Nurses celebrate Aruna Shanbaug’s 63rd birthday

Life came full circle for Suman Bhosale as she took over as matron of KEM Hospital on Wednesday, which also happened to be Aruna Shanbaug’s 63rd birthday.

Back in 1973, as a second-year nursing student at the same hospital, Bhosale remembers Aruna Shanbaug as a very beautiful woman whom she idolised. Talking about the sexual assault on Shanbaug, she said, “I was a second-year nursing student when the incident happened. Nobody knew what was going on. There was high security. I only came to know the next morning when my father read the newspaper and informed me.”

On Wednesday morning, the nursing staff, along with the dean Dr Sanjay Oak, had a cake-cutting ceremony for Shanbaug. “We gave her fish curry and fish fry as she loves it. This year, since the court gave a decision in our favour, we decided to celebrate in a big way,” said Bhosale who has taken personal care of Shanbaug during her days as a nurse.

While the nurses celebrated Shanbaug’s birthday like they do every year, her family preferred to stay away. “After the court ruling, I thought someone from her family may turn up to see her but nobody did. In my tenure, I will ensure she continues to get the warmth and care that she has been getting all these years,” said Bhosale.

Shanbaug recently received a brand-new air cooler for her room from the nursing welfare society of the hospital.