Amritsar, April 20: A 40-year-old Nepal national, who had attempted suicide here, got a new lease of life at Pingalwara.
Raju got his left arm and leg fractured after he tried to end his life by jumping from the 25-ft-high Bhandari Bridge a few months back.
The passersby got him admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here. The hospital authorities refused to operate upon him as he had no attendant. On hospital authorities’ request, Pingalwara came to his rescue.
Raju underwent three operations at Pingalwara Hospital and is on way to recovery.
Col Darshan Singh Bawa, administrator of Pingalwara, said it would take him at least two more months to fully recover. “As and when we find his family, our caretakers will accompany him to unite him with his family,” he said.
Gulshan Ranjan, counsellor and social worker of Pingalwara, said Raju was dejected by constant failures in life, but after undergoing counselling, he wanted to live now.
At this prompt came the reaction from Raju. “Now I repent attempting to kill myself. I desperately miss my father, mother, brother and sister. I have approached an acquaintance in Nepal, but still awaiting the reply,” he said.
Coming from a humble background at Rukum in Nepal, Raju said after doing various jobs, he had finally ventured into a hotel business after completing his graduation in Kathmandu.
“I opened a hotel by the name of Green Apple, married my love and was looking to have a bright future,” he said.
The 2015 quake that hit Nepal shattered his dreams as this hotel was fully demolished. “I could not claim the insurance as my project was just nine months’ old and as per norms the least span should have been 12 months. I didn’t get a single penny as compensation from the Nepal Government. My wife deserted me and I went into depression,” he said.
Having no option, he moved to New Delhi, followed by Chandigarh, but lack of ID documents, except a Nepalese passport, prevented him from getting a job.
“In October 2017, I came to Amritsar and stayed at the Golden Temple. I ate langar and slept on the plaza while carrying on my struggle to find employment. All the money I had got consumed. I did petty jobs to make both ends meet, but life was too tough. Then one morning, I decided to die and jumped from the Bhandari Bridge,” he said.
However, Raju never forget to express his gratitude towards Pingalwara. “I was overwhelmed to read about the service it provided to the suffering humanity from the literature available at its kiosk at the Golden Temple plaza. But as I experienced it myself, I dedicate the rest of my life to Pingalwara only. Though, I have not thought about what would I do after getting fully recovered, but I would definitely volunteer to serve the patients of Pingalwara,” he said.
Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
