I'm out with Part 2 and the final part of this series. I hope you all like the read!
Part 2
A few months passed and Sameer's
plan of keeping Naina in the dark worked. Very cleverly, citing psychological
reasons, Sameer had the doctor evade in-depth questions from Naina about conception.
But then Dr. Srestha convinced Naina that to aid pregnancy, along with Sameer, she
too needed to take regular dosages of vitamin injections and hormone bursts as
well as do some regular cycle specific monitoring tests. Pertaining to the original
set of reports, Sameer many a times craftily averted the topic by saying he
felt upset and didn't want to look at the reports again, nor did he want Naina
to go through them. The doctors knows the details and as per her experience,
psychological pressures could be created due to anomalies in one's report, he
would say. And then on the rare occassions, when Naina visited the clinic alone
and surreptiously asked for reports, there was either some problem with the
electricity or the lab incharge was unavailable or the printing machine was
under repair for eternity. Naina wondered how they got about with their work
with such disruptions in place, for she'd heard Dr. Sreshtha was one of the
best in Ahemdabad.
Her friends, family kept checking
upon them to see if they succeeded or not. Chachiji was immensely worried for
them now- Naina had been a middle-class girl when she'd married Sameer. They'd
not asked them or Naina for a single penny from their side during the wedding.
Chachiji had full faith on Sameer and his love, but she was also worldy wise to
know that not being able to bear a heir for the Maheshwari family might strike
some discord with Sameer's family. Taiji, on the other hand, conveniently
forgot how she'd born Pralay after 12 years of marriage, that too, through the
test tube method. She could have been expected to understand Naina's
predicament and to support her emotionally. Instead, everytime she visited her home,
she had a bunch of taunts ready for her inability to bear a child. Naina would
burst into tears at being subjected to such harassment for a child, adding to
her own woes of being denied motherhood for so long. Sameer however saw to it
that the taunts never hurt Naina for long, and was quick to remind her aunt of
the testing times she and her husband had faced before Pralay was born.
Their neighbours too popped in
advice, names of doctors who'd brought about miracle conceptions. Their
relatives in village too had their home remedies ready. Munna and Pandit, along
with their families, provided every ounce of moral support to Naina and Sameer.
Vishakha too was absorbed in trying to help Naina conceive. Sameer had
discussed the real problem with her, and the fact that he didn't want Naina to
suffer. She couldn't have been more proud of her son at the way he valued and
loved his wife. Rohan had spent many late nights researching on new medical
breakthroughs, medicines to help conception as well.
All this while, Naina's suspicion
grew that Sameer was keeping something from her. Or perhaps the doctor wasn't
capable enough. Or maybe her treatment wasn't working for them. Determined to
find out more about the science behind their treatment, Naina hatched a plan. Sameer
was already wrought from work, and then their personal life had been susceptible
to a lingering void. Sameer always coaxed her to feel positive, so much so he
wouldn't hear of her trying to learn about the ailments herself. "Naina! Doctor
ko humse zyada pata hai! Unhone ispe itne saal padhai ki hai! Tum kuch ulta
seedha padh logi fir sochti rahogi kuch gadbad hai! he would say.
One day, Naina saw him ride off
to his office and unable to control her academic curiosity, she asked the
driver to take her to the public library once he returned after dropping Sameer
to the factory. A week passed by as Naina researched in great depth about the
science of conception. She wanted to help Sameer and in a way it would help
them both. "Whatever Sameer and the doctor had been telling her made perfect
sense! Then why were they not conceiving? She was keeping a regular track of
her dates, her most fertile time. Sameer was under medication too. They'd been
pouring money on tests, sonographies, hormonal imbalances, vitamin supplements,
injections- yet nothing seemed to work.
Lost in thoughts, as she strolled
out of the library for a break, she noticed another gynaecological clinic just
two feet away from the library. Stung by a strange recklessness, Naina found
her feet moving towards the clinic. As she gave her details to the lady at the
counter, she patiently waited for her turn to arrive. Once inside, out of an
unexplainable whim, she hid her case history from the doctor and asked him to start
afresh with his diagnosis. The doctor advised some basic tests, which Naina was
already familiar with, but agreed to take them again, there.
