Right at
this moment I have a second thought if I should go on writing about an incident
that has left an undeniable imprint on my mind. I am not even sure if I can do
justice in giving expressions to a memory that is a parting gift. I am equally skeptical that in trying to write about this incident, I might get emotional
and as a result, be disrespectful to the memory of a person I have always
admired, adored and loved like no one else.
It is
difficult for me to recollect right now when I got into the habit of massaging
my late mother’s feet every night before retiring to bed. Whenever it might
have been, it was always quality time for me. I used to talk about everything
under the sun at the time, while she kept me going with her remarks and wisdom.
You may be surprised to know, Reader, that I shared all my problems and worries
with her in the sincere belief that once they were made known to her, they
would tumble down like nine pins eventually. And they often did! I never tired
of saying in front of her, behind her ………. Here, there, everywhere:
“The best
mother in the world, I love you, Ma.”
I did not
say that to flatter her, or make her happy. I uttered those words as they were, each of them, from the depth of my heart. I truly believe that the parents,
especially The Mother, play a vital role in the upbringing of the child, physically,
mentally and intellectually. Thanks to my maternal grandparents, my Ma was
raised to be a genuinely good human being.
Agreed,
mothers the world over are precious gems for their children. I guess my Ma
was no exception. Now, to come back to that incident in August, 2006, I was
just back from school, when I received an emergency call from my hometown Kolkata.
It was my spouse, Jaya, calling. She sounded worried in informing me that my
aged mother was suddenly taken ill and was about to be hospitalized. My youngest
sister, Tapasi, having taken over the cell from my wife’s hand in the meantime,
hastily informed me that everything was under control and she was going to be
fine soon. But beneath her calm, composed façade, I could detect the worried
soul and did not waste any more time in running out of my quarters to seek our
Principal, Mr.Yash Bahadur Ghalley, out. I have already written an article
about Principal sir’s magnanimity for the help he rendered me at that time (
published in Business Bhutan,Vol I, Issue 6 dated Oct 31,09 ). I had to do a lot of running around before someone directed me to the
Boys’ Hostel. Sir, as his is nature, most graciously consented to my going
down. Some half an hour later, as I was on my way to Kolkata, I ran into one of
my colleagues, Mr.Bijuman Scaria, out on an evening walk with some friends. One look at me and he was taking a 500/- note
from his purse out and into my hand, without asking, telling me that it might be handy on the way and to give it back after my return from Kolkata..
I was down
to the Zero point in a flash, though getting a lift from anyone at that time was
like hoping for the rain on a bright, sunny morning! It is no surprise
therefore, that I could go no further than Gedu, a distance of some 50 km from
my place, Tsimalakha. I had to spend the night with my good friend, Mr.Thupten,
the BoD Manager. I remember having some intimate talks with him that night over
some intoxicating drinks! In the wee hours of the next morning, Mr.Thupten woke
me up as he had already arranged a vehicle for me.
To cut the long story of my journey from Phuentsholing via Hasimara to Kolkata short , let it suffice to say that I reached my native place
at around 10.30 the next morning. My wife was ready with some eatables and
having hastily gorged them down, we were breathlessly on our way to Peerless Hospital, said to be
one of the most advanced and expensive hospitals in the city.
I could not
meet my Ma straight away and it was nearly evening when I was finally let in
the ICU. Someone must have told the well-dressed yet cool guard at the door
that I was the youngest son of the patient in a coma, come all the way down
from the neighbouring kingdom of Bhutan! As I slipped off my chappals near the
door and walked up the carpeted path, the dusking evening outside seemed to
recede to a distant darkness, to be replaced by the brightness of the room inside
with a strong medicinal smell. Hers was the first bed I noticed on the left. She
was lying still and immobile, covered with a white sheet tucked around her body and
under her feet.
I did not
look around. My entire attention was focused on the motionless body. As I
willed myself into looking up to her face with her eyes closed, lots of thoughts were racing through my mind. The nurse standing near by handed a lotion
tube to me. She asked me to drywash my hands with the
lotion. Any contact with the outside world and its harmful germs through a
visitor, I was told, may turn out to be fatal for any inmates of the ICU. I
pressed the tube and applied the lotion to my hands. Only then I dared to
remove a corner of the sheet to touch the feet which brought me sheer pleasure every
time I held them.
Ma had been
in a coma for some days. As I touched her feet with a trembling hand, I looked
up to her face again for any sign of the close bonding we had had over all
these turbulent years. The face that has always given me the strength to fight
against all odds; the face that has kept me going through Life’s journey; the
face that has taught me to love Life and Living. Under the glow of the halogen
light, I noticed a muscle in my Ma’s face twitch or may be the eyelashes. It
was like a miracle, or was I hallucinating? She had been totally immobilized for the last few days. I
was worried. Was she disturbed by my touch? Was it very painful for her? What if
she was in sense? She would definitely try to convey her parting words to her
youngest son?
I did not
find the answers to all my questions at that time, nor will I ever. But at that
precise moment the rest of the world came to a standstill, when I saw the
miracle happening once more. My touch on her feet, brought a tear through her
closed eyes out and sparkle down her cheek! I felt as if a stone was being
lifted off my chest. I heard someone, far away, whisper out:
The best mother
in the world. I love you, Ma. I always will.
