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Ex-CM Shanta Kumar’s wife Santosh Shailja dies of Covid; +ve son lights pyre
Shanta Kumar and his whole family had tested coronavirus positive last week.
Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar’s wife Santosh Shailja died of Covid in the early hours of Tuesday. She was 83.
She was undergoing treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (RPGMC), Tanda and suffered a cardiac arrest this morning.
Shanta Kumar and his whole family had tested coronavirus positive last week. Shailja was tested positive on Thursday and was immediately shifted to RPGMC while Shanta Kumar, his son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter were tested positive on Friday.
Shailja was cremated as per Covid protocol. Her son lit the pyre.
Kumar is undergoing treatment at RPGMC. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over the demise of Shailja. He prayed for peace to the departed soul and strength to the family to bear the loss.
Shailaja, born on April 14, 1937 in Amritsar, completed her post graduation in Hindi from Delhi and also taught in a government school. Shailja and Kumar got married in 1964 and lived in Palampur thereafter.
Like her husband, Shailja was also a writer, her first stories appeared in Saptahik Hindustan, Dharmayuga, Sarika, Kadambini. She has penned over a dozen books and novels: “The Autumn Comes”, “Glimpses of Glory”, “Tinni, Pinni Chinni”, “Deepshikha”, among others.
On Saturday when Shanta Kumar was moved to RPGMC for treatment, he penned an emotional note on his Facebook page.
“My whole family is standing at the turning point amid the Carona crisis. Not only I but the whole world is struggling with this unprecedented tragedy and don’t know when this crisis will be over.
“My wife has been hospitalized at RPGMC for three days. Today, I am by her side and she smiled after three days. We saw each other with moist eyes. Her treatment is going on. For about an hour both of us sat near each other, could not say much, but as they say silence speaks volumes,” wrote the former union minister.
