Deoria, 11 June (HS): An attack thousands of kilometers away

at sea has snatched the joys of a family in the Deoria district of Uttar

Pradesh. Shivanand Chaurasia (35), son of Ramjeev Chaurasia, a resident of

Surauli village in the Surauli police station area, died in an attack on a

commercial ship off the coast of Oman. When news of the incident reached the

village on Thursday, the family was plunged into mourning. Shivanand was

working as a sailor for a Singapore shipping company. He had left home about

seven months ago to pursue a better future and support his family. It is

reported that his ship was passing through the Strait of Hormuz when it was

attacked. Shivanand lost his life. Shivanand was the eldest son of his family.

His younger brother works abroad in Dubai. At home, he is

survived by his wife, Sushila Devi, five-year-old son, Rajveer, and

two-year-old daughter, Vanika. Sushila Devi fainted upon receiving the news of

her husband's death, while the children are still struggling to grasp the loss

of their father. According to villagers, Shivanand was a hardworking and

friendly person. His earnings were the sole support of the family. Following

the incident, the village is in mourning, and a stream of people is flocking to

his home. The family is awaiting the completion of the process to bring

Shivanand's body back to India. The villagers have demanded that the government

and administration provide all possible assistance to the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, Rajveer, five, and his sister Vanika, two, are

too young to comprehend the catastrophe that is happening around them.

Confusion clouded their expressions as shouts resonated through their small

house in Surauli village, Deoria district, Uttar Pradesh. Their mother,

grandparents, relatives, and neighbours mourned bitterly. The kids continued

glancing around; possibly looking for the one person everyone appeared to be

mourning. Shivanand Chaurasia (31), their father, never came home. Shivanand was one of three Indian sailors

killed when a US military attack targeted the Palau-flagged oil tanker MT

Settebello off the coast of Oman, in the strategically critical Strait of

Hormuz. The three sailors were first reported missing following the incident,

but were subsequently confirmed deceased, according to Union Shipping Minister

Sarbananda Sonowal.

When the strike occurred, the tanker was carrying 24 Indian

crew members. While 21 sailors were saved, Shivanand and two others died in the

event, turning a routine work mission into an unspeakable sorrow for their

families. Shivanand's family received sad news thousands of miles distant from

the seas in which he had been operating. His younger brother, Ram Pravesh

Chaurasia, who works in Dubai, received the first piece of information. He

called home on Thursday morning to notify his family. A phone call disrupted

the family's peace.

Shivanand, the oldest of two brothers, had left his home about six months ago

to work on a Singapore-managed vessel. He began on his adventure with the hope

of providing a better future for his family, as did many other Indian mariners.

Instead, his family is currently waiting for his mortal remains.

Ramji Chaurasia, his father, battled to keep his sadness

under control. “He worked as a welder on a ship and joined around six months

ago. It was his first international trip. My younger son, who works in Dubai,

told us of his death,” he added. Loss has created a vacuum in the family.

Shivanand was survived by his parents, Ramji Chaurasia and Kalawati Devi, his

wife Sushila, his son Rajveer, and daughter Vanika. Children are still ignorant

that their father, who promised to return with presents and stories from other

locations, would never return to their home.

As word spread of the tragedy, locals came at Chaurasia's home to offer their

condolences. Locals are calling for Shivanand's remains to be recovered and

repatriated immediately. The fatalities drew heated emotions in India, with the

government issuing a complaint against the incident.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi