Brother performs last rites after man dies at old-age home as daughters stay away

Shivcharan Ram Ratan Gupta died on August 4 at an old-age home in Sonipat after a prolonged illness, while his three daughters watched his funeral through a video call from Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai.Brother performs last rites after man dies at old-age home as daughters stay awayThe ashes of a textile trader who died at an old-age home in Haryana were immersed in Haridwar by his elder brother on Wednesday, with none of his three daughters able to attend the final rites in person.Shivcharan Ram Ratan Gupta died on August 4 at an old-age home in Sonipat after a prolonged illness, while his three daughters watched his funeral through a video call from Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai. He had been living at the old-age home for around two years.Shivcharan’s elder brother, Mahendra Gupta, travelled to Haridwar after learning about his brother’s death through a news report and performed the immersion of his ashes. Members of social organisations and the old-age home management were also present during the ritual.Mahendra said he was the eldest of seven siblings and had not been in contact with Shivcharan or his family for around 10 years. When an earthquake struck Nepal, Mahendra had assumed that his brother may have died in the disaster and had since considered him dead. Mahendra said he learnt about Shivcharan’s death through a news report and travelled to Haridwar after discovering that his brother was alive until recently. He also said he understood that his nieces may have had their own compulsions.After Shivcharan’s death, the old-age home management contacted his three daughters. As they could not reach Sonipat for the funeral, they joined the cremation through a video call. The cremation was carried out with the help of the old-age home management and members of the local community. The daughters also did not attend the immersion of his ashes in Haridwar. The old-age home management later spoke to Shivcharan’s eldest daughter, who requested that his ashes be immersed properly.The daughter told the management to perform the rituals, considering themselves her father’s younger brothers. She said that if her health had been fine, she would certainly have travelled to Haridwar herself.She also said she was “very ashamed” of the situation and that she loved her father very much, but there must have been some compulsions. She also claimed that her father was not willing to stay with them.The daughters have handed over the responsibility of the remaining rituals to the old-age home management. They also asked old-age home manager Anand Kumar to conduct a havan after the immersion of the ashes. The daughters will conduct the thirteenth-day ritual at their respective homes.- Ends(With inputs from Pawan Kumar)Published On: Aug 12, 2026 12:26 IST