Great Gift of God

I left Siriska Palace resort (Near Alwar Town - Rajasthan) around two o'clock in the afternoon; I was thoroughly enjoying my drive. I pulled down the glasses of the front side windows of my car and also switched-off the music system. I wanted to feel the fresh air filled with pure oxygen blowing with speed as if competing with the car speed emanating from the surrounding greenery. I covered the distance of 35-KM (between Siriska and Alwar) within an hour.

After reaching Alwar bye-pass I got free road ahead, the 90-KM plus road between Alwar and Bhiwadi bye-pass was clear, smooth and wide. It was Saturday’s winter afternoon in January and the flow of vehicles was less on the road and so was the human crowd. I saw an old person fully dressed up in white clothes walking very slowly on the left side of the state high-way alone; which seemed strange to me because nobody would walk alone on the lonely highway. My curiosity forced me to stop the car near him. I came out of the car and stood in front of him with folded hands in order to greet him. He was not at all disturbed to see a stranger greeting him on the road. I asked him: “Baba ji, can I drop you somewhere, I am going towards Gurgaon?” He looked at me with a smile and answered: “I am going to a nearby place, please don’t bother”. And he slowly started walking towards his destination. I again requested him to sit in my car. He looked at me with surprise but slowly walked towards my car. I opened the front left door of the car and helped him to settle down comfortably.

Once he settled down, I came back to my seat and started the car. He must have been above 80 years in age, very tall, fair and well built; his face was covered with long white beard. He was wearing white cotton robe, full sleeve shirt, jacket, white turban which was not properly tied on head and black plastic shoes without socks. I was driving at a modest speed of 50 KM/hour. On the way, I offered him a bottle of water but he refused. Very hesitatingly I asked him about the purpose of his journey. He first kept quiet but after a long pause he answered “I stay in Alwar town; all the members of my family have already left for the condolence meeting being held at Choudhury sahib’s place which is only five miles away from our house. And I preferred taking a walk instead of travelling in bike or car".  After few minutes he asked me to take a left turn from the next crossing.  I obeyed his direction and three kilo-meters later we reached in front of a very big duplex Bungalow known as Choudhry Sahib’s Haveli.   

I parked the car at one corner near the Haveli where many expensive cars were already parked which included Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Volvo cars. First I came out of the car and later I helped Baba ji to step out. He slowly got down from the car and requested me to accompany him inside the house. I saw huge crowd of men and women dressed in white sitting on the floor covered with carpet. The young boys were serving tea to the people gathered there.

The moment they saw Baba ji walking in; everyone got up from their respective places and bowed their heads in respect. Baba ji was responding to each and everyone while slowly walking towards an old man who seemed to be Choudhury Sahib sitting at one corner of the house surrounded by his family members comprising of men, women and children.   

As soon as Choudhury sahib saw Baba ji, he came rushing towards him. He greeted him and thereafter took his right hand in his hands, first kissed it and later took the hand towards his eyes and touched both his eye-lids and started crying profusely. Baba ji first pulled him close and embraced him. Choudhury Sahib was crying like a child and Baba ji was still holding him in his hands patting slowly on his back with his right palm uttering words which seems to me in Arabic language. Actually he was reciting from the religious book and trying to console him. Baba ji also said: “its God Almighty’s decision and we will have to accept HIS verdict without any hitch or hesitation; be strong and obey Lord’s instructions; keep faith in him and he will never let you down”.   

I realized much later that Choudhury sahib was the richest farmer of his area. He lost his only son in a road accident a few days ago. He was blessed with one son and three daughters out of whom the son was the eldest and he was running the family business, he had left behind his widow and two grown-up children. Today all his relatives, friends and well wishers have come to attend the condolence meeting.

Lots of people were looking at me with curiosity and wondering what I was doing there. I was the only stranger among them but I could not leave the place without Baba ji’s consent, he has asked me to wait. As courtesy demanded, I thought to take his permission before leaving because I was also getting late. I was getting impatient sitting quietly at one corner of the house in very sad mood. After few minutes, one young girl came and told me: “Grandpa is calling you inside.” I was still sitting and wondering why I was being called? Little later one middle aged lady came to me and said: “Choudhury sahib has called you inside, please come with me” and she ushered me to a room which appeared to be the drawing room of Choudhury sahib.

Once I entered, I found a very large room, equipped with the entire latest gazettes of house-hold things comprising of designer sofa-set with centre table, 42” LED TV plugged on the side wall, multi-door fridge, very big chandelier hanging in the centre of the roof, at one corner, a big writing table along with sitting chairs and one wall fully equipped with wooden racks fitted with front glasses full of books. Nobody was present in the room, so I started looking at the books; there were Law books, English literature, Urdu literature and Hindi literature. On the writing table all the national daily newspapers and magazines in English, Hindi and Urdu languages were stacked properly.            

I was still standing in front of the table when I saw the side door being opened and Choudhury sahib and Baba ji entered the room, following them was a house maid, who was carrying a big tray filled with tea cups and biscuits. Choudhury sahib straight away came walking towards me and took my hands in his hands and said: “I am so grateful that you have brought Baba ji with you. Please sit down” And he very politely first allowed Baba ji to sit and after I took my chair he sat down. He enquired about me; I gave him brief introduction of myself and handed over my business card. He also pulled out his wallet and gave me his business card. He was Dr. Alaha Rakha Khan Choudhury; MA (History), LLB, PhD. (Mugal History), he had served as a Dean in State sponsored University; at present he is the chairman of many social and welfare organizations.    

His elder son Abdul Rehman Khan Choudhury was Commerce Graduate+MBA besides running his family business of construction, farming and wooden furniture; his wife was the TGT (Trained Graduate Teacher) of Social Studies of an English medium School at Alwar town which was managed by Chaudhury sahib’s family funded Trust. His grandson has celebrated fourteenth birthday on March-10. Last Friday night, his son was coming from Delhi after attending an exhibition of Building materials at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, when he met with an accident on National Highway No.-8 near Dharuhera town and by the time he was rushed to the nearby hospital, the doctors declared him: ‘Brought Dead’.  

I offered my condolences to Choudhury sahib and thereafter asked their permission to leave but Choudhury sahib told me to stay for some more time with them. He was looking very sad and his eyes were still filled with tears but I didn't realize how and when I also started crying and my eyes were wet with tears. Though I have no direct or indirect relationship with them but I don’t know why I also felt very deeply about the sad demise of Choudhury sahib’s only son.  Neither I met him before nor I ever saw him but yet I don’t know why I was feeling as if I have lost someone very close to my heart.

