i forgive

Santosh Andhale


It can't be easy to say 'let bygones be bygones' to a car-owner who's crashed his vehicle into you with such devastating effect that you were thrown off a flyover and fell nearly 50 feet down, on to the road. And even less easy if you've had an iron pipe go through your neck and exit from your belly during the fall.

But Mayuresh Pokhrankar, 29, the biker who miraculously survived a fall from the JJ flyover and who has just emerged from trauma, holds absolutely nothing against Bilal Khan (24) whose speeding car hit him on the night of May 18.

On Thursday, speaking for the first time since the pipe was removed from his body, Pokhrankar, who is recovering at JJ Hospital, told Mumbai Mirror, “I have told my family not to harass the driver of the car but to forgive him. The accident was destined to happen. He [Khan] had no control over the vehicle; he didn't do it on purpose. He is a nice fellow who touched my father's feet when he came to see me in hospital. He could have chosen not to come here once he got bail.” Khan, a Nagpada resident and an event organiser by profession, was arrested by Pydhonie police for rash driving on the night of the accident and is currently out on bail.

Though the 10-foot-long pipe has been removed from Pokhrankar’s body, his right leg has been fractured, he has several wounds all over his body, and he recoils in pain even when making small movements. “The pain is immense, especially in my right leg, and I have difficulty breathing as well,” he said. Doctors have given him nasal prongs to help him breathe.

However, instead of attributing guilt, Pokhrankar would rather thank those who helped. “Of course I remember every moment of the horrific experience, but more than that, I will always remember the goodness of the people at Mohammed Ali Road who rushed me to hospital,” he said with a smile.

If there’s any regret, it’s that The only regret is that he hasn’t met his mother since the accident.

Mayuresh Pokhrankar
“I wanted to see my mother’s face. But family members did not bring her to hospital because she is diabetic and would suffer a shock if she saw me in this condition. I’ve never been away from her for 10 days together. My father tells me she has been praying regularly at Siddhivinayak temple. She had stopped going to temple after my uncle died six years ago, but after my survival in this accident, her faith in God has been restored,” he said.

Trupti, Pokhrankar’s younger sister who was by his side in hospital, said her “Dada” was a braveheart, but their mother was very sensitive. “I hope Dada comes home walking so she feels fine,” Trupti, who works with Big Bazaar in Mulund, said. The Pokhrankars live in Chembur.

Pokhrankar worked with the Standard Chartered Bank for a few years and had recently joined a stock brokers’ firm. He was set to rejoin the bank again in May as the bank had offered him a job again.

Pokhrankar is a cricketer and has represented the bank in inter-office tournaments. “I hope after being discharged from hospital, I will be able to start practising again,” he said.

Mayuresh’s father Anant, 61, who is retired, just can’t stop thanking God and the doctors for saving his son’s life. “I didn’t go to a private hospital as they might have refused to admit Mayuresh; after all, his was a case of serious trauma. I am grateful to the doctors. They have done a marvellous job and saved my son,” he said.

Doctors too are relieved to have saved a life after a complex operation.

“The patient is now fine. He is out of trauma and is talking. We have done an MRI and CT scan for a detailed investigation. Now, Mayuresh just needs an orthopaedic surgeon to fix his right leg, which is fractured, so we will soon transfer him to the orthopaedic department. My unit head Dr M J Algotar and Dean M Sabnis guided me for treatment of the patient,” said Dr Satyajit Pathrikar, who operated upon Pokhrankar.

>> Read the car owner’s sense of remorse in our anniversary issue today
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