Tarun Kumar feels his wife Sheena would have been alive if their neighbors were a little more helpful. Here’s his tragic story.
Nishat Parveen Sherwani, lovingly known as Sheena, a resident of A-69, meant everything to her physically-challenged son. On the fateful evening of May 30, she was as usual busy making “samosas” for her son when the cooking oil she had left on the stove unattended began to flare up, quickly filling the kitchen with smoke and spreading throughout the house. Before she could rush to prevent further damage she had inhaled a significant amount of smoke, triggering a severe asthma.
In a desperate bid to survive, Sheena ran to her bedroom for her oxygen supply. Finding the cylinder empty, she staggered outside, seeking help from neighbours to get to Kailash Hospital, just 200 meters away. Unfortunately, she received “no timely’’ help and had to lose her life. Tarun Kumar, Sheena’s husband, is still in a state of shock and can’t believe what had happened on that day, as he said, “I was in Europe on a business trip when this tragic accident took place. I sometimes fail to believe as to why neighbors didn’t come forward to help when she was in desperate need. Unfortunately, Sheena’s elder sister, who stays on the first floor of the house, was out of the house and she took charge of the situation after coming back. She is the one who took care of her mortal remains.”
Kumar informed Samvada that Sheena was undergoing depression and had this tendency to forget things at times: the reason why she forgot to turn off the stove that day. “She was depressed because it’s for the first time in 37 years she was separated from me since 2018 when we had shifted to India from Africa. If that was not enough, she had been struggling with the high-pollution levels caused by ongoing construction work, which had significantly affected her health in recent months,” he pointed out.
Remembering her as one “pious” soul, Kumar said that Sheena had only love to offer to everyone. “Sheena’s life revolved around our son and now I don’t know how we will manage without her,” he put it, with pain in his voice.
When asked if timely medical intervention could have saved her life, Kumar opined, “Yes, definitely. I suggest that everyone should learn basic first-aid so that we can help each other in case of emergencies. That’s one thing different RWAs could encourage by organizing events/information related to various first-aid techniques mainly CPR.”
The second advice Kumar has to offer to all RWAs and people in general is “to be more compassionate”. “What are we running after? I never felt this kind of indifference and callous attitude of people in Africa. I feel as if I am living in a foreign country. Since the day of the accident only one person has come to pay the condolences. I am managing alone everything without any support. Where is humanity?” he asked.
Kumar plans to shift back to Africa soon with his son as he feels “he might be able to take better care of him there.” “At least, I will not be judged on the basis of religion or any other factor. Also, I will have more compassionate and loving people around me,” he concluded, hoping for better things ahead.
Sheena