Meanwhile, I heard Baba ji was talking to Choudhury sahib: “Please stop crying, be brave and accept God Almighty’s verdict with open heart. I know it’s very difficult to bear this loss but never mind; he has taken away your son and he will bridge the gap by deputing a messiah in your life soon, because in his wisdom, nothing is impossible, you simply wait and watch”.

I was shocked and so was Choudhury sahib, I don’t know why Baba ji has made the above statement, maybe he wanted to console Choudhury Sahib because he seemed to be very upset with the sudden demise of his only son which has further pushed him into this void. The impact of his son’s death was so strong and severe that he could not accept the present situation and come to terms with it so easily.   

I was still in a dilemma and was not in a position to think further. I looked upon Baba ji but he seemed to be in a silence mode both his eyes closed but I could see his lips, which were continuously murmuring religious hymns.  After ten odd minutes, he opened his eyes and got up from his seat and sat down next to Choudhury sahib’s chair; simultaneously he pulled Choudhury sahib’s hands in his hands and started reciting the holy hymns again. He continued to do the same for another five minutes; finally he spoke to him with a broad smile: “Choudhury sahib, the God Almighty is very kind to you, he has given you everything, therefore, treat all persons at par as if they are part of your family and you will see the reflection of your son in every young man’s face, trust me, you will from this very moment”. 

Choudhury sahib was looking confused but he follows Baba ji’s instructions because he was not in a position to disobey or deny them, therefore, he came straight towards me and pulled me up from my seat, holding me from my arms and said: “I am sure, you will give me the honour and privilege of calling you my son” and simultaneously he embraced me and started uttering: “I am truly blessed to have you as my son, thank you”.

I stayed there for another hour; Choudhury sahib called all his family members in his room and introduced me with each and every member of his family. At the end, Choudhury Sahib’s three young daughters came and greeted me with so much compassion and love as if I was their real brother. Finally I saw one old lady coming towards us while sitting on the wheelchair, she seemed to me, Mrs. Choudhury; I slowly walked towards her and greeted her by saying: “Mrs. Choudhury” but she interrupted me in-between by saying: “No-no, call me mother, my son” and she embraced me in both her hands and started crying loudly. Mr. Choudhury came running towards her and said: “Mrs. Choudhury, please don’t cry, God is very kind to us, you see, he has returned our son in the form of this angel, now stop crying please.”   

While driving home I was thinking about today’s incident; I could not rationalize the whole episode and was wondering about the wisdom of my beloved Lord.  I am a very small creature in this earth full of sins without having any skill, standard and strength; I have repeatedly committed blunders and today, the Lord has given me the great gift of my life by introducing me to such a wonderful family which is highly blessed on this universe. May the Lord give strength to respected Choudhury Sahib and all his family members to bear the loss and peace to the departed soul, Amen!  

With Prayers

Gurcharan

Miracles do happen!

I was stepping down from the staircase of Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, New Delhi, when someone called me from the back “Charan-Charan” I immediately stopped and looked back to find an old Sikh couple standing along with one young Sikh boy. They were looking at me with eager eyes and a very soft smile was on their faces. I instantly recognised them as Mrs. and Mr. Surjit Singh Gill. They used to live in Kolkata near our house and their younger son Manjit Singh Gill was my classmate in school. I first tried to touch their feet but they stopped me in-between and grabbed me with both their hands and embraced me one by one. Behind me, my wife and daughters were staring at me with curious eyes full of unanswered questions? I immediately called them and formally introduced them to Mr. Gill’s family. Mrs. Gill first met my wife and later with my daughters. I gave them a brief introduction about Mr. Gill’s family.

Mrs. Gill advised me to walk towards one corner of the Gurudwara sahib near the sarover (water-pond) where we could sit and talk. Therefore, we all started walking towards the sarover side in silence and after settling down at one vacant corner, I asked my first question, “How come you were here Gill sahib?” He wanted to speak but before he could utter a word his wife Mrs. Surinder Kaur Gill said, “We are going to Jalandhar city to drop our grandson Sardar Manpreet Singh Gill in the Engineering College. We came to Delhi today morning by Rajdhani express train and thought of visiting Gurudwars sahib to take blessings from Baba ji and then proceed to Jalandhar City by Shatabdi express train in the evening because tomorrow will be his first day in the College”.  

I was still confused, who this boy Manpreet was? His face looked familiar to me but his eyes were different that’s why I could not recognize him. Before I could ask any further questions, Mr. Gill answered with great excitement: “Charan, did you not recognize Manpreet Singh? Oh my God, he is the son of your childhood friend Manjit.  Have you forgotten him? He is the one whom your father had located first when we all had lost hope of his survival, remember? And within a flash the whole episode came alive in my mind. Oh yes, how I could forget about that incident which brought lots of sweet and sad memories from our past making my eyes wet with tears.  

I had shifted from Kolkata to Jamshedpur with my family due to job transfer in the year 1984 but my parents and brothers were still staying in Kolkata and so were Mr. Gill’s family. I still remember, it was 26^th January, 1985 and due to the Republic Day, it was a National Holiday. I was at home when I got a call from my mother on the landline phone about Mr. Manjit’s missing news. Mr. Manjit Singh had studied with me till Higher Secondary. He was a good athlete, 6 feet 3 inches in height, big black eyes with very fair skin. He was the most smart and good looking Jat Punjabi boy with long list of crazy fan following of beautiful girls.

After graduation, I joined a private firm in Kolkata and he opted for his father’s transport business. During his College days he was involved with one local girl who belonged to a different community; he wanted to marry her but his family was dead against his choice of this girl for marriage. He was very adamant and rigid about his decision and due to this reason he had delayed his marriage plans. I also came to know from his elder brother that he had stopped communicating with his father and his marriage was a big issue in his family.

During the Ganga Sagar Mela,  my dear friend Manjit along with his few close friends went to have a holy dip at the  Ganga Sagar [This Island is known as Ganga Sagar or Sagardwip, 105 KM from Kolkata by road] is a place of Hindu Pilgrimage. Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti (14^th January) hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the pious river Ganga in the Bay of Bengal and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Temple.

