Bulldozed his way

"Dare you,” she remembers threatening the bull from getting closer to her. But apparently the animal did not sense any danger from 44-year-old Rashna Variawa’s intimidating voice and continued to come charging towards her. Taking flight she ran as fast as her 85-kg frame would allow her but enjoying the game the bull followed her and butting his head into her back threw her off balance, trampled over her right leg and then walked away. After that the traumatized Variawa blacked out.

Rashna with her 18-year-old daughter Fernaz and 14-year-old son Jazeel had alighted from a taxi and were heading towards St Andrew’s Auditorium at Bandra to perform at Shiamak Davar’s summer funk fiesta on May 29, 2005 when the showdown occurred on the approach road leading to the theater. Spotting the bull drawn to another youngster in red walking ahead of her, Rashna tried to alert her but in the process succeeded in diverting the bull’s attention to her own shimmering costume, relates Rashid Bamanbehram in his account of the mishap. For a while Shiamak Davar’s staff members tried to comfort her until her husband Bhikhu who was summoned to the scene took her to the B. D. Petit Parsee General Hospital where Dr Jamshed Bunshah arrived posthaste, despite it being a Sunday, to operate on the leg below the knee joint.

R. Variawa: floored

Considering that Rashna had a solo part to perform in the concert (despite her size she has the necessary grace and the tutors at the class would joke that when she dances her kamra (room) sized waist turns into a kamar, she jokes), at the penultimate hour Fernaz was asked to learn the dance steps and fill in for her mother. The last minute chaos and confusion notwithstanding, the fact that Fernaz won the best performer’s award fills the mother with pride.

For three months Rashna has been advised total bed rest, not even permitted to turn on her sides. Facing this predicament at a time when Bhikhu who works for the Taj Group has just been transferred to Jodhpur, the timing could not have been worse. With her back sore and her mobility hampered she fears her 85-kg weight may increase to 95 kg! Working as a beautician from her residence at the Dadar Parsi Colony, Rashna says she enjoyed a hectic schedule and clients would expect her to accommodate them even in the late hours of the night. In fact she was currently undergoing a special course in hairdressing to update her knowledge, she rues, waiting for this three-month ordeal to end.