One year on, mixed reactions from Katuwapitiya

• Those who have survived have built up a lot of courage
• Because of the COVID-19 we cannot take daughter to the clinic

Grief-stricken survivors of the Easter Sunday attacks do not want to recall the horrific event. A year later, life is at a standstill for some, while others are trying to give life a second chance. Claiming the lives of more than 270 people and injuring more than 470, the horror of the coordinated suicide blasts continues to haunt people. In Katuwapitiya, which was the worst hit, many of the survivors continue to place their trust in their faith, and are keen to live in harmony, while hoping the perpetrators would be given maximum punishment. 
Here is what the survivors of St Sebastian’s Church Katuwapitiya had to say. Many had mixed reactions.

“Gave up work to look after family” 
- Appuhamy

“It was only after 10 months that my wife started walking, that too with the use of a walker,” said Nimal Appuhamy. “She was advised to walk only indoors. There’s a piece of shrapnel in her body and it’s difficult for her to swallow food. Her hands too were numb for a long time.” 
Having been employed as a painter, Appuhamy later decided to stay at home to care for his family since his wife was unable to do any work. He thanks St. Sebastian’s Church and Seth Sarana – the charity arm of the Colombo Archdiocese -- for supporting them. “We were given Rs.5 lakhs, and the Church looks after us. My daughter recovered from the injuries and started schooling recently,” Appuhamy said.

“No hopes on life” 
- Shiran Anton

Shiran Anton’s story is even more heartbreaking. “I lost my wife and daughter. My life is at a standstill and I have been at home ever since. I was employed at a garment factory, but I gave up my job because there’s no point earning money just for myself. There are a lot of issues, but I have no hopes on life,” he said.

Milroy family. Senarath (second from left), Sneha (middle) and mother Kalyani with their youngest son (right) 

“Life won’t be the same again” 
- Senarath Milroy

Senarath Milroy lost seven members in his family. His daughter, Sneha Mindani, had to undergo several surgeries on her head. There were tissues grafted due to severe head injuries, and she was advised to stay in air-conditioned rooms. Today, she has fully recovered. But life won’t be the same again. “Even though she’s fully recovered, she feels tired the minute she returns home from school,” said Milroy. “Because of the COVID-19 situation we cannot take her to the clinic. She is still on medication. She used to participate in track events like the 100 and 200-metre sprints, but not anymore. The doctors have advised her not to do anything that would make her excessively tired.” Milroy also urged the government to bring the perpetrators to justice. “It’s been a year, and there’s nobody willing to take up the responsibility. That’s the sad part,” he said.

“Have hopes in the government” 
- Chaminda Priyadarshana

A year ago, Chaminda Priyadarshana was giving a speech in Church. “I prepared it for four minutes because there were many items on the agenda. Some two minutes later the explosion happened,” he said. Today, he lives with a piece of shrapnel wedged between his lungs and the liver. “I was rushed to the Colombo National Hospital because the Negombo Hospital was full. I have hopes in the present government of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. He has to mete out justice to the victims. We are a nation that suffered a 30-year war, and we shouldn’t allow such incidents to repeat themselves,” he said.

Regaining hope 

“Within this year, people have traversed a journey of bereavement and hardships,” said St. Sebastian’s Church Parish Priest Fr. Manjula Niroshan Fernando. “Some have lost their loved ones, some are permanently disabled and some are recovering from their injuries. But they will remember those events every now and then. However, they have overcome their fear to an extent. They have regained some hope, and that is a positive.” At the onset of the incident, religious disharmony also escalated. But Fr. Fernando said the community had gotten back together. “They don’t have any grudges against the Islamic faith. They understand that this was done by extremist elements.”

The church selected 190 children from affected families for scholarships till they finish their schooling. “We have also provided support to people who don’t have a house to live in. Another livelihood development programme is in progress. But training has stopped due to the COVID-19 situation. Here we are empowering people in families that lost their breadwinner to develop their skills and become self-employed. So far we have completed three such training programmes. The church has also paid all medical bills of those who had to undergo treatment following the attack. We will continue to look after the critically injured in the future as well. The support is extended by Seth Sarana under the purview of Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcom Ranjith,” Fr. Fernando said. As a parting message, the priest said we could be stronger if we supported one another. “Those who have survived have built up a lot of courage in them. Those who have left us will be in heaven.”

PTSD symptoms didn’t last long 

“At the onset of the Easter Sunday attack, most survivors were experiencing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” recalled Dr. Pushpa Ranasinghe, Consultant Psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health. “Many did not want to talk to us. Survivors at the Kochchikade Church were from faraway places on their way to Colombo to work. They didn’t even have a family member to talk to. All of them were going through four stages, including experiencing intrusive memories. They would get startled at loud noises, and they could not bear the sound of thunder. Some couldn’t sleep because they experienced flashbacks. Those who used to travel to work passing the church took different routes. There were those who had irritable reactions, and others who felt numb. They didn’t have any feelings. All of these are PTSD symptoms,” Dr. Ranasinghe said.

Once the incident happened, a psychological first-aid team was deployed. A helpline was set up to receive calls related to the incident. Around 20 from the team started to visit affected families for a period of three weeks. Volunteers were from the same community. After around four months they realized they did not need to visit them as frequently. However, they were checked once a month at the community clinic. “We were monitoring them for a long time and realized these symptoms didn’t last long. After four or five months they were getting back to normal,” Dr. Ranasinghe said.

When asked if being confined indoors due to the indefinite curfew would add a burden to their psychological well-being, Dr. Ranasinghe said they had experienced a bigger trauma. “This is a mild experience for them. We receive around 200 calls daily, where people ask us about the COVID-19 situation. We do around 50 interventions every day. We have also been able to post medication to those who have been prescribed medicines,” she said