The devastated overseas based parent of the Indian Tamil woman who passed away in Invercargill on the early morning of Thursday, February 17 had taken the heart-breaking decision of letting go their beloved daughter from here in New Zealand.
The Indian Weekender had earlier reported that Dr Sridevi Ravi, PhD, who was on a work visa had suddenly passed away only days after being first told of an undetected fourth stage aggressive cancer.
Mahesh Babu Purushothaman Lecturer AUT school of Future Environments, a friend and colleague of Dr Sridevi and had travelled to Invercargill this morning told the Indian Weekender that her parents had taken the decision with a heavy heart not delay her final send-off.
“I was joined by a close group of compassionate members of the community including her partner Vinay Bharadwaj, President of Indian Association of Invercargill Vinay Sood and Shelly Ballantine, Chair/President of Murihiku Southland District Multicultural Council Inc to give Sridevi an appropriate send-off.”
“Her parents were able to join digitally from Trichapally, India and were able to see all cultural norms observed in their beloved daughter’s final send-off,” Mahesh said.
Sridevi had arrived in New Zealand in 2015 to study for a PhD (School of applied science, AUT University, Auckland) and had recently moved to Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) as a casual lecturer.
“Devi was 33, a healthy, happy outgoing woman who was working hard for her future and fulfilling dreams to settle here in New Zealand,” Mahesh said.
Meanwhile, Raveen Annamalai, President of Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangam Inc (ANTS) had told the Indian Weekender that it was a tragic news not only for the Tamil community but the entire Kiwi-Indian community.
“We are waiting for more detail information to better understand the exact nature of help required from the wider community, if any, and will definitely respond,” Annamalai said.
The Indian High Commission is aware of the unfortunate death and is proving all support to the next of the kin here in NZ.
More to come