, searching days 20 years ago remain fresh, even as others fade.
The experience also led to jealousy, gossiping and ostracizing of the family in their neighborhood, forcing them to relocate.
TSUNAMI SURVIVOR MEMORIES INDIA Sri Lanka
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