Grit and determination

By Pradeep Gupta

The terrorists may have brought death to more than 180 people, but there are those for whom the ordeal of living continues. They were so badly injured in the 26/11 attack that they have become handicapped and cannot run their families or even their own lives.
One of these victims is Appasaheb Maruti Patil (27), who was a private security guard at the Hotel Trident. More than 30 people were killed at the Hotel Trident Oberoi, some of whom were his colleagues. Lucky to be alive even after getting four bullets, and bravely saving so many lives, Patil is today without a job.
As the staff and guests fled towards the service exits, the terrorists, Fahad Ullah and Abdullah Rehman, anticipating that some would try to escape from that route, blocked that area and opened fire and killed those they could see. The survivors rushed and hid in the service room but were noticed by the killers who entered the place and began shooting at them.
A guest and two of Patil’s colleagues, Sarjirao Bhosale (27), and Wilson Mandlik (25), died where they were crouching.
In the continuous firing, Patil and another female staff member too got struck by bullets but miraculously survived. Patil was courageous enough to dial 100 to inform the police, but the line was constantly busy. He then called up his colleagues inside the hotel, telling them that he and a female staff member had been shot and needed help. With two bullets in the chest, one in the abdomen and one in his left hand, Patil remained in the ICU for almost a month.
After the incident, Patil’s employers, Monitorn G4S paid him Rs.5 lakh as compensation and also felicitated him with a bravery award. But being shot while on the job has left him handicapped and incapacitated. He was the only son and the only earning member of the family. With medical costs and daily household expenditures mounting, he wonders whether the terrorists made a mistake by not finishing him off.