Sasthamkotta: A pickup van carrying members of a folk music troupe crashed into a tree and claimed the life of a young student-singer. Lakshmi (20), daughter of late Balu and Sheeba of Lakshmi Bhavan, Madankavu, Chithara in Kadakkal, Kollam, and a student of SG College, Kottarakkara, died in the mishap. Another passenger sustained serious leg injuries.

Five members, including artists and assistants of the Sasthamkotta-based “Kari Folk Band,” were travelling in the vehicle after a programme at Chadayamangalam and were on their way to Mynagappally. The accident occurred around 6 am on Saturday at Cinemaparambu on the Bharanikkavu–Kottarakkara road. The pickup van reportedly went out of control and rammed into a roadside tree near a Beverages outlet. Police suspect the driver may have fallen asleep.

As the vehicle’s rear was packed with speakers and sound equipment, Lakshmi and two others were seated in the front cabin due to lack of space. She died on the spot from the impact. The front portion of the vehicle was completely crushed. Locals who rushed to the scene and firefighters from Sasthamkotta broke open the door to rescue those trapped inside.

Lakshmi, an SFI Kottarakkara area committee member, was active in campus politics and cultural activities. Her sister Rashmi is a student at Anchal College. Since there was no transport facility to return home late at night from the programme venue, the team was heading to Mynagappally, hoping she could return home the next day. That journey ended midway.

After post-mortem at Sasthamkotta Taluk Hospital, the body was handed over to relatives. Sibi Devi (37), owner of the Kari Band and a native of Karurkkadavu, Vadakkan Mynagappally, who was seated in the cabin with Lakshmi, suffered a fractured leg and was admitted to Alappuzha Medical College Hospital, Vandanam. Two others with minor injuries were admitted to a private hospital in Sasthamkotta.

She sang her final song and departed

In the small two-room house at Vedanvilakam, Madankavu, Chithara, shelves are filled with awards Lakshmi had won from school-level competitions in mimicry and folk singing. Draped in white and laid before those very awards she had earned, the young artist’s body brought heart-wrenching scenes — her mother and sister wailing in grief as the entire village of Chithara mourned.

Lakshmi was given a tearful farewell by her hometown. After the post-mortem, her body was brought home around 4 pm on Saturday, and the funeral was held in the house compound at 5 pm. Many paid their last respects.

Lakshmi, the elder daughter of Balu and Sheeja of Lakshmi Bhavan, Madankavu, was a third-year degree student at SG College, Kottarakkara, and an SFI area committee member. Her father, a construction worker, passed away 10 years ago. Since then, her mother Sheeja has worked in shops to raise the children.

After her father’s death, Lakshmi rose through sheer determination from a young age. She excelled in academics as well. Self-trained in mimicry and folk songs, she won numerous prizes from school level onward. She secured an A grade in mimicry at the Higher Secondary level in the State School Kalolsavam and also won prizes at the university level. In stage programmes, she proudly added “Chithara” to her name. She was the family’s greatest hope. With her sudden demise, that hope has faded, leaving behind her mother Sheeja and sister Rashmi in Lakshmi Bhavan.