You are the ocean of forgiveness
Experience Of Vrushali Vanage, Kalwa
Time and place do not come in the way of Bapu’s help for a Shraddhavan in the times of crisis. At times, he acts in such a way that people who apparently are unknown to us, reach out to help us in difficult times. They run around and extend help as if they have know us for years. One tends to wonder if it is a mere coincidence. Well, when one reflects on it deeper, one realizes that it is an event orchestrated by none other than Bapu.
One tends to experience Bapu’s all-pervasive nature and his blessings every moment of the day. Well, I for one have realized that all of us who walk on the path shown to us by Bapu consider him our friend, philosopher, guide and much more.
On November 26, 2012, my son Varun was to leave for a picnic with friends to Goa. Since this meant riding a motorcycle, I had applied the Udi to it. Varun along with a friend stayed overnight in Pune on the day before and began his journey to Goa on the 26th, the next morning.
In the evening around 5-5:30, Varun called to tell me that he had met with an accident. He then handed over the phone to one of the nurses there. She not only gave me the address of the hospital but also provided an update on his health and wellbeing. He was admitted to Dr. Shah’s hospital in Islampur. Soon after, Varun’s friend called and informed me that he would be taking us with him to Islampur. We left that evening and travelled from Thane to Islampur.
On our way to Islampur, I called Pradipsinh, the Pramukh Sevak of Kharigaon and informed him about this incident. I requested him to inform Suchitdada about it. Pradipsinh informed the members of the Central Coordination & Communication Committee(CCCC). The CCCC later informed volunteers of the Islampur Kendra. Those volunteers immediately rushed to the hospital for help. They not only enquired about Varun’s health but also asked if we needed any additional help. Dr. Shah informed Pradipsinh that he had checked Varun and that his health was quite stable. He informed us about this status update and we felt much relieved. I had invoked Bapu before leaving home and requested him to intervene. Needless to say, before we could hear about this incident, Bapu had already begun His work on managing it.
Varun met with an accident at around 1:30 pm and Bapu had provided all the help he needed from then on. In fact, we got to hear about it after everything had stabilized around this situation. Soon after, we reached Islampur at around 2:30 am and got to know the details about the accident.
It so happened that Varun and his friend halted near Islampur at a Dhaba for food. They came in contact with a person named Salunkhe. After that Varun and his friend finalized on their next meeting spot and left that place. His friend went ahead on his motorcycle. While Varun was riding his motorcycle on the highway, all of a sudden an elderly gentleman came right in his way on a bicycle. Since the distance between Varun and the bicycle rider was little, he had very little time to apply the brakes and then there was an accident. He fell off the motorcycle and became unconscious. In the nick of time, Mr. Salunkhe reached the spot on his motorcycle and immediately recognized Varun’s vehicle. He halted there and removed Varun’s helmet. Since Varun had blood accumulated in his mouth, he was finding it hard to breathe. Mr Salunke removed his helmet, the blood drained out and then Varun could breathe normally.
Salunkhe then took Varun and the elderly gentleman to Dr. Shah’s hospital with some local help. Fortunately, the hospital had an ICCU. Dr. Shah performed a CT scan to gauge the seriousness of the situation and immediately began his treatment. Varun had a hairline fracture above his left eye and his lower jaw bone had fractured as well.
While leaving from Thane, I had called my daughter and my son-in-law who live in Pune. I requested them to reach Islampur ahead of our arrival. Now let's take a look at how Bapu turned the situation around with the help of a misunderstanding. Since my daughter had to leave all of a sudden, my son-in-law informed his office about this unexpected travel. His colleagues misconstrued it as him having met with an accident and therefore, they informed his boss. His boss immediately called and gave him a mobile number of one of his friends who resided at Islampur.
The Boss’ friend Rahul was the same age as that of my son-in-law. He himself reached the hospital in the morning. Upon his arrival, he understood the real situation and who the patient actually was. He then informed one of his seniors named Vikasbhau. Vikasbhau was the CEO of a group of companies and was also an active social worker. He himself reached the hospital at around 11 in the morning and met the concerned doctors, Varun and the relatives of the elderly gentleman. He then spoke to us and we aligned on an amount to treat the elderly gentleman. He himself deposited the amount in the hospital and handed over the receipt to us. He also obtained the No Objection Certificate from the relatives of that elderly gentleman.
Later in the evening, we took a leave of all those who helped us and brought Varun back to Thane for further treatment.
In the midst of all of this, I called Suchitdada at the clinic. Dr. Padelkar had received my call, collected all the information from me and then informed Suchitdada. Suchitdada informed us through Dr. Padelkar that everything would be alright. He further stated that there was no need to worry. He asked us to chant the Ramraksha. Subsequently, everything became alright in due course of time. In a place where we did not know anyone, to have found someone to help us is nothing short of a miracle that only my Bapu can perform! He had organized for all the help before the situation could arise and that is why Varun was saved. My Bapu is my true saviour.