The Hindu : National : His enthusiasm ultimately proved to be his undoing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 04, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

His enthusiasm ultimately proved to be his undoing

Lyla Bavadam

Terror victim Gohil loved to be in the middle of everything

Harish Gohil and his mother Damayantibehn

MUMBAI: “My uncle always wanted to be a choreographer.”

“He was a very jovial person.”

“He was always helpful.”

“He loved to play carrom late into the night.”

The memories and accolades come easily when questions are asked about 25-year-old Harish Gohil. He lived in the heart of Colaba Market and was a popular young man, always ready to help.

“If there was a dance programme, he would be at the centre of the arrangements. During Navratri, he was the main organiser. He loved to choreograph dances. He just loved to be in the middle of everything,” recalled niece Reena.

This passion, ironically, was responsible for Harish’s death.

On November 26, when terrorists stormed Nariman House, Harish, along with his family, was on the terrace of his house. It faces Nariman House though not directly in front of it.

“Nariman House is the tallest building here and so we could see all that was happening,” says Reena. “There was shooting, people were screaming, there were explosions.” While the family stood transfixed, Harish ran down to help. “He wanted to get the children to safety,” recalls Reena. “And he and some friends met downstairs near the place where they play carrom.” With gunfire and explosions occurring in the background, Harish and his friends began planning their strategy.

Hit by stray bullet

And it was in the midst of this that Harish was hit by a random bullet. The terrorists were spraying the area with bullets to create fear. The space Harish was in was a gully which was certainly visible from the Nariman House terrace. Harish, who was hit in the back, said “my chest is hurting,” recalled sister Neeta. “He then opened his shirt and saw the bullet poking out of the chest. He saw blood oozing and collapsed.” An ambulance was right there and Harish was taken to St. George’s hospital, but he died on the way.

Harish had just quit his job at a call centre. “Constant late nights had a bad effect on his health,” his mother Damyantibehn said, pointing out that he looked after the family well. “He built this extension of the house. His father would have been so proud of him had he been alive. There is not a moment, not a day, when I do not think of him.”

Reena sums up the feelings of her family and of the local community: “We miss him all the time.”

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

National