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Ludhiana: No hope of finding body, family cremates effigy of 16-year-old
The unusual cremation drew relatives, neighbours and villagers, who saw it as both an act of love and an attempt at closure in the absence of her body
On the banks of the Sutlej in Machhiwara on Thursday, the air was heavy with grief as the family of 16-year-old Nisha Kumari performed her last rites — without her body.
Missing for seven days, Nisha, a resident of Balibeg Basti, had gone to work in the fields near Dopana on August 7. During a midday break, she entered the river with friends to bathe. Moments later, she slipped and was swept away by the strong current. Despite relentless searches with the help of divers and boats, her family could find no trace of her body.
When the hope faded, her devastated parents decided it was time to let her go. They fashioned an effigy in her likeness — dressing it in her clothes and fixing her photograph to its face. Guided by a local priest, they performed the cremation on the riverbank, believing it would bring peace to her soul. “If the river doesn’t return her, we must send her spirit home,” the priest told mourners.
Nisha’s father Sonu Sahni said he had searched several kilometres of the river but returned empty-handed. “I prayed to the river to give my daughter back, but the prayers remained unanswered,” he said, sobbing. “I draped her favourite dress on the effigy and put her picture. I hope this act sends her soul to God’s house.”
His grief was laced with doubt. “My daughter was always afraid of water. I want to know whether it was truly an accident or something else,” he added.
The unusual cremation drew relatives, neighbours and villagers — many in tears — who saw it as both an act of love and an attempt at closure in the absence of her body.
