Thiruvananthapuram
Popular Kerala violinist Bala Bhaskar and his family were involved in a road accident early yesterday morning, which claimed the life of his two-year-old daughter.
The artist, his wife Lakshmi, and their driver Arjun sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to hospital. Their car veered off the road and hit a tree by the roadside.
Long wait for child
The couple’s daughter, Tejaswini Bala, had been born after a long wait for a child.
Tragedy struck around 4.30am at Pallipuram, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram.
Police believe the driver may have fallen asleep, and also that the car may have been travelling at high speed when the incident occurred.
The artist was reportedly sitting in the front seat along with his daughter when the accident occurred. A highway patrol team retrieved them from the vehicle and took them to hospital.
The family was reportedly returning from Thrissur after making a pilgrimage to a temple there.
Bala Bhaskar, who was mentored by his uncle and famous violinist, B. Sasikumar, has a large fan following in Kerala as well as outside the state. Bala Bhaskar made his debut in music for Malayalam films when he was 17 years old.
In another road accident on Tuesday, two teenage school students were killed when they were hit by a private bus in Kadakkal in Kollam district. The deceased were identified as Mohammad Rafal and Sanju, who were students of a school in Madathara.
Road accidents claim roughly 4,000 lives every year in Kerala, and many more are injured, with some crippled for life.
