In the Capital's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, 41-year-old Harish Kumar, a Delhi High Court blast victim recuperating at the Ortho-Trauma Centre, looks forward to picking up the threads of his life again.
“If God saved me, he must have a bigger target set for me in life. I should move towards achieving it,” says the Right to Information activist whose left leg was amputated from below the knee, the right in a cast and shrapnel wounds visible all over his body. Lying on a bed inside the trauma centre, the frail-looking man with a smile on his face is conspicuous because of the enthusiasm and zeal for life evident in his manners.
Mr. Kumar had gone to the High Court on the day of the blast for a hearing of his public interest litigation concerning the illegal design of sites allotted for open-to-sky and covered tehbazari (street vending) during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the name of “beautification”.
“When I regained consciousness [after the blast], four bodies lying on top of me,” he remembers. He called up his brother after being pulled out from under the heap, before hospital visits and medical procedures became a part of life for his family.
In spite of his injuries and pain, Mr. Kumar shows no signs of anger or regret and is only concerned about the backlog of cases that is accumulating because of his absence. “All my hearings are held up, and the longer I stay here, the more time I lose on the appeals I have filed,” he says, even as he explains the various stages through which his PIL has progressed: “There is a lot of pending work.”
His optimism has rubbed off on his family and well wishers too, as they wish for his speedy recovery. “My family is trying to forget the terrible accident and trying their best to help me recover,” he says. There is, of course, the fear and dread of crowded places borne of such tragedy that plagues his family, but the activist insists he harbours no such apprehensions.”
Mr. Kumar is satisfied with the medical treatment he has received so far and also the compensation awarded by the Union and State governments. “The treatment here has been even better than expected, the attendants are nice and there is no paucity of medicine or prayer,” he says.
His passion for rooting out corruption in the system and the belief that he can make a difference keep him going. “There is no point looking back,” he contends with the smile still in place.
Mr. Kumar feels that all blast survivors should be thankful a second chance at life: “Every one should move forward, for life has a better purpose in store for us.”
