Lucknow — Former Mayor of Lucknow, Sanyukta Bhatia, suffered a personal loss as her mother, Anasuiya Girotra, passed away at the age of 99. She breathed her last in the presence of her family at their residence in Basti district.
During her tenure as Mayor, Sanyukta Bhatia had launched a community kitchen named “Anasuiya Rasoi” in honor of her mother. The initiative, based at King George Medical University’s Trauma Center in Lucknow, provided nutritious meals to underprivileged patients and their attendants for just ₹10. Recalling the struggles of her early life, Bhatia had often emphasized that food security during difficult times is critical, something she experienced first-hand in her childhood.
Anasuiya Girotra’s life was marked by courage and resilience. During the religious unrest surrounding the Partition of India, she fled from Jhang town in Lyallpur district (now in Pakistan’s Punjab province), abandoning all wealth and property. At that time, her daughter Sanyukta was just nine months old. To escape persecution and looting, Anasuiya Girotra undertook a perilous journey on foot from Pakistan to India, hiding her infant daughter under quilts in a bullock cart to evade attackers. After spending nearly two and a half years in refugee camps, she eventually reunited with her extended family.
Anasuiya Girotra witnessed and nurtured three generations, including her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her daughter, Sanyukta Bhatia, fondly recalled, “Even at her final moments, she remembered everyone’s names and always inquired about the well-being of each family member. Her values and teachings are the most precious legacy she has left us.”
Her last rites were performed at Moodghat in Basti. The cremation was attended by her daughter Sanyukta Bhatia, Niru Fada, sons Arun, Sanjeev, and Ajay Girotra, daughters-in-law Achala, Anjana, and Ritu, as well as grandchildren Prashant, Amit, Shekhar, Anuj, Sushant, Shantanu, granddaughters Smita, Shikha, and Nishtha, great-grandchildren Agrima and Advik, along with other family members and prominent citizens of Basti district.
Her passing marks the end of a remarkable era, and her life remains a testament to strength, compassion, and perseverance.
