Dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy

Dressed in a bright purple frock, Maisha (6) is busy taking pictures of everyone around — her uncles, her grandmother and, her father’s framed photo with a garland around it. It is her laughter and her cousins’ chatter that bring alive the house in Agur village in Tiruttani. Seeing this reporter, she runs to her uncle and clasps his arms tightly. The elders in the house watch her despondently, occasionally smiling at her antics. Their eyes turn moist, seeing her jump around, oblivious to the harsh reality. 

It was only on Friday that the family completed her father’s last rites. Maisha’s father Arumugam (29), an auto driver, died last week in an accident in Chennai, when a car, which was reportedly driven by racing champion Vikash Anand, rammed into a row of autorickshaws parked along the roadside on Cathedral Road. He was rushed to the hospital, but he died the same night.

M Seenu, her maternal uncle, says, “She has no idea what has happened to her father. She only asks us about him, when she doesn’t have company here or when we scold her for her misdemeanour. She is a happy child. Most often, she is surrounded by one of her grandparents. She is too young to understand that she has been orphaned.” 

Maisha lost her mother, Pushpa, and her younger sister Ranjana (5), in May this year. Pushpa had committed suicide by setting herself ablaze, following an argument. Ranjana, who was in the same room, was engulfed by the flames as she had hugged her mother in fear. Seenu says, “We were yet to get over the grief and then this happened.” 

Arumugam, the youngest among six siblings, was among the scores of men travelling to Chennai from Tiruttani and Arakkonam to work as auto drivers. He returned to the village every two days to be with his family. 

His brother G Muthu, also an auto driver says, “I never wanted him to be an auto driver like me. But he was keen on it and went all the way to Chennai almost seven years ago. After meeting expenses, paying dues to the auto owner, he would manage to save Rs 500 and promptly handed over the money to his mother. Even when he was here, he volunteered to work in the village, carrying out repairs and  other odd jobs. He took every opportunity to earn and save money for his wife and family. Even this house has been built in parts by him. After Pushpa’s death, he was completely shattered, but he focused all his attention on his daughter. He wanted to give her a better life and educate her.” 

On September 19, he was not supposed to be on night shift. “We don’t know what made him change his mind that day. When he was on duty, he parked his auto at the stand near the Egmore Railway Station and slept in the vehicle at the same spot during the night. That fateful day he chose to park it on RK Salai and see what happened! It is almost like he went to the new parking spot to die,” he says 

Seenu, who works at a private company in Chennai and Muthu have come forward to support Maisha. The last 10 days have been hard on the family, struggling to arrange money for the funeral and other rites. “What  is more shocking is the apathy of those who are responsible for this. Not a word of remorse or any sign of guilt. Every now and then, the police call up to get new details from us. We have no hope and find ourselves alone now. We don’t have the energy to fight the case. The guilty have the money and can appeal from one court to the other. We have seen this happening enough number of times,” he says. 

However, if there is something that Arumugam’s family is hopeful about, it is Maisha’s future. Muthu says, “Her grandmothers dote on her and she is very attached to them. She is in Class 2 at a school nearby and is a bright student. Arumugam was a disciplinarian and a wonderful father. We will ensure that we do more than what he wanted to do for her.” 

By the end of the conversation, Maisha seemed to have warmed up to this journalist. She decides to take a selfie with her. She talks about her school and her favourite subject. “I love studying English,”she says, before running out to play with her friends.

A 22-year-old racing champion, Vikash Anand allegedly rammed his luxury sports car against 13 parked auto rickshaws on RK Salai on September 19. Arumugham’s auto was one of the 13 autos parked and he was killed on the spot. Vikash and his friend Charan Kumar were returning from a party hosted by a former Indian cricketer. The accident occurred around 3.30 am. Police said Vikash was driving the car at a very high speed and when they were opposite a star hotel, he lost control of the vehicle and the car hit the median. Due to the high speed, the car swerved sharply to the left and crashed on to the auto rickshaws parked on the road side.