The first thing Seema Goyal did when she heard her husband was finally headed home was get her three kids together and go shopping.
“We’ve got him pista biscuits from Dehradun,” she said. “He likes them very much… I am looking forward to cooking some of his favourite dishes. We also bought him new clothes, because all his belongings were taken by the pirates.”
The children — Trishi (16), Ayushi (11) and Shivansh (7), who is hearing impaired — have made special cards and posters to welcome their father, MV Stolt Valor captain Prabhat K. Goyal, at the airport.
“I’m feeling on top of the world. It’s a big day for the family,” said Seema.
Prabhat Goyal has been in the captivity of Somali pirates for over two months. All the while, his wife kept up a fierce battle to get him and his 21 crewmembers out, pleading with everyone from the Japanese owners of the ship to the Indian government and the media to help free the ship.
Goyal and 12 colleagues will arrive in Delhi from Muscat on Tuesday. Of the 18 Indians on board when pirates captured it on September 15, five returned to Mumbai early on Monday.
Back in Delhi, a new pair of shoes awaits Goyal’s return. “He had bought them before the journey, but never got a chance to try out. “The children have brought the shoes along. They want their father to wear them on way back to Dehradun,” said Seema.
{{/usCountry}}Back in Delhi, a new pair of shoes awaits Goyal’s return. “He had bought them before the journey, but never got a chance to try out. “The children have brought the shoes along. They want their father to wear them on way back to Dehradun,” said Seema.
{{/usCountry}}