The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Blast victims' kin still in a daze

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 07, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Blast victims' kin still in a daze

Marri Ramu

Kin of the blast victims find the going tough due to financial hardships Dejected and still in the grip of the shock, Begum sits in a corner of the house holding her son's photo in her hands for hours together

UNCERTAIN FUTURE: The family members of Shaik Nayeem, 26, an autorickshaw driver, who was killed in the bomb explosion in Mecca Masjid on May 18, in their house in Bhavaninagar. -Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

HYDERABAD: They are triumphing over physical trauma. But family members of the injured in the bomb blast in Mecca Masjid, praying for their wellbeing, are not able to recover from the financial wounds the incident had inflicted on their lives.

For the past 15 days, Sultana is attending on her husband Khaleel who was seriously injured in the blast and undergoing treatment at Yashoda Hospital. Though the Government came forward to bear the expenditure of his medical treatment, the daily-wage earner's family was pushed into a financial crisis, as Khaleel had to be away from work for a fortnight.

Worker of a public call office, Khaleel of Moghalpura is the only earning member of his family. "I don't know how long it will take for him to return to work. Till then, how should I feed my family," a dejected Sultana asks. Same is the fate of the families of electrician Mazid and fruit vendor Mohan.

Serious blow

The family members of autorickshaw driver Shaik Nayeem, who died in the blast, are yet to come to terms with his death. His mother Sabera Begum, despite her failing health, never used to sit idle in the house even for a minute. She would clean the house, wash clothes, prepare food and keep herself always busy with daily chores. But her son's death came as a jolt to the mother.

Dejected and still in the grip of the shock, Begum sits in a corner of the house holding her son's photo in her hands for hours together. She withdraws into silence and responds with much difficulty to relatives, friends, locals and other visitors trying to console her.

The three-wheeler driver was in the habit of offering his `jumma' prayers every Friday at Mecca Masjid. On May 18 also, he went to the historic mosque as usual after parking his vehicle nearby. He sustained serious injuries in the bomb explosion and died in a hospital while undergoing treatment. "I began worrying about him on learning about the explosion. My worst fears came true when we received a phone call from Nayeem's friends that he got wounded in the explosion," Sabera Begum recalls. Days before, Nayeem told her that he was looking out for good alliances for his elder brother Faheem, also an autorickshaw driver.

Not just for his love towards family members, Nayeem is known in Siddiquenagar of Bhavaninagar for his habit of helping people. Though it was a tough task to cater to the family needs with his meagre income, the driver never hesitated in coming to the rescue of local people in any difficult situation.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh