02 January,2017 08:39 AM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
When Pratima Vesvikar heard of her mother-in-law's passing away, she couldn't handle the news and all efforts to calm her failed; she also died of a heart attack later
Indubai Vesvikar and her daughter-in-law (Right) Pratima Vesvikar
It's the same as Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds, with one notable difference. In this case, it was Indubai Vesvikar's daughter-in-law Pratima who couldn't handle the news of her mum-in-law's demise and passed away soon after. In this bittersweet saga that unfolded on Wednesday at Bhaji Gali area near Gol Deval, Girgaum, when 85-year-old Indubai was declared dead by the family doctor after she complained of uneasiness at around 9 pm, Pratima reacted with shock and also suffered a heart attack. Pratima was wailing extremely loudly, and according to Sunil Pangerkar, a neighbour of the family, kept saying, "You left me alone, why didn't you take me with you?"
Shock too much to bear
All efforts to calm her failed and she soon started feeling uneasy too. The family doctor, who had been summoned to treat Indubai, then checked Pratima and found that her blood-pressure level had gone down and advised the family to take her to JJ Hospital immediately. However, by the time they reached, the doctors there declared her dead on arrival.
The family has now been plunged into mourning due to the sudden deaths of two members in the family. Pratima had two sons Ketan and Jeetendra; both are married and lived in the joint family.
Relationship was special
"Pratima and Indubai stayed together for 35 years when Pratima married Pradeep and moved in with the family. Even last year, when Indubai was admitted to hospital, Pratima ensured she came back home healthy. Everybody spoke of their relationship as not one of mother-and-daughter-in-law, but rather a mother and daughter," said Pangerkar.
"My grandmother used to say when she died, she would take my mother with her as she took more care of her than even her husband," said Ketan, adding, "My mother and grand-mother did have fights, but they loved each other and respected each other more like friends than anything else."
