Family of Bhishma Rajyaguru, killed in crash with Sask. Roughrider, mourns his death
Family remembers Rajyaguru as aspirational and musically gifted
“Happy birthday, Papa.”
Those were Bhishma Rajyaguru’s last words to his dad, Ashish Rajyaguru.
asserted
Those → kill → dad
Ashish wishes he could make the call longer and the distance shorter.
uncertain
distance → wish → ?
“We were calling him in the morning, but he didn’t pick up,” Ashish said.
“Why I didn't talk to him [longer]?
asserted
I → call → him
What is he doing?
asserted
he → do → What
Where is he going?
asserted
he → go → ?
I just wanted to know.”
asserted
I → want → ?
Bhishma, 22, died on July 18 after Saskatchewan Roughrider Jayden Dalke crashed into his vehicle.
asserted
Dalke → die → vehicle
The CFL player was driving the wrong way on a divided highway, with cannabis and alcohol in his SUV, according to RCMP.
uncertain
player → drive → RCMP
Both Dalke and Bhishma were pronounced dead at the scene.
asserted
Dalke → pronounce → scene
“We couldn’t believe it.
asserted
We → believe → it
We lost everything,” Ashish said.
asserted
Ashish → lose → everything
“We were just mourning and crying.
asserted
We → mourn → ?
We were just crying and crying.”
Friends, family mourn 22-year-old killed in wrong-way crash near Lumsden, Sask.
Sask.
asserted
family → cry → Lumsden
Roughrider in fatal crash was driving on wrong side of divided highway:
asserted
Roughrider → drive → highway
Bhishma came to Canada as a student in April 2022.
asserted
Bhishma → come → April
Ashish remembers the airport goodbye: waving through a window pane, trying to hide his worried frown under an assuring smile and hoping to see Bhishma again soon.
asserted
Ashish → remember → Bhishma
“I told him to focus totally on education and make a bright career over there," Ashish said.
asserted
Ashish → tell → career
He misses Bhishma's chatter.
asserted
He → miss → chatter
Ashish remembers his son saying on one of those walks that he wanted to become famous enough for Google to feature a personalized snippet whenever people looked him up.
asserted
people → remember → him
“Bhishma’s name shows up on Google now, but he’s no more,” Ashish said in Gujarati.
asserted
Ashish → show → Gujarati
Bhishma died a month away from Rakshabandhan, an Indian festival celebrating the relationship between brothers and sisters.
asserted
Bhishma → die → brothers
As part of the Indian custom and festivities, a sister ties a colourful thread to her brother’s wrist as a symbol of mutual love and respect.
asserted
sister → tie → love
For the last four years Bhishma’s sister, 19-year-old Hir Rajyaguru, had been pretend-tying the bracelet over video calls.
asserted
sister → pretend → calls
Hir said Bhishma promised her during last year’s exchange that he would be physically present for this year’s celebrations.
asserted
he → say → celebrations
At this year's festival, Hir tied the bracelet to Bhishma’s lifeless wrist as he lay in a casket.
asserted
he → tie → casket
“It will be the hardest day of every year for me,” she said.
asserted
she → say → me
“He always used to make me laugh and always used to make fun of me in an annoying way.
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me → use → way
But secretly, I loved it, because he was my brother and that is what I loved about him.”
asserted
I → love → him
When RCMP called to notify the family of Bhishma’s death, Hir answered the phone.
asserted
Hir → call → phone
“I couldn't believe anything.
asserted
I → believe → anything
I told my father that I think that this is a fraud call, you should not talk to him.”
asserted
you → tell → him
It took more than two weeks for Bhishma’s body to reach India after autopsies and tests.
asserted
body → take → autopsies
In the meantime, the family could only access him through photos and videos.
uncertain
family → access → photos
“[Even] after seeing the photos [of Bhishma’s body], we used to believe that he might be sleeping.
uncertain
he → see → body
He will wake up.
asserted
He → wake → ?
He will wake up,” Hir said.
asserted
Hir → wake → ?
Bhishma’s friends remember him as a talented musician and a 3 a.m. friend — somebody they could always count on.
uncertain
they → remember → somebody
Bhishma was a percussionist in a Regina-based band.
asserted
Bhishma → base → band
His band members say he had been looking forward to playing at Garba in the Park, an event celebrating folk dance and music.
asserted
he → say → dance
The event, scheduled for July 25, was postponed out of respect for Bhishma and his friends and family.
asserted
event → schedule → Bhishma
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
