A heartbreaking incident from Sonipat, Haryana, has drawn attention after an elderly man died at an old-age home and his three daughters attended his final rites through a video call instead of travelling to the funeral.
The man, identified as Shivcharan Ram Ratan Gupta, was a former textile trader from Mumbai. He had been living at an old-age home run by the Samaj Kalyan Shiksha Samiti in Sonipat. The organisation is listed by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment among agencies running senior citizen homes in Haryana.
Gupta died at around 3.30 am on Tuesday, August 4, after reportedly battling a prolonged illness. Following his death, the old-age home management contacted his three daughters and informed them about their father’s death.
The daughters, however, did not travel to Sonipat for the funeral. Instead, they watched the cremation remotely through a video call. Reports said the three women were living in Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai, making the funeral a virtual farewell rather than an in-person one.
One of the daughters, Anita, reportedly sent Rs 5,100 to the old-age home and requested the management to ensure that her father’s last rites were carried out properly. The cremation was subsequently performed by the old-age home staff with assistance from local residents.
The incident has attracted widespread attention because of the circumstances surrounding Gupta’s final years. According to the old-age home administrator, Anand Kumar, Gupta had spent much of his life raising and educating his three daughters.
He had moved into the old-age home with his wife, Meena. She died earlier, leaving Gupta alone at the facility. He had reportedly been living there for nearly two years.
The administrator said Gupta used to speak regularly with his daughters over the phone. However, according to reports, communication became less frequent after his health deteriorated.
The details have sparked an emotional discussion online, with many people questioning what happens to elderly parents when families become separated by geography, work and personal responsibilities.
At the same time, the circumstances should not be reduced to a simple judgment about the daughters. Reports indicate that they told the old-age home they were unable to travel to Sonipat. The available accounts do not establish why each daughter could not make the journey or whether there were specific personal, financial or practical reasons.
That distinction is important in an incident that has quickly become a viral social media story.
The video call nevertheless created an unusual and deeply emotional scene. Instead of standing beside their father during his cremation, the daughters watched the last rites from different locations. The old-age home staff and local residents were physically present to complete the funeral formalities.
The episode also highlights the changing realities of elderly care in India. As families increasingly live in different cities or countries, old-age homes have become an important support system for senior citizens who cannot live with their children.
But such arrangements can also bring difficult questions about companionship, emotional support and responsibility towards ageing parents.
Gupta’s story is particularly poignant because his daughters were reportedly raised and educated by him during his working years as a textile trader. Two of the daughters are said to have become teachers. After marriage, the three women settled in different places, according to reports.
The old-age home, meanwhile, became the place where Gupta spent his final years and ultimately where his funeral was conducted.
The Rs 5,100 payment has also become a major talking point. While the amount was reportedly sent to cover funeral arrangements, its significance has been interpreted differently by people reacting to the story. For some, it represents an attempt by the daughters to ensure that their father received a proper farewell despite their absence. For others, it has raised uncomfortable questions about whether financial support can ever replace physical presence during a parent’s final moments.
The incident has therefore touched a sensitive nerve in Indian society, where caring for ageing parents is often viewed as both a family responsibility and a moral duty.
Yet the story is also a reminder that family relationships can become complicated when people live far apart. Distance, health, work, marriage and other personal circumstances can shape how families remain connected.
For Gupta, his final journey was completed not by his daughters standing beside his funeral pyre, but by old-age home workers and local residents who stepped in to perform the rites.
His daughters were present too, but only through a screen.
