KENDRAPARA: Rabindra Rout (57), an engineer with a private company in Bangalore, had to watch his 84-year-old mother’s funeral online on Saturday as he was unable to come to his native village Indupur in the district due to the lockdown.
‘I had managed to obtain permission from the authorities to travel from Bangalore to my village in a four-wheeler. But my relatives advised me to stay in Bangalore. I watched the funeral service of my mother on WhatsApp live streaming,” Rabi told this paper over phone.
The coronavirus pandemic has not only affected people’s lives but also changed their deaths. Like Rabi, many people who are staying away from home and have lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic are forced to watch the funeral services online due to the draconian restrictions to contain the outbreak.
Sixty two-year-old Alekha Chandra Swain of Gupti village in Rajnagar block died of heart attack on Friday night. His two sons, who work in a plywood factory in Ernakulam district of Kerala, were not present at the bedside of their dying father as they were stuck at their workplace due to the lockdown. Since the fight and train services have been cancelled, the grieving brothers were forced to watch the funeral of their father via a video call.
Similarly, 80-year-old Sanatan Patra of Lalitagiri village died due to old age ailments on Friday. His only son Ashok Patra, who works in a private company in Kolkata, could not reach the village to attend the funeral. Sanatan’s 20-year-old grandson Priyabrata had to lit his funeral pyre while Ashok watched the last rites on his mobile phone.
Diptiranjan and Radhakanta also had to watch the funeral of their mother Pramila Basantia (49), an ASHA worker of Balijhari village in Pattamundai block who died of heart attack on Friday, on live stream as they were unable to attend the service. The brothers are now stuck in Mumbai where they work in a factory.
Ranjan Jena, a plumber in a construction company in Kathmandu, was forced to stay away from his mother’s funeral due to the lockdown. His mother Sabitri Jena (75) died on Thursday in Mandapada village.
“The company wanted to help him return to my village but could not due to suspension of flights. He had to watch my wife’s funeral through WhatsApp,” said a mourning Jagannath Jena, father of Ranjan.