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Blast rips concrete and will power
Blast widows prepare to leave city
Wake up India!
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Where will this mindless violence lead us? Who are these people who are annihilating the human race? And finally do they sleep at night? We have no answers to why so many people lost their loved ones, why so many young brides became widows. It is the same story. Mumbai staggers from one bomb blast to another... How can we live with so much abhorrence?
Mumbai has experienced a series of four bomb blasts in the past five months. The latest one being the twin blasts in South Mumbai, which left nearly 50 dead and over 170 injured.
As against the 1993 blast where most of those who died were from the middle or upper strata of society, this time almost all who perished were from the economically weak section of society. Kaarigars, flower sellers, taxi drivers, labourers are the latest statistics. In most of the cases they were the sole earning members of a large family. What happens to the widows left with children, aged in-laws and no means of livelihood?
For most who are blessed with the security of both home and loved ones, this is unimaginable. To understand and empathize, ShaadiTimes made a trip to the bylanes of Kalbadevi, which was the epicenter of one of the blasts to speak to two young women whose lives had come to a standstill.
Omnath Rajaram Dhuria aged 30 years, one of the victims who died lived here and worked in a doctor's clinic on a daily wage of Rs. 90. When the blast occurred he was at Dhanji Street distributing visiting cards of the doctor. He died 12 hours later leaving behind his wife, Kasturi and 3 kids aged 6,4 and 1 respectively. He belonged to the Chanapur village, Jaunpur Zilla, U.P.
"When we heard of the blast we rushed to Dhanji Street," says Kasturi. " But it was so crowded that it was difficult to identify people because everything was covered with dust, there was chaos and the dead bodies were piled on each other in the ambulances. We immediately rushed to J.J hospital where we found him. His left side was completely burnt and his flesh on the right leg was visible, as the skin was burnt. His left leg was missing. He was crying with pain. His chest was covered with blood. The doctors said that he had only 10% chance of survival.He died at 12.30 that night," says Kasturi barely in her twenties.
"What will I do living here? There is nothing left for me. Mera mard hi nahi raha, kiske sahare zinda rahoon" she wailed in grief. "Who will look after me? I cannot stay with my brother-in-law because he has his family. I will go to my village with my children. Aapko pata nahin, mard ke bina aurat ka kya hota hai. Gaon mein zinda rehena mushkil hai, lekin yahan rehna hai to paise chahiye. It's always the poor who suffer. He loved his children so much. He was a gentle and kind man. My children don't know there father is no more. They are asking for him, what do I reply? I have lost faith in God," cried Kasturi.
Yet another very young girl who lost her husband of only one month is Piyali who came to live in Mumbai barely 30 days ago. A simple, honest, down-to-earth boy who came from Hoogly, West Bengal to Mumbai 'with dreams in his eyes' is how his friends describe the 22 year-old Aurobindo Maji. He worked as a karigar and lived in a small, unventilated room with his wife whom he married just a month ago. "Sab kuch gaya memsaab, kisko dosh doon? Ek mahine pehle shaadi hui, ab to kuch nahin bacha. Manhoos din tha. Pura shareer jala hua tha. Woh dard sirf wohi mehsus karta hai jisne yeh dekha hai. Ab pata nahin kya hoga, bhagwaan dekhega," said his weeping wife.
(Everything is lost. Who should I blame? I got married just a month ago and now I have nothing left. It was an ill- fated day. Only the one who suffers understands the pain. I don't know what will happen. God is great.)
"He had gone to get cold drinks when the blast occurred and he died on the spot. We found his body in the Coroner's Court. His chest was completely swollen and his hands were burnt. But his face was un-bruised. His expression still haunts me. He had a very frightened and dazed look," Piyali says amidst sobs.
One could not agree more when she says, "Only the one who suffers and has lost someone will understand my pain."
As Mumbai goes on to win some more brownie points for its courage and resilience, two young widows pack their meagre belongings to leave the city.
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Natasha Havewala
with Jaahnavi P. Paal
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