‘Astrologer’s prediction disturbed principal’

Aurora PG and Degree College principal Ravi Paturi, who committed suicide on Friday by jumping into Hussain Sagar lake, had recently approached an astrologer seeking advice for his problems. The sooth-sayer predicted that Ravi would meet a hazardous road accident shortly.  That got Ravi worried and he started following all advices given to him to ‘avoid’ the accident.  It disturbed him so much, that the man who had motivated and counselled thousands of young minds against committing suicide, had jumped to his own death.  “Since college, Ravi had a strong personality and was very intelligent.  Those factors attracted me towards him. We had a love-cumarranged marriage and have three daughters,” an inconsolable Megha Malini, Ravi’s wife, said.  Megha tried her best to divert him from superstitions, but Ravi followed all principles of astrology and even read related books.  As Express reached his flat located at Vijaypuri Colony in Tarnaka, Ravi’s youngest daughter, 5-year-old Vidusha, was playing with her elder sister Sukrithi. Her uncle had told her that her “papa would come home shortly to play with them. ” Ravi’s eldest daughter Varthiya, an intermediate first year student, was consoling her mother who was weeping in front of Ravi’s photo.  He was supposed to leave for Kolkata and Singapore to attend a conference. Tearfully, Megha recalled the recent past when the couple had discussed Vidusha’s birthday celebrations that would be held next Monday. He even promised to come home on Sunday from Kolkata to celebrate his daughter’s birthday.  The incident took place on Friday, when Ravi had handed over his car keys to the apartment watchman and gone out.  He took the auto-rickshaw of Chandra Reddy, a driver known to the family and resides in the same Vijaypuri Colony, and rushed to Necklace Road.  After reaching the place, Ravi gave his gold ring, chain and debit cards to Reddy and asked him to hand them over to his wife. When he handed over Ravi’s belongings to Megha, she suspected something wrong and rushed to the spot.  She searched for him all over at the necklace road but in vain.  A day later, Megha received a call from police stating that a body was retrieved from the lake. When they went to the place for indentification, their worst fears came true.  “The suicide has shattered our lives.  We achieve nothing with suicides.  Even though Ravi was a great motivator to many young minds, he left my life dark by leaving me alone,” Megha lamented. Ravi, a native of Adoni in Kurnool district, pursued higher education in Osmania University till 1988 and received three gold medals.

By Mouli Mareedu

moulimareedu@gmail.com