Daughters attend Mumbai-based businessman's funeral via video call, transfer ₹5,000 for cremation expenses | Viral clip

A video of the funeral of a former Mumbai-based textile trader has sparked an emotional debate on social media after his daughters chose to attend their father's last rites through a video call.

The elderly man, who had been living in a care home in Haryana's Sonipat, was cremated by the care home staff with the help of local residents, while his daughters—from Mumbai, Nepal and Uttar Pradesh - attended the ceremony virtually.

The clip, which is now doing the rounds on social media, shows one of the daughters asking whether all the rituals had been performed properly and requesting that the recording be sent to her.

According to several media reports, the man had been battling a prolonged illness before dying at around 3.30 am on Tuesday. He had moved to the care home with his wife, Meena, who had died earlier.

The care home management had informed the man's daughters about his deteriorating health, but none of them visited him.

After his death, the management contacted all three daughters again and offered to make arrangements if they wished to travel to Sonipat for the funeral. However, they said they were unable to attend.

The man's last rites were eventually performed by the care home management with the assistance of local residents, while his three daughters watched the cremation through a video call.

Daughters requested videos of the funeral

According to the report, Anita transferred ₹5,100 online and requested that the care home management perform her father's last rites with due respect. After the cremation, the daughters also asked the management to send them videos of the funeral ceremony.

The family initially requested that their father's ashes be preserved. However, they later informed the care home that they would not be able to travel to Sonipat and asked the management to immerse the ashes in the Ganga on their behalf, the report said.

In keeping with the family's wishes, the man's eyes were also donated after his death, helping restore sight to people in need.

'We informed them about his condition'

According to care home administrator Anand Kumar, the elderly man regularly spoke to his daughters using a mobile phone he kept with him. However, after his health began to deteriorate, those conversations became less frequent.

"He had a phone through which he used to talk to his daughters. After he became ill, their calls stopped. We informed them about his condition, but they still could not come," Kumar was quoted as saying by India Today.

Kumar further said that the daughters had been informed about their father's worsening health around 20 days before his death, but none of them came to visit him.

Father spent years raising and educating his daughters

Originally from Mumbai, the elderly man had dedicated much of his life to raising and educating his three daughters. According to the care home management, he ensured they received a good education and often spoke proudly of their achievements. Two of his daughters later became teachers.

His eldest daughter, Anita, lives in Nepal and works as a teacher. His second daughter, Nisha, lives in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, while the youngest, Priya, lives in Mumbai. All three are married and have families of their own.

(Disclaimer: This article is based on social media-generated content and is intended only for informational and educational purposes. Live Mint couldn't independently verify its claims and doesn't endorse them.)