The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Difficult road to recovery

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Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Difficult road to recovery

Bheeshma Chand and Deepthi Govindrajan

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Monisha in hospital.

BANGALORE: Traumatised and lying on the bed in room number 517 at M.S. Ramaiah Hospital, she greets visitors with a smile, which slowly fades into tears. Drained of her will to speak, for five-year-old Monisha her smile has been the only form of expression since she was moved to the ward on Thursday.

She has a steady stream of well-wishers, including her classmates. She has not a single word to say to them.

“Her father’s colleagues and her classmates, along with the teachers from school, have all been visiting her daily. But she has not spoken to anyone so far,” Savitriamma, Monisha’s grandmother, told The Hindu.

Monisha, a student of Mini Kini Play Home, survived a strangulation attempt, allegedly by her mother, Sudha, who hanged herself to death after discovering her husband had ended his life in a similar fashion. The unconscious child spent two nights with her parents’ bodies before being rescued.

According to Savitriamma, all Monisha can remember is the image of her mother attempting to strangulate her. She said: “We have not made any attempt to ask her about the sequence of events and she has also not spoken to us about it.”

Monisha was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Memorial Hospital on Christmas day. Right now she is under the care of Anusuya, her maternal aunt, and grandmother Savitriamma who remain by her bedside.

C.M. Naveen Kumar, the uncle, is optimistic about her recovery. “She is smiling, laughing and has recovered quickly, by the grace of God. We have brought the children whom she was close to, hoping to lighten her mood,” he said.

Asked about the child’s future, Savitriamma said that the family would take care of her. According to hospital authorities, Duckworth Flavours India Private Limited, her father Nagesh’s employer, has offered to meet the hospital expenses.

Though Monisha is now off ventilator support, she is not fully oriented to her surroundings. Psychiatrists have been appointed to provide counselling. Physiotherapists are helping her regain strength, according to hospital authorities.

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