Two days later, sitting in the
same clinic, Naina felt her world turn topsy-turvy. "Madam...the news is not
particularly happy. You seem to have some problems in conception. We've found
some blockages in the uterus and then the reason you were complaining of
irregular menses is because you have some cysts forming in your ovaries! the
doctor recited. The biological jargon made complete sense to her, thanks to the
research she'd done on her own in the library. She couldn't wait to inform
Sameer that she too was at fault. Maybe they'd been taking the wrong treatments
till now. And then her doctor's voice boomed, as she snapped out of her
thoughts. "You can bring your husband along too. We'll conduct some tests on
him as well, just to check if the problem is one-sided or both ways! Naina
nodded, paid him the fee as she felt a sense of unease sweep through her. "Could
it be the doctor had been duping them? Or is it possible that Sameer had lied
all along? Why would he do that? She would confront him tonight itself! she
decided.
The three hours and eighteen
minutes that Naina had to wait to see him back home, fuelled her imagination,
taking her thoughts towards some completely irrational directions and some
plausible ones. As she heard the car screech onto the graveled pathway, and the
sharp cluck of the car door closing, that Naina stood upright from the sofa.
"Hello jaan! Sameer swooped down
on her, trying to kiss her as his usual routine, though before checking
Ramdhari was out of sight. He sensed her frigid response and broke apart,
"what's wrong? His eyes implored hers. Naina strode off to the dining table,
picked up the reports she'd received today and handed the same to him, her eyes
impassionate all this while.
"Sameer wo doctor ki reports
galat hain shayad...maine ek aur clinic mein check karaya...tum kaho to hum wahan
jaa sakte hain...dekho..., she stopped abruptly as she saw the colour fade from his
face.
Sameer opened the report and what
he saw made his heart skip several beats. No, not in joy. In fear, in
apprehension. His eyes scampered to hers and found her gaze leveled to him,
demanding an answer. The glint of guilt that shone in his eyes was enough for
her to know. She held his palm and put it onto her head, "sach kya hai Sameer?
Kya tum mein sach mein problem hai ya fir problem hamesha se mujh mein hi thi?
She urged as Sameer stood silent. "Sach kaho Sameer...tumhe meri kasam! she
pleaded. "Naina...! he sighed and then softly put her hands on her shoulders.
"Meri reports normal thi...mujh
mein problem nahi hai...matlab recently nahi pata...yeh...yeh report sach hai! he
acceded, fearing a flurry of distress from her side. Her eyes were already
pooling with tears as she enquired again, "kyun? Sameer had no answer as he
hung his head in despair. And then Naina broke into sobs as she pulled him to
her in a tight hug. "Kyun Sameer...kyun! Kyun itna pyaar karte ho mujhse? she
cried. Stunned, Sameer pulled apart to look at her. "Sameer...mujhse lucky koi ho
hi nahi sakti...itna pyaar kaise kar sakte ho tum mujhse? she demanded amidst
her sobs. Unable to control his own emotions, Sameer held her close and wept
with her.
Half an hour later, Sameer
narrated the entire truth to her. Even the fact that they were taking treatment
for her only. The doctor had been in connivance with Samer. All this because he
didn't want her to lose hope or become forlon at the prospect of being
childless, especially because she couldn't conceive till now. He took her palms
in his and pressed them, as if reassure her. She smiled, and nodded.
"Sameer...bhagwan ne mujhe baccha nahi diya to kya hua...tum jaisa pati de
diya...iske aage mein aur kya chahun? she let out, in a voice that spoke of pain,
yet a strange contentment. "Naina...to kya hua agar hamare bacche nahi huye
toh...tum mere saath ho...main tumhare saath hun...isse badhkar kya hum dono ko kuch
aur chahiye...mere liye mere bacche se important tum ho...meri biwi...mera pyaar! he
cuddled her once again.
They decided to start afresh- not
to give up hope. But after another year, the result was the same. Neither
medicines helped, nor astrology, nor the visits to the famous temples all over
India and neither the desi remedies offered by the elderly ladies of their
families. Naina and Sameer remained childless.
***
Sameer felt for his wife around
in sleep and his hand met the flattened blanket. He scrunched his eyes against
the glow of the table lamp at the study table. He got up and walked over to
Naina, immersed in writing her journal, her face illuminated by the lamp. He
placed a hand on her shoulders, "soyi nahi? As if jolted back into the
present, Naina looked up. Her face was stained with tears. She'd been crying
for a while, Sameer could make out from the blots of ink on the pages adorned
with her crisp and now smudged handwriting. What was she reading? He'd barely
registered the date and automatically his hands clasped her shoulders harder in
an attempt to comfort her. The moment was broken by a soft voice, "Papa! Mumma!
