Thulaashi (second from left) with (from left) her sister Kaanchana, 30, father A. Suppiah, 73, and mother Annal Mary, 60, offering prayers on the Batu Ferringhi beach in Penang.
TSUNAMI ‘miracle baby’ S. Thulaashi will continue to offer prayers for surviving the disaster in 2004 for the rest of her life.
Thulaashi, now 18, holds a ritual every year to show gratitude and pray for those who did not survive the tsunami.
“I will not break this tradition. As I grow older, my gratitude increases. I realise that I got to live and do things that those who perished could not do.
“Every year, my family and I light a flame for the dead victims and pray for them, as we do for family members who have passed on.
“My parents then give away food at their restaurant in Batu Ferringhi, which is another thing we do when a family member passes away,” she said.
Thulaashi was barely a year old when the tsunami struck the Batu Ferringhi beach in Penang on Dec 26, 2004.
She was sleeping on a mattress at her family cafe along the beach.
A huge wave washed the mattress out to sea but another wave washed her back into the cafe. She escaped unscathed.
She said this year, the thanksgiving ritual was a quiet affair as most of her relatives were not free to join in the prayers.
“Only my parents, sister and brother-in-law were around this time,” she said.
Thulaashi is now doing her matriculation in Kepala Batas.
“I am studying business, accounting and economics.
“I will decide later whether to pursue further studies,” she said.
Thulaashi (second from left) with (from left) her sister Kaanchana, 30, father A. Suppiah, 73, and mother Annal Mary, 60, offering prayers on the Batu Ferringhi beach in Penang.
Thulaashi and Suppiah sprinkling flowers on the water in memory of those who perished in the tragedy.
