Death of a family’s dreams

Neha Saini

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 22

Kusum (23) wanted to become an entrepreneur. Being the only girl among three siblings, she wanted to break the jinx in her family by pursuing higher education and becoming self employed. “All her dreams have gone with her. Will the money compensate the loss of my daughter?” asks Ram Nath, her shattered father.

Nath (58), a plumber, lost his daughter to the ‘killer’ train that has claimed 58 lives so far. Along with his daughter, Ram Nath also lost his sister Nirmala Devi (48), her young daughter and daughter-in-law. “Our lives will never be same again,” he says.

“On Kusum’s insistence, we allowed her to go with my sister’s family, not knowing that was the last time we were see her alive.”

Ram Nath’s sons have studied only till Class 12 and work as helpers at private companies. “She was good at studies and was pursuing BBA final year. We had spent most our savings on her education and were considering her higher education.”

A resident of Dashmesh Nagar Colony, all his life, he said, that celebrating Dasehra near the tracks had been a norm. “They say there wasn’t any permission for the event, so why was the function organised?” he asks.