Losing five loved ones to Covid, woman left to raise orphaned granddaughter alone

If 52-year-old Kamakshamma had one desire, it was to see her children well-settled and enter her twilight years with contentment.

But Covid-19 wrecked her life. Having lost five members of her family, including three of her sons, Kamakshamma, a resident of Magadi Road, now has the daunting task of raising her orphaned granddaughter alone.

On April 28, she lost her 35-year-old son Vinay Kumar to Covid-19. Two days later, her youngest son 30-year-old Pratap Kumar, who was to get engaged on May 1, succumbed to the deadly infection. On May 3, she lost her 40-year-old son Shankar to the disease.

Before she could recover from the shock, Kamakshamma’s 36-year-old daughter Tejasvini and 42-year-old son-in-law Prakash also died of the disease in May, orphaning their 15-year-old daughter Rashmi.

“My mother dreamt of seeing me as an IAS officer and my father was motivating me to pursue an MBBS degree,” a tearful Rashmi recalled.

Read | Orphaned by Covid, kids struggle to continue studies

“I don’t know how they were infected as they never stepped out. While my mother passed away within a few days of the infection, I was praying for the recovery of at least my father.

"But god has been unkind to our family and took away my father as well.”

The family had borrowed from several relatives for hospital expenses, but now Rashmi has no one but her aging grandmother to depend on.

“I have been going to a private school and must pay thousands of rupees to continue schooling,” Rashmi said. “We don’t have the money for my studies now. I am wondering if I should discontinue my studies now.” An emotional Kamakshamma said coronavirus had taken away everyone in her family in one swoop.

“The sad thing is that none of us could speak to each other and say a few last words,” she said between sobs. “I don’t know if it is a curse that god left us in this crisis.”

Those willing to help Kamakshamma can reach her on 7022956864.