Certificates, rare books, pictures, trophies and scripts, all turned to ashes. There are some losses that veteran theatre artiste V.K. Sharma will have to learn to live with, but the help and support he has received in the past few days have been precious, says Mr. Sharma.
Ever since his rented flat in Ajanta Apartments went up in flames during the gory murder of his neighbour Ravindra Matta on January 8, financial and emotional support have poured in from all quarters. Only two days ago, a group of alumni from National School of Drama started an online campaign for Mr. Sharma, and so far a modest amount of ₹1 lakh has been collected.
Even that is enough, says Mr. Sharma, whose estimated loss of furniture and other belongings in the arson was nearly ₹25 lakh.
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New address
The 66-year-old national award winning actor lost a lifetime of memories, preserved in the form of awards and certificates, when his neighbour’s son Rahul Matta set his flat afire after killing his father, following a dispute over property.
“The support that I have received is overwhelming. I am thankful for all those who have helped me in my hour of need. We spent the first few days at a friend’s house in Indirapuram. Later, Ashimu Azad, who owns a flat in Ajanta Apartments, allowed me and my wife to stay there. Now, another friend, Arshia Sethi, has offered me her house in Panchsheel Enclave for a year,” says Mr. Sharma.
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He says his neighbours in Ajanta Apartments have also collected ₹1.9 lakh, and parents of some children in schools where his troupe Khilona has performed have also made little contributions.
“Money has its own usage and one cannot do without it, but the amount that I have from the donations and my own savings will be able to pull me through for a while. I want to thank those who have donated so far, but humbly appeal to those who have been considering to contribute in the future that they need not do so,” says Mr. Sharma.
Monetary help
Amitabh Shrivastava, a dramatist at NSD, which is his and Mr. Sharma’s alma mater (both completed their course in 1979), said the idea to appeal for monetary help was the brainchild of a fellow alumunus and a meeting was helped.
“Initially, we thought that we would help VK and his wife Kiran in setting up a new home. But we realised that many people were donating the same set of household items. So he had a pile of mattresses and a collection of gas stoves but no utensils to cook. We also realised that the couple and their son would like to build a new house the way they like it and buy furniture and other articles of their own choice. Then we composed a message and shared it on our WhatsApp group which has nearly 250 members,” said Mr. Shrivastav.
The message was also posted on Facebook on January 16 and shared repeatedly, and the donations kept flowing into Mr. Sharma’s account. .
Meeting with God
This is how he recounts that fateful afternoon: “It so happened that one fine Sunday, God went out for a walk. On the way, he met me and asked ‘VK, you have three options, Jaan chahiye, jahan chaahiye ya samaan chahiye ' (You want life, the world or material things)’. My reply was I would want life because the other two would remain with me in that case. And when everything was burnt to ashes, he asked me, ‘Will you be able to rise like a phoenix?’ My reply was yes as long as the love I have received from those around me remains with me.”
The developments after the incident has only firmed his belief that his wish has been granted.