Patna: At an age when childhood is meant to be carefree and should have little to carry beyond their schoolbags, 11-year-old twins Pari and Pankhuri Srivastava shouldered a far heavier burden. In an emotional farewell to their 102-year-old grandmother, they carried her bier to the cremation ground and joined in performing her last rites.The moment unfolded on Wednesday in Narainiya village of Mirganj block in Gopalganj district, where the family had no adult male member to shoulder the responsibility. Accompanied by relatives, Pari and Pankhuri stepped forward to take their grandmother on her final journey.But this was not the first time death had forced the family’s children to grow up too soon.Around five years ago, the twins lost their father, Prince Srivastava, after he battled a serious illness. Pankhuri was just six then, but she stepped forward to perform her father’s last rites and lit his funeral pyre.His death left Priyanka Devi alone to raise her two young daughters. With no regular source of income, she struggled to keep the family going through stitching, embroidery and daily wage work, while ensuring that Pari and Pankhuri continued their education.Years later, bereavement returned to the family when the girls’ grandmother died at the age of 102.As relatives and villagers gathered to bid her farewell, the twins stood beside their mother and once again took on a responsibility far beyond their years. With the help of relatives, they lifted the bier onto their shoulders and walked to the cremation ground. There, they joined in the funeral rituals for their grandmother.For Priyanka, watching her daughters shoulder another painful family responsibility was an emotional moment. She said the courage the twins had shown despite the family’s financial hardship and difficult circumstances gave her the strength to keep moving forward.The sisters’ act has since drawn attention in the village and surrounding areas. But beyond the unusual sight of two 11-year-old girls carrying a bier lies a family story marked by loss, hardship and resilience.
