It was only in the morning that Jatkula Yadgiri saw his three children off to the school before he left for work. Little did he know that that was the last time he’d ever see them.
The horrific incident where the Kakatiya School bus was hit by an express train heading to Kachiguda from Secunderabad claimed the lives of his three children Trisha (8), Divya (6) and Charan (3).
Yadgiri, who is still in shock, says that he had a chat with his eldest daughter yesterday. “My two daughters died on the spot and we just got a call from the hospital saying that our son has passed away,” he wept.
“I got a call from her headmaster who said that he has not done her homework and that she is giving her best at school. She assured me that she’ll give her best henceforth,” he said, as he burst into fresh set of tears. “She asked me not to take and tension and judge her by her grades,” he mourned.
Yadgiri belongs to a lower middle class family who earns his livelihood by farming and other odd jobs. “Despite my low income, I sent my children to a private school because they are my biggest asset,” he said.
“My elder daughter wanted to become a teacher, and the younger, a doctor. My son wanted to become a police. I often wondered how I’d be able to provide so much for them,” he wailed. “I had taken loan from various people to ensure good education to my children. There were times when people barged into my house demanding me to return their money. I was never perturbed during any of those situations because the comfort of my kids was all I was thinking of,” he informed. “My youngest was so happy when I got him 20 rupees worth dates (Khajoor) two days ago. I normally take bananas home, which my children got bored of,” he wailed.
Though Yadgiri is still in a state of shock, he had anticipated the mishap. “My children have often complained the way the driver drove the bus. I had gone to the school a number of times and complained to the principal. We have also requested the management to do something about the crossing. At least now, we hope they do something about it,” he said.