Fisherman waits long to get home

Chennai, Dec. 25: Kodi Mari (45), a lowly fisherman from Chiruthur village in Nagai, lost almost everything to the tsunami. His two daughters, aged 16 and 14 then, drowned and died right next to their home that lies barely 30 metres away from the sea while his wife and son vanished with the tidal waves. Yet, he has not received a home.

Recollecting the fateful day, he remembers returning home after fishing with his son Sankar (24) barely minutes before the tsunami struck. His wife was selling the day’s catch with their elder daughter Murugeswari while the younger one Vasantha was at home.

“The waves were so huge; almost as tall as two palm trees. I had never seen anything like that and ran for my life. I climbed one of the trees as my home and the entire village was engulfed by the waves. When the water receded, Murueswari’s body was found tangled in a fishing net while Vasantha was buried under the collapsed compound wall,” he said. “My wife and son were missing.”

Fortunately, 40 days later Sankar and Kodi’s wife Karuthamal, who were at the Thanjavur government hospital and receiving treatment, returned home. “But, it was too late by then. When the authorities came for the list of victims, my father thought all of us had died and did not register as a victim,” says Shankar.

Five years have passed. Kodi Mari and Shankar have knocked every possible door they could for a permanent home in vain. The latest promise is a six-month wait. Until then, Kodi and his family continue to live by the sea.