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| Sunday, 27 March 2005 |
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Indian tsunami survivor finds hope in make-shift orphanage NAGAPATTINAM, India, Saturday (AFP) K. Nirmala, one of 129 orphans in a government shelter in India's tsunami-hit southern Nagapattinam town, wants to emulate a police officer who helped her overcome her bitter memories. Nirmala, a outstanding 16-year-old student, lost both her farm labourer parents in the December 26 tsunamis and stopped studying until the officer encouraged her to prepare for the upcoming 10th grade final exams at a government school. "I want to become a police officer," the shy and soft-spoken Nirmala told AFP. "The two months following their death were the most difficult period in my life." "I could not focus on my studies. I used to sit and cry. It was a police officer in the district who helped me get over the terrible loss of my parents and home. He counselled us and played with us for days together," said Nirmala, sporting blue ribbons in her hair. "He showed me the way and I want to emulate him," she said. "My first aim is to top the exams again." Nirmala lives with the other children at a six-room orphanage with a make-shift classroom that has become a refuge. While some children at the orphanage may be adopted, many are in limbo and could spend years under state care. The Tamil Nadu state government said in January that a preliminary survey showed more than 500 children may have lost one or both parents in the tsunamis. |
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