E-Paper
Actor Rubina Dilaik on Himachal floods: Relieved that my family is safe
Actor Rubina Dilaik, who was visiting her family home near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, was stranded for hours due to torrential rains that triggered landslides
Actor Rubina Dilaik has described her return from flood and landslide-hit Himachal Pradesh to Mumbai as nothing short of a miracle.
The actor, who was visiting her family home, was stranded for hours due to torrential rains that triggered landslides and cut off key routes. “I was stuck in a nine-hour, four-kilometre-long jam,” Rubina recalls, adding, “There was no food or washrooms and all vehicles were at a standstill. Roads were only cleared the next morning. The situation was really bad, as transportation was the worst hit after agriculture. Too many accidents are being reported due to steep cliffs and dense fog.”
Rubina, who has featured on popular shows such as Shakti — Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, Choti Bahu, among several others including Bigg Boss, finally reached Mumbai on Tuesday evening, just in time for her shoot. “My trip was cut short. I could only stay for one night with my family and had to leave the next day for work commitments because all my time was lost commuting. I somehow managed to reach my native place. Seeing them all fine was such a sigh of relief. My farms are safe, but many of my relatives have lost crops due to the calamity,” she says.
Her journey back to the airport was equally challenging. “Usually, it takes 10 hours from my farmhouse to the airport, but this time it took me two days,” she reveals. Travelling with her sister and one-and-a-half-year-old niece made the ordeal tougher, but help came from locals. She adds, “Connectivity is poor, in some places it’s completely gone. Human support is the only ray of hope. A friend who runs a homestay came forward to help us, and I’ll always be grateful for that. It's only at times like this that you realise how challenging life can be."
