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:

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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.

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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.

Its been a year...

...since I turned to the internet in a desperate bid to do something to help the victims of 26/11. At that moment, I didnt know quite what to do, but blogging was something I was familiar with, and knew that I would get an audience. And people would read. And people wanted to know how to help. I hoped people would help.

What I wasnt prepared for was the overwhelming rush of support and love and help that flooded my inbox. An inbox that soon became our inbox as a team fell into place. A team called India Helps. People who wanted to give their time and energy. Some strangers, some acquaintances and all of whom who went on to become dear friends.

Which is what I have been shouting hoarse about everytime I read articles about how online activism post 26/11 died down. Anonymous online members donot make a team. A team comprises people who meet offline, interact, and are passionate about giving time and effort. Team members who are all committed to work together. Whether online or off. Whether it was hunting down victims of the CST shooting or their bereaved down in slums and locations on the outskirts of the city, or being available online 24 x 7 as a team to discuss issues real time to derive a solution to whatever needed to be done.India Helps comprises of fabulous people who make up a fabulous team. A team that goes beyond the 'I', and actually thinks of itself as a 'we'.

Over the past year, we have actively worked with six victims and bereaved of the CST shootout. We worked with Karuna Waghela who went from being a scared, helpless widow, with all the compensation she received being ursurped by her in laws to becoming a strong, independent woman committed to ensuring her children get a good education and go on to make a good life for themselves. We saw Momina Khatoon, bereft, with three small children and pregnant with the fourth, go through a delivery and emerge with the desire to earn her living and support herself. We have seen Balaji Kharatmal, injured with shrapnel and burdened under the obligation to provide singlehandedly for an extended family of 11, pick himself up, get his railway job and get back to the business of living. We saw young Ganesh Malpe give up his studies and take up the railway job he was offered because he was now man of the house. We watched as the Narkar family got their bearings together and emerged from their bereavement. We went to Harkabai's home, a woman who had struggled to bring up her children singlehandedly, and got them settled, and was killed just when it was time for her to retire and lead a life of ease. We met the Asranis, who had lost their young daughter Neetu, and marvelled at the stoicness of the mother. We met many victims. We stood on pavements after initial meets with families of victims, tears streaming down our faces at the injustice of it all.

On the way, we encountered some stray families who wanted to cash in their tragedies. I will not name them here. But it was disheartening. We disassociated ourselves from them and moved on. Our need to help was genuine. That was what mattered.

Today, India Helps has moved on to helping special cases, providing flood relief, and we also co-run three pavement schools in Goregaon West. When I look back at this year I think of it as the turning point in my life. It was this year that taught me that it is important to try to make a difference to someone's life, no matter how small. It doesnt take much to help. And there is no greater reward than seeing someone you've helped to their feet after a disaster, take charge of their life.

26/11 Looking Back, Looking Ahead 9

Priyanka Chaturvedi, Entrepreneur and Recruitment Consultant, is the force behind India Helps pavement schools. She singlehandedly manages to devote time and attention to our three co-run pavement schools which cater to children from the streets and the slums, helping them get a better education for those already enrolled in municipal schools and for those who dont go to any school, the basic education. Thanks to Priyanka, the schools have grown from a strength of 35 odd when we started to around 150 odd children on a daily basis. These are her words:

26/11 turned out to be the defining moment of my life and made me strongly believe that if we want to see a change we should start by being the change.
As I sat in front of the television watching the horror unfold there was just one thing on my mind, it was to reach out to the victims and help, help in anyway I could. For days after that all I could recall were the images of baby Moshe, the anxious families waiting outside the hotels, the brave martyrs who lost their lives to save ours and the poor victims at CST. Thanks to India Helps I also managed to pitch in to help these victims.
India Helps not just helped the victims but also managed to change my mind set of 'kuch nahi ho sakta' to that of any help big or small can bring about a change. It makes me happy that India Helps could play a part in helping a lot of the affected families reclaim their lives

Poverty, hunger and illiteracy are the main reasons that lead the young to the path of self destruction. All the identified terrorists of 26/11 were such youngsters who were lured to do this for money. IH got involved with a set of like minded people and helped in setting up three pavement schools in Goregaon. These schools help children from underprivileged backgrounds study. Some of the kids do not even go to formal schools. We try to make education as interesting as possible for them.We have organised a picnic for the kids, an educational trip to the Museum and Nehru Planetarium (with Rotary Club) and have celebrated Independence Day and Children's Day. We are now planning a Christmas Party for these kids. Thanks to IH intervention the three schools have grown in strength!
I still remember our first meeting -- all a bunch of novices getting together with just one desire, the desire to help and reach out. IH sure has come a long way from where we started!

