The families of three cousins — Bowrampet Santosh Kumar, Somavaram Shashikanth, and Sunkuju Nandu Achary — who lived in Raghavendranagar, Saroornagar, and Karthikeyanagar, respectively, were in a state of shock
Hyderabad: Friends and family members recalled their association with their dear ones who lost their lives in a road accident while returning from Prayagraj on Tuesday.
Srinivas Reddy, a neighbour, recalled how he enjoyed drinking alcohol in the company of Surakanti Malla Reddy, a teetotaler, and jokingly called him his ‘glassmate.’ Malla Reddy was among the victims.
Malla Reddy had been the president of Karthikeyanagar colony association for 20 years, and the friendships within were close. “We come from different walks of life and belong to different age groups, but that never mattered to us. We all bonded and formed a family of our own. We have been friends for more than 20 years.” Srinivas Reddy said.
The families of three cousins — Bowrampet Santosh Kumar, Somavaram Shashikanth, and Sunkuju Nandu Achary — who lived in Raghavendranagar, Saroornagar, and Karthikeyanagar, respectively, were in a state of shock.
Among them, Achary, who suffered fractures, is undergoing treatment. Despite his condition, he himself called his daughter. Though she was relieved that her father survived, she was also grieving the loss of her uncles.
Vasudha, a relative of the cousins, shared, “They had young children. Shashikanth had a six-year-old daughter, a two-year-old son, and a five-month-old baby. Santosh had two sons studying in sixth and eighth grade. Nandu also has two sons in sixth and tenth grade.”
Although Achary survived, his wife expressed anger at fate. “Why did they have to go and bring this pain upon their families,” she lamented, trying to process the tragedy. The mothers of the three cousins — who were sisters — were devastated by the loss of their sons.
Vasudha said, “Santosh was raising two young kids alone after losing his wife a year ago and is now gone. Just this morning, they called us, telling us about their darshan and dip in the holy waters. They shared how intense the crowd was.”
Santosh’s mother, worried about her grandchildren growing up without a mother, had asked Santosh to remarry. Unsure if he would find the right person, Santosh had said he would think about it and tell her upon his return.
Malla Reddy’s son, Shravan, 28, struggled to see his mother in distress, unable to even take a sip of water. He described the incident as life-changing. “Our father was dear to everyone in the locality, and now most of them are here consoling us.”
Shravan’s friend, Maharshi, said, “Though Shravan was my senior in BTech, we were neighbours, and I often saw him at his house. He was always a kind and energetic soul, ready to initiate anything or help anybody.”
Balakrishna, who also suffered injuries, is recovering, bringing his family some relief. They experienced mixed emotions — grieving the loss of loved ones while feeling grateful that Balakrishna had survived. Initially, they had received false reports of his death, but later, his situation was clarified.
His wife, Swaroopa Rani, said, “We were relieved when we got the right information and are now making arrangements to reach him.” Balakrishna’s brother and son booked flight tickets to Indore to travel to Sihora via Jabalpur and stay by his side.
