Deaths on track dash hopes of four families

Bharath, a Class 12 student, died in the accident while travelling to his school, located at Tambaram. While Bharath’s mother Jayalakshmi and her sisters were inconsolable, his 71-year-old grandfather went around the hospital telling people that he wanted Bharath to become a seaman and was saving money for the same. 

Ganesan runs a salon in front of his house near Netaji Nagar in Korukkupet. He said that his daughter Jayalakshmi separated from her husband Rajendran four months ago and moved to Korukkupet from Pozhichalur. 

“If he had been in his home at Pozhichalur, he would have taken a bus and not died,” he told, breaking down. 

“I had been talking to a few seamen working in ships to find a job for my grandson and was saving money. I even got an application form yesterday,” said Ganesan. As Bharath’s father Rajendran also claimed the body, police intervened to help Jayalakshmi to take Bharath’s body for funeral.

J Naveenkumar (23), a mechanical engineer from Foreshore Estate, who worked in a popular two-wheeler manufacturing unit in Kandanchavadi, usually goes to work by bike. On the ill-fated Tuesday, he boarded the crowded train as he had to reach Pallavaram to renew his bike insurance. 

After hearing the news regarding the accident, her mother Malar rushed to the Royapettah GH, however, her relatives sent her to the back to the house in Srinivasapuram without informing about his demise. 

Naveenkumar who was rushed to Saidapet GH was declared brought dead and sent to Royapettah mortuary. Naveenkumar’s father Jayaraman, a fisherman, ventured into the sea as usual in the wee hours of Tuesday and was clueless about his son’s death until he reached the shores around 10 am. Their daughter Shyamala, a BCom graduate, is working at a private film, pursuing MBA on part-time basis.

Manikandan of RA Puram was getting ready to college on Tuesday when one of his friends informed him about the death of P Sivakumar (19) in the accident. He rushed to Royapettah Government Hospital mortuary to see a sea of people including Sivakumar’s family members wailing outside. 

“I met him last on his birthday on February 15. We are friends from childhood as we studied in the same school. He opted for commerce group in Class 11 while I joined the science group. But we remained close as we were living in the same neighbourhood. Sivakumar secured third place in the school in Class 12 examinations,” he said. 

While Manikandan’s father Palani runs a flower shop near Iyyapan temple in RA Puram. Manikandan’s brother Pradeep, a Visual Communication graduate, had to console his heart-broken parents as well as his grandparents, whose cries echoed in the mortuary.