Sai Jay Raj’s ashes in the urn, placed beside his most recent photo, at his funeral ceremony at the Assumption Church yesterday. (Inset) Sarah. — Pictures by Zuraneeza ZulkifliPETALING JAYA, May 15 — How would you feel if you were awakened by a phone call informing you your brother was missing?
What more if his last known destination was the Langtang region of Nepal, one of the worst-hit spots during the 7.8 magnitude earthquake?
Sai Jay Raj Anthony, 38, an award-winning DJ also known as DJ Headmasta, was visiting Nepal when the massive earthquake struck on April 25. His disappearance led to a frantic 12-day search by his family and friends who could not establish contact with him.
His sister, Sarah Brandt-Anthony, 43, said the wait was one of the worst and longest days of her life as she was living in Canada.
“I received a call from my nephew, who told me Sai Jay Raj was trekking there when the earthquake occurred. That’s when it hit me,” she said yesterday.
Sarah went on Facebook to get information on her brother’s whereabouts.
A glimmer of hope looked like a click away when some trekkers said they met him. Most confirmed he had most probably taken the trekking route that had been affected badly by the earthquake.
“It was very difficult to imagine the worst possibilities. Then some also said trekkers tend to change their routes based on their liking. I was really praying for the latter,” she said.
The family was distraught when newspaper reports said Sai Jay Raj’s body was found in Langtang, about 150km north of Kathmandu, on May 6, along with his passport.
The bad news was confirmed by Sai Jay Raj’s brother, Augustine, who flew to Kathmandu. The family decided to cremate his body and take his ashes back.
Sarah said her family was thankful for the closure and prayed for those families still waiting for news about their missing loved ones.
She told those present at Sai Jay Raj’s funeral service at Assumption Church yesterday not to be sad.
“He had his DJ console with him and he was travelling. Both were his passion. I bet he wouldn’t have wanted to pass on any other way,” said Sarah during her eulogy.
She also joked that Sai Jay Raj, the youngest of 11 siblings, hated drama and detested the sight of people crying.
“If his spirit is here watching me doing this (eulogy), he would be laughing at me struggling not to cry. He would say ‘Hey, don’t drama lah. Get a grip. It’s not the end of the world’,” she said.
“Raj lived life to the fullest and never wasted a moment doing something he didn’t like.”
Sai Jay Raj’s family and friends will organise a fundraiser at Havana Club from 7pm to 11pm today. The proceeds will be channelled to the survivors and relief workers specifically in Langtang.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/sai-jay-rais-family-thankful-for-closure?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed#sthash.uBVe86Na.dpuf
