A former matron at Mumbai Central's Jagjivanram Railway Hospital, Mulund resident Duru Jagasia, 94, found herself unable to walk after falling from her bed and breaking her hip at the end of January. Doctors informed her that she would remain bedridden for the rest of her life unless she opted for a risky hip replacement surgery.

“She told us that she would ‘rather be dead than be bedridden’. The thought of having to compromise her independence made her uncomfortable,” said her daughter-in-law, Seema. At 80, Duru had previously undergone bilateral knee surgery, after which she relied on a wheelchair for a couple of years. However, since then, she has been a fairly independent person for her age with a set routine of early morning walks.