Madbooru (15 km from NR Pura) in the foothills of the eastern side of the Western Ghats wore a pall of gloom as it received the body of Mohan Naik, 45, who died in the Mumbai blast on Wednesday.
Madbooru (15 km from NR Pura) in the foothills of the eastern side of the Western Ghats wore a pall of gloom as it received the body of Mohan Naik, 45, who died in the Mumbai blast on Wednesday.
His body was consigned to flames at 10.50 am by his eldest son Akshay in the backyard of his parental house.His wife Anusuya and younger son Adarsha, parents Manjappa Naik and Jayamma were inconsolable.
The entire village received the body as it arrived in a jeep from NR Pura. Nobody was allowed to see the body as it was mutilated beyond recognition. Only the face was saved with major damage.
Mohan had migrated to Mumbai in 1991 and ran a paan shop near Opera House. His younger brother, Sudhakar Naik, joined him a few years ago and both expanded their business.
Sudhakar started a bhelpuri-sandwich counter in the same shop. He escaped the blast by just 35 minutes as he had left the shop to be with his children and wife Vasanthi in NR Pura.
Mohan was not so lucky.
On the day of blast, he was busy manning both the counters. “I should not have left him alone. When I started out on the ship, Mohan was engrossed in business as there were a number of customers to attend to. He had told me that he wanted to go home early that night,” Sudhakar said.
Their 75-year-old father Manjappa Naik, who is a small-time farmer, was shattered after hearing the tragic news. “My son was well-known here and neighbouring villages. People thought he had lots of money as he lived in Mumbai; but that was not true.
Still, Mohan never said no to anyone who wanted his help. Whenever he came home, he would help the villagers with all he could and he used to bring sweets and clothes for the children of the relatives and friends unfailingly.
He could not come home for years, but sent the goodies through a bus driver. He had helped settle my second son Sudhakar with a bhelpuri-sandwich shop near Opera House. My son Devadas had already died some years back,” said Manjappa.
“I don’t know if I have enough strength to go back to Mumbai and restart my business there. I got the news of the blast at about 7.45pm and immediately returned to the spot. I could not recognise my shop or any of the nearby shops as they had been ripped apart beyond recognition. A neighbouring shopkeeper, who was bathed in blood, told me about Mohan,” Sudhakar said.
Mohan and Sudhakar were the only two people who had gone to Mumbai from NR Pura. MLA of NR Pura N Jeevaraj said, “I shall prevail upon the government to announce a compensation of Rs2 lakh,” he said.The Maharashtra government has announced a compensation of Rs5 lakh.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}