Author: Nitasha Natu
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 14, 2008
Till July 11, 2006, Yogita Waghela believed
that she and her h u s b a n d Ashok had ove rc o m e all hardships. The couple
and their two school-going children had moved from a chawl to a posh highrise
in Dahisar after Ashok's chartered accountancy firm expanded. But after Ashok's
sudden death in the 7/11 train blasts, Yogita realised that she would have
to start all over again, literally from scratch.
"I had never taken up a job before and
knew nothing about Mumbai roads since I hailed from Jalgaon. But after my
husband's death, my children and ailing in-laws were completely dependent
on me. We had taken loans for our Dahisar apartment and my brother-in-law's
new house, and installments had to be paid. So, I did the most painful thing-wound
up Ashok's business and sold off the office,'' Yogita told TOI on her husband's
second death anniversary.
Ashok was returning home after meeting his
client, builder Durlabhji Soni from Walkeshwar, when he was killed in the
serial blasts at Khar two years ago. Incidentally, Soni who was like a father
figure to Ashok, also passed away on the same date this year.
"For the first few months after my husband's
death, I was so numb with shock that I couldn't step out of my house. Then
I realised that I couldn't give up for the sake of my kids,'' Yogita said.
After toying with the idea of starting a creche,
she eventually took up an AMFI certified course on mutual fund investments
and another on life insurance to start her own consultancy. "Most times,
I have to work from home as there is housework to do and I have to help my
children with their studies,'' she says.
Her son, Kewal, is in Std X while her daughter,
Shradha, is in Std VI. "The two were very close to their father and for
a few months after his death, their scores at school dipped. But they have
matured tremendously in the last two years. Not once have they asked why was
it that their father was affected in the blast. Kewal is now studying to be
a chartered accountant, just like Ashok,'' she said, with tears in her eyes.
There are times when Yogita feels lonely and
disheartened, and going out for work irks her. "I then meet some of my
close friends and talk to them for hours. It's therapeutic,'' she says. Yogita's
in-laws say she is like a daughter to them. "Not for one moment can we
forget Ashok. Our sole aim for living now is to be with Yogita and our grandchildren,''
they said.
- nitasha.natu@timesgroup.com
