20 years afta di Indian Ocean tsunami, boy wey dem find for potopoto don accept say him na ‘Baby 81’

Dem pull am comot from di potopoto as small baby afta di serious and heartbreaking Indian Ocean tsunami for 2004 wey spoil plenty things, and dem re-unite am wit him parents afta emotional court battle.

Di boy wey dem once sabi as “Baby 81” don turn 20-year-old wey dey dream of higher education.

Jayarasa Abilash tori dey symbolize dat of di families wey di worst natural calamities for modern history tear apart, but him also dey offer hope to di pipo as more than 35,000 pipo for Sri Lanka die, wit odas missing.

Di tsunami bin dey carry di 2-month-old baby away for eastern Sri Lanka and dem find am some distance from home by di rescuers mission.

For di hospital, him be No. baby 81 for di admissions registry.

Him papa, Murugupillai Jayarasa, spend three days dey find him missing and scattered family, wit di small strength wey remain for him body for dose early hours but him no see dem.

First him find him mama, then him wife. But dia small baby bin don lost.

Nurse don carry di baby from di hospital, but return am afta she hear say him family dey alive.

Di ordeal, however, dey far from ova. Nine oda families don submit dia names to di hospital, wia dem bin dey claim say “Baby 81” na dia own, so di hospital administration refuse to hand ova di pikin to Jayarasa and him wife without proof.

Di family go to di police. Di mata go to court. Di judge order DNA test, process wey still dey early stages for Sri Lanka.

But none of di nine oda families claim di baby legally, and no DNA testing wey dem do for dem, Jayarasa talk.

“Di hospital name di pikin‘Baby 81’ and list di names of nine pipo wey dey claim di pikin,” him talk.

“Dem be public call dose pipo wey talk say di pikin na dia own to com show demselves for DNA testing, but none of dem com forward,” him recall.

Jayarasa talk say him family give DNA samples and e prove say di pikin na dia own.

Soon, di family dey re-united. Dia tori dey draw international media attention and dem even visit di United States for interview.

Today, Abilash dey sit for him final high school exam.

Solid and good-natured, him dey hope to attend university to go study information technology.

Him talk say him grow up dey hear about him tori from him parents, while classmates dey tease am as dem dey call am “Baby 81″ or “tsunami baby.”

Him dey embarrassed, and e dey worse every time di anniversary of di tsunami dey reach.

“I dey think ‘here dem don com’ and run inside and hide myself,” him talk as journalists return to hear him tori again.

Him papa talk say di boy dey so upset him no go chop for some times.

“I console am say, my son, you dey unique bicos say na only you one com dey alive for dat kind palava wey bin happen for dis kontri,” him talk.

Later, as teenager, Abilash read more about di events wey tear am from him family and bring am back, and him lose him fear.

Him know say di nickname go follow am for life. But dat all right.

“Now I only take am as my code word,” him talk, dey even joke ontop.

“If you wan find me out, access dat code word.”

Him continue to search online to read about himself.

Him papa talk say memories of dose frantic, searching days 20 years ago remain fresh, even as odas fade.

Ova di years, di extensive publicity him family receive don also affect dem negatively, Jayarasa talk.

Him family dey excluded from many of di tsunami relief and reconstruction programs bicos government officials assume say dem don receive money during dia visit to di U.S.

Di experience also lead to jealousy, gossiping and ostracizing of di family for dia neighborhood com, force dem to relocate.

Di papa want him son and oda family members to remain grateful for dia survival, and him want Abilash to becom someone wey fit help odas wey dey inneed.

From time wey di boy be toddler, him papa dey collect small amounts of money from him work for hairdressing shop.

Wen Abilash turn 12, di family erect small memorial to victims of di tsunami for dia front yard. E show four cupped hands.

Di papa explain: “I com dey think about something for my mind say since all dose wey don die don go, leave Abilash behind for us, make we create memory site of our own to remember dem every day.”

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