One truth unshrouded, and our reality wept profoundly that day.
An elderly couple in Surat were composing their final letter to life. Addressed to a son in Canada, the message aimed to unveil hard truths not only to their own kin but also to every parent and child. And so, they chose to lift the veils of deceit with their last words, a narrative that's essential for all to understand.
Their suicide note became a will
Even if the entire city shouldered the bier, a spirit only finds peace when embraced by the shoulders of offspring. It is said that a young son's coffin is the heaviest weight upon an ageing father. But what of the absence of that child's shoulder? And what to make of parents who decree before their demise that they do not wish their children to carry their bier? Let us ponder the plight of parents so compelled, declaring through a testament formed of a suicide note that upon their death, their children should not partake in their last rites; and that expenses be limited to the bare minimum afforded by customs.
Abroad, relationships and bonds are forgotten
In a curious coincidence, just this week the International Organization for Migration released a report on global migrants. The study crowns India atop the world in terms of remittances sent by immigrants. According to the 2022 report published in 2024, migrant Indians remitted an astounding 111 billion dollars in one year. Yet, their contributions are just financial – jobs, advancements, wealth, status, and their own immediate families have overshadowed all other relations and emotions.
No time for elderly parents in children's busy lives!
Children, already distanced from their homes, have grown so remote that they lack the time to shoulder their parents' coffins or partake in their funerals. Constrained by demanding jobs abroad, many find chilling solace in outsourcing these final tributes, ensuring expenses are covered from far afield—Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Agra, or a myriad of metropolises, echoing dispassionate responses post their news of parental demise.
The Gedya Couple's Sad Tale
The Gedyas, 66-year-old Chunni Bhai and 64-year-old Muktaben, concluded their story on May 4th. Before their departure, they wrote a poignant five-page letter which became their legacy and suicide note. They leave behind a son, Piyush, who, despite their sacrifices and debts incurred for his prospects, will now never fulfill even the rite of his parents' funeral—a debt forever unrepayable, rights renounced by the very words of that final letter.
Source: aajtak
The Gedyas' story stands as a stark lesson—a testament that financial success abroad can come at an immeasurable cost.
