Having survived the Century Bazaar blast, Dr Mukesh Doshi helps others survive similar circumstances.
On the day bustling Century Bazaar turned into a graveyard, Dr Mukesh Doshi, just 100 metres away from where the RDX-laden Commander Jeep went off, ran for cover.
But he never forgave himself for having left the scene. Not until he decided that it was never too late to redeem himself and lend a helping hand.
Doshi started working for the less fortunate - including the victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake as well as the July 11 serial train blasts. He now helps those who developed complications like inability to hear, limb-related problems and other health disorders through the Sree Bidada Sarvodaya Trust in Kutch where Doshi works as the director. Treatment and accommodation are free of cost for these patients.
Recounting the day of the blast, Doshi says, “Being a doctor I found myself completely helpless and preferred to move away from the site. But it instigated a lot of change in me and I realised that I was fortunate to have escaped unharmed.
And I deeply felt that I should have lent a helping hand to the injured.” On the ill-fated day, Doshi was near the NAB Workshop for the Blind, barely 100 metres away from the blast site. “Barely had I got into a cab that we heard a loud bang and within no time there was only blood and mutilated bodies around,” he added.
An Orthodontist with the Nanavati Hospital, Doshi says the trust tries to give a new lease of life to those affected by such life-altering circumstances. “Under the trust we have resolved to give long-term rehabilitation - through
physical therapy, occupational therapy, vocational training and speech and audiology,” he elaborated.
When asked about the accused Abdul Gani Turk being pronounced guilty by the special TADA court on Tuesday, he said that those responsible should be punished. “I feel the accused must be punished for ruining thousands of lives. But, it is for the court to decide who is guilty and award a sentence,” he said.
Although he is in favour of a suitable punishment for the guilty, he doesn’t advocate the death sentence.
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