Shivani Gandhi, 53, who sustained 95 per cent burns after a fire broke out at her catering shop in Kandivli on Wednesday morning, wasn’t even supposed to be in the city. She usually plans a visit to Shrinathji in Rajasthan around this time every year, but owing to unusually heavy catering orders for Navratri this year, she dropped out of the plan, and her husband, Mitul Gandhi, went ahead without her.
A resident of Sabarmati Society in Ashok Nagar area, Kandivli East, Shivani lives with her husband Mitul and two daughters. She is currently admitted to the Airoli Burns Centre in critical condition. Shivani’s family told mid-day that she started her catering business 14 years ago and inspired many women by providing them with employment opportunities. A close relative and neighbour, Dita Faujdar, told mid-day, “Shivani is a close relative, and we are very worried about her condition. Every year, Shivani and her husband, Mitul, visit Shrinathji during Navratri. This year, she told us she couldn’t go because of the workload.”
“She has helped so many women by giving them jobs and has been an inspiration to them. She runs two catering outlets in the area. During the Ganpati festival, she even distributed free vada pav to devotees. We are all praying for her recovery,” Faujdar added. Shivani’s husband, Mitul, told mid-day over the phone, “I am on the way back from Shrinathji and praying for her swift recovery.”
A fire broke out at her shop located at Ramkishan Mistry Chawl in Kandivli East on Wednesday morning in which seven, including six of her staffers faced severe injuries. Police said the fire broke out around 8.30 am when Shivani, and others were preparing food. The preliminary report stated that the fire spread through electric wiring, installations, an LPG cylinder, and the main valve in the ground-plus-one-floor shop following a gas leak.
