LUCKNOW: The devastating fire at a commerical building here, that claimed the lives of 15 people on Monday, has also scripted the tragic end of a young couple's wedding dreams.
30-year-old Anamika Samanta and 27-year-old Neelesh Kumar, both animation artists, had their wedding planned for November this year.
The couple reportedly died of suffocation as they were trapped in their company office on the second floor of the building that caught fire. They had been working as animation artists at the Head Hopper Studios, a company specialising in 3D art production and game development.
The couple met at work three years ago, and what began as a professional acquaintance was nurtured into a close relationship, eventually leading to marriage.
The duo was recently engaged after both their families agreed to the relationship.
According to Neelesh Kumar's family, Anamika's parents had come down to Lucknow last week to finalise the marriage plans.
"During that visit, both our families agreed to the marriage, and the arrangements were virtually finalised," said Abhishek Kumar, an architectural visualiser and Neelesh’s elder brother.
He added that they were planning to visit the bride-to-be's family in Kolkata as part of the wedding plans next week.
Neelesh was the third among the four children of Shatrughan Lal --a retired employee of the Uttar Pradesh electricity department-- and Santosh Kumari.
Recounting the events from Monday, Neelesh's family said they were initially unaware of the tragedy that had befallen them, even though they were following the reports related to the fire at a building in Aliganj.
The family said they were shocked when they got a call from King George’s Medical University (KGMU) mortuary informing them of Neelesh's passing later in the day.
According to them, Neelesh's body was intact and easily identifiable, indicating that he might have died of suffocation and did not suffer any burn injuries.
Meanwhile, Anamika's grieving family could not travel to Lucknow, and her body was transported to Kolkata with the assistance of the district administration and police.
Anamika is the eldest of two children and is survived by her father, Bishwanath Samanta, who works for a private firm, and her mother, Sulekha Samanta.