‘My son has been lucky twice, but not this time’

[1]

When I heard the news about the blasts in Zaveri Bazaar on the evening of July 13, the first thing that came to my mind was the safety of my 33-year-old son Prashant Joshi.

My son is the backbone of our family. He is a manager with a plywood store on Abdul Rehman Street in Zaveri Bazaar and has been working there for the past 15 years. This is the third time that an explosion has taken place in that area. During the first two blasts, I had immediately called Prashant and heaved a sigh of relief on learning about his well-being. However, this time we were not that lucky.
On that ill-fated Wednesday, Prashant went to work like any other day. Little did we know that by the end of the day, he would land up in hospital and not at home as usual. At around 6.45 pm, Prashant was heading towards his office when a major explosion took place. On hearing the news of the blast, both my daughter (Bhavana Upadhay), who lives in Kandivali and I, repeatedly tried to call him on his cellphone, but to no avail.
At 7.15 pm, our worst fears came true when one of the doctors at St. George Hospital answered my call and informed us about Prashant’s condition. The call sent a chill down my spine. Prashant’s wife Ruta, his son Mohnis and my wife Kala Joshi were completely shaken.
I immediately rushed to St. George Hospital from my Girgaum residence, only to find Prashant hospitalised in a critical state. The doctors at St. George asked us to shift Prashant to JJ Hospital, as there was no CT scan facility available there. Unfortunately, by then, Prashant had already lost vision in his right eye and suffered serious internal injuries to his left eye. The flying splinters had hit his skull, badly damaging it, and he had to undergo immediate surgery.
My son is the sole breadwinner of the family. He has been my support system ever since I retired from my job at a printing press a couple of years ago. His wife Ruta, on the other hand, takes tuitions to support the family.
Prashant’s seven-year-old son Mohnis, who is aware of the blasts, repeatedly asks his mother whether his father is conscious. We avoid telling Mohnis about Prashant’s condition. When Mohnis repeatedly asks about his father, we pacify him by saying that he is doing fine and will return home soon.
My wife has not seen him since the blast. The incident has come as a huge shock to her. She keeps praying for him at home throughout the day. Since the blast, Ruta too, makes it a point to visit the Shankar temple daily, before going to the hospital.
I, too, have spoken to Prashant only once at St. George Hospital. After seeing him lie on the bed at St. George, I went closer to him and called him by his name to which he responded by nodding. Since then, he has not spoken much, especially after being administered anesthesia. On Saturday, it was a big relief for us when Prashant responded to the doctors by raising his hands and legs. We are thankful to the doctors, who are taking good care of his health.
My daughter-in-law and I sit on the floor outside the critical care unit (CCU) of JJ Hospital. We go home late in the night and return only early in the morning. The family members do not allow me to stay overnight in the hospital. But being the eldest member in the family, I try and boost their morale, by appearing positive. However, only I know how traumatic all this has been for me, more because he is my only son.
Many optimistically claim that the “spirit” of the city has triumphed once again. But this is not true. It is high time that the government upgrades security at places which are continuously attacked.
It is very shameful to learn that a police booth at Opera House was recently sold to a vada pav franchise. This should stop somewhere as innocent people are being killed and injured. Lots of families are shattered after losing their dear ones. We are not aware of what lies in the future for us, the only thing we can do is pray to God that our son survives this.
— As told to Pratik Salunke