THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid tears and grief, the mortal remains of five people, including three kids, who died in a Nepal resort were laid to rest at their ancestral house at Chenkottukonam.
The bodies of Praveen Nair, his wife Saranya and children Sree Bhadra, Ardra and Abhinav were brought to Thiruvananthapuram in an Air India flight on Thursday night. They were later shifted to the Medical College Hospital mortuary. From there, on Friday morning, the bodies were taken to Ayyankovil accompanied by a motorcade. Praveen’s body was first moved out of the morgue followed by the rest of the family members. Coffins were carried in separate ambulances.
When the vehicles reached Chenkottukonam, a huge crowd had already assembled in the place. When the coffins were taken out, the relatives and neighbours broke down. The bodies were taken to the house accompanied by wailing and lamentation. Emotions reached a crescendo when Praveen’s parents came to the coffins to bid goodbye.
The bodies were kept in the courtyard for the public to pay homage. The police and the relatives had a tough time handling the crowd as they kept thronging the place and made long serpentine queues. Political leaders, including Forest Minister K Raju, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and several MLAs paid their homage.
The funeral function began by 9.30 am. Arav, Saranya’s sister’s three-year-old son, performed the last rites of Saranya and Praveen. The kids were interred in a single grave in the middle, while the parents were cremated on the flanks.
Gloomy January
The three kids were born in January. The birthday of Aarcha is on January 31 and it was expected that the family will be celebrating it here on their return. The relatives said Praveen had told them that they will come for the temple festival that is slated to begin on January 31.
He couldn’t keep his words. Sadly, the bodies were brought home on the same day they were to return from their Nepal sojourn.