Forty-six-year-old Aspi Sepoy (pictured with family) who met with a railway accident at the Udvada railway station on September 14, 2017 is a resident of Ava Baug, Navsari. Whilst on his way from Udvada to Navsari, Sepoy fell from the railway platform under a train, with both his legs being severely damaged. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital at Valsad where doctors performed an emergency surgery and amputated both his legs below the knees.
He was shifted to The B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital in Bombay on September 16, 2017 for further treatment. Eminent orthopedic surgeon Dr Jamshed Bunshah performed further surgery on September 19. He will remain in the intensive care unit till the intermittent fever comes under control. He will thereafter be shifted to a room on the ground floor where he will have to stay for some more weeks till the healing takes place. To avoid infection, Sepoy will not be placed in the general ward, but in a separate room of the lowest denomination.
Bunshah has advised that at the time of fixing the artificial prosthetic legs, we should opt for the imported ones due to their durability. The cost of each artificial prosthetic leg is estimated to be in the region of five lakh rupees (USD 7,654), or 10 lakhs for both the legs.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, whilst the immediate need for hospitalization and prosthetics has been taken care of, additional support by way of funds for his rehabilitation are still very essential. These amounts will be capitalized and the interest paid to Sepoy for his future well-being as that for the education of his two sons.
A widower, having lost his wife around five years ago in tragic circumstances, he is the father of two boys who have been enrolled as boarders at the J. N. Petit Institute, Poona. Their education is being paid for by The WZO Trust from funds being contributed by the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao.
Sepoy is employed by the Foundation for Development of Udvada (FDU) as caretaker of the Zoroastrian Information Centre (Parsi Museum) at Udvada and earns a salary Rs 10,000 per month plus travelling expenses. (Dastur Khurshed Dastoor of Udvada and the undersigned along with a few others are trustees of FDU.)
Donations are requested for this very deserving cause. Cheques in the name of "The WZO Trust” should be mailed to The World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust, C-1, Hermes House, 3rd floor, Mama Parmanand Marg, Opera House, Bombay 400004. Donors contributing through The WZO Trust can avail of tax benefits u/s 80G of the Income Tax Act. Please mention PAN details in the covering letter.
Donors in India can also make remittances directly into our bank account as per the details given: Deutsche Bank; Branch Address: D. B. House, Hazarimal Somani Marg, Fort, Bombay 400001; Account title: The World Zoroastrian Organisation Trust; Account No: 400004259620019; Account type: Savings; IFSC Code: DEUT0784PBC. Donors making remittances directly into our bank account should inform us by way of a letter or an e-mail (admin@wzotrust.com), giving details of the remittance, their PAN, and address where the receipt has to be sent.
DINSHAW K. TAMBOLY
Chairman, WZO Trust Funds