This story is from September 12, 2019

Widowed 7 years ago, Kolar woman loses both daughters too

The death of two girls, Tejarsi, 11, and Rakshitha, 8, who drowned along with four other kids while taking part in a Ganesha immersion ritual on Tuesday, has left their widowed mother, Usha, 40, in shock.
Widowed 7 years ago, Kolar woman loses both daughters too
MARADAGATTA: The death of two girls, Tejarsi, 11, and Rakshitha, 8, who drowned along with four other kids while taking part in a Ganesha immersion ritual on Tuesday, has left their widowed mother, Usha, 40, in shock.
Usha, from a village in Mulbagal, married Jayarama Reddy from Maradagatta, a tiny village of just 200 houses in KGF taluk, 13 years ago. Working at a hotel in the village, she’s been the sole breadwinner of the family since her husband died some seven years ago.

Her neighbours said she was yet to recover from the shock and was inconsolable. They recollected how she had not lost hope after Reddy’s death and toiled to provide for her children and educate them.
Her daughters had, along with others in the neighbourhood, made the Ganesha idol themselves using clay, and had gone to the local pond with five other kids for the immersion on Tuesday afternoon. The kids reached the pond — a stone’s throw away from their neighbourhood — by 3pm. But just about 15 minutes later, a boy, Likith, 5, returned to the neighbourhood with news that the two girls had drowned.
The entire village ran to help, but it was too late. The kids were found stuck in silt. Attempts to revive them after pulling them out of water were futile.
Ravi Reddy, a lecturer at Girls PU College, KGF, who rushed to spot around 4.10pm on Tuesday, told TOI everything was over in 15-20 minutes. He said the kids began the procession around 3pm and by 3.20pm, lone survivor Likith ran towards the village to inform people of the tragedy. The bodies were fished out by 3.55pm. The other children who died are: Likith’s brother Dhanush, 8, Rohith, 9, his sister Vyshnavi, 10, and Veena, 11.

Ravi said some farmers had recently dug up the pond using earthmovers to get some gravel and it was around 15 feet deep in the middle. “The kids were unaware of the depth. Initially, villagers thought five children had drowned, but after a while they realised another boy was stuck in the silt,” added Ravi, who is also the president of Taluk Government Employees’ Association.
— Ranganath K
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