A hundred days after the Dilsukhnagar twin bomb blasts, Ravinder Naik took a few steps toward a new life.
Ravinder, whose right leg was amputated from above the knee after he was grievously injured in the blasts, was cheered by family and friends as he managed to stand up and walk with the help of a custom-made, imported artificial limb.
“I never imagined he would walk again. The artificial limb fits comfortably. This should help him and us get out of depression,” says Ravinder’s wife Lakshmi.
For the new turn in his life, Ravinder has only P. Raghu Ram to thank. After reading the travails of Ravinder’s family, which was highlighted in these columns, Dr. Raghu Ram, CEO and Director of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation, contacted German artificial limb manufacturer Ottobock to custom-build a limb for Ravinder.
“The limb gives him flexibility at both knee and ankle joints so that he can walk with almost no limp. The artificial limb has a spring action at the knees and ankle joints that makes it comfortable for him to walk without any discomfort. The limb is water-proof and does not have any belt mechanism. It simply fits to the knee stump through a suction mechanism,” Dr. Raghu Ram said on Friday.
The terrifying memories of February 21 are still etched clearly in the minds of the family.
“It was our first visit to Hyderabad. We came here for a health check-up for my two-year-old son Anil who had a defective heart from birth. We went to Dilsukhnagar to catch a bus back to our native Nalgonda when the blasts occurred. Seven members of our family were injured including myself,” recalls Ravinder.
Within days of the blast, the family received another jolt when two-year-old Anil Kumar, who underwent a heart surgery at Care Hospitals, Banjara Hills, succumbed to his disease.
“Perhaps this is the first day after the blasts that we are feeling little better,” Lakshmi says.
