'Kitna time aur lagega?': 3 daughters watch father's cremation on video call after saying they couldn't travel for funeral

Staff and volunteers at an old age home in Haryana's Sonipat cremated 72-year-old Shiv Charan Gupta on August 3, after his three daughters said they could not travel for the funeral. The daughters watched their father's last rites through a video call instead, according to the management of Samaj Kalyan Shiksha Samiti Old Age Home, which shared the details with ANI.

The story has put a spotlight on a quiet but growing reality in Indian cities: elderly parents living out their final years away from their children.

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A Cloth Merchant's Journey to Haryana

Gupta once ran a cloth business in Mumbai. Anand Kumar, manager of the old age home, told ANI that business losses pushed Gupta to leave the city. He moved to Haryana with his wife and, over time, settled into life away from his three married daughters, who live in Mumbai, Nepal and Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh.

Choosing Independence Over His Daughters' Homes

All three daughters had asked Gupta to come live with them. He turned them down every time. Kumar recalled the reason Gupta gave: "He believed he should not live at his daughters' homes," Kumar said.

A Wife's Death and a New Home

Gupta did not stay alone for long, even though he lived without his children. His wife, Meena Gupta, was by his side, and the couple stayed together at an old age home in Sonipat until her death nearly two years ago. Gupta then moved to the Samaj Kalyan Shiksha Samiti Old Age Home on March 13, 2026, and built a routine there. He played cards with the other residents, listened to devotional songs and called his daughters regularly, Kumar said.

Final Days

Around fifteen days before his death, Gupta developed severe stomach pain. Home staff took him to the district hospital, and he later returned to the old age home to recover. On August 2, the pain came back. He ate a light dinner and went to bed. His condition worsened overnight, and he died at around 3:30 am on August 3.

A Wish to Donate

Gupta had told the home's staff long before that he wanted to donate his body and eyes after death. When Kumar informed the daughters, the family agreed to eye donation, though not full body donation. A Delhi-based eye hospital carried out the procedure before the last rites began.

A Funeral Watched From Afar

None of Gupta's three daughters could make the journey to Sonipat in time. One of them transferred Rs 5,100 online to help cover funeral costs and asked the home to let the family watch the cremation over a video call. Staff and social workers carried out the rites, holding up a phone so the daughters could witness the moment from wherever they were. Kumar said the old age home later sent the Rs 5,100 back to the family once the funeral was over.

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What the Old Age Home Wants People to Remember

Other residents at the home remembered Gupta as friendly and soft-spoken, a man who hummed devotional tunes and often talked about his daughters. They used his death to make an appeal of their own: take care of ageing parents, and do not leave them to spend their last years alone.

Kumar echoed that appeal, saying Gupta's story should push families to look after their elderly more closely.

(Inputs from ANI)