After having a holy dip at river Ganges everyone came out of the river but there was no trace of Manjit. His friends first informed the local authorities to locate Manjit but when he was not found, they informed his family. By late evening, Manjit’s family arrived with lots of well wishers and searched for Manjit the whole night and the next full day but he or his body was not found. After the search the family came back empty handed. Meanwhile, his family members started contacting all his relatives and friends; they also published “missing person report” in the local news papers. Days passed into weeks but there was no news of Manjit.

One evening, Manjit’s elder brother Ranjit came to our Kolkata house and met with my father and told him about Manjit’s missing episode. He then requested my father to give some idea about his whereabouts.   In our community my father was known as a very spiritual person and lots of people used to visit him with their family problems to which my father used to give some solutions due to which he was much revered in the locality and was known as Bapuji. Therefore, Manjit’s mother had requested Ranjit to enquire from my father about Manjit’s present status.

First Bapuji kept quiet and later he told Ranjit to come the next day with Manjit’s photograph and his used/unwashed clothes. On the second day, Ranjit came again with Manjit’s photograph but he was unable to bring any of his unwashed clothes because all his dresses were already washed. Bapuji kept the photograph and requested him to come the next day. Ranjit again came with his mother the second day and she requested my father to pray for her son and give some positive reports about his presence. Bapuji kept quiet for some time and after a long pause said in a very heavy voice, “I couldn’t feel anything about Manjit and I have no answers to offer at this moment” and he had shown his helplessness in giving any positive answer. Manjit’s mother again requested my father with both her folded hands to do something about Manjit. My mother also requested Bapuji to again offer prayer at the Gurudwara sahib for the well being of Manjit.

In the late evening, Bapuji wanted to visit Manjit’s house and requested my younger brother to drop him at his place. Everyone at Manjit’s house were first very surprised to see Bapuji and later felt very happy. They thought that Bapuji must have come with some good news but when Bapuji nodded his head in the negative, everyone felt very sad. He later wanted to go inside Manjit’s room so that he could have the feel of Manjit.

Ranjit took him to Manjit’s room; there was one double bed in the centre, writing table and a chair at one corner, tape recorder, audio cassettes and a few Punjabi books and magazines kept on the table. One very big black and white photo-frame of Manjit was hanging on the wall. Later Bapuji told Ranjit to come in the morning and he closed the door.

Bapuji first sat down on the chair and started touching all the books and magazines lying on the table, then he started listing to audio cassettes, few were Gurbani shabads and some of them were Punjabi pop songs. Later he sat down on the bed and started reciting Gurbani. The whole night he could not sleep and repeated the above exercise.

In the morning Ranjit came with a hot cup of tea and saw my father fully awake and reciting Gurbani. After offering his morning prayers, my father told Ranjit to call all the elder members of the family in the room. Within few minutes all the members of his family were present in the room. Manjit’s mother's eyes were filled with tears and rest of the members were having pale faces and looking very quiet; but his father seemed much disturbed and was not very optimistic about the whole incident.

Bapuji started speaking in a very low and soft voice and said,”Manjit is very much alive” later he said “I have felt him in my lap wrapped in white woollen shawl playing with both his little hands”. I could not communicate with him but he has long non verbal conversation with Manjit. He seems to be very happy, healthy and well settled.

There was pin drop silence in the room and after few second Manjit’s father first spoke and said my son was very tall, healthy and smart how could he come in his lap that too wrapped in a white shawl? And everyone started making comments, some of the young members made funny statements also. Except his mother everyone refused to accept Bapuji’s verdict and one by one everyone left the room. Bapuji felt very sad and he left Ranjit’s house with a very heavy heart.

The very next week Ranjit came rushing to our house and requested my father to come along with him immediately, because it’s an emergency. Bapuji was not very keen to go but when my mother again requested him to go by saying Manjit was Charan’s childhood friend and he must go with Ranjit. Within half an hour, they reached Ranjit’s house. Ranjit’s father came rushing at the main door to receive Bapuji as soon as he entered the drawing room along with all members of their family joined together and paid their respect to him. Once Bapuji settled down on the couch, Ranjit’s father narrated the whole story.

One very young, fair and good looking woman came to their house along with one baby boy of a month old claiming to be Manjit’s wife, who had given birth to Manjit’s son. She had also shown the marriage certificate and photographs of their marriage. She was living in Siliguri with her parents. She met Manjit when she was studying in Calcutta Women's College. First they fell in love and later got married last year. Since Manjit’s parents were not ready to accept her as their daughter-in law she was staying in a separate flat at south Kolkata. She heard about Manjit’s missing report when she was in her eighth month of Pregnancy and MTP was not possible at that point of time hence she decided to give birth to his child. She wanted to first handover the baby to them and if they didn’t want his child then she would have no option but to drop him in any orphanage in Kolkata.           

They immediately remembered Bapuji’s last verdict about Manjit; hence they immediately summoned him.  Now they wanted to know whether this new born baby is actually Manjit’s son. Bapuji asked for the baby boy and took him into his lap. He was actually wrapped in a small white shawl and after coming in his lap he started playing with Bapuji’s long-beard. After playing with the little child Bapuji confirmed with a big smile, “Yes yes, this is Manjit’s son and that night I have felt about the same child in my lap in this house. He will look like Manjit except his eyes that he has borrowed from his mother”.

After listening to Bapuji everyone kept quiet for some time and later Manjit’s mother smiled and wished my father with folded hands and asked for forgiveness for that day’s behaviour. Thereafter everyone came and touched Bapuji’s feet and took his blessings. Finally Manjit’s father requested Bapuji to bless Manjit’s son and gives him a name. After reciting Gurbani for half an hour Bapuji announce the new name of the baby boy, “Manpreet Singh Gill”.     

Today the same little Manpreet was sitting in front of me who did look like Manjit excep for his eyes which were different. I was not in a position to stop looking at him therefore I grabbed him towards me and embraced him as if I was actually meeting my very dear friend Manjit after a very long time. I was looking at him with lots of love and affection and at the same time I was also remembering my father, my Bapuji, with lots of love and respect who is no more with us but I am continuously getting his blessings in different ways and means and hence believe firmly that “ Miracles do Happen!” 

