A wedding gown cost two lives

SHILLONG: Reliable Laloo and her husband Tiameren Basaiawmoit would have been alive had they not gone back into the house to save a wedding gown.
Laloo (70) and Basaiawmoit (58) died in the inferno that devastated the 117-year-old Church at Qualapatty early on Sunday and spread to their house.
Laloo was a fashion designer and used to make wedding gowns.
The couple’s relatives said Laloo, accompanied by Basaiawmoit, went back into the house for the last time to take out the bride’s gown that she had stitched for a wedding scheduled shortly.
Earlier, after the couple woke up to witness the devastating fire engulfing the church, they took out their belongings one by one.
“They were also particular about taking out the gas cylinder so that the fire did not cause any explosion and further damage to the buildings in the neighbourhood,” a relative said.
However, the last-minute rush to her room to take out the wedding gown resulted in the tragedy as the fire from the church building engulfed the room.
Laloo’s fame as a tailor and designer was not limited to her locality.
Greenland Rymbai from Lumdiengjri said Laloo made her wedding gown 35 years ago and she still has that. “My elder sister’s gown was also stitched by her,” she added.
According to Rymbai, Laloo was a creative person. Besides stitching wedding dresses, she was an expert in flower arrangements in the church and was invited for decorations in other functions.
Laloo’s husband Basaiawmoit was a Commerce teacher at All Saints’ Diocesan Higher Secondary School.
During the funeral held on Monday, the faculty and students recalled the contribution of their beloved teacher.
The couple’s pet dog also perished in the fire though another managed to escape. “They usually tied the dogs downstairs but since painting work was going on, the pets were taken to the couple’s room on Saturday night,” said a relative. Rymbai said the couple did not have any children and they were never seen alone. “They would always be together. In death too, they did not leave each other,” she added.