20 years After Saving Girl From Tsunami, IAS officer Officiates Her Wedding In TN

In a heartwarming gesture, an IAS officer who served as a district collector during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Tamil Nadu officiated the wedding of the youngest survivor of the disaster. The fateful year of 2004 caused major havoc due to the tsunami that struck the state of Tamil Nadu claiming over 6,000 lives. Dr J Radhakrishnan, the then-district collector, played a crucial role in relief and rescue operations after the tsunami. In the aftermath of the tsunami, fisherfolk heard the cries of a child amidst the wreckage left by the tides near Keechankuppam fishing hamlet. 

Upon rescuing the child, they handed over the baby to the authorities. The baby was admitted to Annai Sathya Government Children’s Home in Nagapattinam. The state established this home after realizing that hundreds of children had lost one or both parents in the tsunami. The baby rescued near Keechankuppam was named 'Meena.'

Radhakrishnan and his wife Krithika became ‘godparents’ to Meena and a three-year-old girl named Sowmya. Sowmya was rescued from Velankanni and became Meena's close confidante and sister. Radhakrishnan, even after his transfer, kept visiting the children's home to ensure their wellbeing. 

As months and years went by, children living there were adopted except Sowmya and Meena. When Radhakrishnan was appointed as the monitoring officer of Gaja Cyclone relief works in Nagapattinam, in 2018, he met Meena as a Class 12 student. He was shattered to know that she still had not got a foster home.

Learning about this incident, a businessman Manivannan, and his wife — an advocate named Malarvizhi — volunteered to foster them and supported their higher studies as they aspired to become nurses. 

In 2022, Sowmya got married, and Radhakrishnan's family conducted her wedding. Last year, Sowmya welcomed a daughter. 

The Youngest Tsunami Survivor Gets Married

On Sunday, Meena married P Manimaran, who works at a nationalized bank in Nagapattinam at Sri Nellukkadai Mariamman Temple. The wedding was solemnized by Radhakrishnan, and several survivors, like Tamilarasi, who had lived with Meena at the Children's Home, attended the wedding.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Radhakrishnan said, “Our family is immensely happy in conducting the wedding of the child we raised. Despite facing hardships, Tsunami survivors like Meena and Sowmya continue to progress in life with determination.”