Fearing virus spread,Tilekar cremated without any rites

A relative of Tilekar said no funeral rites were performed to avoid any spread of the virus. The post-cremation rituals to be held later will be performed in his native village,said a relative.

Soon after the cremation,local corporator Dattoba Sasane,who was present at the crematorium,arranged for fumigation of the place. Not many were present at the funeral that was attended only by family members like Tilekar’s mother,his wife and his sister,besides a few friends.

Shops in Mohammadwadi area of Hadapsar were kept closed for sometime as a mark of respect for Tilekar. A local resident who attended the funeral said Tilekar was a good human being. “He was hard-working and softspoken.”

Tilekar’s relative,Manish Hingne said that the death had come as a shock to the family. “We don’t know how he got infected. He was first admitted to Noble Hospital. We initially thought he had pneumonia,” he said.

He added that as per directions of doctors at Noble Hospital,he was taken to Naidu Hospital to be screened for H1N1. “It took about two days for the report confirming swine flu to come in. He was then admitted to Sassoon,” he added.

Tilekar,a resident of Mohammadwadi in Hadapsar,had respiratory infection. He was reportedly in a critical condition when he was admitted to Sassoon on August 6. He was still on ventilator when he died.

The family members of Tilekar left for their native village at Yevat after the funeral to carry out other rites at their family home.

Tilekar was from a family of farmers at Ladkatwadi in Yevat,about 40 km from Pune. While his brother continued farming,he became a pharmacist and started the Ganesh Medical Store at Hadapsar 10 years ago. He had married a girl from Manjari and their five-year-old son had just started going to school.