Two years past tsunami, life moves on but dark memories haunt

Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, Dec 24 (UNI) Little Abhinaya will turn three next month but sadly her birthday will always be celebrated under the shadow of a calamity that left behind a trail of death and destruction.

The ''tsunami baby'' of Cuddalore is the youngest member at the Community Help Center, now a home to 70-odd children orphaned by the killer waves that swept the Indian Ocean coast on December 26, 2004, claiming 648 lives in this coastal district.

Now, on a hot December afternoon, Abhinaya is sleeping soundly on the floor cuddled closely to her new found brothers and sisters.

It is late noon but she has not eaten anything. Of course, she does not have her mother or granny around to pamper and feed her.

Abhinaya was brought to the center as a 11-month-old baby after being spotted entangled in a fishing net near a thorny bush at Devanampattinam Village, three days after the tsunami struck.

Her mother, Dhanavalli, has, according to some eye witnesses, thrown the baby to safety before being engulfed by the giant waves on that fateful day.

Her father has since re-married and lives with his new family at his native village.

'Wake up, Abhi! You are sleeping on an empty stomach. Get up and eat something!'' a young cook-cum-matron shakes her up violently but Abhinaya does not budge.

Even the flies swarming over her innocent face fail to succeed in disturbing the slumber.

For some of the young inmates, it is a forced siesta and the intrusion of any visitor is a welcome diversion. Mention 'tsunami,' they respond with hesitant smile.

''The children have overcome the trauma and do not discuss the tragedy any more. The district administration is taking steps to house them along with other orphans so that they do not consider themselves special for being tsunami children,'' says Ramani, the matron.

Wide-eyed, the children vie with one another to draw attention and recite nursery rhymes to the visitors. As watching television is their main source of entertainment, they are also too eager to discuss films.

''I like Jayam Ravi (a young Tamil hero),'' says eight-year-old Manjula with a coy smile.

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