Priyanka Chaturvedi
Enterpreneur

26/11: Looking Back, Looking Ahead 8

From our Kolkata Chapter:

Baisali Chatterjee Dutt, ebullient, cheerful and always willing to go that extra mile to help those in need, whether it is collecting funds and material for the victims of Cyclone Aila, or handholding Purnima Goswami, as she settled back into Kolkata with her grand daughter Aahana Mishra. Here's what she has to say.

Sitting in Kolkata, I watched with horror as the unimaginable unfolded itself before my eyes...one of my favourite cities in the world was under attack. From terrorists. A part of my mind went straight to denial, hoping that it was part of some unknown, unseen movie. The other part of my mind started praying for the safety of friends and family. I went through many emotions over those three days...fear, terror, anger, rage and an unnerving sense of helplessness.
And I hated it.
When I heard about the IndiaHelps initiative, started by some amazing people, I knew I wanted in. I wanted to help people rebuild their lives from a devastating tragedy. I wanted to put a smile back on someone's face, give hope where none seemed available. IndiaHelps gave me that opportunity.
It helped me overcome those awful feelings of helplessness.

Baisali Chatterjee Dutt
Writer

Sunayana Roy, advertising professional and theatre personality, brings to India Helps an optimism and a can do attitude that keeps spirits up. Sunayana has been keenly involved with Momina Khatoon's case and coordinating relief for Cyclone Aila victims. These are her words:

Having sat through the vigil (virtually) with Kiran and Rohini and other friends in Bombay this time last year, I understood why Kiran felt the need to do something about it. Perhaps we can't stop the terrorists... but we can help our fellow citizens in their hour of need. That is what India Helps has been doing for a year, forging past discouragements, rejoicing in small achievements and ready and willing to do whatever it took.

Sunayana Roy
Advertising Professional

From our Delhi Chapter
Smitha Verma, journalist, read about India Helps online and came on board. She has contributed to Aahana Mishra case (a non 26/11 IH case) and worked for flood relief. She handles our New Delhi Chapter. Her words:

It was a night of terror, fear, helplessness and anger. As I sat glued to the television set, in Delhi, watching in horror what was unfolding in Mumbai; I said a silent prayer for being safe. But the anger, anguish and helplessness were palpable. It continued for two days, as I wept inconsolably, for lives lost. They were people whom I have never met but the tragedy that left a toddler without parents, a husband without wife, a father without kids and much more was beyond any consolation. A month later, I came across an initiative India Helps started by Mumbai citizens but having members from across the globe who were united in their thoughts and action. Their adage, "Whom have you helped today?", hit me hard and there I was a part of the team in no time. When I close my eyes and hold my toddler close to my chest, I know there are many who don't know what it feels like, because someone somewhere thought terror was the solution to everything. An year later, I wish the nights are more peaceful, serene and blissful for not just my family but for everyone across the world…….and that is what we at India Helps strive for.
Smitha Verma
Journalist

26/11: Looking back, Looking ahead 7

Dilnavaz Bamboat, Pediatric Therapist and Pre-School Educationist, is one of the pillars of India Helps. Always committed to giving her time, her energy to any case, she brings to the team a vibrancy and optimism, tempered with a quirky turn of phrase that spreads cheer. She has worked with Balaji Kharatmal, made home visits to the Ansaris (a family which lost six members at CST) and hand held Purnima Goswami (grandmother of Ahana Mishra, a special child and a non 26/11 case) through Ahana's troubled hospitalisation in Jaslok. Here's what she has to say:

Doesn't time heal all wounds? Not this one. One long year and the misery is alive and fresh, as if November 26, 2008 were yesterday. In the mass funeral that was the date and three days after, our spirits were burned alive and I, for one, am still maimed. What has changed, though, is my ability to sleep at night, knowing that I didn't just criticize, mope and move on. Whether it was picking my way through winding slum alleys to hunt down victims' families or holding a sobbing grandmother while she mourned the fate of her abandoned, disabled grandchild, I used addled head and broken heart to help the best way I knew. The bigger tragedy, often, is not doing one's bit, and thanks to our wonderful team at India Helps, I could plop my teeny drop into the ocean. Life changes when newspaper stories morph into real people with faces and needs and long-lasting ties, and this is a change I will continue to embrace in the days ahead, as I have this past year. So tell me again, whom have YOU helped today?

Dilnavaz Bamboat

Pediatric Therapist

Lavanya Karthik, Environmental planner and writer, was among the first to make home visits to the victims, even before India Helps became a team. She, along with another team member visited the home of Bhanu Narkar with groceries and help. She also visited Balaji Kharatmal and has been checking on his wellbeing periodically.

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Balaji Kharatmal

Balaji Kharatmal was injured in the firing at CST station on 26 November 2008. His mother, who was boarding a train with him was killed.

Balaji was taken to JJ hospital, where he was treated for shrapnel wounds . He still has shrapnel throughout his body, which cannot be removed. Formerly an auto driver, he is now employed as a sweeper with the Central Railways.

