At the age of 23, I have had the good fortune of seeing the best in life and the misfortune of seeing the worst as well. I have just one aspiration in life: to have a family of my own. I have survived without a family for 15 long years, but not anymore. I feel a vacuum in my life. My life came to a standstill on the eve of Diwali in 2005. I was just eight years old when tragedy struck. I lost my father, mother and brother in the serial blasts in the national capital. My family was among the 48 people who lost their lives in the Sarojini Nagar market.
They had gone to the market to shop for Diwali. They had done most of their shopping when the bomb blast took place.
From that moment, my life changed. I spent years either in hospitals or in government offices fighting for one thing or the other. Living with ailing and old grandparents is another big challenge for me.
Soon after the tragedy, my family got many assurances from political parties, NGOs and business tycoons, but no one came forward when we needed them the most.
My school—Arwachin International School—was so supportive that as soon as they came to know about this tragedy they waived my fees for my entire schooling. This has saved a lot of money for my family and I will always be grateful and thankful to my principal and teachers for their support.
My grandmother Saleena cannot move around owing to her troubled knees, and grandfather Bhagwan Dass has undergone heart surgery and is not in the best of health.
The one thing I miss the most is my dance classes. Given a chance, I would love to rejoin, but due to my ongoing hotel management course and training at Hyderabad, I miss them. When I am in Hyderabad I always worry about the well-being of my grandparents as they are alone with my two dogs—Genie and Don. I also have six strays whom I and my grandfather feed on a daily basis.
The government has given Rs 7.5 lakh as compensation for the family and an additional Rs 3 lakh was given by the Delhi government. It took seven years to get the ex gratia amount announced by the government since the body of my father was not recovered and he was declared missing. I am 23 now and have so many expenses to meet, of my education and the health expenses of my grandparents, but I have no support from anyone.
Soon after the incident, our relatives deserted us and even the house in which we are living is under litigation. As of now, my future looks dark to me.
From the Rs 20,000 accumulative stipend I receive from the hotel now, I try to send Rs 10-12,000 every month to my grandparents so that their basic needs can be met. Though I want to get married, my primary concern is the welfare of my grandparents.
That is why whenever I get married I will make sure that my grandparents get due respect and a place in my would-be new family. I can’t leave them alone.
My grandparents are more concerned about my marriage than I am as they want me to settle down soon as their health is deteriorating. They say that I have suffered a lot all these years and now it’s time to live my life, which I have been missing, especially after 2005.
Honestly, I don’t have many memories of my father, mother and brother as I was just eight when the incident took place, and don’t remember many things. But for me now my whole focus is my grandparents, who have struggled a lot all these years for my upbringing.
Though I have lost all hope of getting any relief from the government, my grandparents hope that someday someone will show mercy on us and at least give me a government job and an accommodation to stay in peacefully.
Manisha Michael was barely eight when a bomb blast at Sarojini Nagar market in 2005 wiped out her family.
2005 serial blasts
Three explosions took place, in Paharganj, Sarojini Nagar, and Govindpuri on October 29, 2005, killing 62 people and injuring more than 200. The blasts were carried out by terrorist group LeT on Diwali eve.
A scooter packed with explosives went off in Paharganj. The blast at Govindpuri occurred in a bus that was carrying around 40 passengers.
The most lethal blast took place at Sarojini Nagar, where a vehicle with explosives blew up near an eatery. The explosion triggered more blasts as gas cylinders at nearby food stalls exploded.