Mahasri and Srinisha were enjoying their school holidays in Singapore when they were abruptly ushered on a flight back to India on May 24.
Their father, Indian national Srinivasan Sivaraman, 40, met with a fatal incident at work the day before, when he inhaled poisonous fumes while carrying out a routine tank cleaning at national water agency PUB’s Choa Chu Kang Waterworks.
Distraught by the news, his wife Narmatha, 35, took her kids and returned to her hometown of Kambarnatham, a small village in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district, where she could be comforted by relatives.
On May 29, when Mr Sivaraman’s body reached the village for the final rites and cremation, the children were informed for the first time about their father’s death.
After persistently asking where their father was, the girls were initially told by their mother and uncle that their father was unwell and receiving medical care in Singapore.
Their eventual outpouring of grief was witnessed by some 600 relatives and friends at the funeral.
Mr Mohan Naveenkumar, 33, the children’s maternal uncle, recounted his attempts to console Mahasri, 9, and Srinisha, 7.
He tried to reassure them and wipe away their tears, but his own heart broke when Mahasri questioned him: “How can you expect me not to cry when you tell me that my father will never be with me again?”
Mr Naveenkumar said Mahasri would diligently set aside an hour each day for a video call with her father. During those calls, she would recount the events of her school day to him, before playfully switching roles and instructing him to be the student while she assumed the role of teacher.
On some days, her mother would urge her to keep the calls short as her father needed rest after a long day’s work, but Mahasri was always determined to speak to her father for as long as she could.
According to Mr Naveenkumar, the younger daughter Srinisha is still struggling to comprehend her father’s death.
“At the funeral, she could only cry and gaze perplexedly at the tearful faces surrounding her,” he said in Tamil.
Mr Sivaraman, who was a cleaning operations manager at Supersonic Maintenance Services, was discovered unconscious at the PUB facility on May 23 at around 11.15am. He was pronounced dead at the hospital later that day.
Two Malaysian workers had also inhaled the gas and were found unconscious. One died on May 28, while the other was moved from intensive care the same day. His condition is said to be stable.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the workers had inhaled hydrogen sulphide gas, a by-product of the water treatment process, said PUB.
Mr Naveenkumar said the children, having been apart from their father for a year and a half, had been thrilled to spend an entire month in Singapore with him, even taking additional leave days from school.
“The last twenty days was a period of unparalleled joy. Every evening, my family and Sivaraman’s family would happily gather and go on trips to beaches, temples and parks,” he said.
“Sivaraman had meticulously planned a vacation in Malaysia as well, starting on May 27.
“On the morning of the incident, he left for work telling his family to be ready by 5pm for a trip to Gardens by the Bay. His daughters were so excited about this.
“But then I got a call at 3pm informing me that Sivaraman had been hospitalised. My sister and I rushed to the hospital, only to discover that he had died. We were left in complete shock.”
Ms Narmatha, who had been married to Mr Sivaraman for 11 years, was overcome with grief, said her brother. She tried to explain the situation to her children, but couldn’t muster the words.
The news of Mr Sivaraman’s death has cast a shadow over his village. Relatives, friends and villagers gathered on Wednesday to catch a final glimpse of his body before it was taken to the cremation grounds. They adorned him with flowers, garlands and heartfelt prayers.
“He was regarded by everyone as a warm-hearted and compassionate soul who always lent a helping hand to anyone in need,” said Mr Naveenkumar.
