"I am going to meet my mother! I am finally meeting her!!", Sana jumped with joy. I was pleased to see the twinkle in her eye. I made up my mind to take her with me to see her mother.
It was a long time since they had met. Sana was now 7. And was away from her mother since three years. I could not imagine how the little girl had put up without her mother. Sana was in the boarding where I happened to go for a couple of lectures on art. Sana became my instant favourite- not for her skills at art, but for her innovative ideas and vivaciousness. I wanted to see Sana happy-always.
It was the winter break and Sana was alone in the hostel after all her boarding mates left. I decided to take her home. But she insisted on seeing her mother. I took the address from the school and promised her that we shall start off the very next day.
But, the next day happened to be the one with lot of contraptions and piles of to-do lists. I could not help, but call the school and let them know that I would not be able to come to pick Sana that day.
She must have been heart broken.
The next day, without paying any heed to the people at home, I stuffed a pair of clothes and reached the school. The environs looked empty and dull without a soul playing and trotting in the garden. I looked for the warden and Sana. After half an hour of dragging my feet up and down the school building, I finally saw the warden and Sana enter from the gate. I rushed to them.
Sana was crying and the warden had held her hard at the arm, dragging her in the school building. Sana had tried to sneak out and had gone to the bus stand the previous night. I missed a heart beat. I blamed myself for it.
I looked at Sana in her eyes and said, 'Come, lets go home'. She shook my hand off. "Not mine, YOUR home." "Really??!!", she said, and her face lit up. "I have been carrying this rose for my ammi", she said with a red rose held up pointing at my face. I smiled.
After completing the formalities, we started off. Reaching the bus-stand, I started debating as to what I should carry for her mother, since I would be meeting her for the first time. I asked Sana what her mother likes. She said, "she will love that I came to see her. She gets everything that she wants in Utambar*". I smiled at her, but decided to take atleast a box of sweets when we would get down.
The journey was long. But Sana was determined and did not show a sign of fatigue. We got down at Dapoli stand and I was puzzled as to how to reach Utambar. Sana pointed at a shared jeep and exclaimed,"Ammi used to take me by these!". I decided to follow the suit. We climbed up in the crowded jeep; already peopled by about 9-10 people. In about half an hour, we crossed Anjarle, and were just a few inutes away from Utambar.
I was getting little anxious and did not know how things would go.
We got off, and I held Sana's hand tightly, as if I needed her support at that moment.
She ran towards a fallen house and cried with excitement,"This is my house!". The house however showed no signs of any habitation since long time there. The roof tiles had fallen in and the brick walls had collapsed like the house of cards.
As i was inspecting it, a curt question came from behind-"What do you want?". I turned to see. "Ah! Chacha!", Sana squealed.
The 'chacha' was the local mosque keeper. He was delighted to see that I got Sana to visit her place.
He invited us at his house and offered a strong cup of tea. As I drank it down, I asked,"Where is sana's mother?".
"I will take you to her!", Sana interrupted.
As soon as the tea cup touched the table top, Sana pulled my had and I was literally dragged out of my house. Sana was running at an unbelievable speed and her enthusiasm was unparalleled.
We crossed a tiny rivulet, a mosque and a couple of paddy fields, and reached a hillock. She dragged me to one of the white upright stone standing in a corner. The white wash on the epitaph was shining in the sun.
"This is my Amma!", said she.
I sank to my knees. I stared at the elaborate Urdu alphabets hopelessly.
At that point, not even the calligraphy attracted me. I looked around blankly.
Sana was putting the red rose she had carried, on the tombstone. The rose was now little dry and mirthless, but shone as a jewel on the white mass.
My eyes moistened.
I had met Sana's mother and I talked to her about Sana for an hour till chacha came to look for us.
"She is a peaceful woman- Sana's mother. What did she say?", asked chacha.
I wasn't sure if I should tell him all the million words I heard float in the empty blue sky as I talked to her.
