For 8 years, they built their lives, but it was all over in seconds

GURUGRAM: Giyasuddin and Anjunara Sarkar left their home town in West Bengal’s South Dinajpur along with their four children eight years ago to try their luck in Delhi. Giyasuddin used to pull a rickshaw, but the money was not enough to feed his growing family, and soon he found it hard to make a living in the national capital.

After staying there for few months, a well-wisher told them to move to Gurugram, as the rent was less and job opportunities more.

The family then shifted to Wazirabad village, which has a large Bengali population. While the couple and their children — Farooq, Rajeev, Firoz Ali and Nasreen — lived together in a one-room accommodation in the beginning, the kids eventually got married and moved out to nearby houses, with only Firoz Ali and his wife electing to stay with them.

Mirza Nur, a neighbour, said, “They stayed with around 50 people in a 12-room house with shared washrooms. All families living in this area are Bengalis. The couple liked cooking fish and often shared it with us.”

The couple were a part of the sanitation staff at KR Mangalam World School, South City 1. “After moving to Gurugram, my father got a job in the school as a housekeeper, for Rs 8,000 per month. After a few months, my mother also got a job in the same school, for Rs 7,500 a month. Both were committed to their work and never took a day off,” Rajeev, their second son, said.

Be it home or at work, the couple were always together. A grief-stricken Farooq, their eldest son, said: “They always went everywhere together. They were inseparable.”

“Their day would start around 4am. Both were early risers. They would leave their house together every day at 6.30am and return at 4pm,” added Saddam Hussain, a neighbour.

“Both of them were quiet people and never had a quarrel with anyone in the neighbourhood. We never saw them argue even once with each other during the eight years they lived here. Their lives revolved around their workplace, children and home. They were religious but celebrated Eid and Diwali with the same enthusiasm.”

Anjunara had planned to go shopping with her daughter Nasreen to buy Giyasuddin some clothes, after work on Thursday. “I had never seen them fight. I last spoke with my mother on Wednesday night. She had asked me to go shopping with her on Thursday, to buy a new kurta for my father.”

The couple were also very fond of their eight grandchildren and contributed to their upkeep. “On Sundays, Giyasuddin would take at least four of his grandchildren on his bicycle for a ride. He would buy them balloons and candies,” said Ansa Ali, a neighbour.

The grieving family said the school the couple worked in has not given them a single phone call, leave aside any talk of compensation. “We would appreciate if the school, district administration or police help us with compensation. My parents helped us in bringing food to the table. Although all of us three brothers work as drivers, it’s not enough, and my parents had always ensured the family’s needs were met,” Firoz Ali said.

KR Mangalam World School principal Priya Sharma said the couple were hired by a private agency. “I came to know that two people met with an accident. They were our employees, but we had got them through an agency.”