Stranded abroad and unable to reach home even for the funeral of parents following COVID-19 restrictions, young technocrats have no other means except video calls to have glimpses of last rites of the deceased.
An example of this sad situation occurred in Odisha’s Berhampur on Saturday. K. Narasimha Subdhi (70) died of a heart attack at his residence at Kapileswarpeta Street of Berhampur. His only son K.Sudip, a software engineer, is working in the U.S. for the past one year. He had planned to visit home in April, but COVID-19 had shattered his plans.
Even after receiving information about his father’s death, there was no way Mr. Sudip could reach Berhampur to perform the last rites. According to the family members, Mr. Sudip had spoken with his father only half an hour before he suffered the fatal heart attack.
Friends and relatives then decided to perform the funeral of the deceased in absence of his son. His pyre was lit by Mr. Sudip’s brother-in-law.
As a last resort, Mr. Sudip watched the funeral rituals and last rites of his father at Nilakantheswar cremation ground in Berhampur through live video call.
A similar incident was reported from Laikera in Jharsuguda district of Odisha in March.
An elderly person with two sons had passed away on March 17. His elder son, working in Mumbai, had managed to return home and the funeral was conducted two days after the death. But the younger son, Ranjan Nayak, who stays abroad with his wife and daughter, could not return.
Here also video call was the only mean through which the son could remain in contact with bereaved family during the funeral process.