They turned around to see their
son of 5 years, the dimple on the left of his cherubic face visible as he clenched
his teeth in anticipation. He was dressed in a white cotton kurta payjama, just
like his father preferred to wear at night, and was fumbling with the cord of
the payjama, trying to hold it in place from falling it down.
"Kya hua Nitant beta? Sameer
called, and his face immediately took on a compassionate hue. "Papa...bathroom
jana hai...andhera hai..darr lag raha hai! came the kid's reply. "Arey mera
bahadur beta! Andhere se darta
hai...Nitant bahadur hai na? Sameer rushed forward to scoop him in his arms,
while Naina's tears lent way to a broad smile. She saw Sameer lift Nitant up,
mumble things to pep him up- like the doting and caring father he'd always
been. A moment later, Sameer was off with Nitant to the bathroom.
Naina turned back to the pages of
the diary she'd been reading just a while before. The worst day of her life,
which ultimately gave her, gave them, the best thing in their life- a hope to
survive, an indicator that despite everything, life goes on. That was the day
they got Nitant- their son! She turned the pages of her diary as she read her
notes from that day and reminisced that fateful morning.
Naina had just stepped out of the bath, patting her wet hair with a
towel, as the trails of water seeped onto her cotton blouse. She went over to
the mirror and quickly applied her sindoor and bindi.
"Baap re! Late ho gaya aaj! Chutti ke din na sab aur deri ho jaati
hai! She glanced at the antique clock on the wall to the side, "8.30! She
scurried over to the pujaghar and lit the diya and incense and started chanting
her daily hymns with folded hands, her eyes closed in veneration. Ten minutes
later, Naina was moving about the house, spreading the fragrance and the smoke
of the incense all around the house. She moved back to the pujaghar and just as
she'd settled down the plate, she felt herself go tizzy. Her mind lurched as if
she was about to faint, and then she felt the earth slip beneath her feet.
Moments later, the entire house seemed to rock to and fro in a dangerous
rhythm, a loud grumble emanating around her, increasing in intensity.
"Was it an..., she barely had time to think, when she heard Ramdhari's
yell, "didi bhukanp...bhaago! Her sub-conscious kicked in and she ran out of the
main door, past the porch, onto the garden as fast as her feet could take her.
The entire earth was shaking with madness, as if in mammoth rage at
mankind, plundering all the buildings around her to rubble. As she and Ramdhari
stood in the garden, their hands pressed against the ears to block the noise,
her heart shouted, "SAMEER! Hordes of people escaped or tried to, out of their
apartments, bungalows around them, shouting out, alerting those asleep to the
calamity. After what seemed like an eternity, but had actually been just a
minute or was it two, the grumbling eased down and the earth stood still;
innocently as if unaware of the havoc, the carnage that it had unleashed in
that interval.
Cries turned to wails of grief and panic, as people tried to scurry
through the rubble, to look for their friends, family, neighbours stuck
underneath, or lamenting the loss of their homes, their valuable possessions,
children, parents alike.
But Naina's thoughts were directed only on Sameer. She began to cry as
a panicky Ramdhari assured her, "Sameer baba theek honge didi...wo bahar aa gaye
honge... "Sameer! Sameer! Preeti! Chachi! Chacha! Arjun bhaiya! Images of
family closest to her heart swam around her... "Shefali...Anirudh...Swati..Munna...Pandit...Pooja
didi..Pralay her dad! Terror gripped her senses. She ran inside their home,
which had miraculously survived or maybe endured due to its strong base and
construction to see if the telephones were working and if she could call Sameer
in his office.
The day of 26th January 2001 was one of horror for the state
of Gujarat and for entire India. As Sameer panted through the puffs of smoke
and dust arising out of the rubble, of what remainded of the new apartment
complexes around their office, Sameer could only think of one person, "Naina! They
were greeted by people running about hither-thither in panic, half of them
unable to absorb the catastrophe that had struck them on what was to be a
quiet, holiday- a day of get together with families- a day to observe the
beautiful programs of dances on TV, to admire the exhibits of various states,
and to watch the ultimate fly past across India Gate in the National Capital.
