‘He said he was hiding in the bathroom’: The lives cut short by Lucknow fire

Artists, designers, game developers: 15 young lives were cut short in the Lucknow fire that gutted a three-story building on Monday. Most of the victims worked at Head Hopper Studios, a company involved in 3D art production and game development. Some of them made panicked calls to their families before the phone lines went dead.

The Indian Express speaks to eight families to piece together the lives that were lost.

1. Aditya Srivastava, 24

Worked as a junior character artist at Head Hoppers Studio, joined four months ago.

Aditya Srivastava was known among friends and colleagues as someone who would always show up when needed. (Special Arrangement)

Aditya was known among friends and colleagues as someone who would always show up when needed. The depth of his friendships was evident on the night of the fire.

Even before his family arrived, several of his friends had rushed to the spot and remained with his mother and sister at the mortuary late into the night.

“We are from his previous organisation, where he worked before joining Hoppers. He was extremely helpful, energetic and liked by everyone. Though he had recently switched jobs, he remained in touch with all of us,” said one of his friends.

Aditya’s father is a lawyer. His elder sister is married, his younger sister is pursuing a BSc degree and his younger brother is in Class 6.

Story continues below this ad

His uncle, Prashant Srivastava, said Aditya was someone the entire family relied on: “If you needed help, he would be there, even at 2 am. We all depended on him.”

2. Jainil Chakraborty, 27

From: Kotma, Madhya Pradesh

Worked at Head Hoppers Studio as a 3D character artist since 2023

Jainil Chakraborty, 27, worked at Head Hoppers Studio as a 3D character artist since 2023. (Special Arrangement)

His father, Jayant Chakraborty, said Jainil used to live in Lucknow with his aunt. He studied at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Madhya Pradesh and then went to MAAC, Pune, to study graphic design. They were handed over his body Tuesday and left Lucknow via train.

“We tried calling Jainil’s number but couldn’t reach him,” said Jayant. “It’s not easy to bring your son’s body home.”

3. Neelesh Kumar, 28

From: Lucknow, UP

Story continues below this ad

Artist at Head Hoppers Studio, joined around three years ago

Neelesh Kumar worked as an Artist t Head Hoppers Studio, joined around three years ago. He was engaged to Anamika, who died along with him in the fire (Special Arrangement)

He was engaged to Anamika. “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 his brother Abhishek. “In the evening, we received a call from the mortuary, informing us about his death.”

4. Anamika Samanta, 27

From: Kolkata, West Bengal

Artist at Head Hoppers Studio, joined around three years ago

She and Neelesh were engaged. Anamika’s younger brother, 24-year-old Akash, recalled the family’s recent trip to Lucknow to meet Neelesh’s family. “My sister had told our parents about Neelesh some time ago.

Story continues below this ad

Anamika Samantan was an artist at Head Hoppers Studio and had been working for, joined around three years ago. (Anamika Instagram)

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.

5. Abdul Rehman, 24

From: Lucknow, UP

Worked in the firm’s art production and game development unit for three years

Abdul was the sole breadwinner of his family after his father, Afzal Ali, was left paralysed a few years ago.

Abdul Rehman was the sole breadwinner of his family after his father, Afzal Ali, was left paralysed a few years ago. (Special Arrangement)

“We called him multiple times but he didn’t answer. We rushed to Aliganj and found the building housing his office engulfed in flames. We then went to the medical college (KGMU)…,” his friend, Salman Siddiqui, said. “It was there that we learned he had died.”

6. Mohmmad Shajahan, 19

From: Barabanki, UP

Joined Head Hoppers Studio about a year ago,

Story continues below this ad

Originally from Barabanki, Shahjahan and his family relocated to Lucknow and settled in Jankipuram a few years ago. His father, Mohammad Imran, used to work in Dubai as a driver.

“He called his family after the fire broke out, pleading for help. Shahjahan told his father that he and several others had taken shelter inside a bathroom to escape the flames and thick smoke,” said his cousin, Shakeel Siddiqui.

7. Bhavisya, 20

From: Sonipat, Haryana

Joined the firm only a few weeks ago

“Bhavisya called his father in panic after the fire broke… the call suddenly got disconnected, and after that his phone was unreachable,” said his relative, Anuradha.

“At his father’s request, I went to the site to check what had happened and informed him about the fire. By then, he had already left for Lucknow and reached the city later that night,” she added.

8. Sukhmani Singh (23)

From: Lucknow, UP

Story continues below this ad

Worked as a game designer at the company; joined in 2022

Sukhmani Singh was 23 year old game designer who worked in the company. (Special Arrangement)

His father, Prabhjot Singh, had told The Indian Express on Monday that his son called him around 2 pm, pleading for help. “‘Papa mujhe bacha lo (Papa, please save me)’, he cried. He told us there was no space to get out.”

His brother, Saheban, said Sukhmani had trained at the same institute in 2019 and had later joined the company as a designer. He said that his brother had been working there for the past few years.

9. Suraj Singh, 27

From: Kanpur, UP

Worked as a character artist at the studio for 3.5 years.

Story continues below this ad

The eldest among three children, Suraj was the breadwinner of his family after his father, a manager at a petrol pump in Kanpur, died three years ago.

His mother and younger brother were on a trip to Rishikesh, when the incident took place. Till late evening, the family could not be contacted.

The eldest among three children, Suraj Singh was the breadwinner of his family after his father, a manager at a petrol pump in Kanpur, died three years ago. (Special Arrangement)

It was only around 9.30 pm on Monday, when officials managed to contact his uncle’s son, that they got the news. His mother rushed to Lucknow, only to perform her son’s last rites.

“He was the hope of the family… He was also funding the education of his younger siblings,” said his cousin.