Two brothers from Jammu missing in Nepal

Bharat, 29, had been working as manager at a local hotel there, Parkash, 25, was undergoing a degree course at an institute there.

Pandit Rikhi Ram, 60, is trying to contact his two sons on phone in Kathmandu since Saturday, but in vein in view of the extensive damage to telecom network in the tremors which shook the Himalayan nation and parts of India.

His wife Padma Devi too is worried as there has been no information about her two sons, Bharat and Parkash. While Bharat, 29, had been working as manager at a local hotel there, Parkash, 25, was undergoing a degree course at an institute there.

Last time, Rikhi Ram had talked to Parkash on Saturday morning when he called the later on phone from Gorkha Nagar in Jammu. “He told me that he was preparing to go to the college and that he will call in the evening, recalled Rikhi Ram.

However, in next half an hour, tremors shoot the Himalayan kingdom and around 12 noon, when he rang up Bharat and Parkash to enquire about their well being, he could not establish contact with any. Since then, he has been repeatedly making calls on their cell phones, but in vein.

Working as priest at a local temple in Gorkha Nagar in Jammu, Rikhi Ram along with his wife, three sons and two daughters has been living in Jammu since 1962. His all the three sons are in Nepal.

Of them, Bharat is married and has a five year old son Mohit. Bharat had gone to Nepal from here only last month after he got the job of manager at a newly constructed hotel in Kathmandu.

However, his wife Pratima along with her minor son had already been staying with her parents at Ruderpur for the last six months.

While his second son Parkash who had been studying at a institute in Kathmandu last time visited Jammu nearly three months ago, his third son Rohit, 19, went there last month to appeal in 12th class exam. The latter was staying with his eldest brother’s family at Ruderpur.

According to Rikhi Ram, while his eldest son’s family and Rohit were safe, he has no information about his two sons. Trying in vein to establish contact with them, he has also appealed to the local administration for help in the matter.

Meanwhile, residents of Gorkha Nagar organized a prayer meeting for the well being of both the missing brothers, besides expressing sympathies with the people in Nepal.

Of the nearly 2,000 families living in Gujjar Nagar, almost everyone has either its member or a relation there. “Except for these two brothers, all our relatives or family members are safe there, said Leela Jamwal.

The prayer meeting was organized by Aditi Welfare India Charitable Trust. Its president Aditi Sharma, who also happens to be a local BJP leader, said that they were already in touch with RSS volunteers carrying out relief and rescue operations in the neighbouring country.

“We will also be sending nearly a dozen volunteers from Jammu to participate in relief and rescue operations there, she added.

Source:: Indian Express