Pappu Pawar is all heart

You would think that a man who has cremated eight of his clan in the space of 24 hours would be devastated. But not so Beadonpura resident Pappu Pawar, reports Neelam Pandey.

You would think that a man who has cremated eight of his clan in the space of 24 hours would be devastated. But not so Beadonpura resident Pappu Pawar.

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Some of Pappu’s relatives are still missing. But rather than lose his composure, he’s been a pillar of strength to many others shattered by the September 13 blasts, helping them cremate their kin.

“Somebody left an envelope full of money for me. I do not know who, but I think it’s his way of helping out,” said Pawar.

Pawar makes a living by selling TV covers but he’s been generously helping out the injured and their families.

“Our family has been living here for the past 100 years. I don’t know why we have been punished thus, but we are not going to give up. Nobody (government) has come forward to help us, so we all are trying to help each other in this time of tragedy,” said Pawar.

Pawar was one of the first people to reach the spot seconds after the blast. “I was standing across the road when the bomb went off. Knowing that my relatives were present there, I rushed to the blast site. Blood was splashed everywhere, and without losing any time I started sending all the injured to hospitals in cyclerickshaws. I sent many of them to the nearby Jessa Ram hospital,” he said.

He has also prepared a list of those who were injured and died in the blast. “A lot of people are still searching for their family members. I am trying to help them locate their relatives,” he said.