“Due to the snowfall, there has been a power outage in the area. I will call the next morning when the sky is clear,’ but the call did not come the next morning, says Kanchan Kumari, wife of 45-year-old Ravindra Kumar, who died in the catastrophic gas leak last Friday night. An Indian restaurant in the Gudauri region of Georgia.
“He went to Dubai in 2017, and that was the last time I saw him face to face. During these years, he worked tirelessly as a chef to secure a better future for us. From there he supported us financially. Now that he is gone, who will pay for my children’s education? How can I give them a bright future?” asks an insufferable Kanchan and he insists on his three children, the youngest born a few months after he left.
Rabindra of Jalandhar’s Abadi Kot Ram Das left India eight years ago in search of a brighter future. At first, he went to Dubai and spent five years there, but after falling victim to a fraudulent travel agent, he was burdened with huge debts, which prevented him from returning home.
Determined to provide for his family, he moved to Georgia, and began working as a chef. Despite the physical distance, Kumar remained steadfast in supporting his family financially and emotionally.
Tragically, he died hours after a phone call with his family. During a video call with Kanchan and their children, Kumar Ravindra talked about the powerful snowstorm and power outage in his area. He promised to call again the next morning—a call that never came. His sudden demise has left his wife and children devastated, struggling to cope with the loss of a man who worked tirelessly to ensure their well-being even from thousands of miles away.
“My dad had two phones, and he was sitting on the couch talking to us on Friday night. On another call, he was telling someone that a very strong snowstorm had uprooted all the poles and caused a blackout,” said the couple’s elder daughter Harshita Pal (11).
“He always said he would come to take us together, and my mother was trying to get our passports,” said Harshita, who was three years old when her father left.
Narrating the last conversation with Ravindra, Kanchan said, ‘She was scared when we talked on Friday. His area was completely blocked by the storm. He said he would call me the next morning, but I didn’t listen to him. He wanted to meet us but he was saving for our future. I now face an uncertain future. Our three children, including a seven-year-old son whom Kumar never got a chance to meet in person, are left without any primary source of income. Currently, children enrolled in central schools face the possibility of losing their education due to lack of financial support. I am alone now, struggling to take care of my children,” Kanchan said, seeking help from the government to continue her children’s education.
“It seems that my husband died immediately after calling us on Friday because he was found sitting in the same position the next morning. Eyewitnesses told me that he was found dead with the phone upright in his hand,” Kanchan said. I want the body to be brought home.
Kanchan’s sister Neelam Kumari spoke with deep emotion about the hardships the family had to endure. “I have seen my sister struggle all her life. When Ravindra was in India, he ran a grocery store and supported his entire joint family. But burdened with debt, he had no choice but to go to Dubai and later to Georgia. She worked hard, but it was never easy,” she shared. Neelam also recalled how the family used to sleep hungry, a memory that still lingers in her mind.
Neelam said, ‘We request not only to return his body but also to take care of the family. “Kanchan should be given a job to support her children, take care of their education. This is the least the government can do after all the sacrifices Ravindra made for his family. “
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