Sitting in a wheelchair Athira bids farewell to husband Nithin, funeral in Kozhikode
Kozhikode’s MIMS Hospital witnessed a heartwrenching scene on its premises on Wednesday noon. Athira Geetha Sreedharan was informed of her husband Nithin Chandran’s death on Wednesday morning, just hours before she got to see his mortal remains one last time, for about two minutes.
Nithin passed away in his sleep due to cardiac arrest on Monday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Athira, who reached Kerala on the first repatriation flight on May 7, delivered the couple’s first child on Tuesday. She was not informed of Nithin’s death until Wednesday morning, on doctors’ advice reportedly due to some complications in her pregnancy. Due in July, Athira underwent Caesarean section on Tuesday and gave birth to a baby girl.
After Nithin posthumously tested negative for coronavirus, his body was repatriated on Wednesday early morning to Cochin International Airport around 8 am. As ambulance started reached from Cochin, the team of doctors informed Athira about her husband’s death.
The ambulance reached the MIMS Hospital, where Athira is admitted, before his mortal remains were taken for the final rites to his house in Perambra in Kozhikode. But Athira could not give a proper farewell to her husband due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
The ambulance parked right in front of one of the departments of the hospital, in a way that Athira could see Nithin at the entrance itself. As the doors of the ambulance were kept open and the lid of the coffin removed, officials waited for Athira.
In a few minutes, Athira came out, in a wheelchair and geared up in face mask and face shield.
Reports state several precautions had to be taken since there were complications in her delivery and she would have been (or was) at risk of exposure to any disease. Hence, she was allowed only a few minutes to see Nithin’s mortal. She was reportedly not allowed to touch him or give him a goodbye kiss.
The funeral was held on Wednesday at the premises of his house in Perambra.
Athira had made news when she approached the Supreme Court to allow her to travel from UAE to Kerala for her delivery. Nithin was known for his active repatriation and relief works in Dubai. The couple got married in 2017.
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