thecoolreena

Here I was in this small little hospital with my beeji. I was barely 20 years old and trying to take care of my sick beeji who was admitted because she had fever. It was pitch dark and it must have been  2-2:30  at night and I was awake thinking about her. I had always thought that beeji is very strong. She never falls sick- no fever, hypertension or diabetes and was very proud of her. And now she got fever which didn't leave her for 3 days at 83 years of age. At this time when it was pitch dark, I could hear the sound of some patients snoring, distressing sounds of the very sick patients and their relatives and the chirping alarms and the nurses chatting. I could see my beeji's body shivering with fever which I brought to the notice of the nurse and she administered a medicine which I prayed should help her to sleep. It was a very small hospital and there was no place for the relative to rest or sleep. I was sitting on the floor next to beeji holding her hand. Af...

So yesterday there was bhau beej and there was big gathering at my in-laws place. It was lots of fun but the scene that has frozen in my mind’s eye really needs to be expressed. My father in law (77 years old) went to his sister who is 80 years. And then it was time to celebrate Bhaubeej. Just as we reached their house, aatya as I call her, came in her lovely green sari with a blue border. She was trying to see and recognise who has come and then her face and body language changed when she saw her brother. As she walked towards us, she was losing her balance a bit but her happiness knew no bounds. I was so sure that she will come to her brother. But she greeted all of us and acknowledged our presence. Lots of talks with all of us but when she spoke to her brother- the voice, the body language, the emotions and the feelings were different. She spoke to my father in law just as a mom would speak to her small baby. There was so much love flowing that even I c...

You know when I was very little, I was made to believe by people around me that we were just middle class or so called poor people. I grew up thinking that everyone gets everything in life except me . No one made me believe that but still that's how I grew up. Finally reached my twenties and completed my studies still feeling that "We were poor and everyone gets what they want but I don't. Others are fortunate and I am not"!!! And now when I look back at those years, I see them being so so so rich. I feel that I was bathing in all the richness of the world. Completely soaked and marinated in the richness of unconditional love by my parents, relatives and grandma(my beeji). I don't even know how to measure the love that I received - in kilos, litres, or may be light years .... don't know but it was infinite. It is like mom asking a small child " how much do you love me ?" And the child stretches his arms as far as possible and says ...