Hyderabad, August 27: Sahana, Kedar and Sneha appeared to be in a daze as they watch the flood of visitors flocking to their house since morning.
To keep their minds off the grim atmosphere inside, they play a half-hearted game on the corridor of their fifth floor apartment at Janapriya Heavens, Lalaguda.
Later in the day, Sneha sits silently beside her mother Sumitra, who weeps inconsolably. The family of B Joshi, who died while participating in a laddu eating competition organised by Radio City 91.1 at Nallakunta on Tuesday, is shattered.
Joshi, popular in the locality as ‘josh’ was always interested in such events. “Though he never participated in such events earlier, he was always glued to the television to watch similar programmes,” Joshi’s niece P Vyjayanti, told Expresso.
On Tuesday, Joshi, who works in a catering unit at Nallakunta, belonging to his sister Vanitha’s family, completed his work and came back to her house.
He then accompanied Vanitha’s family who visited the Ganesh pandal at Veeranjanaiah temple besides their house, to offer prayers.
“Joshi saw a banner of Radio City and the offer of gold coin. He immediately decided to go for the ladoo competition. He also ensured that his relative, Madhusudhan also participated,” she said.
Once the competition began, Joshi was leading among the three and had quickly swallowed four ladoos while two more were in his mouth, before he collapsed.
Sumithra, who was waiting in the home for her husband, got a rude shock when when one of his relatives telephoned her about Joshi’s sudden collapse and subsequent death.
Sumithra works as a teacher in a local private school but Joshi was the main breadwinner, the family said. “Joshi has been working as a daily wage worker at my father’s catering unit. The life of his dependents will turn worse now,” Vasanthi, another niece of Joshi said.
Hailing from Bidar district in Karnataka, Joshi came to Hyderabad 30 years ago in search of a livelihood. He joined the catering industry after he discontinued his schooling. “He always wanted to start his own catering unit but his plans remained a dream, because of lack of funds,” the family members said.
His older daughter Sneha studies in Class III, Sahana is in Class I while son Kedar studies in Class II.
“The Radio City management did not bother to make any safety arrangements to deal with such accident. The organisers fled the scene and the police posted at the pandals did not come forward to shift Joshi to the hospital,” Vasanthi alleged. She said that Joshi was neither diabetic nor did he have any health problems.
Vyjayanthi said that the doctors at Andhra Mahila Sabha told them that Joshi died due to respiratory problems.
–Agencies–