26/11/2021
Who can forget her ?
This lady with nerves of steel is none other than Anjali Kanthe, a staff nurse at Cama and Albless Hospital for women and Children who was doing night shift from 8pm to 8am at the ante-natal care ward, where 20 pregnant women were due for their delivery.
However, the night of 26th November in 2008 changed drastically as two terrorists - one of them Ajmal Kasab - had entered the hospital premises. They shot two guards, who lay in a pool of blood at the entrance and injured a nurse.
Realising that they were climbing up to the first floor, Anjali jumped into action and shut the heavy double doors of the ward, sealing the room from harm.
She somehow managed to move the 20 pregnant women and some of their family members to the pantry at the far end of the ward and shifted the injured nurse to the casualty ward. She then made a call to the duty doctor to alert the police.
The building reverberated with every gr***de explosion as the terrorists exchanged fire from the terrace with the police force below the building.
Meanwhile, one of the two hypertensive women in the ward went into labour. Anjali with her quick thinking and timely action, shifted the patient to the delivery ward on the second floor and helped doctors deliver the baby in a quiet room, lit by only one tubelight.
After the terrorist attacks ended on November 28th, Anjali was summoned after a month to help identify Kasab, the lone terrorist survivor.. After initial reluctance, she agreed and recognised him.
She also testified against Kasab in the trial, wearing her nurse uniform and declaring that she derives her strength from the uniform.
A year after the attacks, she realised she had to live to look after her patients and keep them safe. She was in charge of them. But she couldn't forget the incident. For almost a month, even the slightest noise would disturb her and she would wake up with a start at night. She was counselled by the matron at the hospital, not given heavy cases or night shifts after the attacks.
What was commendable about her was the fact that when she was on duty, she didn’t for a moment panic, break down or feel scared. The patients were her responsibility and she had to care for them. So she behaved as the uniform demanded of her!
People idolize the wrong people. They find inspiration in cricketers, film stars and even politicians. People fail to recognize those who truly deserve the respect and recognition in our society. There are so many stories of courageous Indians who worked towards the betterment of the society but have remained untold and unheard by society. Their life is an inspiration for all of us and it’s time that we give them the recognition they deserve.
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
