Hours before she died in a road accident in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, 20-year-old Gowri Nanda had called her mother, promising to send money for medicines. Her mother, Sheeja, had undergone a kidney transplant in 2015. This was the last time Sheeja would hear from her lone daughter.

Gowri, a folk singer and dancer, had no formal training in either art form but had made a name for herself through sheer passion and talent. She was a member of Pathi, a folk band based in Alappuzha, and Loka, a dance studio. She also maintained an active presence on Instagram, regularly posting dance reels and pictures. Her final post was a dance video shot in Chennai with the Loka team.

After completing Class 12, Gowri joined a BA course in a college in Aluva but later dropped out to pursue dance and music full-time. She recently moved to Chennai and was planning to return home by September, according to her aunt, Shalini.

“Sheeja’s monthly medicines cost around ₹5,000. Gowri was the one who contributed the most to the family,” Shalini told Onmanorama. Gowri’s father, Ajayan, is a daily wage labourer, while her mother, Sheeja, had to stop working as a tailor due to her health. Hailing from a humble background, Gowri seized every opportunity to showcase her talent. She would work with music troupe and dance team with lot of passion and produced videos which she posted on her Instagram page. The humble background, she hailed from, never deterred her from chasing her dreams. Those who knew her were shattered to hear about her demise.

Gowri's last post on Instagram was of a dance with her team on the road, grooving to the hit song Monica from the movie Coolie. The comments section was flooded with tributes and condolence messages expressing shock.

Gowri, a native of Ernakulam, died in a car accident near the Ammapettai bypass in Tamil Nadu on Saturday night. Eight others sustained injuries in the incident. The group was reportedly en route to Puducherry when the car lost control and plunged into a pit.

Among the injured are Freddy (29) and Abhirami (20) from Ernakulam, and Vaisal (27), Sukhila (20), and Anamika (20) from Thrissur. All are currently undergoing treatment at Kadaloor Government Medical College Hospital. According to police sources, Gowri succumbed to her injuries while being rushed to the hospital. The Annamalai Nagar police have registered a case in connection with the accident.

Gowri’s body was brought home early on Monday, and the funeral was held later. The condition of the other injured members from the dance team is reported to be stable.