Injured in mishap Bahrain expat Gangarajam succumbs to injuries days before returning home

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. This famous saying from John Lennon reflects a paradox in our lives. If not, the life of Gangarajam Kanakanala would have been different.

His life would not have ended as a heart-breaking memory to his kith and kins.

Gangarajam, who was in a critical state after he accidentally slipped off the top floor of a residential building while hanging clothes out to dry, succumbed to his injuries two days before his flight to India for advanced treatment.

A native of Telangana, Gangarajam was a carpenter with a company in the Kingdom.

The tragedy struck while Gangarajam had finalised plans to wind up his expatriate life and return home for a new beginning. He had also completed formalities to resign from the company where he was working.

However, on 17 January 2021, two days before his departure, tragedy struck. He accidentally slipped and fell off the open terrace of his residential building.

Head injuries

The plunge gave Gangarajam severe head injuries and other complications resulting in loss of mobility.

Bahrain Defence Force Royal Medical Services Military Hospital kept him in critical care. Doctors conducted multiple surgeries to fix his head injuries and other procedures to save his life.

Learning about his fate, Sudheer Thirunilath, the Pravasi legal cell Bahrain country head, intervened and arranged to fly him back home with a stretcher facility, with the assistance of External Affairs Minister of India, Dr S Jaishankar. An injury to his hip rendered Gangarajam confined to his bed, requiring travel in a stretcher.

Arrangements were also in place to accompany Gangarajam on his fly back. However, on Wednesday night, two days before his scheduled flight, Gangarajam passed away.

His friends told Tribune that the prospects of getting back home had kept Gangarajam cheerful amid the adversities. He was eager to meet his family members back home. Sudheer Thirunilath said procedures are now ongoing to repatriate his body back home. He is survived by his wife and two children.