The Hindu : National : Good news after a sleepless night

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

National

National

Good news after a sleepless night

By Our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, DEC. 27. W. K. Dilanka Vidyani, a child scientist and her mother, Kanthini Selvayagam, skipped dinner and spent a sleepless night yesterday thousands of miles from their home in Sri Lanka as they tried in vain to find out if their family members had survived the tsunami.The two heaved a sigh of relief this morning after Vidyani contacted in Colombo a close friend who confirmed that everyone in their family was safe as the killer waves had missed Mulheriyabi, where their house is located, by just five km.

A Class X student, Vidyani had arrived here to represent her country as an observer in the 12th National Children's Science Congress which got underway here today. She was to present a project on reducing noise pollution."We tried to contact our family throughout the night after we came to know about the disaster. Only this morning we could speak to one of my close friends who confirmed that our locality escaped the killer tsunami waves narrowly and everyone in the family was safe," Vidyani and her mother told reporters at the venue of the inaugural session of the five-day event.

The Governor, Lt Gen (retd) Ajai Singh, inaugurated the event as the President, Abdul Kalam, deferred his visit in the wake of the disaster.Dr. Kalam would attend the valedictory function of the children's science congress scheduled on December 31, said the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, while addressing the inaugural function.

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