Birmingham bhangra artist Balwinder Safri makes a miraculous recovery

Balwinder Singh Safri

British Indian bhangra artist Balwinder Safri made a “miracle” recovery and was discharged from the hospital after being in a coma for 86 days.

Safri, a Birmingham resident, was admitted to the hospital on April 20 and underwent a heart surgery before going into a coma. His family had been warned and told to prepare for the worst outcome by the doctors after he suffered brain damage following a triple bypass procedure.

His wife Nikki Davitt called the recovery ‘a miracle’. “He is incredible – I always knew he was strong,” she said.

After 27 days in critical care, Safri was moved to ward B8 where his family were told he would continue to be made as comfortable as possible. But he continued to defy the odds and Davitt recalls the emotional moment she heard him say his first words after the coma.

“I will never ever forget hearing Safri say ‘yes I can hear you’ – I was overcome with emotion,” Davitt added.

When the 63-year-old legendary musician left the hospital, he was treated to a special music and dhol drum serenade by a friend and fellow ‘The Safri Boyz’ member, Bhupinder Kullar – better known as Tubsy.

Tubsy, who last saw Safri in June said, “His recovery is amazing – he looks so much better than when I last saw him. To see his face light up when he saw the dhol drum was incredible. I can’t thank the staff enough for what they have done.”

The artist, who was born in Punjab, India, has been popular in the UK bhangra scene since 1980, and formed the Safri Boyz Band in 1990. According to reports, Safri will now continue his recovery journey at a specialist rehabilitation centre, which will help with his mobility, speech and language.