His immediate dependents included his wife and two children, though he was formerly supporting an extended family of over 11 people.

Balaji received Rs 50,000 in compensation for his injuries, and Rs. 5 lakh for his mother. A Mumbai based NGO stepped in to fund his children's education.

India Helps volunteers gave him about Rs 2000 for immediate cash expenses. He was also taken for a check up with a senior doctor, and helped in filing paperwork to claim additional compensation, and aid from the Taj Trust.

Bhanu Narkar

Employed as a watchman at the Cama Hospital on the night of the 26^th, Bhanu Narkar was killed in the firing. He is survived by a wife, two sons and a daughter.

India Helps visited them twice, and helped with cash payments (about Rs 2000) and a month's supply of groceries. Additional support in filing paperwork ad finding employment for the sons was offered, but the Narkars declined. The older son subsequently took over his father's job at Cama, while the younger found a job as a cleaner. The daughter is in school and planned on finishing college.

26/11: Looking Back, Looking Ahead 5

Sayantani Dutta, a lawyer by profession, has been part of the core team members since our inception. She has been hands on in documentation and making home visits to the bereaved. This is what she has to say:

This day last year started on a very ordinary note...my mother was in town, so left work early to spend time with her. Hardly had I reached home that I started getting calls from friends asking me where I was, and whether I was safe. Confused about the reason for this string of calls, I switched on the television to see the madness that had engulfed the part of town I had been in only an hour ago, and where a lot of my friends and loved ones were still stuck. One was stuck in office in Express Towers right next to the Trident, another was stuck in Kalaghoda, a third was in Leopold and a fourth had managed to get away from Leopold just as firing began. Once I was done checking with all my friends, I sat glued in front of the television watching the landmarks in my adopted city burning under seige. Somewhere in the middle of all this, got to know that the managing partner of our firm, a well loved and brilliant lawyer, was inside the Trident and had possibly been killed. This was confirmed the next day.

I was enraged, upset and directionless...didn't know what to do. Then I got to know about about India Helps and how you were collecting money for Sunita Yadav..pitched in. Then I heard about the first meeting, couldn't make it there, but set out with Nihas to meet the people on his list. Don't know what to make of it, but both people I met in this connection were looking to make a quick buck out of the tragedy...I suppose that's not something to be taken to heart, but it did affect me then.

Today, I am proud to be associated with India Helps, and people like Karuna (Waghela) and Balaji (Kharatmal) humble me. It is amazing how they have faced the situation head on and have largely succeded in bringing back a semblance of normalcy into their lives. It is also amazing how a group of people from different positions in life have come together for a common cause, and have actually managed to make a difference in the lives of the people they interacted with.

But amongst all this, it is a little disheartening to see that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Today, one year after the attacks, none of the policy changes have materialised. We, as a people, have not really done much. I for one have not. I did not vote, because I wasn't registered in Maharashtra and the transfer of my voter id card did not happen in time for me to vote. I allowed two people looking to make a quick buck to affect me to an extent that I became cynical about our ability to help and let pass an opportunity to help others who really needed it. For all this I feel guilty...and angered. So the anger has not really ebbed in the past one year.
Sayantani Dutta
Lawyer
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(Pic courtesy The Hindu)

Salma Thakray

The name of the deceased is Sunil Ashok Thakray, aged about 30 years and prior to his death on November 26, 2008, he was a vendor, whose stall was located opposite one of the gates of CST station. He was killed in the CST shootout as the militants were leaving the CST premises.

He is survived by his partner Salma Thakray and her two children from a previous marriage, aged 9 and 7 years respectively.

Immediately after Sunil's death, the family situation was fairly grim, with Salma having neither any money nor any source of livelihood. She also had no relatives to fall back upon. Further, as Sunil and Salma had not been legally married, chances of Salma being able to claim compensation of any sort from any of the government agencies or a jo0b on compassionate grounds also seemed fairly bleak. The children were however provided for and were studying in a charitable boarding school in Panvel. Prior to Sunil's death, the couple stayed in a one room hutment in Dombivili, which Salma had to leave as she had no money for the rent after Sunil's death. She was not professionally qualified or educated and was not doing anything when Sunil was alive. She was not employed anywhere and had no regular source of livelihood.

Her immediate requirements were a house, a stable means of livelihood and a mobile phone in order to ensure accessibility. Her long term requirements included a ration card and a bank account to enable her to save for her children.

Prior to India Helps intervention, she'd received Rs. 15,000 from the Railways as funeral expenses.

This case was handled by Sayantani Dutta from India Helps. India Helps was involved primarily in providing her with monetary aid – a team member bought her a mobile phone and a connection in order to ensure that she could be easily contacted. We also provided her with monetary aid in order in order to help her pay the deposit for a house.

