As they remembered their loved ones

CHENNAI: It has been eight years since the giant wave struck the fishing hamlets along the Chennai coast, leaving a deep scar in their memories. On Monday, the fisherfolk of these villages lit candles with flowers, in remembrance of their loved ones whom they lost to the tsunami.Gomathi (43), a resident of Pattinapakkam, who lost her sister Kattaiyee said, “This morning, I woke up in tears thinking about my sister. She had just gotten married and was then 20 years old. That morning, my sister gave some fresh fish to take home to cook for my children. She took the responsiblity of running my fish shop and asked me to go indoors. Only because she sent me home, I am alive today. While trying to save me, she died.”That was when Gomathi saw her sister last.  She added, “I miss my sister very much. She was my best friend and confidante, though she was a lot younger to me. She always helped me in taking care of my children and I have lost a helping hand. I wish we had grown old together.”On that ill-fated day, 56 people were lost in the tsunami in Pattinapakkam fishing hamlet alone. Women in the fishing market, boys playing cricket and men checking out the shore, figure in this list. Devi was 28 when her husband, who went for his morning walk in the beach on that fateful day, never returned. His body was found near the Adyar Bridge the day after the tsunami. Devi said, “My husband was a daily-wage labourer. That particular day, he had seen the waves approaching and even took some people along to see them. He had clearly underestimated the impact of the waves and instead of running away from the waves, he went ahead and tried to save people.”After her husband’s death, she had to take up work as an ayah in a school, which pays her Rs 3500. She said, “Even today, we have nightmares of the terrible day and wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night. I have two children and keeping them in school is a tough task. What I earn is hardly enough for food. On the top of everything, I also have to take care of my husband’s parents, who are too old to live by themselves.”Similar is the story of Vijalakshmi (31), who lost her husband to the tsunami, being left with two children to take care of. She said, “That particular day, being a Sunday, he went out for a jog at 8am, and I never saw him after that.” “After his death, I learnt tailoring and since my health didn’t permit me to continue that, I learnt a computer course and now, I work in the pharmacy of a  hospital.”