Baby Tsunami: Away from the waves no more

“Can you tell me where the Sumathra Islands can be found?”

At the sound of this question a young girl is quick to spring to her feet, run to the map and points it out accurately in a flash. It is no surprise that she would take special interest in the place.

This young girl who will soon be celebrating her tenth birthday is Sumathra Tsunami – named after the catastrophe that changed the lives of so many in her country.

As a toddler, she wondered why her name was mentioned so often on the television. She was known as Tsunami by her relatives, and as Sumathra by her friends at school. She loved going to the beach but dared not enter into the water.

“Every time we go to the market she is excited because it is close to the beach and she looks forward to spending time there while we finish our work. She used to be afraid to get into the water,” her mother, Sarojini recalls.

Ten years later, little Tsunami has grown up to be a brave, intelligent young girl and is special not just to her family, but to her community as well.

“Even today when I meet people outside they would inquire about her referring to her as little Tsunami. They would always ask me - How is little Tsunami? Is she doing well?” Her father joins in.

The playful waves rolling up to her feet do not give her a fright anymore. In fact, she just cannot come away from it. She just loves to jump off the rocks on the seashore and step into the water every chance she gets.

“I was afraid to go into the sea before. But when I saw others having fun in the water, I wanted to join them. So in the beginning I held on to my father’s hand and went in with him. Then little by little he helped me to get over my fear,” Sumathra says with a beaming smile.

The last year has been a challenging one for Sumathra and her family. The grade five scholarship examinations were just around the corner when she fell ill with dengue fever. The notion of the possibility of losing a daughter was overwhelming as her condition was serious.

“The dengue viral flu was spreading in our areas and she too fell sick. During that time we heard of so many whose lives were unsure due to the virus. It was a very difficult time for us because she got so weak she had to be hospitalized,” Sarojini says.

It was a great relief when slowly but surely Sumathra began to recover in time for the exam. Although she was not a hundred percent fit enough she faced it with courage and successfully got through it.

Sumathra dreams of becoming a teacher one day.

“Her favorite game is playing school with her little cousins. She drapes a saree with any piece of cloth she could find and takes the role of the teacher always.

Any free time she gets you could find her draped in a cloth pretending to be a teacher,” Sarojini says as Sumathra nods with a shy smile.

Baby Tsunami today. She turns 10-years-old soon. Photo Nadeesha Rajakaruna/World Vision

Baby Tsunami at 5-years-old. Photo Hasanthi Jayamaha/World Vision

Baby Tsunami at 6-months-old. She was born five days after her pregnant mother ran from the waters washing through her village. Photo Jan Butter/World Vision