PANAJI/PONDA
Ponda witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of grief on Friday evening as thousands poured into the town to bid farewell to Dr Ketan Bhatikar, the physiotherapist and young Congress politician who died tragically of a snakebite in the wee hours of the day.
The funeral procession began from his Silvanagar residence and the streets overflowed with mourners, many crying and others carrying garlands.
As the cortege moved slowly towards the crematorium, emotions ran high with several weeping openly and some collapsing in grief sporadically in the procession.
The sorrowful atmosphere was punctuated by cries of anguish and chants in honour of Dr Bhatikar whose sudden death stunned Goa.
At just 42, he was seen as a promising political figure.
Just over a month ago, he was the Congress candidate at the Ponda by-poll which was cancelled on technicalities at the eleventh hour by the Bombay High Court. He had challenged the decision before the Supreme Court.
His professional work as a physiotherapist and his service during the Covid pandemic had earned him wide respect.
At the funeral, local leaders and medical colleagues recalled his dedication to healing patients and social service.
The crematorium was packed as the final rites were performed. And, as the pyre was lit, grief reached its peak.
Dr Bhatikar’s death has left a void in the medical as well as political fields. Beyond being the last farewell, his funeral on Friday, was a collective expression of loss from a community that admired him deeply.
