German Bakery blast: ‘It took me 6 months to recover’

Among those injured in the German Bakery bomb blast is a Pune-based artist, Silvester Cordeiro. Though he did not receive any burn injuries, it took him almost six months to recover from the cuts and bruises and begin painting again.

Cordeiro, 36, a resident of Koregaon Park, was standing near a glass counter at the German Bakery when the bomb exploded. Due to the force of the blast, the counter shattered and glass splinters pierced his legs.

When contacted by DNA, Cordeiro recounted, “I was at the glass counter. After the blast, it was all broken. The huge sound deafened my ears. In a few seconds, everything went dark around me. I was unable to see anything. I also lost my slippers.

“While walking towards the entrance, my feet were bruised as
I had to walk on broken glass pieces. Both my legs and hands suffered cuts. I have 16 to 18 stitch marks on my legs and hands. I was fortunate not to suffer any burn injuries,” he said.

Despite the injuries, Cordeiro helped other victims. “Since I was conscious, I decided to help people stuck under the tables and debris. The scenario still haunts me. It was the experience of a lifetime. I do not wish to witness it again in my whole life,” he said.

He said, “I am an artist and paint for a living. The blast made it difficult for me to get back to normal life. I returned to painting after six months. For three months I meditated and relaxed, which helped me a lot. My hearing too was affected and normalised after months.”

“In the last one year, I did only one project of mural paintings
in Mumbai. Painting has given me a new lease of life. I now look forward to do more such projects,” said Cordeiro.

He said he will always miss German Bakery. His favourite items were masala tea, cinnamon rolls, vegetable chips and salad. “I am from Goa and came to Pune in 1999. Since then, I was a regular at German Bakery. I stuck to Pune because I liked Koregaon Park and especially this restaurant,” he said.