Fatherless boys beg for mom’s funeral at hospital where she died
TNN | Updated: Feb 9, 2018, 07:59 IST
People at Dindigul GH began offering money to Mohanraj, 15, and Velmurugan, 14, (in pic) after it became appa... Read More
MADURAI: At times poverty can be worse than death, as the hapless sons of a woman who succumbed to cancer realised bitterly in Dindigul on Wednesday. When Mohanraj, 15, and Velmurugan, 14, sat beside the lifeless body of their mother at the government hospital in the town, the tears that rolled down their cheeks were more about their helplessness than about losing their mother. Death had snatched away their sole breadwinner, and they didn't have the money for her last journey.
Moved by their plight, some people started offering money and the boys collected it. R Packialakshmi, who was at the scene when the woman died, said, "It was heart-wrenching to see the boys as they looked lost, because they did not have money and did not know what to do.'' Since the money offered was hardly enough for her last rites, the brothers went about seeking alms from other patients too at the hospital. Finally, with help from such strangers, they managed to cremate her at the electric crematorium in Dindigul. Being informed of their plight, the district collector too chipped in by arranging for the cremation.
Mohanraj revealed that their story has been anything but smooth. He had to drop out of school this year after attending ninth standard for a month as his mother Vijaya, 40, started falling sick. She had been the sole breadwinner after the death of their father Kaliappan nine years ago. The brothers also had a younger sister, Kaleeswari, 9. Vijaya had wanted all three to do well in studies and had also enrolled the two younger children in school — the girl in a residential school at Oddanchathiram.
He says his mother never refused an opportunity to work and always brought home food for the three of them. After working from morning to night, she used to weave basket and sell them. Though their father left them with a house, it was their mother who saved for their future. But when she started getting sick, Mohanraj was forced to seek employment, in a bakery that provided him work for Rs 200 a day. ``When I first took my mother to the Rajaji Hospital in Madurai about four months ago, I was told that she would have to be accompanied by women as men would not be allowed into the ward,'' he said. He immediately called up some of their relatives for help, but none of them obliged.
Finally, a woman in the village offered to accompany their mother to the hospital for Rs 300 per trip. That was when he decided to work and earn money. On Tuesday, Mohanraj dialled '108' ambulance after Vijaya's condition worsened and she was writhing in pain. Though she was brought to the hospital she passed away the next day. ``I did not expect my mother to die. Many people including actor Lawrence's association have come forward to help us. So now I have decided to go back to school and make my mother's dream come true,'' he said.
The boy says that he does not need money anymore as the people's contributions and the collector's help in arranging the cremation had met his immediate needs. ``Initially, I thought I would have to work to see my sister's education complete, but with many people coming forward to take care of it, I do not need money. I will join the government school and study,'' he said.
TNN | Updated: Feb 9, 2018, 07:59 IST
People at Dindigul GH began offering money to Mohanraj, 15, and Velmurugan, 14, (in pic) after it became appa... Read More
MADURAI: At times poverty can be worse than death, as the hapless sons of a woman who succumbed to cancer realised bitterly in Dindigul on Wednesday. When Mohanraj, 15, and Velmurugan, 14, sat beside the lifeless body of their mother at the government hospital in the town, the tears that rolled down their cheeks were more about their helplessness than about losing their mother. Death had snatched away their sole breadwinner, and they didn't have the money for her last journey.
Moved by their plight, some people started offering money and the boys collected it. R Packialakshmi, who was at the scene when the woman died, said, "It was heart-wrenching to see the boys as they looked lost, because they did not have money and did not know what to do.'' Since the money offered was hardly enough for her last rites, the brothers went about seeking alms from other patients too at the hospital. Finally, with help from such strangers, they managed to cremate her at the electric crematorium in Dindigul. Being informed of their plight, the district collector too chipped in by arranging for the cremation.
Mohanraj revealed that their story has been anything but smooth. He had to drop out of school this year after attending ninth standard for a month as his mother Vijaya, 40, started falling sick. She had been the sole breadwinner after the death of their father Kaliappan nine years ago. The brothers also had a younger sister, Kaleeswari, 9. Vijaya had wanted all three to do well in studies and had also enrolled the two younger children in school — the girl in a residential school at Oddanchathiram.
He says his mother never refused an opportunity to work and always brought home food for the three of them. After working from morning to night, she used to weave basket and sell them. Though their father left them with a house, it was their mother who saved for their future. But when she started getting sick, Mohanraj was forced to seek employment, in a bakery that provided him work for Rs 200 a day. ``When I first took my mother to the Rajaji Hospital in Madurai about four months ago, I was told that she would have to be accompanied by women as men would not be allowed into the ward,'' he said. He immediately called up some of their relatives for help, but none of them obliged.
Finally, a woman in the village offered to accompany their mother to the hospital for Rs 300 per trip. That was when he decided to work and earn money. On Tuesday, Mohanraj dialled '108' ambulance after Vijaya's condition worsened and she was writhing in pain. Though she was brought to the hospital she passed away the next day. ``I did not expect my mother to die. Many people including actor Lawrence's association have come forward to help us. So now I have decided to go back to school and make my mother's dream come true,'' he said.
The boy says that he does not need money anymore as the people's contributions and the collector's help in arranging the cremation had met his immediate needs. ``Initially, I thought I would have to work to see my sister's education complete, but with many people coming forward to take care of it, I do not need money. I will join the government school and study,'' he said.
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