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As TV actor Habib Mithiborwala picks up the pieces of his life, he recounts his ordeal during the deluge last year when he was pronounced
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Memories of last year's deluge will haunt the city tomorrow. Yet, TV actor Habib Mithiborwala, who had a near-death experience last year and who is still recovering from paralysis, refuses to let the past disturb him.
"26/7 does not scare me," says the 24-year-old, who was popular as Nakul in the TV serial Remix.
Recounting last year's terrifying incident, he says, "I was stuck in traffic in my car at Juhu. I spoke to my dad around 8.30 pm. Then, I switched on the AC and music and put up my feet as some water had started coming inside the car.
That was the last I remember. After that I woke up in the morning at nine. I could not move. My body was stiff. Apparently, the AC gas had leaked. I somehow managed to open the door and fell out of the car. I fell unconscious by then. The next thing I faintly recall was that I was in hospital where I could hear somebody say he's dead. I was pronounced dead!"
Luckily, they soon realised he was alive and treatment began. "There was so much water and oil in my body that my organs failed. I was put on life support. Later, my family was told that my legs would have to be amputated if I had to survive. Luckily that was averted. I've been through 15 to 20 surgeries. 60 per cent of my muscle from my lower limbs has been removed. At one point, people felt I would never be able to walk again."
But Habib fought back. "I never give up. I went to my hometown Godhra and undertook arduous physiotherapy for many months."
Habib returned to Mumbai this March. "God saved me for a reason. Today, I swim, walk (with a slight quiver at times), I do everything like anybody else. Only, I can't stand at a point for more than five seconds. That's because I don't have sensation in my feet and almost till my ankles."
Life's been tough. The incident put an end to Habib's acting career, but he's hopeful.
"I know I'll be back soon. Just that some people in the industry still think I'm paralyzed and can't move. The entertainment industry is such that you are forgotten in no time." However, the fact that he was not replaced by another actor in Remix makes him happy.
"I may have lost out on a lot, but I've also gained so much. I've become more spiritual, I value things a lot more now. I know who my true friends are. I've got closer to my family," he says.
About the heavy rains that lashed the city last year, he says, "The authorities were not prepared for that kind of a deluge. But these things happen. We can't blame anyone for it. However, we can blame the government for not doing anything later. Did the affected really get compensated? Not a single official visited me. So, I'm not sure if others badly affected got any help at all."
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