Bengaluru: She would have decked herself up to usher in her 21st birthday on Wednesday.
She never will.
What was meant to be a day of celebration turned into a heartbreaking tragedy for 20-year-old Priya's family as they await her corpse to which they are likely to perform the last rites later in the day.
Her friends remember Priya as a girl of cheerful nature and of being dedicated to her job role. Like her family, they were also planning to celebrate her birthday which falls on November 20. But fate had other plans.
A devastating fire engulfed My EV Store, a multi-brand electric bike showroom on Tuesday evening, where Priya worked as a cashier. While over 40 employees managed to escape, Priya was the lone employee who could not find her way out amid the raging fire. Firefighters discovered her charred body hours later, and her father, Arumugam, was left to grapple with an unspeakable loss.
"She is my world," Arumugam said, as he was still trying to come to terms with reality. "November 20 was supposed to be her day. I had even bought new clothes to surprise her. She always came home by 7.30 PM, but today, she didn't," he said.
His eyes welled up when he described the moment he learned of the fire. A friend had called him with the horrifying news. "I rushed to the showroom, hoping it wasn't true. But when I got there, they said she was still inside."
"I could not save her. My little girl...she did not deserve this," he lamented.
"Priya had been working in this showroom for three years with determination. She was so responsible, so kind," Armugam said, as his voice trembled.
Deputy Director of Fire Brigade Younis confirmed that the fire likely started due to an electrical short circuit. "The showroom lacked proper safety measures," he said. The blaze gutted over 25 electric bikes while it also reduced Priya's dreams to ashes.
Priya's father is left with memories and unfulfilled hopes. "I should have been celebrating her birthday," he said while he was holding the dress he had bought for her birthday. "I would never see her wear this," he rued.
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