sorry...but i had to.....

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just had to share this...i promise this will be the last of the Mohicans...

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Prayer on their lips, 35 blind survived

SHEFALI NAUTIYAL

 

 

AHMEDABAD, FEBRUARY 8: When the earthquake stole the ground

beneath Bachau's feet on January 26, 60 residents of the Korshibapa

Home for the Aged Blind were celebrating the institute's 25th birthday. As

it turned out, 17 died that day, but in one of those miracles that doggedly

emerges from the rubble, 35 of them lived.

The 35 were ensconced in the prayer hall humming bhajans when the

quake struck. Unable to run, unaware of what was happening, they stayed put.

Fortunately for them, the ceiling didn't crumble.

News from the Epicentre

Others who ran towards the exit were trapped under the rubble. ``We

found 17 bodies, but 40 are still missing. The 35 who survived have been

shifted to our sister trust in Junagadh as the Bhachau institute has

collapsed,'' Tarak Luhar, development officer and principal of a primary

school at the Blind People's Association (BPA) in Ahmedabad, said. The BPA

is the patron of the Bachau home.

 

``The visually impaired at the Bhachau institute were very old and spent

their days praying. When the quake struck, they could not run out owing to

their disability,'' said Luhar, himself visually impaired, said.

``Bhajans are held everyday between 8 and 9 am. That day, we suddenly

heard something that sounded like a goods train. The wall clock crashed and

chairs around us fell. Scared, some of us began shouting and gathered in the

centre of the hall,'' said 69-year-old Amrutbhai, one of the survivors. His

entire family perished in the aftermath.

``When the earth stopped shaking, we tried to come down but found that

the stairs were broken. We somehow managed, but our hostel, kitchen,

everything had crumbled. In 15 minutes, everything was over,'' he added.

 

The residents at the home literally felt the wrath of the quake. They didn't

see the ceiling fans moving, the tables and utensils rattling and the

buildings moving, but they felt the quake beneath their feet.

``It was like when a train passes by. Then we heard a sound like

crackling. We had read about earthquakes in our texts and realised this was

one. As the tremors increased, we shouted and asked everybody to gather at

the centre of the premises, which is an open space,'' said Daamjibhai, a

visually impaired instructor at the BPA's technical school in Ahmedebad.

 

In fact, Amit and Ranjit, students of Class X, didn't realise what was going

on. ``I thought I was shivering because of the cold. Seconds later, I

realised it was an earthquake and thought I would die,'' said Amit. Nobody

realised the enormity of the event and proceeded with the

Republic Day programme. ``We are probably the only institute in

Ahmedabad that hoisted the flag after the quake. Later, we heard fire

brigade sirens outside and then the news on TV and radio. That's when we

realised the extent of damage,'' Luhar said.

 

Post-quake, fear has gripped many of the residents. Daamjibhai lives in a

four-storeyed building that's more than 25 years old. ``I am scared of

another quake and I keep feeling the vibrations. We are super-senstive and

even slight tremors scare us,'' he said.

 

The BPA plans to construct at least one building in Bhachau by the end of

this year. ``We are sending wheelchairs, crutches, cervical belts, walkers

and other equipment to Kutch. We have also collected Rs 95,000 and have

government funding as well,'' J.B. Kavi, principal of the BPA

secondary school, said.

 

2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

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