Dhols fall silent in this Goregaon colony
Around 35 members of the Pathak had gone to Pune to perform on the birth anniversary of Dr Babsaheb Ambedkar on Friday. They then boarded a private bus around 1.30 am on Saturday hoping to return home early in the morning. However, on the way, the bus fell in a gorge and nine members of the group died and 19 suffered injuries, with some of them admitted to the intensive care units.
MUMBAI: To the residents of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Colony, Santosh Nagar in Goregaon East, Saturday morning TV brought in devastating news. Nine youngsters, from their colony and nearby areas, all below 21 years of age and all members of Baji Prabhu Dhol Tasha Pathak, were among the 13 killed in a bus accident near Khopoli. The list of the dead included an eight-year-old boy, who used to be the star attraction of the group.
Around 35 members of the Pathak had gone to Pune to perform on the birth anniversary of Dr Babsaheb Ambedkar on Friday. They then boarded a private bus around 1.30 am on Saturday hoping to return home early in the morning. However, on the way, the bus fell in a gorge and nine members of the group died and 19 suffered injuries, with some of them admitted to the intensive care units.
Eight-year-old Veer Mandavkar, who had just appeared for his Class 2 exams, was on his first trip out of the city with the group. He was the only son of his parents — Kamlesh and Reena — who immediately left for Khopoli on seeing the news about the accident on the television. Relatives said the family had bought him a bicycle just a month back.
“He was passionate about music. Every Sunday he used to go for practice without fail. He was equally good at studies,” said some of his friends, who live nearby.
As information about the accident started pouring in, more and more people from the area gathered around the houses of the deceased. Govind Mane, a teacher in a nearby municipal school where most of the victims studied, said, “All of them were good, disciplined and ambitious kids. We were very hopeful that they will make something of their lives and inspire the next generation from the locality to do the same.”
Social worker Arjun Devle said that this day would be marked as a black day by the residents of the lower middle-class neighbourhood.
The Pathak was found by brothers, Satish (21) and Swapnil Dhumal (19), both of whom died in the accident. “It was Satish, who first started learning music, and his younger brother followed suit. Three years ago, they started building the group with other young people from the area. A year ago, they started getting calls to perform at events outside of the colony,” said their friend Prathamesh Mane, a classmate of Swapnil.
Satish was working for an insurance company on a part-time basis and Swapnil was a first-year B.Com student. The group had a small, rented office in the nearby Khadakpada locality, where they used to keep their instruments. They used to rehearse on weekends at municipal ground nearby.
Close to this locality is Shivneri housing society where another one of the deceased, Rahul Gothal, (17) used to live. “His father got to know about the accident through some residents of Santosh Nagar. As he was unsure of what had happened, he rushed to Khopoli early in the morning without telling Rahul’s mother the reason for his sudden trip,” said one of their neighbours gathered around the house.
The women there said that as his mother started getting anxious, they told her that her son had suffered only mild foot injury. “However, about couple of hours ago, we told her about her son’s death, and she has only been crying ever since,” said one of the women.
The children in the area, mostly teenagers, were hovering around the public spaces, looking for any latest development on their phones. They kept exchanging information. Some appeared relieved and even said a small, silent prayer when they got to know about a couple of their friends being safe.
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