With Prayers

Gurcharan

Inner strength & will-power of an honest man makes him a perfect Gentleman

Our appointment with Dr. Jain (Head of Hematologist Department) was at 10.30-AM and by the time we reached Hospital it was over 10.45-AM. I requested my wife to sit at the waiting lounge and rushed towards the OPD Reception Counter. I placed my wife’s medical file before the Lady at the Reception and requested her to issue me the OPD folder and receipt of consultancy fee so that I could consult the Doctor; but without looking at me she inquired whether I have an appointment with the Dr. Jain. I immediately replied: “Yes madam” and also showed her the last week’s prescription of Dr. Jain wherein the Doctor had advised for the next week’s visit. Without looking at my file, she asked for the visiting charges. After making necessary payment I collected the new folder wherein she had attached Hospital’s printed Form duly filled in with all the desired information of the patient and the Doctor’s name, room number and the appointed time was mentioned: 11.30-AM.

I informed the lady at the reception that we were having an appointment for 10.30-AM; she replied me, since the Doctor had not yet arrived hence she has given me the appointment time of 11.30-AM; as she believed by then the doctor would definitely arrive. I returned to the waiting lounge and sat beside my wife. Before she could ask any question I told her about the reason of the delay and started looking at my mobile phone which was in silence mode. I saw eight missed calls, I checked all the call details and found two unknown numbers, one was mobile number and another was the land-line number from Ahmadabad. 

Without wasting any time I moved out of the waiting lounge and walked towards the parking ground. I first called the mobile number but got no reply. Thereafter I dialed the land-line number and after few rings I heard a Lady's voice answering in Gujarati language: “City Nursing Home-Namaste!” I gave my name and informed her about the missed call received from that number. She replied again in Gujarati language and told me that it was a private Nursing Home and she didn't exactly know who might have called me and before I could inquire further she coolly hung the phone. I was getting worried, who could have called me from this number. Before I could dial the mobile number again my wife came out looking for me and informed me that the Doctor Jain had arrived and the Nurse had called her name twice.

I dropped the idea of calling back the missed call numbers and walked towards Dr. Jain’s cabin along with my wife. After thorough check-up of all the test reports of my wife Dr. Jain informed us that my wife should be admitted in the Emergency Ward immediately because she is having very low hemoglobin due to low iron and blood transfusion needed today itself; he also suggested a dose of iron boost. I informed Dr. Jain that I would like to discuss with the family doctor before going ahead with his prescription. Then, I excused myself and left the cabin along with my wife.

We came out of the Hospital compound totally disturbed, disappointed and disheartened and proceeded towards the parking ground. My wife had gone back to a silence mode and I could clearly see her eyes filled with tears. I wanted to console her but then I decided to keep quiet for the time being and left her alone for few minutes so that she could settle down and adjust with her present situation and in this uncertainty we left the Hospital.       

  

I hardly had gone a kilometer or so, when I got a call again on my mobile phone and I stopped the car at the road side and answered the phone. It was the same mobile number again and at the outset the caller said: “Jai Shri Krishna” I immediately understood it was the voice of my very dear friend from Ahmadabad. I also responded in same tone and wished him by saying: “Jai Shri Krishna Jayant Bhai”. Before I could speak further, he interrupted me and said: “Were where you, I was trying to contact you since morning?  I briefed him about my today’s hospital visit and the whole episode including my wife’s present problem.     

He listens to me very tentatively and after a deep breath he replied: “I am very sorry to hear about your wife’s problem, please take good care of her. I interrupted him in between and inquired about the reason of his sudden and frequent calls in the morning. He kept quiet for few more seconds and then spoke to me with a very low voice: “Nothing urgent, I just wanted to ask you about your next blog, when you will publish it?” I was not convinced with his answer but I did not probe him further and replied to him that due to family problems and present medical crises I was not in a position to concentrate on my writing. However, I would try to publish my new blog next month. And after some more conversation he disconnected the phone.

I started my car again but I was not in a position to forget about Jayesh bhai and I was seriously thinking about the whole conversation and was trying to connect the dots of our last telecom but somehow I could not come out with a positive conclusion of his repeated calls and later I shifted my thought on my present crises.

It’s more than ten months now, my wife was not well and suffering from multiple symptoms and various problems which started cropping up one after the other. Initially it was her chest pain and she was admitted to the hospital; after the angiography test she came home; afterwards she was having high fever and in-between her sciatica problem aggravated thereafter her cervical problem cropped-up and now it’s her hemoglobin which was not keeping her in good health. And for every problem we have to consult a new doctor and with every new doctor she has to undergo various tests which includes: Blood test for Malaria Parasite EDTA Whole Blood/Smear, Alanine Aminotransferase, Rapid Typhi IGM, Dengue, Typhoid, Blood Cultural-Bactec Plus, Iron Cultural, Lipid Profile, Diabetic Profile, Ultrasound (whole abdomen), X-ray for Chest, Kidney function Profile, Lever function profile, Ferritin Serum, Irun Serum, Urine Culture, Glycosylated Hemoglobin, EDTA Whole Body, Vitamin B12 Level Serum and many more tests, there was no end to it. It’s not for one time, but every 15 days she had to undergo one test after another and I was feeling so helpless, frustrated and disappointed that I could do anything concrete to mitigate her pain. And I wondered why should she has to suffer so much of pain; Oh Lord, have mercy on her! 

I had never felt so helpless in my life before; I have read that after 50 years of age one had to be very careful with his health, one must control his diet, regularly do the physical exercise and every six month must go for routine body check-up. I have seen my wife following all the above mentioned advises religiously but still she was facing so many problems. I didn’t know what to do next except to listen to the doctors' advises. After all, I can’t take chances with my better half’s health.  

In the evening we went to our family doctor and briefed him about today’s episode. He first studied all her reports and after thorough physical check-up he told us not to worry at all and said: All her reports are okay except deficiency of Iron that’s why her hemoglobin is on a lower side. He prescribed medicines and gave her diet-chart which she has to strictly follow. He suggested only one blood test for hemoglobin to be conducted after 20 days, that’s it. Thereafter, he will decide the next course of action.

We came home in much better condition and relieved. My wife was feeling somewhat at ease and for the first time since morning I saw a little smile on her face but I could see her eyes still filled with tears and I could not make out whether it was of joy or sorrow!  

Days passed into weeks and weeks into months. I also forgot about Jayesh Bhai’s that particular mobile call and got involved with my day to day affairs. The other day I went for my car service and decided to wait for some more time to take back the car after the service was over instead of coming again. I was waiting at the service centre when I got an e-mail on my mobile phone from Jayesh Bhai which was so personal that I could not control my emotions and after reading it twice I started crying profusely.

