In a rare instance, a grieving woman lit funeral pyre for her only deceased son at Sundargarh Swargadwar on Sunday.
According to sources, Kalyani Sahu from Lohardipa Housing Board colony in Sundargarh works as a postal agent at Sundargarh. Kalyani’s husband Hemant Bagar had left her about 10 years ago and had gone to Mumbai. After her husband abandoned her, Kalyani had brought up her only son Tushar with her own effort. Kalayni’s son Tushar was good at his studies and had studied at Bengaluru and at Kota.
Tushar had returned to his hometown at Sundargarh last year and was staying with his mother. Kalyani had dreamt of big for her son but Tushar had been diagnosed with sickle cell decease and was often falling ill. On Saturday night, Tushar suddenly fell unconscious and when Kalyani saw him in critical condition, she took Tushar with help of neighbours to a private hospital there but since doctor was not available there, he was rushed to Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital. However, doctors there declared him dead. It was a rude shock for Kalyani to know her only son was dead. Her big dreams crashed and she completely broke down in hospital wailing inconsolably.
On Sunday morning when the arrangement for his cremation was done and when Kalyani was asked who would light the funeral pyre (mukhagni), Kalyani told that she would light the funeral pyre for her son at the crematorium. A number of persons attended the funeral of Tushar at Sundargarh Swargadwar and with the help of Sundargarh volunteers, Sidhanta Panda, Sisir Behera and Bishnu Raksha, Kalyani lit the funeral pyre. She would take the ashes of her son to Prayag at Allahabad on September 16 for immersion.
“This is the first time in my life, I saw a mother giving mukhagni to her deceased son,” said Sidhanta Panda, a volunteer of Sundargarh, who was present at the crematorium. He added that Kalyani had set an example for others by this act.