‘Addiction claimed our only pillars of strength’
By Gitanjali Das and Ankita Bhatkande
Families of those who died in the Malwani hooch tragedy battle impending poverty.
Four days after the Malwani hooch tragedy in Malad that has claimed 97 lives so far, griefstricken relatives of those who lost their lives are now having to contend with having lost the family’s sole breadwinner.
Their son Sachin recently passed his SSC exams, but is now planning to work instead of studying further. “I cannot afford his future education. My husband has left us in a dire state for Rs 10 worth of alcohol,” Pramila said, adding she is now planning to work as a domestic help to make ends meet.
Just a few homes away stayed Prabhakar Jadhav, a Class IV employee with BMC’s garbage and waste department at P ward (Malad). “His job involved cleaning open sewage pipes and choked gutters. He always complained of a headache from the stench, and often took to drinking after work,” said his wife, Priti.
Priti has four children -- two sons and daughters each to look after and educate. Her youngest daughter Prachi was at home on Thursday when her father complained of chest pain and difficulty in breathing.
“He went to the hospital with a friend the next morning and was directly admitted in ICU as his condition worsened in a few hours,” said his brother Ravindra Jadhav, who shifted him to Nair hospital on Friday as the city was flooded.
“It was hell for us. There was waist deep water outside the hospital and we sat the whole day in the hospital, completely drenched”, he added.
Jadhav lived with his two brothers and their wives in the lane adjoining Inas Wadi. A rag picker by day and a daily wage earner at a bangle company in Malad, he was the family’s financial backbone. He would come home drunk almost every day.
“We were tired of telling him to stop drinking and now we have to bear the brunt of all this. His wife died of a cardiac arrest in 2008. He used to abuse her all the time and always created a ruckus,” said Sangita, his sister in law.
Suresh was admitted to the ICU unit of Shatabdi hospital on Friday night and died the next afternoon. He went into coma and did not talk to any of us, said one of his friends from the locality.
“Ma, I do not want to die.” These were the last words Obrie Joe Rodrigues, 40, said before he died at Nair Hospital on Friday. His 80-year-old mother has not spoken a word since he was taken to the hospital.
“Before he left, he told a relative to take care of her till he gets back,” said his widow Selly. "He drank regularly but knew his limits. It was not the alcohol that killed him. It was the poison in it. On Thursday night, he started vomiting and kept begging for water. He said he could not see and his insides were burning,” she added.
“I have lost my father and my life will never be the same without him. We have informed the police about who is behind this racket. They must catch the culprits who are still running free. I do not want others to suffer the same fate. If this goes unchecked, the sale will start again in a few months,” said Oreste, daughter of security guard George Perriera, 61.
Families of those who died in the Malwani hooch tragedy battle impending poverty.
Four days after the Malwani hooch tragedy in Malad that has claimed 97 lives so far, griefstricken relatives of those who lost their lives are now having to contend with having lost the family’s sole breadwinner.
Pramila Shelar, the wife of victim Subhash Shelar who was working as a security guard at Malad’s Giridhar Park Residency, said, “He was an occasional drinker but never drank during work hours. He had taken Rs 3 lakh in loans for our daughters’ weddings. We are scared about the future now, as we’re getting getting calls demanding repayment.”
Their son Sachin recently passed his SSC exams, but is now planning to work instead of studying further. “I cannot afford his future education. My husband has left us in a dire state for Rs 10 worth of alcohol,” Pramila said, adding she is now planning to work as a domestic help to make ends meet.
Just a few homes away stayed Prabhakar Jadhav, a Class IV employee with BMC’s garbage and waste department at P ward (Malad). “His job involved cleaning open sewage pipes and choked gutters. He always complained of a headache from the stench, and often took to drinking after work,” said his wife, Priti.
Priti has four children -- two sons and daughters each to look after and educate. Her youngest daughter Prachi was at home on Thursday when her father complained of chest pain and difficulty in breathing.
“He went to the hospital with a friend the next morning and was directly admitted in ICU as his condition worsened in a few hours,” said his brother Ravindra Jadhav, who shifted him to Nair hospital on Friday as the city was flooded.
“It was hell for us. There was waist deep water outside the hospital and we sat the whole day in the hospital, completely drenched”, he added.
Jadhav lived with his two brothers and their wives in the lane adjoining Inas Wadi. A rag picker by day and a daily wage earner at a bangle company in Malad, he was the family’s financial backbone. He would come home drunk almost every day.
“We were tired of telling him to stop drinking and now we have to bear the brunt of all this. His wife died of a cardiac arrest in 2008. He used to abuse her all the time and always created a ruckus,” said Sangita, his sister in law.
Suresh was admitted to the ICU unit of Shatabdi hospital on Friday night and died the next afternoon. He went into coma and did not talk to any of us, said one of his friends from the locality.
“Ma, I do not want to die.” These were the last words Obrie Joe Rodrigues, 40, said before he died at Nair Hospital on Friday. His 80-year-old mother has not spoken a word since he was taken to the hospital.
“Before he left, he told a relative to take care of her till he gets back,” said his widow Selly. "He drank regularly but knew his limits. It was not the alcohol that killed him. It was the poison in it. On Thursday night, he started vomiting and kept begging for water. He said he could not see and his insides were burning,” she added.
“I have lost my father and my life will never be the same without him. We have informed the police about who is behind this racket. They must catch the culprits who are still running free. I do not want others to suffer the same fate. If this goes unchecked, the sale will start again in a few months,” said Oreste, daughter of security guard George Perriera, 61.
