CHENNAI: Kannan’s mother’s last journey was on a two-wheeler. She lay motionless or rather slumped between her son and daughter-in-law, as they pushed her body on a two-wheeler to the electric crematorium at Virugambakkam in the wee hours on Monday.R Kannan (53), a native of Kambam in Theni district, and a daily wage worker in Chennai, was struggling to meet both ends ever since his elder son, who was the main source of income for the family, walked out on home about two months ago since the family objected to his affair with a girl.
The police said that Kannan’s 85-year-old mother R Bhuvaneshwari had been sick for three weeks.
The neighbours, who shared the adjacent portions in the building at Vembuli Amman Koil Street, were also complaining of the foul smells from Kannan’s house since Bhuvaneshwari was so weak to use the toilets and was soiling her bed.“On Sunday night Bhuvaneshwari died. With no money in hand, fearing the anger of his neighbours, he decided to cremate his mother in Virugambakkam in early morning, when no one would notice,” said police inspector M Thangaraj of KK Nagar, who enquired into the incident. According to the police, Kannan carried his mother out of the house and lay her on the bike. He pushed the vehicle, as his wife held on to it and stabilised his mother’s body.
“I saw him pushing his bike at around 4.30 in the morning,” said Vetrivel, who runs a tea-shop around the corner of the street. “Upon questioning, he told us that he didn’t have enough money for a funeral or a vehicle. Before we could give him some money, the police inquired with him,” he said.Despite having a brother and two sons, Kannan neither had money nor enough support to ritualistically carry his mother to the crematorium. He was on bad terms with all of them. The funeral procession was just a two-party affair.
Kannan moved to Chennai about two years ago after problems with his elder brother in his native town. His elder son was the one working in a good company here and hence the main sustenance for the family,” said Thangaraj.The relationship with the elder son also severed when the family opposed his affair with a girl. Ever since, there have been a lot of problems in the family, said one of the neighbours. The neighbours often had to intervene as the family members would fight among themselves.“After his son eloped, they were unable to pay the rent and the building owner asked them to vacate the house in three months,” the neighbour said.
The KK Nagar police have registered a case and subsequently took the body to the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super-Specialty Hospital and handed over the body to the family after autopsy.
Later, police spoke to Kannan’s elder brother in Kambam and convinced him to arrange for funeral in the native place. Police also contacted a few people known to Kannan in Chennai and through their help Bhuvaneshwari’s body was taken in a vehicle to Kambam for burial.
Abandoned by all
Despite having a brother and two sons, Kannan didn’t have the money or support to ritualistically carry his mother to the crematorium. He was on bad terms with them. The funeral procession was just a two-party affair