After few minutes, I controlled myself. I thought of calling him over the phone first but could not muster enough strength to speak with him at that point in time. Now I understood the reason for his that day's call from his wife's mobile and later he called me from the Nursing home land-line phone number also because that very day his wife was operated.

He only wanted me to pray for his wife’s well being who was diagnosed with Colon Cancer, and was operated for seven long hours; the doctors had removed 14 inches of large intestine which had a tumor of about three inches in diameter. She was undergoing Chemo therapy every fortnight, total twelve sittings were required and till now only six had been completed, another six had to be carried out in the next three months.

I can pretty well understand how helpless he might have been feeling that day. He desperately wanted to share his concern with someone whom he trusted the most. But after realizing that my wife was also not keeping well, he kept quiet and withheld all his agony, pain and sorrow to himself. He never wanted me to get disturbed and upset with his personal problems, that was why he changed the topic and had not disclosed anything further.

I came back home, sat down in my study room and started thinking about Jayesh Bhai and his wife, respected Bhavna ji. First, I offered my prayers for the well being of Bhavana ji and then I told my wife about the whole incident. And instantly she advised me to rush to Ahmadabad and be with Jayesh Bhai saying that I must offer my unconditional assistance, help and support to Jayesh Bhai, because on such occasions in life a man must stand tall and fulfill all his duties without any hitch or hesitation. Because this is the most crucial time which can come in any body’s life, therefore one must not avoid and run away from such situations and responsibilities instead face them with brave heart, open mind and without being biased.

I wanted to call him back but I could not manage enough courage, confidence and inner-strength to talk to him one on one. Therefore I wrote him back and offered all my help and assistance. He immediately responded saying that he wanted only my prayers and well wishes, nothing else. I was feeling so low and sad, how a person could be so selfish, I should have called him back that very day and I should have inquired about the reason of his frantic calls, why I kept quiet for so long? Everyone has problems in life that does not mean one can avoid facing the world and stop meeting with his own family-members, friends and relatives.

Today when I look back and see, I find my problem too small as compared to my friend’s problem. I was making it so big and on the other side my very dear friend who was going through such a tough time in his life but still he had not only faced the situation so bravely but had also handled his social responsibilities with full maturity, sensibly and sincerely. It’s the inner strength and strong will-power of an honest man which ultimately makes him a perfect Friend and a Gentleman.      

I pray to God Almighty for speedy recovery of respected Bhavna ji,

With Prayers

Gurcharan

STRANGE ARE HIS WAYS!

I was waiting since long at the Patratu Railway station for the train which was late by four hours; the actual time of arrival was 5.23: AM and now its half past nine but there was no sign of the train. I came here from Jamshedpur on Monday afternoon by bus via Ranchi to visit one of our prospective clients who had invited us to participate in their Tender Opening exercise of industrial consumable products. They kept the second day for the final negotiation meeting with the Tender Committee, which was to be attended by the three lowest bidders and we happened to be the L-1 vendor.

After a long discussions and tough negotiations, we closed the sales deal in our favour with the client in a win-win situation.  They wanted delivery of the material strictly as per their monthly schedule and we requested for hundred percent payments against delivery. They accepted our payment terms with third party inspection clause before despatch which we agreed without any hitch, simply because we were fully confident about our product quality.

I was staying at the company Guest House for two nights and on Wednesday morning I was going back home to Jamshedpur. Luckily the JammuTawi-Hatia-Tata Express train was running late, hence I decided to go by this train. It was more than an hour since I was waiting at the Platform but there was no intimation of the train yet. 

Finally the train arrived at the platform around eleven o'clock and I boarded the AC coach.  After two minutes halt the train started, while checking my ticket, the ticket collector told me that this train will be divided into two parts at Moori Railway Station which will come after two and half hours; all AC coaches will be attached to the train going to Hatia Railway Station. Therefore, I must shift to the sleeper coach at Muri station to continue my journey towards Tatanagar. 

There was no option but to continue my journey in the same train and with a heavy heart I shifted to the sleeper coach at Muri station, which was almost empty. As informed, at Moori station the train was divided into two parts, and all the seven sleeper coaches and AC coaches were attached to the train going to Hatia and the remaining eight sleeper coaches, one general coach and one parcel van were attached with the train going to Tatanagar Railway Station. 

After thirty-five minutes, our train started again. I was sitting near the window seat when I saw one middle aged tall fair looking gentleman running towards our sleeper coach; he was carrying one soft luggage in one hand and a book in another hand. I rushed towards the entrance gate and took his soft luggage with one hand and simultaneously pulled him inside the train with another hand.  Meanwhile, the train had already picked-up the speed. 

The said gentleman was still breathing very heavily. He thanked me and we both sat down on our respective seats.  First I offered him my bottle of water, which he politely refused, at the same time he took out a water bottle from his luggage which was having very little quantity of water inside. He drank all the water available in the bottle and kept the empty bottle aside. He thanked me again for all my help and started reading his book an English fiction: Atlas Shrugged written by Ayn Rand, one of my favourites. I also took out my book and started reading. But somehow, I could not concentrate on my book. I was having a very strong feeling that I knew this gentleman but I could not remember where I had met him before.

We had hardly travelled thirty minutes or so when suddenly the train stopped. When I looked out from my window, I saw no station nearby and the train was standing on a vacant land. I could see nobody on either side. Ten minutes had passed but the train was still not moving. I saw my co-passengers getting up from his seat and moving towards the exit gate, after few minutes he came back to his seat and started reading his book again. He wanted to say something but I was busy reading my book hence he kept quiet. 

Half an hour had passed since but the train had still not moved. I could not control myself and decided to find out the reason of the delay. I got down from the train and saw lots of passengers also standing on the opposite track and gossiping with one another. I moved towards the Guard’s Cabin which was at the rare end of the train. When I reached the guard’s cabin I saw nobody in the guard’s coach, I started wondering where he might have gone. I kept waiting for a few more minutes and I saw him coming from the other side. On his arrival I enquired from him about the reason of unscheduled halt in this desert land. 

He replied to me in Bengali language that he came to know from the railway crossing staff, whom he has just met, that somebody had stolen the fish-plates and some parts of the rails are also missing in-between the track; hence our train had stopped. The railway track mobile staff had noticed this and they immediately informed the concerned stations and saved so many lives and railway property. Otherwise, there could have been a big accident.  The railway’s repairing train was coming within half an hour from Muri station and they would take approximately two hours to get the track repaired. It was three o'clock in the afternoon and by the time I will reach home, it will be late evening. I was getting worried and I could see no hope to reach home early under the presence circumstances. I was thinking seriously and started moving towards the sleeper coach. On arrival at my seat I could not see my co-passenger, I thought he might have gone to the toilet and started reading my book again. 

