On Sunday, Sept. 15, Pranith Kumar Adupa jumped into Lake Clear near Eganville, Ont., and didn’t resurface.
Adupa, 27, a resident of Lindsay, Ont., was there to celebrate his birthday with his brother and a few friends when he leapt from a rock into the water around 9:30 a.m. When he failed to reappear, his friends called 911.
It was 8 p.m. in India when Adupa’s brother Pranay called their family from Canada to tell them he was missing.
The family spent the next 10 hours waiting for news as emergency crews searched the lake using boats and drones, thousands of kilometres away.
Divers were called in to join the search, but it took time to reach the rural corner of the Bonnechere Valley, about 120 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa.
The divers eventually located and recovered Adupa’s body around 7 p.m. EST — 4:30 a.m. in India.
“We were in complete shock,” said Akihil Kobari, Adupa’s cousin.
Kobari said the family now has to balance their grief with the financial and emotional stress of bringing Adupa’s body home.
Support at a difficult time
Sam Basi said he and Adupa’s other friends in Canada were left scrambling to figure out their next steps.
“I’m basically calling all my friends, you know, we don’t know what to do,” Basi said.
One friend suggested contacting the Telugu Alliances of Canada (TACA), a non-profit organization based in Toronto that supports Indian Telugu people living in Canada and hosts community events. TACA also supports families with the sad task of transporting deceased loved ones from Canada back to India.
Chari Samanthapudi, TACA’s co-founder, said he’s helped send the remains of nearly 40 people back to India in the last four years. Samanthapudi received a phone call from Adupa’s family in India around 1 a.m. Monday.
According to TACA, sending a body from Canada to India can cost $15,000 to $20,000 or more. Adupa’s family can’t afford that, so TACA launched an online fundraiser on their behalf.
By late Monday, the fundraiser had reached its goal of $25,000 and was closed. Nearly 600 people donated.
“We have a great community,” Samanthapudi said. “Canadian society is very generous. They always help … and I think in three to four hours we were able to collect the money.”
The return journey
Adupa left India in 2019 to complete a master’s degree in Montreal. Now, his family is awaiting the return of his body.
Kobari said that’s expected to happen in three or four days, and explained why time is of the essence.
“In Indian rituals, we usually do all the due process within 24 hours,” Kobari said, adding certain rites should be performed by his uncle, Adupa’s father.
“But unfortunately, we couldn’t do it. We had to wait for [the repatriation].”
Kobari said he understands the Canadian government has a process, but also expressed frustration over the sluggish pace of the repatriation.
He said the family in India is trying to deal with their shock and grief by recalling Adupa’s best qualities.
“[Adupa] was very kind-hearted,” Kobari said. “He was very helpful to the family in all the situations, actually. We were not expecting this.”