TSUNAMI TIMES

 By Surangi de Silva

It was a Poya day and all the girls were observing it as well. After breakfast they were watching TV. The TV program was about a Bodhi Puja presented at a well known temple down in southern Sri Lanka. It was a live program. During the puja at once people were running into the temple shouting, “ Sea is coming in, Sea is coming”. And when they listen to the news they have been getting to know that an earthquake under the sea has happen. And it was “Tsunami”.

At the time I was at an Internet café in Dehiwala, which is very close to the sea. At first after I chatted with Aunty Sarah she asked me to wait for 15 minutes till they finish their evening puja. So I waited for 15 minutes and she didn’t log in.  I waited for a half an hour, then an hour. She was not there.  I thought I should go. When I was trying to sign out I saw Aunty Sarah had logged in. I was chatting with her for about two hours time.

 And I came to the road to catch a bus. The place that I go to take the bus is not so far where the Tsunami destroyed the Dehiwala area. There were fewer buses then usual. I thought it must be because it was Poya Day and also a Sunday. Fortunately I was able to catch a bus. And I was listening to the radio in the bus and the news announcer was saying, “70 dead bodies are there at Panadura Hospital”. I thought this couldn’t be happening, as now there is no reason. Earlier it would not be a surprise because we would often hear about number of people killed in the war between LTTE and Sri Lankan soldiers. But now a days there is no war. Confused, I asked the next person “What has happen”. He said, “ The sea swept over the country due to an earthquake under the sea and it has killed many people in many areas of Sri Lanka. For some reason I was protected. If I had left early from the Internet cafe  this much is for it’s sure that I would have faces the disaster. For the god sake I’m safe still.

I came back to the orphanage as soon as possible. All the girls and every one at the orphanage were around the TV. I too joined them. Each word that we heard and every scene that we watched was very upsetting. Everyone was in tears. It was really hard to comprehend. As I think it was all our bad luck to even watch these worst tragedies

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The first direct bad news that we heard was from Aunt Jayanthi, who works at the orphanage. She called to say her cousin brother was missing and that the bodies of his wife and two kids have been found. She was loudly crying and we had tears in our eyes too.

Every one was sad and shocked about this disaster “Tsunami”. Even in the orphanage every one’s topic was about the Tsunami. We all were watching TV news from morning to night. Once when I was going up stairs Thirushi, age 4, was under a table. When I ask why? She said it’s because if the sea comes into the country and she was worrying if it would come into the orphanage. We told her that sea wont come to the orphanage and took her out from  underneath the table.

Till now the total amount of dead bodies are about 28739 and all the radio stations and TV stations are publishing the names of missing people. I was near by the computer. Sumudu and Thirushi were close to me. They were playing. I heard the girls were ready to take dinner. I asked Sumudu and Thirushi to go down and have their meals. However, they were carefully listening to the radio. And Sumudu was saying that her name was published as a missing person and they were saying if “Sumudu is safe anywhere let her mother  know”. Sumudu said that she doesn’t know her mom so how could she make a phone call. I told her that it’s not her mom asking about her, just someone who has the same name as her.

Sri Lankans have a good habit of helping one another in need. We noticed that after this disaster with so many lives lost in Sri Lanka, Each person donates as much as he  or she can to the relief funds that will help the refugees in various  camps of Sri Lanka.

At the orphanage we don’t have many things with us. We have everything in limited quantities. We don’t have extra books, new cloths or soap etc…There is a Buddhist association in the village, which is run under advice of Lokumaniyo. The young people of the village get together and do good things such as Pujas on Poya days, religious ceremonies  etc

 After the Tsunami disaster happened this society collected many things to go to refugee camp in Rathmalana area. I noticed that the girls collected things like soap and used clothes and gave them to the relief aid. They are supposed to share their soap with each other and donate some to the relief fund. Also it was Poya day. (Full moon day each month is a religious holiday.)

 Every Poya day we get dinner from an out side donor which come in packets. The girls donated 31 dinner packets to the relief aid and  shared the rest with one another. Also the middle age girls collected lot of water bottles around the orphanage and filled them with drinking water and handed them over to the guys from the relief fund. They all collected their used clothes into a box and donated them as well.

We don’t have many things to donate but Miss Nirmala and matron Lalith and the three nuns donate 2kg of sugar, 2 bottles of jam, one packet of painkillers, one packet of tea and one packet of biscuits with permission from Lokumaniyo. All the girls were active and were collecting the things as they can. I noticed a group of the little girls brought a small grocery bag and kept it near the collected goods and went. I took it and checked what was in there. There were some used pencils, stickers and some pictures to go to the refuge camps.

Looking for things to donate

Next day Gampala Maniyo said that her computer institute collects things for the refuge camps. And she said that they are only collecting feminine products, ladies underwear and money because they were the very important things in need. And next morning Dedunu came  upstairs and asked me “Where is Gampala Maniyo?” I said “she is gone  why? “She was having a little bag with her and there were three panties in it. She said that she brought it to give to Gampala Maniyo to donate to refuge camps.