'Child of Fortune'
 

by W. T. J. S. Kaviratne, Ambalangoda special correspondent

Of all those strange stories of survival in the tsunami tragedy no story is stranger than that of a two and a half month old infant of Malawenna who lost her mother.

This infant named Chirandi Nanayakkara, was found alive on a heap of uprooted plantain trees, washed away from a distance and entangled among arecanut trees submerged in water.

She was rescued by a coir rope producer of Malawenna known as Premaratne who ventured into his garden in search of his dogs late in the evening of this fateful day, December 26, 2004. Amid warnings by his wife and neighbours who had already left the village, Premaratne took the risk to come back to his garden even though the water level was almost up to his neck, in search of his pets. Reaching his garden proved extremely difficult as the whole area was completely submerged and due to the presence of huge trees, drift wood and tree trunks found blocking the access road to his garden.

On reaching his garden Premaratne heard a faint cry from the uprooted plantain trees found stuck among the arecanut trees. Thinking the sound was from a missing dog he reached the arecanut trees which were about 6 feet under water.

Premaratne could not believe his eyes when he found the infant alive, when the whole area was completely devastated, while a large number of villagers were feared dead or had disappeared.

When Premaratne was getting ready to extricate the infant, he heard a man screaming for help on a concrete tank clutching an arecanut tree. The infant was handed over to a youth of Malawenna identified as Mohan who took her to Malawenna temple even though some of his family members had already lost their lives. Mohan who took care of the infant gave her first aid, on being given her, sucking out water while administering artificial respiration.

Mud and sand found in her eyes and all over her body were removed and with the infant in hand, Mohan waded through the water, full of rubble, driftwood and the bodies of the dead towards Malawenna temple late in the evening. Ven. Mawadavila Shantha Thera, the Chief Incumbent of Malawenna temple provided a motorbike to rush the infant to Arachchikanda hospital at Hikkaduwa. Arachchikanda hospital was one of the hospitals in close proximity to the coastal villages affected by the tsunami catastrophe and since the morning of the disaster, this hospital was full of patients and corpses.

As there was no ambulance available at Arachchikanda hospital on this day, the staff took steps to rush the patients needing emergency medical care to Karapitiya hospital, Galle, using a police jeep. Hospital staff brought the infants needing emergency medical attention to the police jeep to rush them to Galle but unfortunately several infants died in the jeep. As there were hopes that the life of the infant Chirandi Nanayakkara could be saved, if rushed to the Intensive Care Unit at Karapitiya hospital, she was taken there while Mohan followed on a motorbike.

Mohan put a tag with the number 30 on the infant girl and he could remember that the infant was admitted to ward No. 2, Karapitiya hospital on 26th December, 2004.

Three days after rescuing the infant Premaratne reached his garden which was found to be inaccessible as it was full of uprooted trees, bushes and rubble.

An unbearable stench of decaying corpses swept the area and on reaching the access road to his house too he got the stench of a decomposed body and on close examination he found the body of a woman under a thick pile of rubble.

On hearing that the body of an unidentified woman was found in the same garden where an infant was found, Jayantha Nanayakkara and his family members rushed to Malawenna and identified the body as that of Chintha Lalani kahaduwaarachchi, his wife and the mother of the infant daughter found alive.

Premaratne who found the body said that her body was found with outstretched arms as she was holding a child.

Bodies of Chintha, two family members and that of an unidentified girl were buried on 31st December, 2004 in a mass grave with the assistance of the Navy.

Visiting Karapitiya Hospital, Galle, several times on December 28 Jayantha Nanayakkara was abe to identify his infant daughter in the Intensive Care Unit.

At birth this infant was found to be very weak and Jayantha was beset with numerous complex problems in looking after his infant daughter without the warmth of her mother.

He lost all the family members of his wife so he had to seek the assistance of his sister at Panadura in looking after his child. Now Jayantha is living at Panadura and since December 26, 2004 he has not gone to work and is on no-pay leave. He had applied for a transfer to Panadura CTB depot from Ambalangoda, due to his plight.

In addition, he has already applied for full payment of the salary of his wife in accordance with the circular applicable to the victims of the tsunami.

As his wife was employed as a stenographer in the Galle Magistrate's Court, he made an appeal even to the Ministry of Justice. Jayantha Nanayakkara said that to date none of the authorities has responded to any of his appeals.

Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, Sarvodaya leader, came to his rescue by making the necessary arrangements for the infant to obtain milkfood and in addition by depositing Rs. 1,500 per month in her savings account. Another philanthropist named Wasantha Jayasooriya offered him a sum of Rs. 10,000.