Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar
“Every morning, when I would reach the temple, he would greet me with, ‘Have you come, madam? Jai Hari...’ Never in my dreams did I imagine those words would be his last. I tried to lift him from the pool of blood, but he looked at me once and closed his eyes forever,” recalled Shakuntalabai Shewale, wife of sanitation worker Gunaji Shewale, who died in Friday morning’s tragic accident near the Kala Ganpati temple, while speaking to Lokmat with tearful eyes.
Gunaji’s sudden death has left the Shewale family without its only support. Their younger son had passed away just four months ago. Gunaji alone had been caring for his wife Shakuntalabai, daughter-in-law Deepali, and granddaughter Purva. The family owns nothing except a modest house in Ramnagar. Besides cleaning the temple, Gunaji took on additional work to make ends meet. His wife sold flowers near the temple to contribute whatever she could. The elder son lives separately with his own family.
With Gunaji gone, there is now no earning member left in the household.
How did the tragedy unfold?
Shakuntalabai shared the moments leading up to the incident. “In the morning, like always, he spoke to me briefly before going to have tea. I saw him sipping tea, and then returning toward the temple. Suddenly, I saw a speeding car approaching from behind—it sent a chill down my spine. Before I could even blink, there was a loud crash. I jumped aside to save myself. When I looked ahead, he was lying near the temple, in a pool of blood. He was bleeding heavily. He looked at me once and breathed his last in my lap.”
After her father, little Purva loses her grandfather too
Preparations to bring Gunaji Shewale’s body home had begun. His granddaughter Purva, a Class 7 student, was his favorite. Fighting back tears, she said, “Yesterday, my grandfather’s legs were hurting. I massaged them for him. He loved me a lot.”
Having already lost her father, the little girl now faces life without her beloved grandfather. Her grief moved everyone present to tears.
Friends and neighbors to perform final rites
Given the Shewale family's dire financial condition, neighbors and friends are coming together to arrange for Gunaji’s funeral. Subhash Shukla, a neighbor, said, “Looking at their situation, we and the people from our lane have taken the responsibility for the last rites. We hope the family receives some help and support in this difficult time.”