“It was just another morning. My mom was happy when I told her that I would take her to work. When my dad was alive, he would drop her off to work. Now, it was me. I dropped her off and in the evening I went to pick her up.

We were riding along when a KSRTC bus hit our vehicle and both of us fell on the busy road. When I got up, my heart sank as I saw my mother lying ahead me. The same bus that hit me had dragged her almost six metres and was about to hit her in the head. My heart hammering, I ran with all my might and tried to scream but the sound was lost in the noise of the traffic around me. I banged on the bus with my bare hands. Then, somehow, the bus stopped. I looked at my mother and my heart wrenched when I saw her face and body covered in blood. She was still conscious and I could see that she was in unbearable pain. I managed to get an auto and, with the help of others, took her to the hospital. I was starting to feel weak in my knees but I told myself that I should be strong for my mother.

After my mother’s funeral, I came back to our flat with my family in a state of shock. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, and I couldn’t stop crying. But the hardest part was dealing with people’s questions. Everyone who came to see me wanted to know each and every detail of the accident. Even though they had read the reports in the newspapers and heard the details from other people, they wanted me to explain it over and over again. In the beginning , I cried uncontrollably each time I related what had happened. Later on, I was able to tell the story without showing much emotion. My friends were surprised when they saw me narrating the incident to people as though I were telling someone else's story. By this time I knew that there was no point in avoiding questions because people would want to know what happened. What made me feel awful were the questions from the people I didn’t expect them from - people such as friends and relatives who were very close to me. But I learned to be at peace with myself, because there was no one who could support me and cheer me up. I would have to do that for myself.

After this, I gained insight into people and their behaviour. I became a stronger person. I learned to cherish good relationships and friendships. I understood that there are very few people who will stand by you when you really need someone. An accident or heart attack can happen to anybody. It is best to live your life without regrets and ill feeling.”