Mumbai-Bengaluru highway accident: Abrupt end to son’s dream of showing mother new home

Suresh Pedgaonkar, a relative, rushed to Sassoon Hospital when the news of the accident reached him.

The accident site after a private passenger bus heading towards Mumbai from Kolhapur was hit by a truck from behind on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway in Narhe Ambegaon area in Pune early Sunday. (express photo by Pavan Khengre)

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Mumbai-Bengaluru highway accident: Abrupt end to son’s dream of showing mother new home

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A month ago, Ravindra Korgaonkar (46) organised a simple housewarming function for his new flat in Dombivli, a suburb of Mumbai. On Saturday night, Korgaonkar and his mother Suvarna (85) boarded a bus from Kolhapur — he wanted to show her his new home.

They didn’t reach Mumbai. Instead, the bodies of Ravindra and Suvarna were taken to Kolhapur in a hearse. They were two of the five who died after a private passenger bus on its way to Mumbai from Kolhapur was hit by a truck from behind near Pune. Suresh Pedgaonkar, a relative, rushed to Sassoon Hospital when the news of the accident reached him.

Guruprasad Bolbhate, another relative who was in Pune for official work, also came to the hospital. They were left with the task of identifying and collecting the mortal remains of the mother and son. Bolbhate had spoken to Ravindra and Suvarna a month ago and all he could remember was that things were fine. “It was a normal chat. We spoke at a shop,” Bolbhate said.

An employee of India Post, Ravindra was the younger of Suvarna’s two sons. Hailing from Dajipur village in Radhanagari taluka of Kolhapur, he considered the new house at Dombivli a big moment. According to the relatives, the work on his ancestral home in Dajipur was also underway. Ravindra lived with his wife Deepa and two daughters — Shreya (18) and Prapti (12); Shreya has finished Class 12 and Prapti is a student of Class 6.

On Sunday, relatives escorted the bereaved family from Mumbai to Kolhapur, where the last rites would be performed. Pedgaonkar described Ravindra as a person who was diligent about his duties and family bonds.

Ravindra’s brother Mahesh runs a business in Kolhapur, while looking after their agricultural land. Pedgaonkar said Ravindra was excited to show his mother his new home. “He used to drive to Mumbai at times, but I do not know why he chose to travel by bus on this ill-fated night,” Pedgaonkar said, adding that Ravindra preferred bus travel to train journeys as he thought they were more convenient.