After mid-sea death, agonising wait for kin

BHOPAL: The house at the edge of a lane in Laxman Nagar, Bairagarh is full of people, but there is an eerie silence. The family has lost a son three days ago. Relatives, neighbours and friends are pouring in to pay their respects.
They are still coming to terms with the sudden death of Merchant Navy captain Dharam Parwani, finding it hard to believe that their 38-year-old “fit and healthy” captain is no more.The family has approached external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, urging her to ensure that they get the captain’s body as soon as possible.
The captain was on a ship to China from Mexico, when he was reported to be dead on Wednesday. According to his brother Deepak, a company representative informed the family that he died on Wednesday afternoon. They said that the captain had severe chest pain, and he died of a heart attack at 7:30 am.
The captain’s wife Dalima had spoken to him last over phone on Sunday, when he informed her that he had food poisoning. Dalima had been trying to contact him on Monday, but could not connect through. Later in the day, she was told that the captain was “very sick due to food poisoning”. The family had no contact with him or the ship staff until they were informed of his death. The captain is survived by his wife and 11-year-old son Navya.
Unable to digest Dharam’s sudden death, his family has sought clarity on the cause of death. “We are not trying to blame the company. We just want some answers. In three days time, my brother fell sick, had a heart attack and died. We are not even sure what really happened. All we are asking is clarity,” said the Deepak Parwani.
What’s worse is that the family now has to wait another 20 days to get the body of the captain.
“The ship is on its way to China, and will reach the docking yard on January 5. The company says it will take them another two to three days to send us the remains,” said Deepak, adding that the family has requested the company to speed up the process so that they can perform the last rites.
They have also sought help from Sushma Swaraj to airlift the remains of the captain from sea. Deepak tweeted to Swaraj on December 19, with the hashtag #justicefordharam, seeking her intervention. The Huzur MLA has also written to the external affairs minister seeking her help.