NRI family from New Zealand performs ‘pind daan’ for pet dog in Gaya

PATNA: We’ve all heard the old saying that a dog is a man’s best friend. It may be a cliché for some, but for dog lovers their furry friends are a part of the family and their loss is as painful as that of a family member.
The story of an NRI family from Purnia — now settled in New Zealand— and their pet Labrador Liken shows just how special the bonding is.
Pramod Chauhan and his wife Rekha, both in their early fifties, flew into Patna with their daughter Vishnupriya from Auckland last week after their beloved pet died of cancer. They wanted to immerse the ashes of their beloved Liken in Ganga and perform the rituals, including ‘pinddaan’ in Gaya.
The grief-stricken Chauhans, who belong to a landed family of Purnia, arrived in Patna on February 13.
The next day they hired a boat to immerse the ashes in Ganga and left for Gaya on February 15 to perform the ‘pind daan’ rituals that, according to Hindu traditions, is done to appease the soul of the departed.
Chauhan, who runs a flourishing business in Auckland and supports a voluntary organization that works with cancer patiens, is now at his ancestral house in Sipahi Tola in Madhubani Mohalla in Purnia where the family is preparing for a bhandara to be held in the memory of Liken on February 23.
“Pramod came with his family covering a distance of 12,000km to perform the rituals for their pet. Liken was like a family member to them and was cremated in Auckland following Hindu rituals,” said his childhood friend Himkar Mishra.
“The family had kept his ashes to be immersed in river Ganga. After reaching Patna, they hired a boat and with a priest went on the Sonepur side to immerse the ashes,” he added.
Pramod told a TV channel, “Liken was brought up in a Hindu culture and participated in Hindu festivals with us. All our relatives will come for his Shraddha.”