Rewind: ‘Sometimes, I meet people who tell me I have been an inspiration, it feels good’

After the incident, Monika had underwent surgery for skin grafting and had been fitted with two pairs of prosthesis. Her mother Kavita says that the family as well as Monika are slowly getting used to the prosthetic limbs.

“We are waiting for her exams to finish. We will probably upgrade it to a lighter pair. But she will need physiotherapy and daily practice sessions, so we are waiting for her summer vacations,” says Kavita.

One pair of the prosthetic limbs were sponsored by Otto Bock, a German manufacturer. Kavita says that her daughter is still to get used to traveling in crowded modes of transport and hence travels to her college in an autorickshaw. Monika is pursuing her BCom from SNDT college in Ghatkopar, not far from where she lives.

Monika, who saw a lot of help and support pouring in from many, including other commuters, after her accident, says that even today she is recognised on the streets.

“Sometimes I meet people who tell me that I have been an inspiration to them. It feels good to be told that,” she says. Her family members say that though the accident has overturned their lives, her courage is making them handle each day as it comes.

Monika’s family members say that they are hopeful that the accident will make the railway authorities increase the height of suburban platforms on a war-footing. Both the Central and Western railway authorities have begun work on the dangerous gap between the platform and the train footboard, but many suburban railway stations still have the same.

The railways have begun announcements in local trains, alerting commuters about the gap. Monika’s accident had prompted the Bombay High Court to take suo-moto cognizance of the issue. In a hearing before the Bombay HC last month, the railway authorities were rapped for failing to increase height of all platforms. The court was informed that of a total of 144 platforms, the height of 64 had been increased. The work to raise the height of platforms up to 920 mm was to be completed by March 2015.