Sameer squinted and saw that the government school that he passed every
morning, and where today the students that had been chorusing the National
Anthem just half an hour ago had vanished from sight, as if it had never
existed. Many bungalows and apartments seemed to have been smashed out. It had
been with great difficulty that Sameer had managed to run down from the top
floor of his own office building to an open area, while the earth shook
fiercely. He'd found a bunch of his employees, huddled against the corners of
the rooms, and under the tables or in the grounds outside. Just as he'd been
about to set foot in the open, he'd missed being crushed to death by a fraction
of inch. The boulder of cement that had fallen almost on top of his head, hit
his arm instead and Sameer knew his shoulder must be broken. As he tried to
nurse his pain, he gulped thinking of his wife, hopefully somewhere safe
outside. He didn't know if he even had a home or a wife to return back to, he
thought in panic. Frantically, he looked for telephones around, but realized
soon that no means of communication were working. He didn't know the intensity,
nor the impact, nor the areas where the quake had struck.
Sameer broke into a run or tried to, amidst the roads laden with
rubble, pausing in between to help a person or two to escape from the debris
crushing them, or covering some old man with his expensive jacket to protect from
the cold. He stumbled upon pieces of furniture, some cement, or mortar or what
remained of a house's pillar, an urgency to see Naina safe gripping him.
A few men were collected at a distance at the bottom of the wreckage of
a building, trying to rescue survivors, employing their might to move the heavy
boulders and concrete. Sameer couldn't just walk past ignorantly, hoping that
someone would have stopped to help his wife and friends like this, if they were
trapped. And he ended up adding a helping hand. Moving stones, extracting
bodies- dead, living or partially alive, either whole or in pieces was a
gruesome, yet sharply painful task. To add to it, the aftershock tremors sent
panic waves all through his body. He was horrified to his core wondering about
the fate of his loved ones- Naina, Ramdhari, Munna, Pandit...and had the quake
struck in Delhi as well...what about mom, dad, Rohan, Deepika?
And that was when he heard muffled wails coming from near him. He
frantically looked around, and realized that the sound of crying was coming
from a pile of rubble, of what had once been the Vrindavan society. With his
own broken arm, he tried his best to locate the crying child. Two men ran to
help him. And finally they unearthed a two month old baby, placed safely under
a table, desperately crying away for his mother. As they evacuated the baby
from the ruins, they tried to dislocate the slabs a bit further, and it was
then that a hand came into view, and a gory, horrible site greeted them in the
name of a woman, whose face and body, except the hand with which she must have
held the baby, was crushed badly. Sameer shouted in fear and shock, and the
baby wailed louder.
"Ye to Rekha ji hain...! one of the men shook his held apologetically,
his eyes misting as he recognized the tattoo of "Pradeep, her husband's name
etched across the lifeless arm. "Ye inka beta hai! he pointed to the baby in
his arm. Sameer looked in pity at the baby, and tried to compose himself as he
caressed the baby's face in consolation. The baby seemed to have sensed his
comforting touch and his whining reduced in intensity.
"Itna chota baccha bach kaise gaya...! Sameer exclaimed in wonder.
"Shayad ishwar ki iccha thi...jaako raake saiyan maar sake na koi...chalo
mota bhai...wahan pe koi chilla raha hai!
"Iske ghar ka aur koi hai aas pass? Sameer asked. One of the men
responded, "pata nahi kya kismet ka khel hai...iske janam se 4 mahine pehle hi
iske pitaji shaheed ho gaye the...Army me sipahi the...aur ab Rekha ji...! Tears
trickled down his face as he turned his eyes up at the irony of life. Destiny
took his parents away, but saved the child!
"Bhai sahab...aap is bacche ko sambhal lijiye tab tak...! they thrust the
boy into Sameer's arms and ran in the direction of the opposite building.
It was strange how a calamity that had the power to shook the mankind,
had them all connected like a family now. The trust was unsurpassable, comfort
sought in strangers, the only aim being to help as many and as much as one
could. Sameer tried to swaddle the baby in its blanket and rocked him slowly to
hush him. He waited around, looking for someone to hand over the baby in their
care, who knew the mother. Ten minutes passed by and his urgency to check on
Naina grew. The baby could be identified later. He would keep it safe. Thinking
so, he hurried along the path to his home. He was almost near home when he
finally let out a deep breath as he saw Naina crying frantically, her hands
flailing as she was moving about calling out his name.
