(I have rearranged the sentences to give coherence to this eyewitness story, which has been accepted by the author vide email dated 23 May 2023.)

There was a sea of flags fluttering . . . it was just open ground with a few hundred people milling about within the bamboo barricades. The lighting was poor.
In my mind’s eye, I can still see Rajiv Gandhi’s gentle smile that showed not the slightest irritation . . . Stepping out from the front seat, Rajiv Gandhi had said, ‘Come, come, follow me,’ … A suicide bomber, let alone the first female suicide bomber on Indian soil, was the last thing on anyone’s mind as Rajiv Gandhi plunged into the crowd of supporters.
But as the huge explosion went off a few minutes later and I, standing about ten steps away, felt what I later realized was blood and gore from the victim splatter all over my arms and my white sari, a nameless dread took hold – something terrible had happened . . . The heat, searing, singeing, knocked me back with its strength.