I had finished reading one page of my book when I saw him coming back with empty water bottle in his hand, he was sweating profusely. After he settled down in his seat, he interrupted me with a straight question: “Why this train stopped in-between, any idea?” I looked straight into his eyes and narrated the entire version of the train-guard.

He shook his head in dismay and said: “Oh my God, we would have been in big trouble, how long would it take to complete the repair work?” I replied: “At-least two hours or more”. I could see him getting tense and worried, his fair skin was shining with reddish glow and he was uttering a few words to himself which I could not understood and requested him to repeat his question again. He then introduced himself and told me the purpose of his visit and the reason of his travelling in a sleeper coach.

When he told me what his name was and where he was working in a company in Jharkhand.  I immediately remembered who he was? He was the Managing Director of a particular company where I had met him in the past. Since his company used to take turnkey projects of material handling equipments, he must have come to attend the negotiation meeting with the same client where I have visited. 

He informed me that he was sitting in the AC-First coach and when the train started; his co-passengers informed him that the AC train is going towards Hatia and not Tatanagar. Therefore, he immediately jumped from his train which was still running in a slow speed. By the time he came towards our train this train had also started picking up speed; hence he was running to catch this train.

I also briefed him about myself and the reason of my travelling with him in this train. In the beginning he was behaving very strangely and keeping to himself. Maybe his position and his big status was the reason of his adamant and egotistic behaviour but in the present circumstances he was having no choice hence he started communication with me under compulsion. I offered him my Bourbon biscuits packet and water bottle which he accepted without any hesitation this time.

I saw lots of passengers going towards one direction, I told my co-passenger to wait in the train and I also rushed towards the same direction where all the other passengers were going. I was surprised to see a small Hut which was over crowded and I was immensely surprised to see an old tribal woman frying snacks and one old man sitting next to her preparing tea in a big aluminium tumbler which probably was not washed since ages. Everyone was asking for tea and snacks; the old lady was serving her clients with one hand and in-between was also frying those snacks with equal speed. I also saw one hand-pump near the Hut where lots of passengers were drinking water.

     

First I paid for one plate of snacks and tea which was served in mud-bowl, I rushed towards the train and with lots of hesitation handed over the same to my co-passenger. Although I was having my doubts that he would accept my offering but to my surprise he not only accepted it but also started eating without raising any doubt or suspicion. I went back to the Hut once again and bought snacks and tea for myself. I finished my snacks and tea standing near the Hut. Later, I filled both the water bottles from the near-by hand-pump and came back to my seat. I offered him his bottle of water and kept my bottle on my seat. 

He took out his purse and offered me a fifty rupee note for snacks, tea and water. With both my folded hands I returned his money and requested him not to bother about it anymore, simply because I paid rupees ten only for snacks and tea; water was free. If he was having five rupee he could give me; otherwise he could simply forget it because I don’t have change for his fifty rupee note.

I could visualize that my co-passenger was very upset and equally surprised to see the chain of events happening since morning. He was trying to connect the dots between the incidents but failed to justify the sequence in which it happened in today’s journey. For him, it was neither his Office nor the Board Room where everything  happens the way he would like them to happen in a precise manner with a very clear objective, proper planning and thorough road map. He saw today, how the train passengers were served hot snacks and tea by an old tribal couple for a bare minimum amount although they could have charged exorbitant price for the tea and snacks in a place where nothing was available at that point of time. Instead, they tried to serve everyone without discriminating on the basis of caste, creed and status or choosing buyers on the basis of the highest bidder. They seemed to be very honest, simple, straight forward and God loving people who simply wanted to serve humanity without being biased and expecting no obligation or reward in return. 

It was a story in contrast; one with his egotistic nature pretending to be a man holding high position in the society and here was one couple at the lowest rung of the society not bothering whom they were serving. Strange are the ways of the Omnipresent Almighty, who plays his own game in his own ways!

With Prayers

Gurcharan

Destiny has its own ways

I was returning to Delhi after attending Bhog-ceremony (Prayer Meeting) of my mother-in-law at Jamshedpur. I was supposed to board Puri-New Delhi Neelanchal Express train from Tata Nagar station at 8:PM but the train was running late by half an hour. By the time it reached station it was 9: PM and I rushed towards AC-II tier coach to board the said train. Since I had booked my ticket the day before by Tatkaal (Under urgent booking) I got the side-lower berth, which made me sick, simply because during the day time you can’t sleep on the lower berth, reason being the same seat would be shared by the person who has been assigned the side upper berth; but the person who got side upper berth could sleep throughout the journey without any interruption.

Meanwhile, the train left Tatanagar and was crossing Chandil station when suddenly an old Lady approached me to exchange her upper berth with my side-lower berth; due to her joint pain she was unable to climb the upper berth. I was left with no option but to offer my seat to the old lady and I made her sit on my berth. I simply picked my handbag and shifted to her upper berth leaving my lower birth seat for her. Since I was not feeling sleepy, I decided to sit on the lower berth (Which was still not occupied) and started reading my book. I had hardly read few pages when again I was approached by the same old lady and this time she offered me a plastic plate full of sweets and fruits. She also offered me a small bottle of mineral water. I was almost in a dilemma and was totally confused as what to do next, whether to refuse it or accept?

Before I could respond and/or express my views, she gave me one more plastic bowl full of sweet-curd; she told me in her soft voice to start eating my dinner. I wished I could eat so much of sweets in a day but very politely returned both items to her with thanks. She did not like my gesture and asked me to wait; and then took out two cheese sandwiches, packet of chocolate cream biscuits, two tomato ketchup pouches and handed over these items on another plate. Meanwhile, she instructed me to sit down beside her on her seat and start eating my food immediately without any-more argument or refusal. Simultaneously, she also started eating her dinner. Suddenly, she remembered something and immediately kept her food-tray on the seat, took out another plastic box from her bag and started preparing her injection which she was supposed to take before her meals. She must be a Diabetic patient and that’s why she was taking this insulin injection. But then how come she was eating so much of sweets, and fruits were anybody’s guess.

