My grandmother, the prettiest woman my eyes ever beheld, the softest heartbeat I ever heard. As her heartbeats were fading away, intensifying were her memories. Her touch and smell hovered over me.
"Meeesha! where are you?"Dadi cried. She was running all over the house looking for me. I was sitting in a loft, in the verandah, too frightened to speak, lest the force would push me down, all the way to the floor. Bang!!! I would land on the floor...the thought scared me out of my wits and I decided to keep quiet. The panoramic view inside the loft!! uff I could see the webs all over the womb of the loft. Old tins, brooms covered with dust lay scattered on the floor. I could also hear some rustling and tweaking sounds, I guess a big rat! Oh no! And then guess what! Someone looking at me. He was as surprised and frightened to see me as I was to meet him there. He made some kind of noise inside his throat and I gulped. I looked around for a weapon to use against him. But he was prepared for it. He sat up straight and looked into my eyes. I could feel his gaze piercing me and then "Meeeeshaaa". Dadi was standing below the loft still looking for me. I was still too scared to move. I looked down at her ultra serene head covered with whitest of white hair like snow. But hey! I had to speak. Dadi said again, “Child where are you?” I moved my feet. My toes struck something sharp and it started throbbing with pain. Tears welled up in my eyes. The image of my enemy blurred, he seemed to have become 4. Oh no! He was coming closer...about to kill me."OH!! Dadi help me”, I thought.
There below a speck of dust landed on dadi's face and when she looked up she saw my dress and shouted," what ARE YOU doing THERE?”It was like someone blowed air into my lungs and vibrations into my heart. I mimed,"please help me down".She said,"yes wait let me bring the stairs". He had moved closer still. And was moving his head like a villain...
Dadi had put up a ladder and was climbing slowly. I could hear the rustle of her saree. And before he could touch me she grabbed my waist and lifted me in her lap. And I cried on her shoulders,"Oh! Dadi he was about to kill me! Thank God He sent you to me".Dadi was bewildered she looked around inside the loft."who?”I pointed at the place he was sitting, but he wasn’t there any more. She kissed me and brought me down and again asked me,"who was it?"."oh dadi he was about to eat me", and I hugged her tight, so relieved,"Dadi there was this balck ugly insect staring at me".She looked at me awkwardly,"So?",she asked,"well you were at such a place who else do you expect to meer?"."but he was looking at me.You should have seen his face arghhhh". She laughed so hard that her little stomach vibrated against my chest as I lay in her lap. She carressed my hair and asked me to sleep.
Then I woke up with a start,"Dadi, Sunny bhaiya had put me there." Dadi looked at me equally shocked and equally angry,"and why did he do that?". I said,"well I wasnt letting him go out to play". Dadi was really angry. She picked up a broom and started looking for bhaiya. My dadi an extreme feminist went out in the lawn and brought bhaiya back holding him by collar and hitting him with the broom on his back. WHACKK!!! "oooo dadi" WHACKKKK!! "sorry dadi". I laughed and laughed till tears rolled down my cheeks.
I touched my face and was surprised to find it wet. I was standing alone, outside the ICU, waiting for dadi to come back from coma. She had been in there since 3 days. The nurse arrived and said I could go inside. I wore the sterilized cloak she gave me, took off my shoes and entered the ward. It was gallery with rooms on both the sides. I glanced sideways to see inside the ward. Too many grandma's and grandpa's lay there. Some had few family members and other lay alone. Sad.
Dadi's room was 104. I passed 102,103 and closed my eyes before I could see her. I needed to talk to someone. I fell on my knees and said,"Om Sai Raam". And then lifted my head. I could see the bottom of her bed and the dozens of machines trembling under the responsibility of keeping her alive. I could hear a tune ringing in my head of kal ho na ho.."hona hi tha jo hua hai". I stood up and saw her face glowing like the Midnight sun, the Himalayas, the Ganges, the white marble of Radha Krishna idols at the temple, like cool breeze after the rain, like a rose in a canopy of celebrations, like a princess, like a fairy...about to become an angel. Her face crisscrossed with wrinkles like rivers on a map glowed with the purity of her heart and the sacredness of my respect for her. My parents sat there. Of course I wont cry, she was his mother. How could I remind and press upon the truth which he had to face, the maddening pressure of truth that already was pressing upon him. I went as close to her as I could. I asked the nurse if I could touch her. She shook her head. I didn’t dare to touch her face, lest I disturbed her. I curled my fingers around hers. She was so cool. The doctor came. He looked as serious as a table lamp. He said we could speak to her. She wont respond but she could listen to us. My father got up and sat beside her, on her bed and searched for words to express his heart. He said, "dont go...".I couldn't hear more of his words. I bent and said, "I love u" in her ears and went out, still thinking, that once she promised, she will give me mehndi and bangles on my marriage.
