Bokka Shiva Shankara Vara Prasad, the 24-year-old youth behind the wheel of the ill-fated ambulance, which met with an accident on ORR in the wee hours of Friday, was not only adept in driving but a talented hockey player too.
Vara Prasad, in fact, was picked-up by a multinational company to play hockey in London recently. The company spotted his talent when he was playing as part of the West Godavari district hockey team.
Friends and family members who bid adieu to Vara Prasad in Eluru on Thursday were in a state of shock as they rushed to Osmania General Hospital (OGH) morgue to take back his mortal remains.
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Vara Prasad, a native of Kovvali village near Eluru of Andhra Pradesh, died after an SUV rammed his ambulance on the ORR under Adibatla police station area.
He is survived by wife Nagadurga and two daughters, Nandini and Bhargavi. “Bhargavi is just three months old and Prasad, my only son, has left us,” said the victim’s inconsolable father Bokka Ram Babu, a farmer. He said Vara Prasad was good at heart.
“Around 8 p.m. on Thursday, he (Vara Prasad) called and informed that he was going to Gangavati in Karnataka and will be back in two days,” he said.
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The victim’s childhood friend Mohammed Abdullah said the former had dropped his wife at her maternal home in Tanuku, before leaving for Gangavati.
He said Vara Prasad was into driving for over four years and was planning to purchase his own vehicle to save money. “He also dreamt of making big in sports,” Abdullah added.