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On 23 August 2024, a woman was killed after being swallowed by a sinkhole that suddenly appeared on Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur
A search and rescue operation was launched, but despite extensive efforts, the body of 48-year-old Indian tourist Vijaya Lakshmi was never found.
The operation was called off after nine days when conditions became too dangerous, and her family — who had kept vigil at the site — returned to Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, India, on 1 September.
A photo of the sinkhole on Jalan Masjid India that swallowed Vijaya Lakshmi on 23 August 2024.
Image via New Straits TimesA year later, her eldest son returned to the site to pay his respects and offer prayers
According to a TikTok video, M Surya visited the repaired sinkhole site on 22 August, where he performed thavasam prayers — a Hindu ritual observed on the first anniversary of death to honour and bring peace to the departed.
The video showed him placing a framed photograph of his mother, adorned with a flower garland, on the ground, alongside offerings of fruits, Indian sweets, and savoury dishes laid out on a banana leaf.
In the same video, Surya was also seen distributing meals to people in line, a practice known as annadhanam — a Hindu tradition of offering free food to bring blessings to the soul of the deceased.
According to the New Straits Times, Surya was accompanied by a relative during the simple ceremony.
The tragedy, which gripped public attention last year, saw many Malaysians offering their condolences to the victim's family
The video can be found below:
@sarvaessrashbinrajappa #100000 #views ♬ original sound – Maithili
