“Memories can be vile”, and it’s true for a few St Ann’s High School students who can’t let go of a harrowing incident that took place on campus in 1999.
On a cold November evening, students and parents attended the school’s annual day celebrations in Secunderabad. As part of the programme, a van full of 11-year-old students made their way to the centre of the field.
What was supposed to be an adorable sight of little kids dressed in Santa costumes waving at the crowd soon turned into a scene out of a horror movie.
“Someone with zilch foresight came up with the idea of giving those children lit (Diwali) sparklers. One kid brought the sparkler into the (matador) van, from her window. And in that van were at least a dozen children,” wrote Archana Suresh, a city-based author, in her recent social media post.
“Few minutes later, someone opened the door of the vehicle and each kid that tumbled out was on fire. In that van was my sister — Asheta Suresh.
Hundreds of parents and siblings sitting as spectators, watched in horror... many of us were unable to fathom what was happening,” wrote Archana.
Reminiscing about the past, Asheta talks about the incident that changed everybody’s lives and forced her to live inside a shell where she was insecure about her scars — she suffered 18 per cent burns on her legs that also threatened her ability to walk.
“I got burnt right behind the knee, which made it difficult for me to walk and I was bedridden for three months,” says Asheta, who also had to give up running. “It took a long while to heal, and the thing with burns is that they have a long-lasting impact. Even now, if I stand for a long time, my scars start to itch.”
Having gone viral on social media, people can’t stop lauding the bravery of students, who have not only made peace with their demons but have also moved ahead in life.
“This post is dedicated to many like Asheta, who despite the accident that nearly robbed them of their childhood wear those scars with pride. When she’s not looking gorgeous, Asheta, a power yoga instructor, helps people in Hyderabad stay fit,” wrote Archana.
She then went on to share names of other students who were in the same bus and have achieved success in their lives. “Kanika Kumar, another friend of Asheta’s, gives talks across the globe. Aniesha Rao, you are wished a ton of happiness on your wedding! Sania Biabani has moved to the US to do bachelors in nutritional sciences".
"Sanjana Jagan is a knowledge manager in Bengaluru and has a little daughter. Supriya Dass has a degree in Occupational Therapy from Florida, US. She says, ‘I am an occupational therapist in the US.
"I worked on the burn, ICU for three years and dealt with children and adult burns survivors. I go to a camp every year now for kids surviving burns as an adult counsellor or survivor empowering other young adults to make perceived weaknesses their strengths!’”