26/11: Looking Back, Looking Ahead 4

Sangeeta Irani, India Helps member, is our straight-talking,fund-raising whiz. With over 20 years' experience in communications, this president of an ad firm checks the veracity of India Helps cases by making home and hospital visits, actively raises funds and, in her own words, tries to help victims lead a better life. This is her piece:

It could have been me, no one was safe. These were my first thoughts. As I watched them attack my city, my country, I changed. I was angry and I wanted to do something that proved that those cowards failed. If they thought we would be scared they were wrong. This country, its people will only help each other and come out stronger. That is all.

I started alone in the wards of the JJ hospital, meeting victims and talking to doctors. I soon realized that alone was not enough. This needs people who give time, not just money. Along the way, I found India Helps. We started with 26/11 and have now morphed into something larger. India Helps has only had to post an appeal and people across the world help with money and time.

I met Poonam Singh and her husband Santosh Singh. Poonam was injured with bullets at CST and had lost mobility. I went to a slum at Vikhroli and it was hard. Hard to understand how people lived with so little and were so content. We got Dr. Vaibhav Patil to give generously of his time to give Poonam and conduct physiotherapy at her home. We mobilized financial help so that the family could move to the base of the slum. This means Poonam would not need to climb uphill. Her knee still buckles sometimes, but she walks. Sachin, her son has lost movement in a finger and we are in the process of finding a solution. I am happy when I hear Poonam is walking, or that the Taj Trust is training her.

I have a lot to be grateful for, including a family that does not grudge the time I put in. This one year has taught me that life is unpredictable. However, how we react is up to us. Most of all, I have the satisfaction of knowing - it is possible to actually step out and help. That I have met a bunch of lovely people at India Helps is a bonus.

For me, 26/11 is the day we got angry. It’s the day they failed to shatter our fortitude.

Sangeeta Irani

***

Case Update

The Singh Family


1. Name of the deceased/ injured, occupation and approximate monthly earnings at the time of the casualty:

Poonam Singh - 34 years old
Sachin Singh – 7 years old

No one died in this case, but they were injured – enough for life to change for the family. Poonam is a housewife and a mother to 4 children. She therefore cooked, cleaned the home, got water, washed clothes and is a mother and a wife. Poonam earns nothing but if anyone else had to do her work it would cost the family.

Sachin is a student.

(ii) Where did the casualty occur:

At CST station. Poonam was with her son and was going to her father's village to attend a function. Both Poonam and Sachin were injured. Sachin heard some noise and ran, Poonam ran to get him. She was hit by bullets and was unconscious. When she regained consciousness, she was immobile and at JJ hospital. Sachin was also at the hospital.

(iii) Dependents (number and details):
Husband Santosh Singh and 4 children, including Sachin

(iv) Details of the situation at that time:

IH met her first at the JJ Hospital on the day she was leaving. She was the last 26/11 case at JJ . It was February and she was not able to walk independently. The doctors told her that with therapy, she would walk eventually . In the interim she would start with a walker, do physiotherapy . Poonam lived in a slum on a slope and walking on a hilly area was a daily affair. The inability to walk meant she could not move out of the 5x5 foot home- not even to the communal toilets.

Her daughter missed school and between the husband and the daughter they managed the home. The daughter missed out on over 3 months of school and thus lost a year in education. At eleven, she also lost her childhood.

Sachin seemed fine but post 26/11 Santosh Singh said his son was rebelling and not listening to them as much as before. He also lost mobility in one finger and has a visible big bump on left hand .

(v) IH contact:

Sangeeta Irani

(vi) Details of help/ support provided by IH:

Donated a Walker, paid a visit to her home at Vikhroli. Networked to get her a doctor who could come to the slum to teach her the required exercises. Godrej Hospital did that twice and then we got Dr. V. Patil who comes once a month and helps the family. India Helps promised to help with increased rent if the family found a home at the base of the slum, as this would help Poonam walk more and hence recover faster.

IH asked and generated support for 11 months of rent and reimbursement for a few medical bills. We are now helping with doctor visits and x-rays for Sachin . We are seeking a second opinion to figure if we can revive the finger. We will also seek guidance for plastic surgery and be with the family through the process.

(vii) Media coverage:

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=2009092620090926020025406b92cb628

http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?661360

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/railway-announcer-who-saved-over-1-000-lives/477577/

(viii) Present situation:

To assist with the direction of Sachin's treatment; Poonam to continue the physiotherapy; provide monetary help for part payment of rent for a year.

(ix) Status of the case:

Help continuing until Nov. 2010

Part payment of rent for a year for Poonam Singh. To review her case after a year.

Payment for medicines as required .

Surgery and doctor consultation fees, X-rays etc for Sachin.

(x) Future requirements:

For Sachin, surgery as required