Temple mishap: Injured boy worried about exam

For Ravichandra, the nine-year-old boy who suffered fracture in his left leg in the recent mishap at Kote Maramma temple, outside Mysore Palace fort, apart from the pain, what’s bothering him more is his inability to attend the ongoing mid-term exam. He has been pestering his mother to take him to the school, unmindful of his condition.

“My son expresses repeated desire to write the exam, but it is impossible given his current state. Initially he was reluctant to come to the temple on that day, as he wanted to prepare for exams. But I forced him for Maramma being the house deity,” said his mother Jyothi.
Ravichandra is studying in class three (Kannada medium) at Hardwicke School, on JLB road. He is the elder son of daily wager Jayaramu and Jyothi, residing at Sunnadakeri. They also have a daughter named Aishwarya studying in class two at the same school. Incidentally, Sushelamma and her daughter-in-law Shylaja who lost lives in the incident were their neighbours.

When Deccan Herald tried to strike a conversation with Ravichandra, he preferred to reply in monosyllables, nodding his head either in acceptance or denial. “He is still in shock. I had gone to the temple along with my older brother Rajashekar’s family to offer puja to Maramma to the house deity. Ravichandra wanted to drink water and was on his way to the tap, when an electric pole came crashing down. Soon after the peepul tree uprooted and collapsed on the temple,” added Jyothi. Ravichandra suffered fracture in his left leg, and severe injuries on his right leg.

Jyothi said that though the district administration has agreed to bear the expenditure, it has to take care of his medical expenses in the future too, as it will take a long time for him to recover.

Ravichandra is being treated by orthopaedic Dr K Marulasiddappa at the second ward in new surgical block, stone building of K R Hospital. The operation is scheduled for September 20, according to hospital sources.