Ravish Zaidi, a Lucknow native working in Tehran, was unable to return home to bid a final farewell to his mother, who died on June 13. Currently stranded in Iran amid escalating hostilities with Israel, Zaidi narrowly escaped a missile strike at his workplace and remains on emergency duty, according to his family.
“He couldn’t see our mother for the last time. That’s what’s hurting him the most,” Shahkar Zaidi, Ravish’s younger brother, told Hindustan Times, speaking from the family’s home in Tahseenganj, Lucknow. “My mother died on June 13, and that very morning, we heard of missile attacks in Iran. We tried contacting Ravish, but all networks were down.”
Ravish, who initially went to Iran as a student, later joined Iranian media. His office was inside the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building, which was struck during an Israeli airstrike. Shahkar said Ravish survived because he had stepped out of the building just 20–25 seconds before the missile hit.
Despite the personal tragedy, Ravish could not leave Tehran. “He has been posted on emergency duty by the Iran government, so he is stuck there. He was very upset when we finally reached him after the networks resumed,” said Shahkar. “Our mother had been unwell, but Ravish couldn’t come even when she passed away. His wife had died last year too, it is been very tough for him.”
The Zaidi family had no immediate way to inform Ravish of his mother’s death due to an internet blackout following the strikes. Once communication was restored, the message was conveyed, but by then, the funeral rites had been completed.
{{/usCountry}}The Zaidi family had no immediate way to inform Ravish of his mother’s death due to an internet blackout following the strikes. Once communication was restored, the message was conveyed, but by then, the funeral rites had been completed.
{{/usCountry}}The family’s concern deepened after visuals of the IRIB studio explosion surfaced online. Ravish’s father, Meer Abbas Zaidi, who retired from the police force in 2008, recalled, “We saw that video clip of a female anchor caught in the blast on live TV. We feared the worst. But then Ravish messaged, that’s when we finally breathed a little.”
According to Shahkar, the Indian Embassy is in touch with Ravish and other Indian nationals who are stuck in Iran due to the ongoing conflict.