New Indian Express
Puttur, May 28: A worn-out passport size photograph is fished out from wallet and the eyes turn misty. Five years have passed and memories of his son Hemanth Kumar who died in the attack on World Trade Centre (WTC) refuses to fade away for Ananda.
Tailor by profession he feels that it was fate, not terrorism that took away his engineer son when terrorists reduced WTC to rubble on September 11, 2001. The death toll in the terrorist strike had exceeded 2000. And Hemanth Kumar was one of the victims.
A precocious boy, Hemanth Kumar completed PUC in St Philomena’s College and received a degree in engineering from KVG Engineering College in Sullia. He started working for a Bangalore based software firm and was sent to England under a three-month contract. After a brief stay in India, he worked for three more months in USA and shifted to Wipro.
After completing 4 years in Wipro, Hemanth Kumar was sent to New York. The family last saw him 5 months ago before the 9/11 tragedy. He had promised to end his nomadic life and settle in Puttur.
"It is all pre-determined," the father philosophically said and added that no body can stop or predict it.
A year after the tragedy, he heeded to US government's request by boarding a flight from Bangalore to USA and stayed in a place located 150 kms away from WTC. Telephonic calls from US still keep coming, inviting him to join the anniversary ceremony and court proceedings.
"We respect their call and concern but I feel uncomfortable during interactions as I have studied only upto fourth standard," Ananda confesses.