Worked, lived and died together: Malayali community in shock after young family dies in Diwali fire

Navi Mumbai: While the city sparkled with Diwali lights and celebration, a devastating tragedy cast a shadow over the Malayali community. In a horrific fire that broke out at Raheja Residency in Vashi’s Sector 14, a young family of three lost their lives to smoke inhalation.

Pooja Rajan, her husband Sundar Balakrishnan, and their six-year-old daughter Vedika were found dead inside their 12th-floor apartment. The fire is believed to have started on the 10th floor on Monday night, when festivities were at their peak, and rapidly spread upwards. The family was trapped inside their home as thick, toxic smoke filled the upper floors.

Both Pooja and Sundar worked in the private sector. Sundar, a software engineer, was preparing to launch a new venture. Pooja had just returned from a work trip to Hyderabad and was employed as a legal advisor at Spicer India. Their daughter Vedika was home enjoying her school holidays.

Preliminary reports suggest all three died from smoke inhalation. The incident has sent shockwaves through the local Malayali community, with friends, relatives, and leaders of various associations rushing to the site in disbelief and grief. The family’s final rites were conducted at Turbhe crematorium. NORKA Roots also paid tribute to the departed souls.

Grief in Kerala as Tragedy Hits Far from Home

The tragedy has deeply affected the town of Chirayinkeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala, Pooja's hometown. Locals remember her as the daughter of Rajan and Vijayakumari of Nandanam, Altharamoodu.

Rajan, a retired army officer, moved to Mumbai many years ago and raised his family there. Although Pooja and her brother were born in Chirayinkeezhu, they spent most of their lives in Mumbai. The family would regularly return to Kerala during Onam and other festivals, especially the Sharkara Meenabharani celebration.

Relatives say they received the heartbreaking news on Monday morning through a phone call from Mumbai. The family had recently been in Kerala and returned after the Onam holidays. Pooja, her husband Sundar, a Tamil Nadu native, and their daughter lived separately in the Raheja Residency apartment, while her parents resided with their son, Jeevan.

Vijayakumari’s brother, Vikraman, a native of Kattukulam, confirmed that the cremation would take place in Navi Mumbai after post-mortem procedures.