?This is the beginning, more hurdles to cross?

While Chavan is still in hospital, several HT readers have offered to sponsor his son Dharmesh?s fees, schoolbooks and uniform.

When HT met security guard Rajaram Chavan (35) on July 31, his left leg blown away by a bomb on Platform 4 of Santacruz railway station, he worried how he would manage daily expenses and fund his son’s education.

HT Image

Now, there’s hope. While Chavan is still in hospital, several HT readers have offered to sponsor his son Dharmesh’s fees, schoolbooks and uniform. A group of ladies in Dahisar, Wadala resident S.C. Bhargava, Sandesh Shetty and his overseas friends and soft drink cola giant Coca-Cola all got in touch with HT to ask how they could help.

“I’m very grateful to all of them,” said Chavan, in the orthopaedic ward of Bhagwati, on Thursday. He finally decided on Coke to help him secure Dharmesh’s future. “We’ll fund all his education expenses till Standard 12,” a Coke spokesperson said. “Our agreement with Chavan will be renewed every year depending upon his son’s educational requirements.” Chavan used to support his wife Megha (32) and seven-year-old Dharmesh on a monthly salary of Rs 3,000.

While Chavan waits for a prosthetic limb, he knows it’ll be months be fore he can even attempt to walk again. “Now I just hope I manage to get a job once I’m out of hospital,” said Chavan, a class 12 dropout. “Any job that doesn’t require too much running around will do.” Residents of Babrekar Nagar, Kandivli, the Chavans’ lives have changed forever. While Megha puts up a brave front, she worries constantly about her husband. “This is just the beginning,” she said. “There are still many more hurdles to cross.”