I was left with no option but to eat my dinner along with my co-passenger who was no more a stranger to me. During our dinner, she told me her part of the story without any hesitation as if I were no more a stranger but a very close relative whom she was meeting after a long interval. She came to attend a house warming party at her relatives place in Jamshedpur where her older son’s in-laws were living and she was going back to meet her daughter who was living alone in Delhi. She was having two grown up kids; older son was a big heart surgeon settled in Kolkata and her daughter was younger to him, who was working as a Neurologist in a private hospital in Delhi. Hence, the old lady would be staying for a few months with her daughter, who was a divorcee.

She keeps travelling between Delhi and Kolkata and very rare she visits Jamshedpur, She had been an extensively travelling woman because her husband was working for an MNC in Kolkata as a Director (Exports) and both had travelled around the world several times. But now she does not enjoy travelling alone at all. It was almost eleven o'clock at night but she was still talking and she had also not allowed me to move away from her seat. I asked her very politely if she was feeling sleepy but she replied negatively. She hardly sleeps at night, because she goes to the toilet several times at night; hence she was unable to get a peaceful sleep at night.

She must be around seventy years old, very fair looking lady with a very tall and bulky physique. She lost her husband when she was around forty years or so. Her daughter could not have a successful married life due to high ambitions and strong ego clash between the two personalities. Both were very successful Doctors in their respective fields but her husband was not from such a rich family whereas she was from a filthy rich family and came from elite society. One fine day he left India along with one of his Punjabi Doctor friend who was working with him as his colleague. They both got settled in Ontario City of Canada as permanent resident. Their only daughter was studying in the United States and was doing her Master’s in Gynaecology. 

Since then her daughter had decided to live alone, never to get married again in this lifetime and dedicated her entire life to the medical profession. But somehow the old lady was not convinced with her daughter’s decision and she was repeatedly requesting her daughter to give marriage one more chance. So she came to Jamshedpur with one hidden agenda to see one prospective and suitable match for her daughter also. Everything was fine except that the boy was not from a Bengali Brahmin family whereas they were much respected Brahmin family of Burdwan District of West Bengal.

The prospective groom was a Bengali gentleman belonged to the Kaystha community of Krishna Nagar town of West Bengal. He was working as a Chief Medical Officer in a private hospital. Although married at an early age, their marriage could not last even for one year and both had decided to separate amicably. Since then he was living with his old parents at Jamshedpur. And by chance he happened to be the next door neighbour of her son’s in-law’s place in Jamshedpur.

Everything was fine and the prospective groom was also ready to shift to Delhi if the need be but still she was not fully convinced with this proposal and wanted some more time to think about it. Although her relatives had arranged their personal meeting on Skype yesterday and both seemed satisfied with the first interaction. But the old lady was not very happy with her daughter’s approach. She took all the personal details of the prospective groom for horoscope matching and further consultation with her family priest. 

It was two o'clock at night as we entered Gaya junction. The old lady wanted to drink tea at this hour of night, but the tea available on the platform was with sugar. Therefore, I rushed to the pantry along with a small Thermos on Platform number one and requested the waiter for hot water (Tea bags and milk powder pouches were available with us) so that I could make tea for the old lady. The old lady added two sugar free tablets in her cup of tea and gave me lots of blessings. After that I said goodnight to her and went to my upper berth for sleep. 

I woke up around eight in the morning. I saw the old lady was sitting on the lower berth below my seat and sipping her cup of tea. I got down from my berth first touched her feet in respect and then proceeded towards wash room. I came back and sat down along with her and spoke to her in Bengali language whether she had a good night sleep at night? She was so shocked to see me talking to her in Bengali which made her stand still and she was almost silent for few seconds. Actually, last night we were communicating in English and Hindi language only. Then, she started laughing uninterruptedly and became very happy to listen to my Bengali-pronunciation. I gave her my brief introduction and my family connection with Bengal which made me more Bengali than a Punjabi. I was born and brought up at Kolkata and after finishing my studies I worked in Kolkata for many years. Thereafter, first I shifted to Jamshedpur and later at Gurgaon for serving my employers.

After having our break-fast, we again sat down together and started discussing about Bengali literature. I realized the old lady was a voracious reader of Bengali fictions and she had read all the top most Bengali Authors right from: - Ashapurna Devi, Ashotosh Mukherjee, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bibhuti Bhushan Mukhopadhyay, Bimal Mitra, Budhadev Guha, Bimal Kar, Chanakya Sen, Mahasweta Devi, Narayan Sanyal, Rabindernath Tagore, Sharat Chandra, Shankar, Samresh Basu/ Kaalkoot, Sunil Gangaopadhyay, Shailesh Dey, Tara Shankar Bandhopadhyay and many more. She was wondering how come I have read these books. I told her that after attending my Morning College, I used to spend the whole day in the National Library, Kokata where I used to read, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Oriya, Malayali and Marathi literatures (Most of the books were available In Hindi translation also).

Thereafter, she kept quiet and meanwhile I also started reading my book. The right time for arrival of this train at New Delhi station was eight pm but the train was running two hours late. Therefore we were expected to reach New Delhi station after 10 PM at night. By the time we entered the platform no. 12 of New Delhi station it was 11:30 PM at night. At this late hour, I could not get Metro train for Gurgaon; similarly she too could not get a Metro train for Noida, where her daughter lived. I enquired whether her daughter would be coming to station to pick her up. The lady said “no” and started walking towards the staircase along with her trolley and shoulder bag. 

I interrupted her in between and requested her to come along with me to my house so that I could drop her the next morning at her Noida home. She did not agree with me and rather insisted to go to Noida in pre-paid taxi. I could not allow her to go alone at that hour of night. Therefore, I made her round to come along with me in a Taxi; that will go to her Noida home first and after dropping her I will proceed towards my home at Gurgaon and to this arrangement she consented happily. 

We reached her daughter’s flat at sector 18, Noida at about 1 o-clock night. The flat was on the tenth floor of a high-rise building; with the second call bell, a beautiful lady of middle-age opened the door and I was literally very shocked to see Mrs. Sutopa Majumdar standing at the door. I knew pretty well that she could not recognize me; even then she invited me to come inside, have a cup of coffee and then proceed towards Gurgaon. I simply asked her pardon and got myself excused on the pretext of getting late and after making the old lady comfortable, I left for my residence.

