CASE STUDY Death took him to his beloved hometown Abraham planned retirement to his native town, but had his funeral there

Aditya.Anand @timesgroup.com TWEETS @_anandaditya  http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=MMIR/2014/01/14&PageLabel=5&EntityId=Ar00500&ViewMode=HTML     Just a week ago, fifty-four-year old Ulhas Abraham, a journalist with a Saki Naka-based English publication, had been planning his retirement to Kottayam in Kerala. He hoped to stitch up some writing assignments to keep him busy there. But all his dreams of an idyllic life back in his home state were waylaid by a tragic suburban railway accident on Friday which killed him. This Monday, his funeral was held at the Pambady Orthodox Church in his beloved Kottayam.      Kalina-resident Abraham became another victim of Mumbai’s over-crowded suburban railway system when he fell out of his train near Kurla. “Despite the train being packed, they boarded it as they were very eager to meet their friends in Kalyan,”Abraham’s son Philip told Mirror.      Philip, 24, who works in the operations department of a Pune-based company, said that it was about 3:30 pm when the incident occurred. “It was not peak time.My parents had always been mindful about not getting into crowded trains,” he said. On Friday, the Kalyan-bound fast train that Abraham boarded was crowded as a preceding fast train had been cancelled.      Philip recalled that his father, who had been a journalist for 20 years, relocated from Ulhasnagar to Kalina only to avoid doing the commute in overcrowded suburban trains. “It was a terrible situation on Friday. The train was full. While Beena (Ulhas Abraham’s wife) got into the ladies’ compartment, Ulhas and I were at the door. As the train left Kurla, passengers started getting restless and trying to re-adjust themselves and suddenly there was a scream. Someone had fallen off,” Ulhas’s brother-in-law N G Alwyn said.      Alwyn who could not look behind him because of the crowds, called out for Ulhas. But there was no response. “I then got off at Ghatkopar. Ulhas was not there. I immediately rushed back to the spot, and we rushed him to hospital,” Alwyn said. Abraham was taken to Sion hospital, but was declared dead before admission. An autopsy was conducted and the family left for his hometown of Kottayam in Kerala for the funeral. Philip said the Railways have not got in touch with him so far. “Mumbai is growing very fast and its infrastructure growth is not in proportion. But while the railways cannot be blamed entirely, some actions pointing to change should be evident,” said a gracious Philip. “My father will never come back, but I hope his death will highlight the need for better service and station standards,” “Increasing capacity is the key to reducing deaths on the Mumbai suburban section. If this means an increase in fares, that will not be an issue to most people. Better connectivity while keeping safety in mind will bring in a change,” Alwyn said. Ulhas Abraham