Update on Balaji

This filed in by Orangejammies:

Hi all,
Just spoke with Balaji and here's the gist of the conversation:
1. He says his physical discomfort is now better, with the exception of a nagging numbness behind his knee that is worrying him, lest it turn dangerous later. He brought up this concern several times during the course of the conversation.
2. He has been offered a job with the railways and went to the requisite office to see the in-charge, who told him that he needed to present an 8th or 9th std. pass certificate and S.S.C. fail wouldn't do as a qualification. He asked her if he's still get the job if he delayed submitting the application by 2 weeks, to which she responded that he would. I offered help with filling up the form and accompanying him to the railways if he needed assistance, but he said he would manage. He has been working a little, but not a full day's work and seems keen on this railways job.
3. He is still the only income earner in the family, with the brothers still unemployed and the women unwilling to pull their weight financially. I offered to find out about tailoring and other vocational courses but I could tell there was a wall. He appeared resigned to being the sole supporter of 11 people.
4. Gently asked him about PTSD symptoms, to which he replied he is not afraid or upset anymore because his parents are looking after him (I guess he meant their souls/spirits are watching). Suggested a psychiatrist, should he feel the need for one, and spoke about several people requiring assistance after such a traumatic event, but he assured me he is fine, so I suppose I'll let Dr. Seema Rao know that this particular victim will not be seeing her.
5. He is going to his hometown (Latur) on the 28th to finish a religious ritual that his mother had begun and will be there for at least a week to 10 days. During this time, he will also visit his school and obtain a pass certificate for his job.
6. The children in the family are all well and going to school.
7. I have asked him to give me a missed call on his return so I can call him back and we can address two specific issues:
a) The nerve numbness in his leg, if it is still prevalent and requires a medical professional to look at it. I asked him to give his body some time to heal and we would address the issue again in the middle of February if symptoms persisted.
b) Follow up on his job application.

That's that for now.

About Mohd. Rahim Ansari: tried calling again, phone kept ringing. Will try tomorrow.


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