Pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, the boy once known as “Baby 81” is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education.
Jayarasa Abilash’s story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed, with others missing.
The two-month-old was washed away by the tsunami in eastern Sri Lanka and found some distance from home by rescuers. At the hospital, he was No. 81 on the admissions registry.
Photo: AP
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.
First he found his mother, then his wife, but their infant son was missing.
A nurse had taken the baby from the hospital, but returned him after hearing that his family was alive.
However, the ordeal was far from over. Nine other families had submitted their names to the hospital, claiming “Baby 81” as their own, so the hospital administration refused to hand over the child to Jayarasa and his wife without proof.
The family went to the police. The matter went to court. The judge ordered a DNA test, a process that was still in its early stages in Sri Lanka.
However, none of the nine other families claimed the baby legally 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, omitting us,” he said. “There was a public call to all those who said the child was theirs to subject themselves for DNA testing, but none of them came forward.”
Jayarasa said his family gave DNA samples and it was proven the child was theirs.
Soon, the family was reunited.
Today, Abilash is sitting for his final high-school exam. Solid and good-natured, he hopes to attend a university to study information technology.
He said he grew up hearing about his story from his parents, while classmates teased him by calling him “Baby 81” or “tsunami baby.” He was embarrassed, and it worsened every time the anniversary of the tsunami arrived.
“I used to think: ‘Here they have come’ and run inside and hide myself,” he told reporters.
His father said the boy was so upset he would not eat at times.
“I consoled him saying: ‘Son, you are unique in being the only one to have 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 that the nickname will follow him, but that is all right.
“Now I only take it as my code word,” he said, joking: “If you want to find me out, access that code word.”
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