Sixteen years ago today brought the tragedy of the tsunami that devastated great tracts of land and caused at least 230,000 deaths across 14 countries that included Sri Lanka.

As we pause to remember those many people who lost lives or livelihoods, I though I would share a night time image that I took when taking an after dinner stroll in Unawatuna on 29th August, and the poignant post that I found when searching online the next day. 

It is hard to imagine the distress caused by seeing news footage of the scale of the disaster, and then at a time of total chaos and destroyed communication routes trying desperately to confirm if loved ones were safe.  The story I uncovered gave me a glimpse of such agony, in this case with at least eleven days of torment and helplessness sadly leading to the most feared outcome.

The eight-spoked Dharma Wheel that you can see on the headstone represents the eight noble paths that are the essence of Buddhism; the right view; intention; speech; action; livelihood; effort; mindfulness; and concentration. 

One of my friends has translated the Sinhalese script for me.  The upper line reads “Mother, we worship at your feet” and the lower line “May you attain Nirvana” – the transcendental state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, just release from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.

Lotta was clearly a lady accepted in to the local community and who had made Sri Lanka more than just her physical home.

Steve