An elderly man living in an old-age home in Haryana’s Sonipat was cremated with none of his three daughters present, as they attended his last rites over a video call from Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai.
A video of the funeral has since gone viral, showing one of the daughters asking whether everything had gone smoothly and requesting that the recording be sent to her after the ceremony.
Watch the video here:
The deceased, a former Mumbai-based textile trader, had been living at the old-age home for nearly two years. He died after a prolonged illness, and despite being informed of his deteriorating health and later his death, none of his daughters could travel to Sonipat for the funeral, according to India Today.
The deceased had moved to the old-age home with his wife, Meena, who died earlier. He breathed his last at around 3.30 am on Tuesday, the report added.
After his death, the old-age home management contacted all three daughters and told them arrangements could be made if they wished to travel to Sonipat. However, they said they were unable to make the journey.
The old-age home management eventually performed the cremation with the help of local residents, while the daughters joined the ceremony remotely through a video call.
According to old-age home administrator Anand Kumar, the deceased regularly spoke to his daughters on a mobile phone he kept with him. But after he fell ill, those conversations became less frequent.
“He had a phone through which he used to talk to his daughters. After he became ill, their calls stopped. We informed them about his condition, but they still could not come,” Kumar said as quoted by the publication.
He added that the daughters had been informed about their father’s deteriorating health nearly 20 days before his death, but none came to meet him.
Raised and educated his daughters
Originally from Mumbai, the father had devoted much of his life to raising and educating his three daughters. According to the old-age home management, he ensured they received a good education and often spoke proudly of their achievements. Two of them later became teachers.
His eldest daughter, Anita, lives in Nepal and works as a teacher. Nisha lives in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, while the youngest, Priya, lives in Mumbai. All three are married and have families.
Anita transferred ₹5,100 online and requested that her father’s last rites be performed properly. After the cremation, the daughters also asked the old-age home to send them videos of the funeral proceedings.
The family initially requested that Gupta’s ashes be preserved. They later informed the old-age home that they would not be able to travel to Sonipat and asked the management to immerse the ashes in the Ganga on their behalf, according to the report.
In accordance with the family’s wishes, Gupta’s eyes were also donated after his death, allowing them to help restore sight to people in need.
