Nagapattinam: For Kumari Sivakumar, life had lost all it's meaning when her children were killed during the tsunami last year. But one year after her life came to a standstill, Kumari is smiling again.

She is four months pregnant and for a mother who lost all her children to the tsunami, it is nothing short of a re-birth.

Five years ago, when they had their third child, Kumari underwent a tubectomy surgery. Little did they know then that the tsunami take away "their real wealth" - their children.

Since then, life has been a series of downs for the couple. Good news finally came eight months ago. When they heard of state-supported re-canalisation operation, Kumari jumped at the opportunity.

Kumari is not the only one. In the temporary shelters in Keechankuppam, Geeta and her husband pray for the long life of the baby that's growing in her womb.

The couple had opted for family-planning two years back with only two girls, both of whom were swallowed by the killer wave last year

Now five months pregnant, Geeta says that becoming a mother again is not that easy. "Whatever anyone says, my little girls will always be dear to me. We struggled to bring them up and they were our pride and joy. It hurts a lot even now, even though I am lucky enough to be having another baby."

The story of death and pain is the same in almost every house in this little village. For women who lost their children, re-canalisation is the only hope, but not many have been successful in finding life in their wombs again.