Elderly Man Dies Alone in Sonepat Old-Age Home; Daughter Watches Cremation Online
74-year-old Shivcharan Gupta, once a textile trader in Mumbai, spent his final years in solitude at two old-age homes in Sonepat. Despite having three daughters, none were present when he breathed his last. His eldest daughter, based in Nepal, watched the cremation via video call, while the other two — living in Azamgarh and Mumbai — did not join.
Staff at Samaj Kalyan Shiksha Samiti (SKSS), where Gupta had been staying since March, performed the last rites. “We informed his daughters about his condition, but they said they could not come. This is the first time we have faced such a situation,” said Anand Kumar, a member of the SKSS management. His eldest daughter transferred ₹5,100 for the cremation, but the amount was later returned as the committee had already made arrangements.
Gupta’s wife had joined him at Apna Ghar, another old-age home in Sonepat, in June 2024 but passed away four months later. None of the daughters attended her funeral either. Caretaker Sanjay recalled Gupta as a devout man who spent much of his time praying. “He often spoke of restarting his cloth business. His daughters rarely visited, except for one brief stay last year,” he said.
In his final days, Gupta relied solely on his mobile phone to connect with his family. “They told us Sonepat was too far and asked us to handle the cremation,” Kumar added. The old-age home will also perform the remaining rituals, including immersion of the ashes.