‘Mondays are particularly not enjoyable in the morning’
thought Prashanthi.
‘Oh, why amma?’ Asked Gopi moushi.
Gopi moushi has been their household helper, for two
generations at least.
She is at home most of the time, what with the hot Summers
and flooding rains or cold winters, Moushi quickly does her chores, and keeps a
nicely made paan, and keeps watching TV, spreading her spare saree in the
corner and stretches her feet and toes as she watches the geetmaala songs show
in the evening.
‘ I think, it is so because, you pamper us over the weekend ,
Moushi’ , said Arjun, Prashanti’s husband.
‘Oh, quiet. Arjun, I am not that pampered, not when you know
how we were extra pampered in our hometown, back home’.
Oh, you are treated as Maha Rani even today, well that I a
your mother’s home. You are now, only a guest there!’ Reminded Arjun.
‘Achcha, achcha, you both, allow me to watch TV Sahib, said Gopi
moushi.
Gopi moushi does her work meticulously and enjoys life,
since she is not too greedy, to work in every neighboring home.
Even though it was a single bedroom studio-apartment, it was
kept quite neat
That evening, everything was going on as usual. However,
Gopi moushi was not really present. She prepared roti, alu pallia, and raita
for dinner. She did not join them since she said she had some ‘ghabrahat or
premonition.
Arjun asked her, if she cared to visit anyone in the city or
take a break. She simply said, ‘nahi Sahib, dil nahi maanta.’
Prashanthi came home with lot of papers to correct, but picked
up some fruits and milk, for Gopi moushi. It is Gopi moushi’s vrat day as it
was a Monday, she goes fasting. That morning as Gopi moushi was watering Tulasi
mata, holy Basil plant, she said she was going to have a visitor.
It looks like the visitor brought
some news from their village, the distant neice has a son, who developed some
eye problems recently. Gopi said, that she had some sort of vision that all was
not well back home. Now that the cousin’s grandson needed eye care, she told
the visitor to let the parents bring the kid and have the eye test done. The
boy and his parents came within a week, and meanwhile Arjun and Prashanthi made
sure they keep the eye doctor’s appointment within a day. It was the Sarojini
Devi Eye hospital, and the doctor was well known eye surgeon. There some
complications developing as some sinusitis was pressing optic nerve.
Jayanti, moushi’s niece, was
weeping as she saw her son suffer so much. Fortunately, the eye doctor told
them to visit the ENT hospital and, in few minutes, the doctor levitated the
seed that was in the nasal passage, it got pushed out with thin jet water flow.
One time during the winter,
there were red ripe jujube fruit and Hari had plenty not only to eat, but
something else too. It was during Sankranthi at that time of the year, and the
ladies did the evil eye removal ritual for little children, they pour small
seeds, rice granules, sweets, pennies, jujube fruit, grapes, etc. and pour them
on the heads of the children and they are collected and thrown away to feed
birds, these days.
At one such time the jujube seed
got deposited in the nose. No one imagined it or saw that.
Jayanti was weeping and
narrating the story to Gopi moushi, and meanwhile the boy was released.
After removing the growth due to
inserting a jujube seed in his nose during play, that got settled in the nasal
passage and no one knew why it was put there: they said it was lodged in that passage for
over six months.
Gopi moushi asked if they did
Bhogi pallu, the ritual of removing evil eye for kids, Jayanti said they did.
Almost after Sankranthi the kid
was unwell, she said.
Arjun was mumbling, ‘that was
insane!’
Gopi moushi said, ‘we don’t say
that. You just need to say that we got to be careful’.
For now a big burden is gone
away from weighing my heart, said Gopi moushi.
Long after the kid returned to
the village with parents, it was time for him to start another phase.
‘Hari , you have exam results today,
wake up, quick!’ Jayanti, Gopi moushi’s niece
was waking up her son. Sure mom, I am glad my eye sight is restored, Hari said,
this time I do not need to go to hospital for eye exam or to visit ENT doctor.
‘No, you will still have to
attend hospital for your clinical rounds.’ Hemanth, Hari’s dad, said.
Arjun made sure the parents
would save money for Hari’s studies. He said he will be matching it as they
keep saving each month.
Gopi moushi wanted her salary to
be saved, since she was earning nourishing food, accommodation and decent
clothes, just as any member of the family would. She kept them with Arjun, and both
Prashanthi and Arjun saved by matching it three times.
Gopi moushi said, one may never
know how things may change, in her conversations. Arjun and Prashanthi raised
their children too who were grown, with their own little ones to take care.
They were living in USA, raising their families with good values and decent
education.
“Grand-pa Arjun, why would you
help our dad, for his studies?’ asked Pyari, Hari’s daughter.
Well I was always first in my
games in the neighborhood, playing
Badminton, Shuttle, Cricket, Basketball
and Tennis. Our college had good sports department and my professors made sure
we are competitive and win at national level. I even was expert in cross
country races and hurdles. However, I could not do one thing. When I took my
entrance exam to medical school in my second year, I had to wait and meanwhile
my second-year college fees had to be paid. My mom said I continue with my
studies. For a want of just a ₹980.00, I was unable to secure my seat in
medical college, that I was selected in wait list.
I did not want that to happen,
to moushi’s grand nephew, that is your dad!” Arjun said.
It was couple of years since he
moved into Hari's bigger home. A decade or two passed away, since both Gopi
moushi and Prashanthi left.
He spent some time with his
grand children, but the call to get back was very much, he had to return, so he
may visit places he visited with kids and family, to see Ganges to Godavari
rivers, Kashmir to Kanya Kumari rock, and western ghats to Himachal hills.
Hari is treating villagers, with
bringing in medical community, with modern facilities
Arjun’s own children and family
are there in different parts of the world, but breathing the fresh air in the
motherland is more soothing than the air-conditioned apartments, abroad.
It was a surprise for Hari, that
morning to see his grand children. Hari’s daughter was married to her classmate
in Stanford, after a year or two years, going steady. That was a blessing or miracle,
they had no idea, since he was Arjun, grandpa Arjun's grandson!
Grandpa Arjun’s picture is
smiling on the wall, as the team of doctors from Stanford are visiting Hari’s
village as their external clinical training as well as study abroad in cool
atmosphere without pollution. Ananthapur sanatorium was shining in the bright
day, and river Muchikunda water is flowing purely and pristine.
