Jagraon: The shutters fell across the local markets on Saturday as a town in mourning paused to farewell five residents killed in the Vrindavan boat tragedy, including a mother and son who were cremated in a dual funeral that drew thousands.The town’s grief was punctuated by the arrival of two ambulances at the local cremation ground: one carrying Kavita Bahl and the other her son, Madhur, a local businessman in his 20s. The pair were among 11 victims of Friday’s capsizing, an accident that has shattered multiple families in this tight-knit community.A Legacy of DevotionMadhur Bahl was well-known in the Geeta Colony for his business acumen and his devotion to his family. Alongside his brother, Lovekesh — a singer who miraculously survived the accident — and friend Yashu Bajaj, the group ran a religious club that funded and organised pilgrimages to Vrindavan several times a year.“Madhur was a very nice human being; his family was religious and lived a simple life, away from the glitter of the world,” said Amandeep Singh Khurana, a local businessman. While Lovekesh survived the plunge into the Yamuna, members of his family say he and his father, Vijay, remain “dumbstruck with shock” and were unable to speak during the funerals.Dreams Cut ShortIn the nearby Happy Colony, the family of 26-year-old Ishan Kataria struggled to reconcile his sudden death with the future they had planned for him. Kataria, a recent graduate, had been preparing for civil services examinations. “We were thinking of getting him married once he secured his job,” his grandfather, Krishan Kataria, said. “He left for Vrindavan on Thursday. By Friday afternoon, his friends were calling to tell us he was gone.“Historic Sorrow Binds JagraonThe scale of the loss has drawn comparisons to a 1980s train disaster, previously the deadliest event in Jagraon’s modern memory. In a rare show of total solidarity, shopkeepers across various markets kept their businesses closed until the final cremations were completed on Saturday afternoon. The streets were silent as the victims were carried to their pyres. “I have not seen so many people lose their lives in such a tragedy in a long time,” said local store owner Pawan Dhillon. “The town is completely shocked. Members from three local families are simply gone.”
