Two years ago, a young eighteen-year-old Symbiosis student, Advaitha Verma, drowned at Pavana Lake, a well-known picnic spot near Lonavala. The parents of the young man—Renu Kaul Verma and Sudesh Verma turned their grief into a cause—and ever since their son’s passing have been raising awareness about drowning deaths and water safety measures. A report by REENA SINGH
After the tragic drowning of eighteen-year-old Advaitha Verma at a lakeside picnic near Lonavala in June 2024, his parents have transformed an unimaginable personal loss into a determined campaign for drowning prevention and water safety awareness. At Advaitha Symphony 2026 held at the India International Centre (IIC), Sudesh Verma and Renu Kaul Verma, Advaitha’s parents, brought together remembrance, advocacy, theatre and music to honour their son’s memory while drawing attention to one of India’s most neglected public safety crises.
The incident happened at Pavana Lake near Lonavala in Maharashtra, a couple of hours’ drive from Pune, where a group of first-year students from Symbiosis had gathered for a picnic. What began as a carefree day full of fun and frolic soon turned into tragedy when Advaitha, just eighteen years old, drowned in the lake as his friends watched helplessly — and in complete disbelief as Advaitha disappeared below the waters.
A phone call was made to his parents in Delhi. And an ordinary, relaxed evening turned into one of shock, helplessness and grief as they learned that their talented son, so full of verve, was gone.
Sudesh Verma was devastated — and angry. How could a young life be lost at a popular tourist spot with picnickers and restaurants nearby, but where there were no warning signs alerting visitors to the dangers of entering the water? There had been previous drowning incidents at the lake but none had prompted any safety measures on the part of the authorities.
Faced with this unimaginable loss, Sudesh Verma and Renu Kaul Verma could have chosen to grieve in private and carry their sorrow quietly. Instead, they decided to channel their grief into something meaningful. They established the HBA Foundation in their son’s memory turning their personal tragedy into a nationwide mission to raise awareness about drowning prevention and advocate for water safety education as part of school curricula.
At the IIC, exactly two years after family and friends had gathered there for a prayer meeting in Advaitha’s memory, another large audience came together — this time to focus on preventing needless deaths by drowning.
The programme combined a moving tribute to Advaitha with a thought-provoking nukkad natak by Anjali Ada’s theatre group. The street play depicted a group of friends enjoying themselves by a jheel, taking selfies and splashing in the water, when one of them slips — and drowns — before the others can even react. The performance highlighted how quickly recreational outings can turn fatal when people underestimate the dangers posed by strong currents, unstable riverbeds, hidden depths and rough waters.
The play sparked an important discussion. Why should swimming not be taught as a basic life skill to every child? At the very least, authorities could ensure that warning signs are prominently displayed at picnic spots, beaches, lakes and other water bodies. Even a simple sign can encourage caution and make visitors think twice before venturing into unfamiliar waters.
The consequences of a moment’s carelessness can be devastating—not only for the individual but also for the loved ones left behind.
Media reports raise a troubling question: why, when at least 38,000 people die from drowning every year in India—a figure experts believe is likely to be a significant underestimate—is drowning not treated as a public health crisis? The victims are often children, adolescents and young adults, yet the issue rarely receives sustained public attention.
The evening also brought back a personal memory. Decades ago, when I joined The Times of India in Mumbai—then still commonly called Bombay—our group of trainee journalists planned a trip to Gorai Beach. One trainee, Padmini, declined to join us. Several years earlier, during a family outing, she had witnessed her younger brother being swept away by the waves at that very beach.
The rest of us went, but we stayed well away from the water. The memory of what had happened to Padmini’s brother remained vivid in our minds.
Watching the performance at Advaitha Symphony 2026 brought that long-forgotten episode back with startling clarity. The circumstances were heartbreakingly familiar—a young life lost in the water, a family shattered in an instant, and grief that would last long after the tragedy itself.
The evening concluded with a performance by award-winning Sufi singer Sonam Kalra and her ensemble of musicians on sarangi, dholak, tabla, keyboards and flute. With quiet grace, she spoke about the importance of community awareness and collective responsibility in preventing drowning incidents. She spoke of the sarangi, an instrument that is known to evoke a hundred emotions. Perhaps that is the reason why it is called sau-rangi.
By the time the performance was over, we had clapped, sung along with Sonam gustily — and also wiped away our tears at the emotions evoked by some of her numbers. She led the audience on a moving musical, emotional journey, beginning with the opening stanza of Japji Sahib and continuing through a rich repertoire of Sufi poetry and music, including the timeless kalaams of Bulleh Shah. Her soulful voice, accompanied by evocative instrumentation, drew the audience into an atmosphere of reflection, remembrance and hope.
One particularly stirring rendition was Abide With Me, a performance that seemed to unite the audience in silent remembrance of Advaitha and in admiration for the courage of his parents, who have chosen to honour their son’s memory not only through grief, but through a determined effort to save other lives.
It gives us time to think of how to do our bit to raise awareness of water safety measures, ahead of World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25, designated by the United Nations.
The immediacy of this day was highlighted by India’s own Water Man, Rajendra Singh who spoke about the need to revive our water bodies and keep them safe for future generations. He has been doing so for the past five decades and no drowning death has ever been reported from the water bodies that he has helped to restore.
Featured picture of Advaitha Verma
Reena Singh has more than 44 years’ experience in senior editorial positions in The Times of India (TOI) and Genpact. She was Deputy Editor with TOI’s spiritual newspaper, The Speaking Tree, where she spent more than nine years. After retiring as a journalist, she keeps herself busy editing non-fiction books