Some Good news!

Abdul, Shabira Khan's son had called on Sunday and needed some help finding a job. Gave him Akhila's number from the Indiahelps blog -> "News you can use" section.

He interviewed for the job today and got it!! Fingers crossed that he does well at it, and keeps it as well. Thanks Akhila and Kiran!

Please do keep a lookout for our 'news you can use' posts for any useful and relevant information that can be used in cases.

26/11 Looking back, Looking ahead 10

Suma Nagmote is a bubbly, chirpy market researcher who had her own personal hell during 26/11 when her father, Commander S Nagmote, who was security head at the Trident was incommunicado for three days during the terrorist attack. She has been a hands on volunteer on the Karuna Waghela and the Shabira Khan case, and seen Karuna grow into an independent, determined and empowered woman.

Here are the cases she has handled:

***********************************
Karuna Waghela

(i) Name of the deceased/ injured, occupation and approximate monthly earnings at the time of the casualty:

Deceased: Thakur Budhabhai Waghela, (33) sweeper at GT Hospital. Earnings approximately Rs 4000 pm.

(ii) Where did the casualty occur:

Ajmal Amir Kasab shot Waghela at his residence in GT Hospital compound.

(iii) Dependents (number and details)

Wife: Karuna Waghela (32), Children: Roshni (11 yrs), Dhaval (8) and Neeraj (5 yrs).

(iv) Details of the situation at that time:

Karuna Waghela lived with her inlaws:- father in law/mother in law/ brother in law and his family. The in-laws took the Rs 5 lakh compensation given to her by the government. She was totally dependent on them.

(v) IH contact: Suma Nagmote.

(vi) Details of help/ support provided by IH: India Helps stepped in on Day 3 itself by handing over funds for the last rites for Thakur Budhabhai Waghela. India Helps volunteers provided groceries and funds for Karuna and her children. India Helps also provided emotional support to Karuna. India Helps helped raise awareness about Karuna's plight through the blog, and media which in turn helped raise funds for her children.

(vii) Media coverage:

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2543734.htm

(viii) Present situation:

She has moved out of her inlaws home and is living in accommodation (MHADA flat)alloted to her by the government. She is currently working as a sweeper in GT Hospital, a job which she got on compassionate grounds at a salary of Rs 3000 pm. Karuna has been empowered to open a bank account independent of her inlaws. She is also being offered aid by the Taj Trust. Karuna is a strong woman and totally focussed on ensuring her children complete their education and make a future for themselves.

(ix) Status of the case : India Helps is continuing to provide emotional support to Karuna

(x) Future requirements: India Helps is attempting to build a corpus for Karuna's children's education. India Helps is also trying to raise funds to take out a life insurance cover for Karuna, with her children as beneficiaries.

(xi) Photographs: Nil

(xii) Present contact details of the dependents:

MHADA colony, Prateeksha Nagar , Sion, Mumbai.

********************
Shabira Khan

(i) Name of the deceased/ injured, occupation and approximate monthly earnings at the time of the casualty:

Shabira Khan, injured. Home maker who took tuitions. Rs 3000 approx.

(ii) Where did the casualty occur:

She was injured by the taxi blast at Wadi Bunder along with her son, Abdul.

(iii) Dependents (number and details): The family comprises Shabira, her husband, her children, Abdul (24), Khalid (22), Sabah (19)m Shaheen (18), Shahid (17) and Sajid (14). Her husband works with Bombay Port Trust, earning Rs. 3,000 per month. All the kids except Abdul, the oldest are studying in school (Jamiya Islamiya school).

(iv) Details of the situation at that time:

She had splinters which were embedded and had damaged her nerves in her foot and back. Her oldest son Abdul had a splinter below his right eye which thankfully missed his eye, and hence has not lost vision.

(v) IH contact: Suma Nagmote

(vi) Details of help/ support provided by IH: India Helps helped raise funds for surgery to be conducted on Shabira's foot. Shabira was languishing in hospitals for close to six months post 26/11. She was shifted out of JJ to BPT, Wadala. She was then shifted to to Saifee hospital for an operation on her foot. During her stay at Saifee, they discovered she had jaundice in her system, detecting which doctors at Saifee asked her to be transferred to Kasturbha Hospital which they told the family is a hospital specially equipped to handle jaundice.

One of the daughters had taken leave from school to be with her everyday during her hospitalisation.

(vii) Media coverage: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOINEW/navigator.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI

(viii) Present situation: Shabira is out of hospital and back home. She still requires another operation on her foot as her nerves are damaged, and if not done, her leg would need to be amputated.

(ix) Status of the case: Case Closed

(x) In case of an ongoing case, future requirements: NA.

Job required for Abdul, Shabira Khan's son

This update in from Serendipity on Abdul:

Abdul was looking for a job the last I spoke with him, so if anyone knows of a job where a strappy young chap can pitch in, let me know. He's not very educated, but he said he's ok picking up things, delivering, or an office boy type of job too. If anyone does know of any leads that can help him get a job, do write in to us at indiahelps@gmail.com or info@indiahelps.org.

Update on Karuna and Shabira

This came in last week from Serendipity, just been allowed the phone today to check mails, so posting it now:

I've been in regular touch with Karuna and Abdul as well as Jugal.

First Karuna- has been given all the cheques now. She stopped by my office to say hi. She came with one of her relatives.. since she was scared to travel alone. I must say meeting her has certainly cheered me up because she looked like a different person from the last time I saw her. She was wearing some earrings and a bindi and carried a very ladylike purse and overall looked better kept than the last time at her in laws place. Work is going well, and kids are good too. She had to pay a total of Rs 1600 towards school uniforms and is relieved about this money that's come in.



