He leaves behind wife Nisha Hareesh, and their 3-year-old daughter, Gowri, along with friends and colleagues baffled by his death, seemingly out of the blue. According to Hindu custom, Mr Hareesh, a Malayali from the southern Indian state of Kerala, must be repatriated and buried, rather than cremated, as his father is still alive. Dunedin Malayali Association head Roy Augustine said about $21,000 in donations had now been received, above the $19,000 quoted by an undertaker to return the body to India. However, a further $14,000 (based on a $16,000 quote for return flights for four people at short notice) was now needed to get Nisha, Gowri and two others to Mr Hareesh's home city of Kochi. They were having issues verifying a page with Givealittle.co.nz but were still accepting donations to a Dunedin Malayali Association account.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 06, 2019 15:32 UTC