54-year-old Chithra has a forlorn look on her face. Sitting on the floor of a busy private hospital in Coimbatore, her thoughts are all with her daughter Rajeswari, who is in the Intensive Care of Unit (ICU). Rajeswari, also known as Anuradha among her family members and friends, was grievously injured on Monday after a lorry ran over both her legs in an accident. Rajeswari’s left leg has now been amputated at the knee.
Rajeswari, 30, was on her way to work on Monday morning, when the accident happened. Though there are witnesses who allege that she was trying to avoid a flagpole erected by the AIADMK when she lost balance and fell on the road, the FIR registered after her accident says that the lorry driver was driving in a rash manner. The police have also stated that there are no CCTV camera footage of the accident despite the spot being a busy stretch on an arterial road in the city.
Rajeswari, who has not regained her consciousness since the accident, is the only daughter of Naganathan and Chithra, who live in Singanallur. A BBA graduate, she recently moved to Coimbatore to live with her parents and joined Hotel Gokulam Park as an Accounts Assistant a few weeks ago. Her decision to move back to Coimbatore from Chennai was due to the dire financial situation of Rajeswari’s family. You can help Rajeswari and her family here.
“She is their only source of income. Rajeswari’s father retired a few years ago since he himself has health issues. Her mother is a homemaker and the family was solely dependent on her income alone. Now we are not sure what is the way forward,” Rajeswari’s aunt Bala says. Bala is one of the few people who have been standing strong beside Rajeswari’s parents Chithra and Naganathan, as they try to come to terms with their daughter’s accident and the mounting hospital expenses for the multiple surgeries on Rajeswari’s left leg.
Family seeks help
“She was a vibrant and determined woman. She wanted to support her family and that is why she left her job in Chennai and moved back to Coimbatore,” says another relative, on the condition of anonymity. Adding that Rajeswari’s sibling had died when he was 12 years old, the relative says, “No parents should undergo this fate, ever. They have already lost a lot in their lives. It is not fair.”
While the controversy around the accident refuses to die down, Rajeswari’s family seeks help in funding the medical expenses incurred to save Rajeswari’s life.
“Please help us get our daughter back fully. She is our only hope,” Chithra says, breaking down. Rajeswari’s father has not spoken a word since the accident. Walking up and down the corridor just outside the ICU of the hospital, he puts up a brave face in front of his wife.
“Anuradha is a quiet girl. She mingles well with people whom she knows and is not very talkative. It is shocking to see her like this,” says Bala.
You can help Rajeswari and her family here.