COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Burlington Couple Is Cremated

Arthur J Pais

As Prahakar Gandluru and his wife Madhavi were being cremated on July 4, Vijay Polam, a relative who has flown from Detroit to help the cremation, said he has given up trying to make any sense out of the tragedy.

"We have been asking a lot of questions, wondering what made Prabhakar and his wife commit suicide? How could they have forgotten their baby daughter, Nisha?" Polam, a software analyst, said. "We want answers, so that troubled people in our communities could seek help."

"Today is July 4," he said with a sigh. "Today is the day Nisha's parents could have taken her to see the fireworks across Charles River."

About hundred people had joined the funeral services, he added. A priest from a Hindu temple in Boston performed the last rites. Gandluru's parents, who had visited him about six months ago could not come but a uncle and aunt have come from Hyderabad.

Gandluru, a 32-year-old software engineer, and his wife Madhavi, 28, were found hanging in their apartment in Burlington about a week ago. Earlier that day, Gandluru had helped his friend move to another apartment. Then he took his 11-month-old daughter Nisha to cousin Mahesh Vellaboyina's house, asking him to look after her for a few minutes, as he (Gandluru) was taking his wife to a hospital.

Vellaboyina began getting worried when Gandluru did not return after several hours.

After trying to contact his cousin on the phone and calling acquaintances, family members and friends, called the police in the evening; they broke into the couple's apartment in Burlington and made the gruesome discovery.

There was no suicide note.

"Right now the cause of death appears to be double hanging," Paul Miller, spokesperson for the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, said. "There are no signs of foul play."

Polam is taking Nisha with him to Detroit. "After a few months, we will send her to India," he said.

"It is not going to be easy for the baby," he said, referring to her being babysat by a number of family members and relatives.

Polam, who has no children, said by the time Nisha got used to him and his wife, it could be time for her to go to India. Technically, the child is placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services.

The Telugu community in Boston is raising money to help the child, he added. Rapidigem, the company Gandluru worked for, offered "a lot of assistance, even to send the bodies to India," Polam said.

It would have cost at least $ 25,000 to send the bodies. "By then, we had decided to have the cremation here, and save any money we get as a donation to help Nisha."

Polam, Vellaboyina and several other friends and relatives say they know of no financial problems the couple faced. They do not believe that either the husband or wife had faced any life-threatening health problems. There were no hints of extra-marital affairs. The couple has been living in America for about three years.

"So you can understand why this will haunt us for a long time to come," Vellaboyina says.

Many Indian community leaders including medical doctors last week stressed the need to see therapists for depression and other emotional problems.

Anyone who wants to contribute to the fund to help Nisha, may contact one of these numbers:(313) 235-8132; (781) 272 3252.

RELATED REPORT:
A Double Death, An Orphan And Some Unanswered Questions

Previous story: Rival Sikh Parades Pass Without Incident In Vancouver
Next story: East Is East To Close Soon

Tell us what you think of this report