Udupi blaze: “I promise that u and I will be together till we die…”

Team Udayavani, Jul 17, 2024, 9:11 AM IST

Ramananda Shetty and Ashwini Shetty

“I promise that the years to come will be nothing but awesome I promise that your future will be nothing but joyful and happy I promise that u and I will be together till we die.” This was the heartfelt message Ashwini Shetty wrote to her dear husband Ramananda Shetty in an Instagram post in December 2017.

Ashwini Shetty and her husband Ramanada Shetty were tragically killed due to injuries sustained in Monday’s massive blaze at their residence. While Ramananda was declared dead on Monday, Ashwini breathed her last at a hospital on the next day.

Questions have arisen about whether the entire family could have survived if the couple had been more cautious like their two children. Observing how the children survived brings these thoughts to mind.

If only the couple had acted differently…

It’s not wrong to say that the children’s alertness saved their lives. Many who attended the funeral speculated that if the couple had also sought refuge in a ventilated area like the bathroom, they might have survived.

The children, upon sensing the smoke, went into the bathroom. Fearing they might collapse if they stepped out, they stayed there, which ultimately saved their lives.

At the time of the incident, the bedroom where the couple was sleeping was filled with smoke, making it difficult to escape. Despite attempting to exit, Ramananda Shetty collapsed at the door. His wife Ashwini Shetty also collapsed and couldn’t move from the sofa. Although the fire brigade rescued them and rushed them to the hospital, their lives could not be saved. As a result, the children are now orphaned.

Dramatic Rescue of the Children

The house was a three-story building. The short circuit occurred on the ground floor. The couple and their children were sleeping in separate bedrooms.

When the children sensed the smoke and had difficulty breathing, they didn’t know where to go. They then moved to the adjacent bathroom. With ventilation available there, they didn’t face breathing issues. They even managed to push an exhaust fan aside, getting more air.

The fire brigade arrived after being called by a person at the scene. Though they initially struggled to break the door, they eventually heard the children’s cries from the bathroom.

The firefighters instructed the children to stay near the ventilation window. After breaking the main door and entering the house, it was so smoky that even after rescuing the children, the firefighters struggled to find their way out. The children guided them out, according to the fire brigade.

A case has been registered at the Udupi city police station, and an investigation is ongoing.

Cultural Representative Ashwini

Ashwini Shetty was a member of the Lions Club Udupi Chetana and the administrative board of Bannanje Mahalingeshwara Temple. She was also the president of the BJP’s Udupi City Women’s Wing and an active member of the Bunt Association. She was known for presenting the customs and cultural aspects of Tulu Nadu uniquely on social media.

Ashwini had 79,000 followers on Instagram. Her videos addressing various social concerns have gone viral. She continued her assistance programs initiated during the COVID-19 period, providing food and other essentials to the poor and homeless during festivals.

Couple United in Death

On Monday morning, a fire caused by an electrical short circuit severely injured Ashwini Shetty (42) at their home in Gandhinagar, Ambalapadi. She was being treated in the ICU of a private hospital in Manipal but passed away on Tuesday.

Ramananda Shetty had already succumbed to his injuries on the day of the incident.

The couple is survived by their 2 children — a son and a daughter. The couple were cremated together on Tuesday evening at their ancestral home in Adi Udupi Pandubettu, attended by many dignitaries and family members.

An Instagram video by Ashwini Shetty is now going viral. In it, she says, “We should live our lives in such a way that when we are born, our mothers are happy, when we grow and achieve, our fathers are proud, and when we die, even our enemies shall shed tears.”