Assam in Mourning after 3-Year-Old and Brother Die in House Fire on Birthday

 By: Rana Pratap Saikia

Heartbreak hit Assam strong and hard after two tiny tots were tragically killed when a huge fire broke out in their residence in Guwahati city, the metropolitan hub of the state. The two brothers Ishan (aged 8) and Ivan (aged 3) were killed, huddled in each other's arms, after a short-circuit caused a huge fire in their Guwahati residence. The two lives, taken away too soon, were preparing for an exciting evening ahead as today was Ivan's birthday.

An inspection of their home reveals a swing, where the tiny tots used to play. However, this swing will never again feel the pressure of their tiny bodies ever again, as it too has been burnt to a crisp. The mother is understandably distraught, and the father is away in Sibsagar, away on work. But the mind wonders...who will tell him that the voices of his children will never again greet him when he returns home? Who will make him understand?

The two children were left alone in the upper storey of their house (the mother and gandmother were downstairs, perhaps preparing for the birthday celebrations in the evening?) when the usually serene residential locality in Guwahati erupted in a hue-and-cry after an alleged short-circuit resulted in an alleged cylinder blast. Nobody can say with certainty what had happen, as the chain of events is now inconsequential. But, eyewitnesses report that soon after the fire broke out, the frantic cries of the grandmother pleading neighbours to "save the children"  could be heard.

"However, by the time we reached, it was too late to do anything...we could not do anything", says a neighbor.

This tragic incident is marked by a certain helplessness. At a time when the guardians are grieving, they cannot be blamed either. All the people can do at this point, is grieve. And weep. For they were young. And now, they are lost. Forever.

After the fire was subdued, the bodies of the two children, burnt to a crisp, were taken out. Now, Assam is mourning, and neighbours are burning candles to pay their condolences, they are paying their final tributes. Everybody knows...nothing will ever bring them back. But Assam will continue to mourn until there is another sensational news to take over the news cycle and the streets will once again buzz with the roar of busy city life, life bereft of two small individuals who will never again make the journey to school.

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