'Whenever I see a cycle parked for long, I get scared'

The sight of a bicycle near his shop still stirs alarm in the heart of Om Prakash (54). It takes him back to a blazing evening of May 13, 2008, when eight blasts shook the city, killing 80 and leaving over 170 wounded.
"I still have six shrapnels inside my body. A lot of blood was lost, so doctors could not do anything. I can still show where each shrapnel is lodged," he said.
Prakash has been selling flowers at Phool Walon ka Khandha at Chhoti Chaupar near Kotwali police station for three decades now.
There are over a dozen makeshift flower shops at the spot where scores of devotees still line up on Tuesday evenings to purchase garlands before going to different Hanuman temples around Walled City.
That fateful evening Prakash was swiftly rolling flowers and garlands into papers for devotees. "I heard a loud explosion. I first thought that someone must have lit a really loud firecracker at a wedding. A few seconds later I saw a bicycle near my shop explode," he said. The deafening explosion tossed the bicycle to about six feet into the air. "A tree went up in flames. I could barely hear anything. Glasses of shops across the streets were smashed," he said, adding that he was taken to the hospital and managed to survive.
Prakash said he gets really suspicious when someone leaves a bicycle for a long time. In fact, all eight blasts were carried out by the accused who packed explosives in containers and strapped them onto bicycles.
Talking to TOI, Prakash said the lives of people were torn apart by terrorists. "Abhi bhi dar sa lagta hai (I still fear a sense of fear)," he said.
If blasts left an open wound, the high court's ruling to acquit four persons on death row for blasts, rubbed salt into it. "Bahut galat hua ( it was bad), kya kahu (what can I say)," he said, adding that he returned to his shop after spending several days in the hospital.
"One has to earn to live, and despite all the fears, I need to work to earn," he said.
Fear still stalks Sanjay (40), who sells flowers and garlands alongside a pavement near Chandpole Hanuman Temple. "I cannot forget that day even If I want to. I was sitting with my uncle when the explosion took place," he said.