Engaged to marry, Kolkata woman and Lucknow man die in fire tragedy

Among the 15 people who lost their lives in the devastating fire in Lucknow on Monday was a young couple whose families were planning their wedding. Last week, Anamika Samanta’s parents travelled from Kolkata to Lucknow to meet Neelesh Kumar’s family, marking what should have been the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. Instead, the tragedy cut short their lives and future together.

“Anamika Samanta’s parents visited our home and gave their blessings to her wedding with my younger brother, Neelesh Kumar. We were preparing to travel to Kolkata next week to finalise the wedding arrangements,” said Neelesh’s brother Abhishek Kumar, adding, “The wedding was planned for November this year.”

Artists Neelesh (28) and Anamika (27) had met while working at Head Hopper Studios, a company specialising in 3D art production and game development. The company’s studio operated from the second floor of the building where the fire broke out. Over the years, what began as a professional acquaintance grew into a close relationship. Neelesh had been working at the studio for about three years, and Anamika joined around the same time.

“We came to know about their relationship some time ago, and after that our family decided to get in touch with Anamika’s parents,” said Abhishek Kumar, an architectural visualiser. “We invited them to our home in Lucknow. Four members of her family, including her parents and brother, travelled from Kolkata. During that visit, both families agreed to the marriage and the arrangements were virtually finalised.”

For the two families, separated by more than a thousand kilometres, the meeting had been a moment of joy and promise. The fire, however, shattered those hopes in a matter of hours, leaving both families mourning not only the loss of two young lives but also the future they had envisioned for them.

15 people died in the devastating fire in Lucknow’s Aliganj

Neelesh was the third of four children of Shatrughan Lal, a retired employee of the Uttar Pradesh electricity department, and Santosh Kumari. Neelesh’s family said they were unaware of the tragedy until they received a call from the mortuary on Monday evening. Like many others, they had followed news reports about the fire that swept through a building in Lucknow’s Aliganj. Early reports said the premises housed a coaching centre and a library, but none mentioned that it also contained a studio engaged in 3D art production and game development, where Neelesh worked.

“We knew about the fire, but we did not take it seriously because there was no indication that Neelesh’s workplace was in the same building,” said Abhishek. In the evening, they received a call from the mortuary, informing them about his death. The family members were stunned. They said Neelesh’s body could be identified easily, and it appeared that he died of suffocation.

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Lucknow, Kolkata families united in grief

As Neelesh’s family struggled to come to terms with the loss, Anamika’s relatives, hundreds of kilometres away in Kolkata, were also grieving. None of her family members could travel to Lucknow, and with the assistance of the district administration and police, her body was transported to Kolkata for the last rites.

Anamika’s younger brother, 24-year-old Akash Samanta, recalled the family’s recent trip to Lucknow to meet Neelesh’s family. “Before that, our families had never met them. My sister had told our parents about Neelesh some time ago. I had known about their relationship for around six months. I went to Lucknow with my parents, and we visited Neelesh’s home,” he told The Indian Express over the phone from Kolkata.

Anamika had been living and working in Lucknow for the past three years, building a career as an artist. The elder of two children, she is survived by her father, Bishwanath Samanta, who works for a private firm, and her mother, Sulekha Samanta. “We wanted to meet Neelesh’s family in person, which is why we travelled to Lucknow. We spent time with them. We were not aware that Neelesh’s family was planning a visit to Kolkata,” Akash said.