‘We may not survive’: Haryana youth’s final video call before Lucknow fire claimed his life

A 23-year-old man from Haryana’s Sonepat district was among those killed in the devastating fire incident in Lucknow, cutting short the dreams of a young professional who had begun his first job only days earlier.

The deceased, identified as Bhavishya Sharma, was a resident of Mahipur village in the Kharkhoda area of Sonepat. Having completed an animation course, he had recently secured a job at an animation and gaming institute in Lucknow. According to his family, he had joined the organisation barely eight days before the tragedy.

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Bhavishya was the only son of his parents and was widely regarded as the family’s biggest hope for the future. Relatives recalled that shortly before the fire claimed his life, he managed to contact his mother through a video call.

According to the family, Bhavishya briefly showed the smoke-filled room to his mother and told her, “There is a fire in the room. Smoke is everywhere. We may not survive.” The call reportedly lasted only a few seconds before it got disconnected, triggering panic among family members.

Soon afterwards, news of the major fire incident began emerging, prompting the family to rush to Lucknow. Following post-mortem formalities, his body was brought back to his native village on Tuesday, where he was cremated in the presence of grieving relatives and villagers.

Bhavishya’s father, Narendra Sharma, a teacher at a private school, said the family had lost its main support. Mourning the death of his son, he said, “He was my only son and my biggest asset. I feel I have lost everything.”

Narendra Sharma said Bhavishya had left home earlier this month to begin his professional journey in Lucknow. He described his son as an ambitious young man with many aspirations who wanted to build a successful career and support his family.

Family members said Bhavishya was particularly concerned about contributing to the future of his younger sister, Trisha. According to them, he had taken up the job with the hope of easing the financial burden on his parents and helping with his sister’s marriage and other family responsibilities.

The family has appealed to the authorities to ensure that such incidents do not recur. They have also sought employment assistance for Trisha, a graduate, to help the family cope with the loss.

The tragedy has plunged the village into mourning, with residents joining the bereaved family in paying their final respects to a young man whose career had only just begun.