Our lives have been turned upside down,” said Amritlal Parihar, talking about son Rakesh (14), one of the youngest injured in the July 11 blasts.
Rakesh was returning from a relative’s home in Surat, and got on the train in which a blast took place at Borivli. The family learnt that he was in Bhagwati Hospital four days later after a relative saw him on television.
“Rakesh does not recall a thing about the blast, but he is badly affected,” his mother Fancydevi said. “One moment he is playing, the next moment he withdraws into a shell. At night, he often wakes up with a start and even tries to run away.”
His younger siblings — Jagdish (11) and Saroj (9) — avoid interacting much with him due to his mood swings, said his parents.
The boy still bears signs of the tragedy — he has marks on his face and chest, and has lost five teeth. “The dentist said it would cost Rs 5,000 to fix each tooth but told us to hold on as he is too young,” said Amritlal, who runs a pharmacy in Juinagar.
Two months ago, Rakesh was sent to his grandparents’ home in Rajasthan. He attended school there but was advised not to “as he has seizures, which affect other students,” said his father. “We don’t know what the future holds.”
{{/usCountry}}Two months ago, Rakesh was sent to his grandparents’ home in Rajasthan. He attended school there but was advised not to “as he has seizures, which affect other students,” said his father. “We don’t know what the future holds.”
{{/usCountry}}“Maybe god is angry with us about something,” said his mother.