VIJAYAWADA: Octogenarian Peddi Suryanayana Rao of Penamakur village of Totlavallur mandal had to drop out of the Chaar Dham pilgrimage at the eleventh hour. He, however, is not happy for being safe and secure at home after flash floods wreaked havoc on Uttarakhand.

He now wails inconsolably on learning that all the five pilgrims from his family including his wife were washed away in the deluge near Kedarnath temple.

A shocked Suryanarayana, now in Bangalore, called up his younger brother Pitcheswara Rao in Gudivada and conveyed him the horrific incident. In fact, Suryanarayana too would have joined the pilgrimage had his daughter not insisted on his staying back with children in Bangalore. "God is so cruel. Otherwise, why should he take away my daughters before taking me away," he said. Suryanarayana's wife Sarojini, elder daughter Surapaneni Suseela, youngest daughter Karisineni Nagalakshmi and her husband Rajendra Prasad, and Prasad's mother Lakshmi met the watery grave two days ago. While Suseela lived in Hyderabad, Nagalakshmi settled in Bangalore.

Suryanarayana and his wife used to shuttle between Bangalore and Hyderabad to spend time with their two daughters. Rajendra Prasad, who owned a packing industry in Bangalore, had decided to go for Chaar Dham along with his family at the request of his ageing mother. The families decided to go on the tour leaving the children at home.

However, Nagalakshmi wanted her parents to stay back with children as they had already visited the holy places in the past. While Suryanarayana was convinced his wife Sarojini did not want to drop her plans.

Suryanarayana's elder daughter Suseela, a widow, too had joined them. A week before leaving for pilgrimage, Sarojanamma visited Gudivada and took with her a local maid Chittemma to assist them during the tour. Incidentally, the tragedy came to light only through Chittemma, who is believed to be safe in a camp set up by the army.

"It was Chittemma, who called up my brother last night to inform him of the devastating news as she was completely traumatized to share the information about the death of so many before her eyes," Pitcheswara Rao told 'TOI.'

Although Chittemma is believed to be safe, they fear about her safety as her cell phone too was switched off after calling up the family of Suryanarayana in Bangalore.

She watched helplessly as all the five members of the same family were washed away near Kedarnath temple.

She was airlifted to a rescue camp. The frantic attempts of the family members to get the tragedy confirmed went in vain as Chittemma's cellphone was switched off after she called up Suryanarayana.

In a similar incident, P Arjuna Rao and his wife Sailakshmi too were feared drowned in the floods near Uttarakashi as the lodge in which they stayed too had crumbled in the flood waters. A close relative of Arjuna Rao, Pudi Venkata Lakshmi confirmed the incident saying that they could survive as they checked out from the ill-fated lodge just an hour before it was washed away.

Another team of 31 pilgrims from Gudivada, was, however, found safe in Sufi village after being rescued by the locals. A pilgrim Kona Venkateswara Rao said that many of them survived as they went to the top of a cell tower before reaching Sufi.

However, they complained about lack of food and water in the shelter as the locals selling water packet at Rs.50 and half-litre milk packet at Rs.80. The family of Kuppa Srinivasa Rao of Machilipatnam too was anxiously waiting as there was no communication from the pilgrims, who reached Kedarnath on June 15.

Source: The Times of India, DT. June 22, 2013.