This Dussehra was perhaps the saddest one for actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra as her father, Surendra Shetty, passed away in the morning. Reports say that he suffered a major cardiac arrest and breathed his last at 9 am at his Andheri residence in Mumbai.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing away of Surendra Shetty, husband of Sunanda Shetty and loving father to Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Shamita Shetty," Shilpa Shetty said in a statement. "He took his last breath at home. We request your co-operation and support to respect the family's privacy at this crucial time," she said.
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The funeral ceremony and cremation will take place today at the Pavan Hans crematorium in Juhu today.
"Shilpa's father passed away today at around 9 am at his Versova residence. He had a cardiac arrest,"said a report.
All efforts were made by Shilpa's family to save him, but reports say that Surendra Shetty passed away before he reached the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital.
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Shilpa had always maintained that she follows the same parenting rules as her father today when she is raising up Viaan.
"My father has also been wonderful. He was dominating outside, but inside the house it was my mother who dominated. These are strict rules which even Raj and I follow," she had said in an interview.
Like any daughter, Shilpa was really close to her father and it is indeed a big loss for her and her family, especially her son Viaan who is too young to understand the concept of life and death.
Kids are really close to their grandparents, which makes it even more difficult for them to understand that they would never come back to play with them. Here are a few tips to keep in mind before speaking about death to your child:
1. Be honest about it: Never tell your child that your dadaji or a loved one has gone somewhere, and would come back later on or make up stories saying that he has gone away to a faraway place. Another big no-no is to use ambiguous terms such as sleeping or lost as that can really confuse your child.
Continue reading on the next page to know about other tips to deal with death in a family...
It would be best to explain your child about the death in simple terms that he understands such as he was very sick and couldn't breathe and that's why he passed away.
2. Find out what the child understands about death: A three-year-old's understanding of death would be very different from a six-year-old, which is why it is important to understand what the child already knows about death.
Little kids (around 4-5 years) usually think that death is reversible, thanks to the million super hero stories and cartoon characters that come alive many times. In such cases it is important for the child to understand that what happens on reel need not be true in reality.
3. Let them voice over their concerns: Once you explain the child that a loved one has died, ask them why he is worried. If your child comes up with reasons like "no one will be there to play with him" or "he would miss him a lot", you can console him by saying that he can come to you whenever he misses the person and wants to play with someone.
4. Tell them about the circle of life: Kids are very fascinated about the concept of life and death once they reach the age of four, which is the same as that of Viann Raj Kundra. In such cases, it would be better to talk about the circle of life to the child and tell him that all living beings have to die one day. Of course, you have to be very careful of the words that you use so that it doesn't affect the child's psychology.
5. Don't hide your feelings: While you must make an effort to clear all the doubts that you child has about the death of a family member, never hide your own feelings from him.
Expressing your feelings and talking about your pain to your child, encourages him to open up as well and also helps him understand that emotions should never be bottled up. Children should understand that a death in the family is a matter of grief for everyone and the loved one, who passed away, affected the lives of every family member.
Also read: Prince William on Princess Diana's death: "I still miss my mother every day"
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