BENGALURU: “Vasudeva Bhat had come home to caution his wife about the heavy rain and directed her not to send their children outside. However, while going back to the temple, which was quite close to his house, he tried to unclog a drain pipe, so that the rainwater could flow effectively. Lots of water had stagnated on the slab on which he was standing and unfortunately, it gave way suddenly. He fell and was washed away,’’ Bhat’s neighbour Roopali narrated.
Bhat had been a priest with Venkataramana temple in Kurubarahalli for the past ten years. The place of worship is around 22 years old. The temple trust had given a house adjacent to temple to the priest. Vasudeva lived with his mother, wife and two children. His younger brother moved to the US five months ago along with his wife and kid.
Vasudeva’s eight year old son and neighbour Roopali’s son are friends. They played together on a nearby street. “Vasudeva would go to the temple at 7.30 am and return in the afternoon. He usually returned to the temple at 5.30 pm and come home at 9 pm. When it started raining heavily, the compound wall of the temple collapsed partially. He sensed danger and came home at around 7 pm to tell warn his wife about the downpour. If he had just gone to the temple, instead of standing on that slab, he would have been alive,’’ Roopali added.
Harish, a regular visitor to the temple said that Vasudeva was an important part of the community. “He was so devoted to Lord Venkataramana but unfortunately, he died near temple where he had been worshipping for the past ten years,’’ he said.