She'd been afraid to go out much far away, in case he reached home and
became tense not seeing her there. And then she hoped he was alive and on his
way back to her. Ramdhari meanwhile had been looking for him near the office.
Sameer shouted, "NAINA! and stuttered across the shards of broken
glass, the baby boy in his arms whimpering again and pulled her with his other
broken arm tightly. He filched in pain, yet the pain didn't bother him anymore
now that he'd seen his Naina safe. Naina looked up at his dusty, white face,
his tattered clothes, his seemingly broken arm, and the unknown baby in his
arms. But it wasn't the time to think. Naina felt her breath easen as she felt
his familiar warmth, inhaled his scent, touched his body in a fierce embrace.
They cried hugging each other, thankful to God for helping them both survive.
But not all had been lucky. Preeti who was due in three months, was in
for a shock, as she realized Pandit had not managed to escape. He'd tried to
lead his employees in the shop to safety, and had held back an instant late,
only to have the shop burying him in his family legacy. Swati emerged crippled,
banished to a wheel chair. But thankfully, Munna and their kids who'd been out
enjoying the school holiday in the park were spared. Her in-laws again hadn't
been so lucky. Swati's mother had succumbed to her injuries in the hospital two
days before and her father who'd been out on a trip to Pune on that fateful day
found himself shattered.
Taiji and Pralay had not managed to escape too, while Tauji had been
saved by the sturdy court building where he'd been seated. Arjun had suffered
some scars and scratches in trying to protect Shefali and their son, Anirudh
from the disaster. Bela and Preeti had been downstairs buying vegetables when
the quake had struck. Anand too had been buried underneath, just like his son-in-law.
Sameer and Naina tried to find the baby's family or any contact
details, through newspapers, telephone helplines, through television, but
either he had no survivor left in his family or no one came to take his
responsibility. Eventually, after a few months, accepting him as God's decision
to bestow a child to them, and parents to the baby, Sameer and Naina decided to
adopt him legally and named him, "Nitant! They couldn't have asked for more.
He completed them. Completed their family.
Sameer entered inside a few minutes
later, with Nitant giggling at his toes. He was obviously not scared of the
dark now that his father was besides him. "Dhishoom dhishoom...! Aise maarunga
main rakhshas ko! he chuckled to his father and Naina silently admired the
blood of the Armyman in his veins. Which reminded her that their grant for the
aid of widows and orphaned children of defence personnel was pending. She'd
would remind Sameer to release it tomorrow.
"Mummy! Main aapke saath sounga
aaj! Nitant grinned and scooted towards his mother, wrapping his tiny arms
around her neck. Naina planted a kiss on his cheeks. "Bilkul beta! she replied
as she got up from her chair, removed her glasses, and closed her diary. For
Sameer, these were the times when he had to chose between two of the best
things in life- have his son cuddling upto him in sleep or to cuddle his wife
to sleep. He couldn't and wouldn't choose one over them though, he contemplated
smilingly. Sameer went along with Naina to check up on their new bundle of joy
wrapped up in a blanket, thankfully snoring peacefully tonight. He planted a
soft kiss on her tiny, round cheeks. The baby girl smiled in sleep. "Just like
her mother when I kiss her when she's asleep, he mused fondly.
Sameer jumped onto the bed with
Nitant, as Naina covered them both with the blanket, before ushering herself
inside too. The happy family of three had been so content that God had finally
given them another addition. Just a few months before, Naina had given birth to
their daughter, "Prishi. As Naina slowly rocked the cradle, thinking about
their children, her husband and life in general, she felt Sameer's hand hold
hers and at that moment, Prishi gave out a squeaky cry. The lights turned on
and the parents looked at each other in exasperation. Sameer's eyes conveyed, "your
turn and he turned around to sleep, with Nitant hugging his back. Naina rolled
her eyes at her husband, and then at her baby girl, and mused, "just like her
father...doesn't allow me sleep!
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I hope I have not offended anyone by the storyline I've put forward, for I know very little of the tragedy at that time. My sympathies and prayers are with those who suffered. May God bless us all with life and with happiness!
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