Sana's mother was now mine as well.
*Utambar is a small village in Dapoli taluka, Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra.
It was a long time since they had met. Sana was now 7. And was away from her mother since three years. I could not imagine how the little girl had put up without her mother. Sana was in the boarding where I happened to go for a couple of lectures on art. Sana became my instant favourite- not for her skills at art, but for her innovative ideas and vivaciousness. I wanted to see Sana happy-always.
It was the winter break and Sana was alone in the hostel after all her boarding mates left. I decided to take her home. But she insisted on seeing her mother. I took the address from the school and promised her that we shall start off the very next day.
But, the next day happened to be the one with lot of contraptions and piles of to-do lists. I could not help, but call the school and let them know that I would not be able to come to pick Sana that day.
She must have been heart broken.
The next day, without paying any heed to the people at home, I stuffed a pair of clothes and reached the school. The environs looked empty and dull without a soul playing and trotting in the garden. I looked for the warden and Sana. After half an hour of dragging my feet up and down the school building, I finally saw the warden and Sana enter from the gate. I rushed to them.
Sana was crying and the warden had held her hard at the arm, dragging her in the school building. Sana had tried to sneak out and had gone to the bus stand the previous night. I missed a heart beat. I blamed myself for it.
I looked at Sana in her eyes and said, 'Come, lets go home'. She shook my hand off. "Not mine, YOUR home." "Really??!!", she said, and her face lit up. "I have been carrying this rose for my ammi", she said with a red rose held up pointing at my face. I smiled.
After completing the formalities, we started off. Reaching the bus-stand, I started debating as to what I should carry for her mother, since I would be meeting her for the first time. I asked Sana what her mother likes. She said, "she will love that I came to see her. She gets everything that she wants in Utambar*". I smiled at her, but decided to take atleast a box of sweets when we would get down.
The journey was long. But Sana was determined and did not show a sign of fatigue. We got down at Dapoli stand and I was puzzled as to how to reach Utambar. Sana pointed at a shared jeep and exclaimed,"Ammi used to take me by these!". I decided to follow the suit. We climbed up in the crowded jeep; already peopled by about 9-10 people. In about half an hour, we crossed Anjarle, and were just a few inutes away from Utambar.
I was getting little anxious and did not know how things would go.
We got off, and I held Sana's hand tightly, as if I needed her support at that moment.
She ran towards a fallen house and cried with excitement,"This is my house!". The house however showed no signs of any habitation since long time there. The roof tiles had fallen in and the brick walls had collapsed like the house of cards.
As i was inspecting it, a curt question came from behind-"What do you want?". I turned to see. "Ah! Chacha!", Sana squealed.
The 'chacha' was the local mosque keeper. He was delighted to see that I got Sana to visit her place.
He invited us at his house and offered a strong cup of tea. As I drank it down, I asked,"Where is sana's mother?".
"I will take you to her!", Sana interrupted.
As soon as the tea cup touched the table top, Sana pulled my had and I was literally dragged out of my house. Sana was running at an unbelievable speed and her enthusiasm was unparalleled.
We crossed a tiny rivulet, a mosque and a couple of paddy fields, and reached a hillock. She dragged me to one of the white upright stone standing in a corner. The white wash on the epitaph was shining in the sun.
"This is my Amma!", said she.
I sank to my knees. I stared at the elaborate Urdu alphabets hopelessly.
At that point, not even the calligraphy attracted me. I looked around blankly.
Sana was putting the red rose she had carried, on the tombstone. The rose was now little dry and mirthless, but shone as a jewel on the white mass.
My eyes moistened.
I had met Sana's mother and I talked to her about Sana for an hour till chacha came to look for us.
"She is a peaceful woman- Sana's mother. What did she say?", asked chacha.
I wasn't sure if I should tell him all the million words I heard float in the empty blue sky as I talked to her.
Sana's mother was now mine as well.
*Utambar is a small village in Dapoli taluka, Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra.
