'She Dreamt Of Coming Home She Built': Tearful Adieu To Kerala Nurse Killed In Air Plane Crash
Ranjitha Gopakumaran, 42, a native of Pullad, was working at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, England
Ranjitha Gopakumaran, a nurse from Kerala's Pathanamthitta district who died in the tragic Air India AI 171 crash on June 12, was laid to rest on Tuesday with thousands gathering to pay their last respects.
The 42-year-old, a native of Pullad, was working at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, England. She had returned to Kerala briefly to oversee the final stages of her new house's construction and to request an extension of leave from the state health department. She was due to return to the UK when tragedy struck.
Ranjitha's body was flown from Ahmedabad to Thiruvananthapuram early Tuesday morning. Her remains were first taken to her alma mater, Sree Vivekananda High School in Pullad, where hundreds of locals, students, and well-wishers lined up to pay their respects.
From there, the procession moved to her partially completed dream home, where she had hoped to settle in three months with her two children and widowed mother.
The emotional farewell was attended by several ministers, including V. Sivankutty, G. R. Anil, V. N. Vasavan, and Saji Cherian, alongside senior political leaders like CPI(M)'s M. A. Baby and Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan. Representatives from NORKA ROOTS and police officials were also present.
A single mother, Ranjitha had recently enrolled her son and daughter in classes 10 and 7 at the same school she once studied in. She was looking forward to rejoining Kerala's health service and settling in her hometown, Indian Express reported.
Her nursing career had taken her from Oman to the UK. In 2019, she was selected for the Kerala state health service and worked at the Pathanamthitta District Hospital before taking long leave to work abroad again. She moved to England last year to support her family.
Ranjitha's remains were kept at her home for public viewing before cremation was held in the evening. Her final journey was accompanied by her brother and a close relative.
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