Wanted to move out of lane where bullet hit him,help arrived

Ramchandran Nair,31,sells eggs today,earning Rs 10,000 a month in a wholesale business.

Ramchandran Nair,31,sells eggs today,earning Rs 10,000 a month in a wholesale business. Nair,one of the survivors from 26/11,today thanks Ratan Tata for a second lease of life. That night,Nair was shutting his snacks store near Cafe Leopold when a bullet hit his right thigh. There was a noise from someplace near. I didnt waste time and started to shut my stall,but the bullet reached me first. A red blob appeared on my right leg and I rushed inside my stall and waited till the gunshots had faded, says Nair,whose treatment at J J Hospital was funded by the government for over three months.

In the days that followed,I wanted to move out of that Colaba lane. I started to look for a new business and a new address. I found a shop at Fort and started saving to rent it. Then,a few persons from the Tata Trust approached me, says Nair.

At my old stall,many people would walk up to me and promise me money and support. After a point I got tired of such people. When that afternoon this man approached me a second time,I thought he would leave soon. But he persisted and seemed to have all information on me.

Story continues below this ad

The visits continued over the weeks,Nair says,and finally his seniors met me and asked me to show the new property where I wanted to move in. Once that happened,they asked me if I wanted to renovate the place,what entrepreneurship I had in mind. After some discussion,I decided on a cold storage and wholesale egg shop; they suggested some interior ideas. They asked me if I wanted money for renovation. After I shyly agreed,Rs 95,000 arrived in installments.

In the next six months,the promised steady amounts of Rs 8,000 arrived,helping him find his feet. The business will take some time before I make more inroads. What I find interesting is they never doubted my efforts and dream. For now this is good; much,much better than what I used to earn. The sound of that night still disturbs me when I think about it,but for now I am glad the Tatas found me, he says.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram