Melancholy and chaos clouded the King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital at Parel on Monday morning, as nurses - working and retired - queued up to bid their final goodbyes to Aruna Shanbaug, the former nurse who was under their care for the last four decades.
The tiny 4A ward at the hospital where Aruna was in a vegetative state for 42 years after being brutally raped in 1973, is revered by all the nursing staff.
Aruna became the face of the debate on euthanasia in the nation. More than a dozen nursing staff came out strong and opposed the writ petition filed by writer-activist Pinki Virani for the mercy killing on behalf of the petitioner (Shanbaug) under Article 32 of Constitution of India.
Remembering the time spent with Aruna, her friend and head nurse Anuradha Parade said, "She was the cornerstone of our nursing lives. We would take inspiration from her, her fight and her life. We would celebrate her birthdays, feed her fish curry and mango pulp which she liked."
Nurse Shanti tai, who would attend to Aruna's day-to-day activities also echoed similar sentiments and talks about bringing flowers for Aruna. "She would smile and nod her head, as she inhaled the fragrance of the flowers. Aruna was never a patient to us, but a family member, a sister, who is finally at rest."
Former Dean of KEM Dr Pradyna Pai recollected reading stories in Konkani and cracking jokes with the bed-ridden Aruna. "Konkani was her native tongue. I would read books and poems to her in the language, even crack a joke or two and help her relive her childhood memories through photographs." Dr Pai also remembers asking people queuing up to see Aruna to leave. "I would throw people out of the hospital, if they came to see Aruna as a tourist activity. We then banned outsiders from visiting her, as she would panic and tremble in the presence of men in her room."
The scene at the Bhoiwada crematorium is heavy with emotion, as tears roll down and eyes turn to the sky and the nurses bid Aruna a final goodbye.