"Meeesha! where are you?"Dadi cried. She was running all over the house looking for me. I was sitting in a loft, in the verandah, too frightened to speak, lest the force would push me down, all the way to the floor. Bang!!! I would land on the floor...the thought scared me out of my wits and I decided to keep quiet. The panoramic view inside the loft!! uff I could see the webs all over the womb of the loft. Old tins, brooms covered with dust lay scattered on the floor. I could also hear some rustling and tweaking sounds, I guess a big rat! Oh no! And then guess what! Someone looking at me. He was as surprised and frightened to see me as I was to meet him there. He made some kind of noise inside his throat and I gulped. I looked around for a weapon to use against him. But he was prepared for it. He sat up straight and looked into my eyes. I could feel his gaze piercing me and then "Meeeeshaaa". Dadi was standing below the loft still looking for me. I was still too scared to move. I looked down at her ultra serene head covered with whitest of white hair like snow. But hey! I had to speak. Dadi said again, “Child where are you?” I moved my feet. My toes struck something sharp and it started throbbing with pain. Tears welled up in my eyes. The image of my enemy blurred, he seemed to have become 4. Oh no! He was coming closer...about to kill me."OH!! Dadi help me”, I thought.
There below a speck of dust landed on dadi's face and when she looked up she saw my dress and shouted," what ARE YOU doing THERE?”It was like someone blowed air into my lungs and vibrations into my heart. I mimed,"please help me down".She said,"yes wait let me bring the stairs". He had moved closer still. And was moving his head like a villain...
Dadi had put up a ladder and was climbing slowly. I could hear the rustle of her saree. And before he could touch me she grabbed my waist and lifted me in her lap. And I cried on her shoulders,"Oh! Dadi he was about to kill me! Thank God He sent you to me".Dadi was bewildered she looked around inside the loft."who?”I pointed at the place he was sitting, but he wasn’t there any more. She kissed me and brought me down and again asked me,"who was it?"."oh dadi he was about to eat me", and I hugged her tight, so relieved,"Dadi there was this balck ugly insect staring at me".She looked at me awkwardly,"So?",she asked,"well you were at such a place who else do you expect to meer?"."but he was looking at me.You should have seen his face arghhhh". She laughed so hard that her little stomach vibrated against my chest as I lay in her lap. She carressed my hair and asked me to sleep.
Then I woke up with a start,"Dadi, Sunny bhaiya had put me there." Dadi looked at me equally shocked and equally angry,"and why did he do that?". I said,"well I wasnt letting him go out to play". Dadi was really angry. She picked up a broom and started looking for bhaiya. My dadi an extreme feminist went out in the lawn and brought bhaiya back holding him by collar and hitting him with the broom on his back. WHACKK!!! "oooo dadi" WHACKKKK!! "sorry dadi". I laughed and laughed till tears rolled down my cheeks.
I touched my face and was surprised to find it wet. I was standing alone, outside the ICU, waiting for dadi to come back from coma. She had been in there since 3 days. The nurse arrived and said I could go inside. I wore the sterilized cloak she gave me, took off my shoes and entered the ward. It was gallery with rooms on both the sides. I glanced sideways to see inside the ward. Too many grandma's and grandpa's lay there. Some had few family members and other lay alone. Sad.
Dadi's room was 104. I passed 102,103 and closed my eyes before I could see her. I needed to talk to someone. I fell on my knees and said,"Om Sai Raam". And then lifted my head. I could see the bottom of her bed and the dozens of machines trembling under the responsibility of keeping her alive. I could hear a tune ringing in my head of kal ho na ho.."hona hi tha jo hua hai". I stood up and saw her face glowing like the Midnight sun, the Himalayas, the Ganges, the white marble of Radha Krishna idols at the temple, like cool breeze after the rain, like a rose in a canopy of celebrations, like a princess, like a fairy...about to become an angel. Her face crisscrossed with wrinkles like rivers on a map glowed with the purity of her heart and the sacredness of my respect for her. My parents sat there. Of course I wont cry, she was his mother. How could I remind and press upon the truth which he had to face, the maddening pressure of truth that already was pressing upon him. I went as close to her as I could. I asked the nurse if I could touch her. She shook her head. I didn’t dare to touch her face, lest I disturbed her. I curled my fingers around hers. She was so cool. The doctor came. He looked as serious as a table lamp. He said we could speak to her. She wont respond but she could listen to us. My father got up and sat beside her, on her bed and searched for words to express his heart. He said, "dont go...".I couldn't hear more of his words. I bent and said, "I love u" in her ears and went out, still thinking, that once she promised, she will give me mehndi and bangles on my marriage.
wow!!! so touching...truly truly mesmerizing
ReplyDelete