Mumbai: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday visited Sion Hospital to meet those injured in Tuesday's serial blasts, school teacher Balkrishna Patkar rose to salute his leader, choking back tears as he narrated the horrors of 7/11.
"I told the Prime Minister that this is all part of life, these difficulties come and go, but we have to face them and move on. There is no sense in blaming anyone, either the Government or the Railways," said Patkar, who suffered head injuries in the blast at Mahim.
"I am privileged that my country's leader came to see me, rather than me going to see him. I am honoured," Patkar said.
This primary school teacher from Thane district was on his way to a temple in Jogeshwari on the occasion of Guru Poornima when a bomb ripped through the compartment next to his at Mahim station, where one of the seven blasts occurred.
While Patkar was happy that Singh was patient enough to give each victim a hearing, he did have a grouse with politicians who visit the hospital in a steady stream.
"They enter the wards with shoes on, and so do their associates, in spite of the fact that this may cause infection endangering lives. Also patients who are in a bad shape can't sit up again and again to answer queries," he said.
"I am ok because I only have head injuries, but it is not the same with others."
Patkar's courage comes across clearly when he narrates his experiences in the first few hours after the blast.
"There were no anaesthetics available and I needed stitches in my head. I told the doctor to make the sutures without anaesthetics. It was a matter of minutes and there was no point in waiting," he said with a smile.
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