While sitting in the taxi, I was wondering that world was so small and in-spite of so many crowds around, sometimes we bump into those people we have never thought of meeting even in our wildest dreams but our destiny has its own plans. Mrs. Sutopa Majumdar’s ex-husband was married to my first cousin (Punjabi Doctor) who was now settled in Canada. As a matter of fact my sister has discussed about her husband’s ex-wife several times in the past; whom that old lady was cursing throughout her journey in the train.

With Prayers

Gurcharan

She will always remain in our hearts forever!

My beloved wife had gone to Jamshedpur in the month of June-2013 to look after her ailing mother who was suffering from acute liver problem. Since then I was staying alone at my Gurgaon home without her physical presence. In our married life of over thirty years, this was the first time that my wife had stayed away from me for so long. After passing of each day my staying alone in my own house became more and more difficult. Although my two beautiful daughters were there and taking good care of me but the personal touch of my wife was missing and so was her powerful persona. The vacuum was so significant and apparent that it couldn't be ignored at all; and it was crystal clear to me that this void could not to be filled by any other person on this earth, except my wife, I am hundred percent sure about it now.

No doubt my daughters are the real proof of my existence in this world but they came into my life only after my wife’s arrival and I can say this without any hitch or hesitation that my dear wife is the only person on this universe whose physical presence can make me a complete man. I felt totally lost, incomplete in all respects and my creativity, confidence, patience, persistence and positive thinking had been drained; my understanding towards life went down with each passing day. It goes without saying that she is my life-line and without her, my life is not at all moving ahead, in short, it’s my wife who is the main inspiration of my life.  

Although my daughters were very much here with me but still I just couldn't make myself happy and at peace with myself. I could see my better half’s signature all around my house, mind and soul. I can also say this much without an iota of any doubt that she has become my habit and it’s next to impossible to get rid of my old habits. I continue to seek her advice, guidance and instructions at the same time I also miss her interference, fights, care, concern and last but not the least her constant worry about my well being, which has repeatedly reminded me of her affection and love towards me.

I have also realized one more thing today that she loves me and my daughters very much but she loves her mother the most, of course she does. I don’t feel jealous, scared or threatened by this noble act of her dedication, devotion and love towards her mother.  Frankly speaking, my respect towards her has become deeper and all of a sudden her personality became very tall in front of me. But still I am not at all feeling scared, insulted and ignored by her present behaviour. She deserved all the praise for her kindness and it’s obvious that there is no substitute of motherhood. Nobody can take mother’s place in this world because she is the first person in our lives who introduces us to this world. I came to know about my father through my mother only. I can make a statement without any doubt that I have not seen my Lord but I am sure HE must be like my mother only?

I can’t forget the day, when for the first time, I met my mother-in-law, who had come to Calcutta to meet with us from Jamshedpur along with her husband. She did not ask my salary or enquired about our residential accommodation, whether it was our own house or rented? However, she had already met two prospective boys for her daughter earlier on that day and I was the third option in the row. She was looking for a suitable match for her daughter who was then studying in school but due to the pressure from the senior members of her family she wanted to finalize a suitable match for her daughter. And her only condition was an educated boy who must be earning fairly good salary and could take good care of her daughter.

I must say, that day was a very lucky day of my life because on that very day I got my first appointment letter from my employer. I showed the said letter to them but they simply returned without even looking at it and offered me their congratulations. I think that was the most important incident of my life that had turned the wheel of my life to a different direction altogether which has proven right at a much later date.

In-spite of being the mother of three grown up daughters my wife still looks very elegant  simple, sober and very straight forward person. I can straight-away confess without any hesitation that from every aspect and angle she was much better person, daughter, wife, mother and a very nice human being as compared to me. There can be no comparison between two of us. It was our Mummy ji (My mother-in-law) who had influenced and convinced my wife to accept me as her husband without giving much consideration to my simple looks and not so developed personality; and I will never forget her far-sightedness in blessing my family.

Last year she had a paralytic attack and since then she could not stand up on her own feet. She was provided with all kind of medical help but no improvement was noticed in her condition. Gradually her diet also started dropping down drastically. In-spite of sincere efforts of the family she could not recover. And one day her family physician advised to admit her in the hospital so that all the necessary medical tests could be conducted on her.

On hearing about her mother’s deteriorating health condition, finally on June-13,  2013 my wife along with her sister rushed to Jamshedpur to look after her ailing mother. Mummy ji was admitted in the private hospital where the entire prescribed tests were conducted except one test which was sent to Kolkata for final investigation and results. The said report came after three days, as expected; the results of these tests were another big shock to the family when the attending doctor announced with a very heavy heart that she was suffering from lung cancer which was at an advanced stage. The doctor advised the family to take the patient home, take good care of her and pray for her fast recovery.

Although it was very clear in the eyes of her Doctors that in-spite of their best efforts nothing more could be done and she was discharged from the hospital to avoid their helplessness. After spending a week long in the hospital, Mummy ji came back home. Meanwhile, she stopped communicating with the family members any-more  She also stopped taking solid food and was shifted to liquid diets. Her health was going down day by day; simultaneously, her pain was also increasing with each passing day. 

One fine morning she stopped taking the liquid diets also but her body was getting swelled, all her clothes started bursting from the seams particularly from her stomach. A group of senior Doctors were called again to check the new development which was very alarming. And after the thorough check-up, they expressed their helplessness and advised the family with a very heavy voice that her days were numbered and all the family members should pray to God Almighty so that the patient can get fastest relief from her existing pain which was not only very severe but unbearable also. As expected, all the members of the family were continuously offering their prayers but at the same time their eyes were over-flowing with the unstoppable tears.

On the morning of June-26, Mummy ji started vomiting blood and she was immediately shifted to the hospital. All the resident doctors and nurses at the hospital were very sincere and they took all major steps under their control and tried everything possible to keep the patient alive. Finally on the fifth day, after long discussions with the medical fraternity at the hospital, they decided to put the patient on ventilator. While the nurse was planning to shift the patient to ICU our Mummy ji decided to take her last breath at around 3-PM on June-30, 2013 and she left us all alone without uttering a single word to anyone.

All of a sudden our Mummy ji had gone far, very far away, leaving us all alone in this cruel world but she left with us her sweet memories and a gave us a big relief that finally she was free from all her agonies, pains and sufferings. We are sure our Mummy ji must be at peace and residing in our Lord’s paradise; but she will always remain in our hearts forever!  

With Prayers

Gurcharan