"Hospital is in Wrong Place": Kunal Kohli's Diwali Nightmare
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli recalls a shocking encounter with residents bursting loud firecrackers outside a Mumbai hospital during a medical emergency.
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, known for directing the hit movie 'Hum Tum', has shared a distressing account of a lack of empathy shown by citizens during a medical emergency. While rushing his mother to the emergency room of Mumbai's Khar Hinduja Hospital on Diwali night, the director encountered a situation that left him shocked and appalled.
A Plea for Silence Ignored
As Kohli arrived at the medical facility, he noticed residents bursting loud firecrackers right outside the hospital gates. Understanding the critical need for a peaceful environment for recovering patients and the stress of those in emergency care, Kohli stepped forward to make a polite request. He asked the individuals to stop the loud celebrations, keeping the well-being of the patients and the medical staff in mind.
"We Have Been Here for 40 Years"
Instead of cooperation, the filmmaker was met with a defiant and dismissive response. According to Kohli, one of the residents retorted, "Hospital galat jagah pe hai—hum yahan 40 saal se hain" (The hospital is in the wrong place—we have been here for 40 years).
The encounter did not end with the verbal spat. Kohli alleges that despite his plea, the individual continued to burst loud firecrackers right outside the facility, showing a complete disregard for the medical emergency unfolding inside the building.
Taking the Fight to Social Media
Deeply disturbed by the experience, Kunal Kohli took to social media to highlight the incident. He tagged the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), raising questions about the legality and morality of such loud activities in the immediate vicinity of a hospital. He emphasized that patients, especially those in critical condition, require a quiet environment to recover and that such disturbances can be detrimental.
While the filmmaker shared the details of this confrontation, he chose to keep the specifics of his mother's medical condition private and did not provide an update on her current health status.
Mumbai Chokes Under Post-Diwali Smog
The incident comes amid a wider environmental crisis in the city. A day after the Diwali festivities, Mumbai woke up to a thick blanket of smog, particularly affecting the Kalanagar and Bandra areas. The air quality plummeted, leaving several parts of the city in a 'poor' category.
Air Quality Index (AQI) Breakdown:
- Kherwadi-Bandra East: 264 (Poor)
- Sewri: 226 (Poor)
- Ghatkopar: 221 (Poor)
- Chembur: 216 (Poor)
- Byculla: 193 (Moderate)
- Mindspace-Malad West: 191 (Moderate)
- Kandivali West: 187 (Moderate)
- Worli: 148 (Moderate)
- Kurla: 96 (Satisfactory)
According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 201 and 300 is categorized as 'poor', while 101 to 200 is considered 'moderate'. The hazy conditions across the city serve as a grim reminder of the impact of festive pollution on public health.