Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar meets a victim of last year's deadly triple blasts in Mumbai who lost both his legs in the terrible incident. But the irreparable injury, coupled with financial crises, has not dented his spirit of responsibility.
It's been almost a year since the three blasts at Opera House, Zaveri Bazar and Dadar areas shook Mumbai to its core. 26 people were killed and more than a 100 injured in the July 13, 2011 catastrophe.
Some of the victims were seriously impaired for life for no fault of theirs, except for the fact that they happened to be in the spot where the enemies of mankind had planted bombs to maim and kill innocents.
Namdev Narayan Dhulup was a peon in one of the diamond broker's office at the Opera House area for ten years. Six months before the disaster he decided to try his luck and quit his job. His pay was not enough to support a growing family consisting of his wife and three little children.
On that fateful evening, Namdev was standing on the road as usual hoping that some business would came his way before it was time to go home. But what came his way was the terrible blast -- which happened right next to him -- and changed his life forever.
"The cops reached me almost immediately and took me in their van to the nearby Harkisandas Hospital," he says.
The hospital could not save his legs but managed to save his life. He had to spend the next nine months in hospital. Luckily he did not have to pay any money for his treatment there.
Despite being restricted to his home for the past three months, Namdev's health problems have not eluded him. His right thigh still throbs with pain. He has gone to the Saifee hospital to meet the doctor who treated him at Harkisandas earlier. They found a glass piece in his leg and had to be operated upon again. This happened a week back. They have told him to come back for a check up in a fortnight.
Namdev's modest slum-dwelling at suburban Khar-East is very small. The lane leading to his house is narrow, filthy and completely dark.
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