That is been the expertise of the household of College of Windsor graduate Renu Surya Pratap Murikipudi — they’ve run into one complication whereas working to have his physique transported from Ontario to India.
Murikipudi, 29, was discovered lifeless by mates in his Windsor residence after his dad and mom could not attain him by telephone for 2 days.
The household is devastated. It has been such a shock to every certainly one of us as a result of he was such a happy-go-lucky man.– Kavya Murikipudi, cousin of Renu Surya Pratap Murikipudi
Whereas a full post-mortem is underway, a preliminary report signifies he suffered cardiac arrest on March 30.
His cousin, Kavya Murikipudi, mentioned listening to of Renu’s dying deeply affected his family members.
“The household is devastated,” Kavya mentioned. “It has been such a shock to every certainly one of us as a result of he was such a happy-go-lucky man.”
Repatriation course of slowed by pandemic
In the course of the pandemic, Murikipudi’s college mates turned to the Toronto-based neighborhood group Telugu Alliances of Canada (TACA) for assist in repatriating Murikipudi’s physique again to his household within the Indian metropolis of Hyderabad.
The group has additionally raised over $41,000 for repatriation and funeral prices, and intends to donate any additional funds to Renu’s financially strapped household.
TACA’s founder, Chari Samanthapudi, mentioned the group has been working with a funeral residence in Kitchener, Ont., however the repatriation course of has been sluggish, sophisticated by components together with the pandemic, the lengthy Easter weekend, and delays attributable to problem in co-ordinating the distant work of various departments.
If paperwork is so as, repatriation to India could be finished in as little as 4 days. However the pandemic has exacerbated wait instances for flights and the method of doing all of the required paperwork, mentioned Harminder Hansi, funeral director of Kitchener Funeral Houses and Crematorium, the place Murikipudi’s physique at present rests.
Hansi has all of the paperwork that is wanted and has submitted it to the airline workplace in India that is dealing with the repatriation. The workplace might want to course of and clear the paperwork earlier than Hansi can take Murikipudi’s physique to Toronto’s Pearson Worldwide Airport.
Flight challenges
The co-ordination of repatriation flights can also be complicating the repatriation course of.
Barring any points with the paperwork, the funeral residence plans to ship Murikipudi’s physique, in addition to the physique of one other worldwide pupil within the Telugu neighborhood who died in Toronto, on a aircraft to India on Saturday.
Hansi mentioned the restricted flights, nevertheless, have made the method tougher.
“We now have a problem with the airways, as a result of now the airways usually are not flying. So they [the Murikipudi family] live in South [India] and the flights are solely going from Toronto to New Delhi.”
Even when the aircraft lands in India, different challenges embody whether or not there are home flights to get the our bodies to their locations, and if the planes are sufficiently big to carry the our bodies. There’s additionally the doable situation of getting connecting flights in a well timed trend, so our bodies do not begin decomposing if they don’t seem to be saved in cold-enough temperatures.
As it’s, Due to the timing of connecting flights, Murikipudi’s physique seemingly will not attain the household till April 12.
Help by the Indian authorities
CBC Information requested the Consulate Normal of India concerning the impression of the pandemic on the repatriation of deceased family members.
In a press release, the consulate mentioned, “The entire course of normally takes round 10-14 days as a consequence of involvement of a number of Canadian authorities [the police, coroners’ office, the authority issuing death certificate, clearance from the airport authority, etc.].”
The consulate additionally mentioned the pandemic impacted repatriation efforts final 12 months when flights have been discontinued. Nonetheless, with the resumption of flights underneath their particular repatriation program Vande Bharat Mission, the state of affairs steadily returned to regular.
“Additional, within the appropriate/deserving circumstances, monetary help from the federal government funds can also be supplied by [the] authorities of India to the household for transportation of mortal stays.”
Spiritual sensitivities
For some who practise Hinduism, cremation is a part of the funeral course of, to permit the spirit to depart from the physique in non secular liberation.
Hansi mentioned Murikipudi’s physique will attain his household within the night, which might additional delay the household’s capability to put their son to relaxation.
“In our Hindu mythology, we can’t cremate after sundown — so his household will expertise excessive feelings for the complete evening till the dawn the following day…. So principally his cremation can be taking place on the thirteenth.”
Kavya Murikipudi has been serving to with funeral preparations in India. She mentioned her cousin was a pillar of assist for his household and pursued an training in Canada to discover a job that would offer for his youthful sister and fogeys again residence in India.
Nonetheless, after finishing a grasp’s diploma in engineering in 2019, Renu Surya Pratap Murikipudi struggled to discover a place in his discipline, and throughout the pandemic had labored in one other momentary job.
Main as much as his dying, his cousin mentioned, he confronted stresses associated to household obligations, corresponding to loans for his sister’s marriage ceremony and the stress of discovering an acceptable job after commencement.
However Kavya mentioned all of the household can do now’s say their closing farewells.
“It might simply give us closure that all of us want proper now … simply to see him for one final time and pray that he’s in a cheerful place proper now.”
