Disaster hits grief-stricken girl second time

- Final year engg student loses mother in accident, grandma hours later
- Victim’s mother dies of heart attack unable to bear the grief, leaves granddaughter alone

Ongole: It is a double tragedy for the final year engineering student Devabhaktuni Manaswini, in a span of 24 hours. The girl who lost her father two decades ago. Her mother Leelavati died in the boat accident at Ibrahimpatnam on Sunday and her maternal grandmother Lakshmikantham, passed away on Monday morning unable to bear the shock of her daughter’s death.

Devabhaktuni Leelavati, 50, was living in the lane opposite Ongole Public School in Mangamur road in Ongole. She lost her husband just after three years of marriage but took care of her only child Manaswini and admitted her in Vellore Institute of Technology in Chennai. She is working in Pallava Granites as an accountant and takes support of her widowed mother, Rayapati Lakshmikantham, who lived in Ponduru. She used to tell friends that her mother was the inspiration for her in raising Manaswini.

On Sunday, Leelavathi joined the members of Walkers Club on a recreational tour to Amaravati and Vijayawada. As fate has it, she lost her life in the boat mishap and her body was brought home in Ongole at about 5.30 am on Monday. Around 6.30 am, her mother Lakshmikantham reached Ongole from Ponduru and saw the body her daughter on the ground floor of the house. Trying to control her tears, she took a few steps to reach the first floor to console granddaughter Manaswini.

But by the time she reached the first floor, she suffered a heart attack and collapsed, breathing her last, leaving Manaswini alone in the world. Though the girl’s relatives promised support to her, colleagues of her mother Leelavati were not sure. K Subbareddy, the proprietor of the Pallava Granites, said, “Leelavati had been working for us for about 15 years and it is like a family for us. My family is taking the responsibility of her daughter and ready to support her studies and career until she is ready for the marriage. We feel this is the way to pay tribute to such a hardworking woman who committed herself to the welfare of our family and organisation.”