Sonipat Care Home Conducts Last Rites; Daughters Attend Virtually

Shivcharan Ratan Gupta, a former prosperous textile trader, died at an old-age home without any of his three daughters present, according to the facility’s management. Staff members conducted his last rites after his daughters reportedly said they were unable to travel and instead followed the funeral remotely through a video call.

Originally from Maharashtra, Shivcharan moved into the Sonipat care facility with his wife, Meena Gupta, approximately 18 months ago. He continued living there alone after his wife died. According to the care-home management, Shivcharan had no sons and had used his earnings to provide higher education and career opportunities for his three daughters.

His eldest daughter, Anita, lives in Nepal and works as a teacher, while his second daughter, Nisha, resides in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. His youngest daughter, Priya, lives in Mumbai. Two of the three daughters reportedly became government schoolteachers. Care-home staff said Shivcharan spent his final days hoping to meet his children and kept a mobile phone mainly to remain in contact with them.

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Anand, the manager of the care home, said calls from Shivcharan’s daughters became less frequent as his health deteriorated. When his condition worsened, the facility contacted all three women and asked them to visit. According to Anand, they cited different reasons for being unable to travel. After Shivcharan died late at night, the staff offered to preserve his body until relatives arrived, but the daughters reportedly declined.

Anita later transferred ₹5,100 to the care-home management to cover the funeral expenses. Staff members then performed Shivcharan’s last rites while his daughters watched through a video link. The family also requested recorded footage of the cremation. They initially asked the facility to preserve the ashes so they could collect them later, according to the management.

The daughters subsequently informed the facility that they could not collect the ashes because of time constraints and requested staff to immerse them in the River Ganges on their behalf. Care-home employees and local residents expressed sadness over the circumstances surrounding Shivcharan’s death, while caregivers said the incident underscored the importance of empathy, compassion and maintaining family relationships alongside educational and professional success.

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