While fans of the Sheffield-based rock legends Def Leppard await the band’s big Mumbai concert tomorrow, few might know it will be a homecoming of sorts for the band’s drummer, Rick Allen. Nearly two decades ago, Allen found his way to India while recovering from a near-fatal accident that robbed him of an arm. It was a meeting with Chennai-born former monk Ashwin Srisailam, who accompanies the band to Mumbai, that helped Allen turn his life around.

Life-altering night

In conversation with mid-day, Allen recalled the fateful night in 1984 that changed his life. While driving near Sheffield, his car faced a high-speed collision, flinging him out of the car, and leaving only his left arm behind in the crashed vehicle.