Two friends from Pune, in their late 50s, were excited for their trip to Jammu and Kashmir. Little did they know that this visit would turn into a lifelong grief for their families.
Kaustubh Ganbote and his friend Santosh Jagdale were among the six tourists from Maharashtra who were killed in the deadly terror attack in Baisaran, near Pahalgam, on Tuesday.
At least 26 people lost their lives when terrorists descended from the hills in the picturesque valley area and opened fire at the tourists present there on Tuesday afternoon, in what turned out to be one of the deadliest terror attack in Kashmir.
Ganbote’s close friends, as per news agency PTI, said that he was visiting the valley for the first time, adding that he in fact very rarely travelled outside Pune.
Having worked hard all his life to expand his ‘farsan’ snacks business, Ganbote decided to take this rare trip away from home. However, it ended in a tragedy, his friends added.
Kaustubh Ganbote and Santosh Jagdale
Ganbote and his wife Sangita, along with Jagdale and his wife Pragati and their daughter Asavari, were vacationing in Kashmir when the terror attack completely turned their lives upside down.
“All his life, he was busy expanding his business. This was the first time he and his wife had decided to travel outside the city. They planned the trip with his close friend Santosh and his family. Only eight days ago he had told me about the Kashmir plan. He was really excited,” said Sunil More, Ganbote’s neighbor and childhood friend from Rasta Peth.
More said that Ganbote lived all his life in a narrow lane in Rasta Peth and had only recently built a home on the Kondhwa-Saswad road, where his farsan factory is also located.
However, Ganbote, who was known for his jovial and helpful nature, remained a loved figure in his old neighbourhood. His friend, as per the PTI report, also said that Ganbote recently became a grandfather and was very happy with the news.
“He had a serious accident twenty years ago when a tempo he was travelling in crashed, leaving him with severe burn injures,” More recalled, saying that how Ganbote used to term it as “his second birth”.
Ganbote was close friends with Santosh Jagdale, who often helped market the former’s products. Meanwhile, Jagdale ran an interior designing business. He also played the harmonium, said his brother Avinash.
Jagdale loved travelling and exploring new places, he added.
The mortal remains of both the friends are expected to have reached Pune late on Wednesday. Family sources, as cited by PTI, said that their final rites will be performed at Vaikunth Crematorium.