One year ago, on Maha Shivaratri — March 8, 2024 — I had a brain stroke.
I was in Faridabad.
We were supposed to deck the hall for Maha Shivaratri celebrations.
I woke up at 4:30 am for my sadhana. Finished by 5:45 am.
Then walked into the kitchen for coffee.

That’s when it happened.
Sudden. No warning.
No one was around.
I blacked out. Regained consciousness. Blacked out again.

I was aware… but couldn’t move or speak.

At 8 am, help arrived.
MG was called. She informed the others.
I was drifting — in and out of consciousness.

My sadhana friends were the first to arrive.

I wanted to speak. I tried.
The words would form in my mind — and then evaporate before they could reach my lips.

I was rushed to the hospital.
KV looked stricken.
MS and RS were shocked.
I wanted to yell, “I am okay!” — but the words didn’t come.

ICU.
Two and a half days unconscious.
JD and SC — my brother and sister-in-law — and SK — waiting outside.
Later, I found out it had been “touch and go.”

SR was moving cities but rushed back to Faridabad.
ABG stayed at the hospital until my brother arrived — missing Maha Shivaratri celebrations at the Sadhana Centre.

SKs and the Sadhaks, SK and SR, JD and SC…
I owe them my life.

When I woke up, I couldn’t speak.
The only words I could say were:
“Yes.”
“Fuck.”
“Cookie.”

The dominant emotion I felt?
Amusement.

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I have aphasia — a condition where a person struggles with language: speaking, understanding, reading, or writing.
I could still understand and read, but not speak or write properly.
(And yes — I remembered my UPI password. Small victories.)

Doctors said my blood pressure wasn’t excessive.
They said the 3rd COVID vaccine might have triggered the stroke.
I don’t know why it happened.
But it did.

The right side of my body was affected.
It felt like my brain had short-circuited.

I was discharged from the hospital on March 21.

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Friends

I lucked out with my friends.
SKs and the Sadhaks.
SK and SR.

JD and SC.
KS & SL. GD.

I struck gold.

They wrapped me in a cloak of empathy, love, support, humour —
and good old-fashioned kicks in the arse when needed. !

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I returned to Pune on March 31.
Started speech and physical therapy.

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Divine Grace — my Appa spoke about it many times.
I used to laugh and say, “Luck.”
He would smile and retort, “Grace.”

Back then, I laughed.
Now, I believe.

If the stroke had happened at home in Pune — help would have come too late.
If it had happened in my bedroom or bathroom at the Sadhana Centre — even later.
But it happened in the Sadhana Centre kitchen — where help was near.
I reached the hospital super fast.

Grace.

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Today, one year later:

This year’s Maha Shivaratri, I volunteered.

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I’m writing.
Healing.
Living.
Thriving.

I am fitter now — I walk 5 kilometers a day.
Yoga keeps my body flexible.
Speech therapy was excellent — it gave me back my voice.
Cookie helped heal my heart.
And my sadhana continues — flowing.

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And yes — I’m still finding my words.
Sometimes the mind says “apple”…And the mouth says “kangaroo.” And I laugh.

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#StrokeRecovery #Resilience #HealingJourney #WritingHeals #LifeAfterStroke #ConsciousLiving #COVIDVaccine