Mumbai, Nov 10 (IANS) Actress Divyanka Tripathi has penned a heartfelt tribute to her building guard, Dhanpat Uncle, who lost his life in a fire that broke out at their residential complex on the eve of Diwali.

While Divyanka, her husband Vivek Dahiya, and their family members managed to escape safely along with their babies, the tragedy left them grieving the loss of a person who had been an integral part of their daily lives. In her emotional social media post, Divyanka remembered how Dhanpat Uncle was one of the first people to greet and bless their babies when they brought them home.

Sharing her video, the ‘Banoo Main Teri Dulhann’ actress wrote, “Some losses leave behind a silence that never quite goes away. When we brought our babies home for the first time, one of the first people to welcome and bless them was our beloved Dhanpat Uncle, the guard of our building. We had imagined the years ahead… him watching our boys grow, the children playing with their Dhanpat Uncle, and countless little moments we unknowingly took for granted. We never imagined those moments would remain only dreams.”

“On the night before Diwali and Viv’s birthday, a devastating fire broke out in our building. We had plans to step out that evening, but somehow, our plans kept getting delayed. We were home when the mishap occurred, which allowed us to spot the danger in time and evacuate with our babies, family and staff. For a while, we thought we had escaped with only a frightening memory and material damage,” she added.

Divyanka went on to state, “Until we heard about Dhanpat Uncle. Vivek and I struggled to accept the news. Even as we took refuge at a friend’s home, we kept hoping, praying that somehow it wasn’t true. As Diwali arrived, electricity was gradually restored. The gas supply and lifts were reinstated the day after Diwali, following diligent safety checks. But normalcy didn’t return with them.”

“Our entire wing had come to a standstill, and not merely because of the infrastructural damage. The fire dimmed the lights of our home that Diwali, but the loss of a precious life left a darkness in our hearts that no amount of light can undo. It’s taken us time to even find the words to speak about that night. Dhanpat Uncle, you were never just the guard of our building. You were part of our everyday lives, someone we trusted, someone we had imagined in our children’s tomorrow.”

“We will miss you deeply. And when our boys are old enough, we will tell them about the kind man who welcomed them home with his blessings, who was indispensable in our everyday life and that - we should never take anyone’s presence for granted. May your soul rest in peace.”

For the unversed, Divyanka revealed that she and Vivek had planned to go out that evening, but their departure kept getting postponed for some reason. Since they were still at home when the fire erupted, they were able to notice the danger in time and safely evacuate with their babies, family members and staff.

--IANS

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