Shabira - Abdul and me have been speaking every other day, he's gone to the govt office a few times with no positive response yet. Jugal tells me there are some documents that Abdul has not yet submitted and once that's through some money will be sanctioned. The operation was yesterday I have not called him yet to check how it went, will let you know.





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Update on Shabira Khan

This fresh off the email from Serendipity:


I spoke with Abdul last evening as well as just some time back. He met the required person at Mantralaya yesterday who has asked him to fill certain forms and submit by Tuesday. He has asked one of his younger brothers who is better versed in writing to help with the same and will ask me for help needed, if any.

The operation that we needed to raise money for has been postponed to 18th June. Until then shes undergoing various tests at Wadala and Sion..



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Update on Shabira Khan

This just in from Serendipity:

Hi All,

Jugal from Times now just called me, we've been speaking over the last two weeks over this case, he had also been trying to help out etc. He just called and gave me some encouraging news.. one of his friends had a contact through whom they managed to put this case forward to a Maharashtra Minister, who said that they would have taken on this case and her medical expenses had they known of it earlier, and don't mind doing so even now.

Abdul is meeting him this afternoon with necessary documents, lets hope for the best. Both Jugal and Abdul said they'll call me back as soon as the meeting is over.

Pray hard folks!

Update on Shabira Khan

This from Serendipity:

Just spoke with Abdul, Shabira's son. It is officially been 6 months as of today from 26/11 but Shabira has still not recovered (26/05/09). The family's condition has not improved one bit, in fact it has worsened if at all. The operation (bypass) which was delayed constantly due to Shabira's bout of severe Jaundice was finally done last week at Saifee hospital. The complete cost of the surgery was about Rs 2 lakhs… out of which Rs 80,000 was put together by the family by mortgaging a small room that they had in Gowandi, Rs 22,500 was from us, another Rs 50,000 from other sources…Currently everything they have has been mortgaged, and now they have nothing left to put together any more money. All the siblings are now home and Abdul told me they're reduced to skipping meals sometimes.

Shabira is scheduled for another operation - one in which they will be replacing one nerve in her leg (back-leg) with an artificial implant (or so I understood - Abdul said a 'plastic nerve' is going to be put). This surgery wil be in a few days, which costs another Rs 3-3.5 lakhs. Other than this, the cost of admitting her in hospital (Saifee) itself is a few thousand rupees a day, which they culd no longer afford and she is home since the past three days. This is the first time she's been home since 26th of November 2008.

A lot of media visited her house today, abut 7-8 channels will be running her story on television today… lets hope something good comes out of it.

The need of the hour - collecting funds. For her hospital bills and general maintenance of family.



If you would like to help, please do write in at indiahelps@gmail.com or info@indiahelps.org.



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Update on Shabira Khan

This came in from Serendipity:


Abdul (Shabira's older son) collected the cheque of Rs 10,000 which I collected from Aarif Malik last evening. That's Rs 22, 500 that we've raised so far!

Coming to the online transfer details which I had asked him to ask his Bank last evening, he's pretty clueless since he went to the bank but wasn't sure what to ask etc, so I've written an application explaining what we need which he just needs to go and show his Manager and hopefully he'll be able to guide him.

So those details could take a while.



Edited to add: A big thank you Aarif, from the IH team.

This report on Shabira Khan

Serendipity visited this blast victim on Saturday and has filed this report:



Shabira Khan - Age 37. She was injured in Wadi Bunder Blast on 26th November 2008, during the terrorist attack. She has been admitted in hospital ever since the 26th. (First J.J. and now Wadala Hospital). Her Medical expenses are taken care of since her his an employee of B.P.T. However, awith her, her earning son Abdul Hamid Khan was also injured ( and has lost vision in his right eye).

Shabira has lost movement and sensation in a leg, with a surgery scheduled for the same, apart from shrapnel injuries in her back. She was an earning member of the family, being a tuition teacher before being hospitalized. Apart from Hamid, she has five other children, all students, in school and junior college. She has received the Government compensation or Rs. 50, 000 so far. I also gave her a sum of Rs. 4,000 when I met her. However she could use a little more help as two earning members are currently not contributing to the household income.

For those desirous of helping Shabira out, here are her bank account details:

Bank: Dena Bank.

Branch: Dongri

Type of account: Savings

Account number: SB/GEN/24846

Name on Bank Passbook: Samira Abdul Majid Khan (this is the original name on the passbook of which I have a xerox, so the difference in the spelling of the names could be a typo)



Anyone wanting to send in cheques to Shabira Khan (Samira as on the passbook) do send in an email to indiahelps@gmail.com. We will give you an address to mail your cheques to and our team members will deliver them to her.

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First report on Shabira Khan

Serendipity spoke with CST shoot out victim Shabira Khan today. Here is her report:

Shabira Khan - spoke with her today, Here are the details:

§ She is admitted at Wadala Hospital right now. She was discharged from J.J. Hospital on 14th Jan, and has shifted to Wadala B.P.T Hospital.

§ She sounds like she is in a bad state.

§ Has injuries all over her body, but was unable to tell me what specifically the injuries are.

§ Says the doctors are not telling her what all is wrong…has undergone number of tests and minor surgeries and has been in hospital since the 26th of Jan.

§ Says she's currently paying her own medical bills.

§ She says the doctors claim she will need to remain admitted for a long time as few tests were incorrect, MRI was faulty or something like that. Will have more details on this only after I visit her, since could not understand fully via telephone (she seemed to be quite weak, and also in pain)



Have funds given to me by Gunjan and Kedar…will carry with me, and give accordingly either to her or speak with the doctor and pay pending bills (if any).



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