13/7, one week on... A daughter still waits to be cradled by dad

One-and-a-half year old Shoni Vishwakarma waits by her father's bed at KEM every day, waiting for him to lift her up in his arms

One-and-a-half year old Shoni Vishwakarma visits her father Mankeshwar at the KEM Hospital every day, waiting for him to lift her in his arms like he used to.

She is, however, invariably, taken home in tears, believing that her dad doesn't respond because he does not love her and does not want to play with her anymore.

What the toddler does not comprehend, however, is that her 28-year-old dad, a victim of last week's blasts, continues to remain critical and can hardly move a muscle. He hasn't even been able to speak since the day of the blasts.

Shoni's torment and distress is rivalled only by that of her mother, Rinku (26), who has been at the hospital nearly 24X7 since last Wednesday and has to see both her husband and daughter suffer.

"My husband's legs are totally burnt, I realised this yesterday when I sat and looked at them. I feel bad for Shoni, who was very close to her father and does not understand what has happened. She feels her father is avoiding her," said Rinku.

"The last words my husband said were that he is going to Dadar to buy some plywood and wanted to take our daughter Shoni with him. He did not take her as it was raining and I am very grateful to God for that because, then, I would have not one, but two tragedies to cope with.

Since MiD DAY reported on the Vishwakarma family's plight on July 16 ('A wife waits for a glimmer of hope'), many organisations have come forward to help them and they have also received the government compensation of Rs 50,000.

Fed up
Rinku, however, says she wants nothing more than for her husband to get well. "I just want him to be how he was.

The environment in the hospital is really getting to me now. He would never let me go out of the house too much, but now I have to run between the hospital and my home, where Shoni is. Hospital authorities have told me to avoid keeping her here due to the risk of infection."

Mankeshwar's parents, Amravatidevi and Ramdin, too sit outside the ICU all day, waiting for their son to get well. Ramdin said, "Today the swelling on his face is less, but he's still not talking."

"My brother-in-law and father-in-law are going back to Uttar Pradesh in a few days and I will be left alone here. I really don't know what to do.

I keep asking the doctors when my husband will get well and they say 'soon'. But how long is soon? A month, two months or even more? No one can tell," Rinku said, breaking into tears.