KURUKKAL MADAM, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pulled from the mud as a baby after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and reunited with his parents after an emotional court battle, the boy once known as “Baby 81” is now a 20 year old. year old dreams of higher education.
Jayarasa Abilash's story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural disasters in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed and others were missing.
The two-month-old baby was washed away by the tsunami in eastern Sri Lanka and found some distance from home by rescuers. In the hospital he was number 81 on the admission list.
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His father, Murugupillai Jayarasa, searched for his scattered family for three days, with little more to his name than a pair of shorts in those early hours.
First he found his mother, then his wife. But their son was missing.
A nurse had taken the baby from the hospital, but returned him after hearing that his family was still alive.
However, the ordeal was far from over. Nine other families had submitted their names to the hospital, claiming “Baby 81” as theirs. The hospital administration refused to hand over the child to Jayarasa and his wife without proof.
The family went to the police. The case went to trial. The judge ordered a DNA test, a process that was still in its early stages in Sri Lanka.
But none of the nine other families legally claimed the baby, and no DNA testing was done on them, Jayarasa said.
“The hospital named the child 'Baby 81' and listed the names of nine people who claimed the child, without us,” he said.
“There was a public call for anyone who said the child was theirs to submit to a DNA test, but none of them came forward,” he recalls. Jayarasa said his family provided DNA samples and it was proven that the child was theirs.
Soon the family was reunited. Their story attracted international media attention and they even visited the United States for an interview.
Today Abilash takes his last high school exams. He is solid and good-natured and hopes to go to university to study information technology.
He said he grew up hearing his story from his parents as classmates teased him by calling him “Baby 81” or “tsunami baby.” He was ashamed, and it got worse every time the anniversary of the tsunami arrived.
“I used to think 'here they come' and run inside to hide,” he said as reporters returned to hear his story again.
His father said the boy was so upset that sometimes he wouldn't eat.
“I consoled him by saying, 'Son, you are unique because you are the only one with such a name in this world,'” he said.
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.
He knows the nickname will haunt him for life. But that's okay.
“Now I just think of it as my code word,” he said jokingly. “If you want to figure me out, use that code word.”
He continues to search online to read about himself.
His father said memories of those hectic, searching days 20 years ago remain fresh even as others fade.
Over the years, the extensive publicity his family received also negatively affected them, Jayarasa said.
His family was excluded from many tsunami relief and reconstruction programs because government officials assumed they had received money during their visit to the US.
The experience also led to jealousy, gossip and exclusion from the family in their neighborhood, forcing them to move.
The father wants his son and other family members to remain grateful for their survival, and he wants Abilash to become someone who can help others in need.
From childhood, his father collected small amounts of money working in a barber shop. When Abilash turned twelve, the family erected a small memorial to the tsunami victims in their front yard. It shows four cupped hands.
The father explained: “A thought occurred to me: since all those who died have disappeared and Abilash has been left for us, why not create our own memorial to commemorate them every day.”
