Prayer on their lips, 35 blind survived

Prayer on their lips, 35 blind survived
SHEFALI NAUTIYAL

AHMEDABAD, FEBRUARY 8: When the earthquake stole the ground beneath Bachau's feet on January 26, 60 residents of the Korshibapa Home for the Aged Blind were celebrating the institute's 25th birthday. As it turned out, 17 died that day, but in one of those miracles that doggedly emerges from the rubble, 35 of them lived.

The 35 were ensconced in the prayer hall humming bhajans when the quake struck. Unable to run, unaware of what was happening, they stayed put. Fortunately for them, the ceiling didn't crumble.

News from the Epicentre

» Full coverage of the Gujarat earthquake
» Donate online for relief

Others who ran towards the exit were trapped under the rubble. ``We found 17 bodies, but 40 are still missing. The 35 who survived have been shifted to our sister trust in Junagadh as the Bhachau institute has collapsed,'' Tarak Luhar, development officer and principal of a primary school at the Blind People's Association (BPA) in Ahmedabad, said. The BPA is the patron of the Bachau home.

``The visually impaired at the Bhachau institute were very old and spent their days praying. When the quake struck, they could not run out owing to their disability,'' said Luhar, himself visually impaired, said.

``Bhajans are held everyday between 8 and 9 am. That day, we suddenly heard something that sounded like a goods train. The wall clock crashed and chairs around us fell. Scared, some of us began shouting and gathered in the centre of the hall,'' said 69-year-old Amrutbhai, one of the survivors. His entire family perished in the aftermath.

``When the earth stopped shaking, we tried to come down but found that the stairs were broken. We somehow managed, but our hostel, kitchen, everything had crumbled. In 15 minutes, everything was over,'' he added.

The residents at the home literally felt the wrath of the quake. They didn't see the ceiling fans moving, the tables and utensils rattling and the buildings moving, but they felt the quake beneath their feet.

``It was like when a train passes by. Then we heard a sound like crackling. We had read about earthquakes in our texts and realised this was one. As the tremors increased, we shouted and asked everybody to gather at the centre of the premises, which is an open space,'' said Daamjibhai, a visually impaired instructor at the BPA's technical school in Ahmedebad.

In fact, Amit and Ranjit, students of Class X, didn't realise what was going on. ``I thought I was shivering because of the cold. Seconds later, I realised it was an earthquake and thought I would die,'' said Amit.

Nobody realised the enormity of the event and proceeded with the Republic Day programme. ``We are probably the only institute in Ahmedabad that hoisted the flag after the quake. Later, we heard fire brigade sirens outside and then the news on TV and radio. That's when we realised the extent of damage,'' Luhar said.

Post-quake, fear has gripped many of the residents. Daamjibhai lives in a four-storeyed building that's more than 25 years old. ``I am scared of another quake and I keep feeling the vibrations. We are super-senstive and even slight tremors scare us,'' he said.

The BPA plans to construct at least one building in Bhachau by the end of this year. ``We are sending wheelchairs, crutches, cervical belts, walkers and other equipment to Kutch. We have also collected Rs 95,000 and have government funding as well,'' J.B. Kavi, principal of the BPA secondary school, said.