Hidden story about Michael's body sent to Sri Lanka from Italy after being sealed for 25 years!

Hidden story about Michael's body sent to Sri Lanka from Italy after being sealed for 25 years!

The number of Sri Lankans who had gone in search of finances and well-being statistically numbers several lakhs. Though most of them who go overseas come back home to spend their time with their children and families after achieving their objectives ... so many instances are reported where the case is not so. The number of those who give over their lives after going abroad before returning to their motherland number in hundreds annually. 

Michael Stein George is one such person in that list. But what appeals the reader in the case of

Michael's demise is the fact that his dead body is brought to Sri Lanka and is exposed to his kith and kin to pay their last respects is 25 years after his demise. Michael who is given the opportunity of being buried in the soil of his motherland 25 years after death records his date of birth as March 15th, 1945.

The number of members, both male and female in Michael's family who made Chavakachcheri, Jaffna his hometown are nine in number. Michael happens to be the eldest among them. When Michael was reaching an understanding age ... his mother died. Thus, responsibilities of the family fell on the shoulders of Michael, being the eldest. When reaching proper age, Michael enters into marriage with a resident of Jaffna itself ... Mary Agnes by name. Mary Agnes was nine years younger than Michael. Michael and Mary truly lives an exemplary married life. The had three children from the marriage. That was two daughters Darshani and Subodhani while the only son was called Judison. While the Michael couple attended to affairs of their children and family, they did not fail to look into welfare of the other brothers and sisters too. 

In the meantime a brother of Mary Agnes had gone abroad and was employed in Italy. Later with his support Michael also had the fortune of going to Italy. Though Michael initially disliked isolating his wife and three children and thus go overseas, in the end he makes up his mind and decides to go to Italy, saying, "If we stay in Sri Lanka, just as much as we ... our children too will have to suffer". 

Michael who thus ade goodbye to Sri Lanka on March 2, 1983 set off to Italy. At that time, Michael's three children were of the ages of 7, 5 and 3. Michael's job happened to be a passenger vessel in Italy. Michael was getting good money. From this money he earned he spent on his wife and children in Jaffna. In the process he also managed to get down two brothers and two sisters to Italy.

Michael who returned to his mother country after two years since going to Italy then made it a point to make this trip back home once a year for his holidays. He was so able to come home during the two-month orso holidays when his ship finished a long trip as such. In this manner it is in the month of January, 1994 that he last set foot in Sri Lanka. 

What transpired thereafter is related by Michael's second daughter, Dharshani Stein (40) in the following manner: "When father left Sri Lanka I was very small. But he used to return home once an year and till his return we used to keep our fingers crossed. He last came home in January, 1994 and stayed for about four months. He then worked at a hotel. After finishing his holidays on May 14th, he went back to Italy. About two weeks later, a relative of ours appeared over BBC Tamil news and mentioned our father's name. Judging from what he said, he said that father has had a sudden death. 

During that period, there were no telephone facilities from Jaffna to overseas. Letters of course arrive late. Therefore we managed to get details across international red cross. According to what they said, father has got fever while on his way from Sri Lanka. What they said was that it is malaria fever. He has passed away on May 24th, 1994 with a heart attack which he had got with that bout of fever. 

These details we came to know from our uncle who was in Italy. Whatever it is ... according to the situation at that time; we had nothing else to do other than cry. During that era, there was an army camp in a village about three kilometres from the town of Vavuniya, Thandikkulama. What was beyond that was the L.T.T.E. controlling area. There were isolated army camps in Mullaitivu, Alimankada, Karainagar, Palali and Jaffna island regions. 

Though there were land routes to Kilinochchi area across strong barriers from Vavuniya, there was no route to enter Jaffna peninsula as such. Therefore, the only alternative open for inhabitants of Jaffna to reach the south was by air of sea. Both those opportunities of transport was under authority of government security forces. In the face of such security taboos, it was indeed a strenuous task for the normal inhabitant to go from that transport travel route to the south from Jaffna or vice versa. 

If a Tamil national was to come to Colombo from Jaffna and secure permission to arrive in Colombo after making an application for that purpose ... there would be a delay of one and a half years by the time he is granted permission. If a corpse is to be transported from Colombo to Jaffna ... a private aircraft had to be rented out. Though a big sum of money is spent for it ... securing permission was not an easy task as such. Under these conditions the decision arrived at by Michael's uncle was to keep the dead body under safe conditions until a suitable situation dawns where the dead body can be transported without any worry or disagreement. 

Under the above circumstances, the dead body was handed to a reputed funeral parlour in Italy and has signed an agreement with that agency. According to the said agreement, the dead body has to be maintained for a maximum period of twenty five years without any damage to the dead body. In the meantime of course, the guardian could at any time can remove the body. The other condition is that though the dead body is in custody of the company concerned, permission is not given to open the coffin other than have a look at the dead body. A type of gas has been utilised in order to preserve the body      and what the relevant company has said was that if the coffin is opened, the composition could undergo a change, thus resulting in damage to the corpse. Therefore, after opening the coffin, responsibility of certifying to preserve the body for the said duration of time naturally expires. 

Under this situation, Michael's wife Mary Agnes and Judison happened to make a visit to Italy some years back and returned home after paying homage to the dad body of Michael and taking some photographs. In the process, the war which dragged on for three decades in 2009 finally came to an end. After peace dawned on the land, security barriers which were strictly enforced were removed and roads closed upto then were opened and transport facilities in the north once again was restored to normalcy as in other parts of the country. 

Under the above-stated situation barriers of bringing Michael's dead body to Sri Lanka were thus removed. However, Michael's body was brought down at the end of 10 years when the war has ended. A specific reason for this is not mentioned by Michael's kith and kin. However, the true story of the delay in coming to take the body away for 10 years is the strong sentimental bond that existed between his children, the wife and Michael. According to human nature, though Michael died, as his body is preserved ... they gained some emotional satisfaction that their father is still under preservation. Therefore they had disliked their father being buried under the soil 10 years before this. But making them understand that nothing is permanent, what the Italian funeral company informed Michael's kith and kin was that since the agreement period will be drawing to a close, to take a decision regarding the dead body. 

Under these circumstances, the relatives had got together and took steps to bring down Michael's body to Sri Lanka. Last April 5th it was arranged to bring the body to Sri Lanka and it was taken into custody of the relatives on the 6th. The body which was taken to Jaffna that day for the last respects was made to lie at the house of Shanmugam in Shanmugam Street, Santanai, Chavakachcheri. It was only members of the family who participated at the funeral proceedings. The final rites were conducted on April 7th at Chavakachcheri Catholic Church according to religious customs. 

Michael's wife Mary Agnes (65) finally expressed the following ideas: "My husband left us when I was 49 and at that time eldest daughter had finished her education. Second daughter was in her advanced level in the science stream. Son also was studying. Till that time my husband was treating me and my children well. Though he died, his blessings were upon us. Eldest daughter is living in Canada and son is in London. But all relative children came. Finally children too did their duty to their father". 

Note -- S. Priyantha