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News Desk: The final rites of blind poetess and social activist Pratibha Moreshwar Bhole was performed by her husband with the help of a social group run by a Muslim activist. The poetess passed away due to diabetes and kidney ailment at Deenath Mangeshkar Hospital on September 1. She was 64.
As the family and relatives of the couple, mostly senior citizens, did not come forward due to fear of Covid-19 infection, Sunil Parmar, Pratibha’s husband, took the help of a Muslim activist for performing the final rites.
“My wife’s friend circle is big, but most of them are above 60 years of age and it is not advisable for them to venture out because of the Covid situation. When I told one of my friends that it is not possible for me to perform the final rites alone, he asked Muslim Mulnivasi Manch’s Anjum Inamdar for help. Later, I got a call from Inamdar and the group’s volunteers reached the hospital and made arrangements.”
Parmar, who hails from Mumbai before settling in Pune and is into printing business, said, “Some ambulance drivers agreed to carry the body to crematorium, but denied to help in performing the final rites saying that they have to attend to many calls from hospitals. At least four persons are required at the crematorium and the Muslim volunteers managed everything.”
Inamdar said, “Since the first virus case was reported in the city, our organisation has been voluntarily performing the final rites of Covid and non-Covid deaths when relatives are not coming forward. We came to know that the deceased was a blind poetess and social activist from her husband when we were performing the final rites.”
The senior couple lived at Sadashiv peth area near Bharat Natya Mandir auditorium.
“Prathibha became blind due to an accident when she was in Class 10. She was interested in literature from childhood. She has written two books and aired over 50 programmes on radio. She has received many awards for her poetry, including those presented by former Maharashtra governor PC Alexander and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar,” Parmar said, adding that they got married in 2009 and do not have any children.
Prathibha used to work at Union Bank of India as telephone operator and remembered phone details of 4,000 people, according to Pawar, who said that she was an active social worker and organised many programmes for the disabled.
