Short Story
Mohan Kothekar
Writer and Blogger
Seldom,
an outlandish incidence accidentally happens in the life of an individual. It was betide in the Indian Maharashtrian
Brahmin family from a metro city like an earthquake on one night that shattered
the basic ethos of modern family style.
The man, an executive from the Public Sector Bank and a woman,
homemaker, blessed with a daughter about a quarter century ago who is at
present in final year (internship) of the medical degree course. The trio are joyous and enjoying the life as
if they are in the empyrean. The
daughter, Anu, had been a meritorious student since her childhood and therefore
received admission in renowned and prestigious medical college in spite of rigorous
and gruff caste based reservation policy.
Her cherished desire is to emulate in all India post graduate medical science
entrance examination so as to secure admission in All India Institute of
Medical Sciences, New-Delhi in Gynecology and Obstetrics; Anu destined to get
admission as she is working hard day and night to get theoretical and practical
knowledge.
The
middle aged Indian ladies are genetically short but never slender and slim;
generally fatty, bulky and roly-poly. Females
have adoration for saree draping – an Indian National Attire – and so it becomes
practically difficult to perceive who is fleshier. Sarika was from the roly-poly category soon
after the birth of Anu as against the normal stature of her husband Suresh. Anu and her father on and often tease Sarika
regarding her health and advised her to join a gymnasium. At last and with reluctance, Sarika started
morning walk along with her intimate friend Mrs Deshpande; both were becoming a
regular morning-goers. In-spite-of punctual
and orderly morning exercises Sarika started gaining weight, especially around
the belly region. Sarika reduced her
diet intentionally due to which in the recent past she was looking gloomy and
depressed. In the last one and half
month her weight was noticeably augmented; the lady was looking uncouth and
ugly.
In
India, the word neighbor, society, colony and community have celestial and extraordinary
ascendant on family matters. The already
fatty Sarika when became more bulky, she was forced to do fast on every Monday
and Thursday by her neighbor, Mrs Tilak; the other neighbor, Mrs Kulkarni
compels her to take Ayurvedic homemade preparations; the third member suggested
acupuncture therapy, so on and so forth.
Mrs Joshi suggested medical advice will be the best remedy as high blood
pressure and heart ailments are associated with fattiness. Mrs Kale as usual poked her nose and lamented
the story lucidly regarding the death of her farthest relative’s friend because
of abdominal tumor. As per the noble and
forceful advice of lady assemblage, Sarika decided to visit clinic; there were
other reasons like breathlessness, sleeplessness, depression, anorexia, mental
stress, abdominal pain and whatnot prompted her to confirm the long pending prognosis.
After
uninterrupted and matchless persuasion by the ladies club and family members,
on one fine evening, Sarika and Suresh went to Dr Bapat’s Heart Clinic to show
her depleting health. She was examined
in detail for an hour by Dr Anurag Bapat, a Heart Surgeon, and at last due to
some confusion in his mind regarding diagnosis, he asked his spouse, Dr Anjali
Bapat, who happened to be the senior most Gynecologist and Obstetrics from the
city, to examine the patient. After
thorough examination, Dr Anjali Bapat conveyed the diagnosis to the couple with
mirth and thrill. It was tsunami news;
the couple gets trembled and tumbled with the aghast and gaunt look as if there
was an adversity, catastrophe, misfortune and scourge all together in one
nature’s thunder stroke. The mental
shock was so devastating and ravages that when they left the clinic and reached
home, it was a mystery full of enigma.
Anu was waiting anxiously at home to know the exact diagnosis; both
parents were speechless, dumb and deaf with funereal look.
The
mother started crying uninterruptedly having a tumescent face with bloated and
reddish eyes; the symptoms of her papa were almost same as that of her mummy. Anu thought that her mama is probably
suffering from a severe heart element or malignant tumor or some incurable
disease. The more and more she inquired,
higher and higher they were reluctant to utter a single word about the doctor’s
diagnosis. The only sentence mama blurred
with lunatic accent is ‘I want to die; give me poison; I want to end my life.’
The scenario worsened till midnight. Anu’s
inquisitiveness reached to the highest degree.
At last, Anu announced calmly, ‘mama, let me examine! what happened to
you!’ Sarita screamed ‘No! If you touch
me, I will kill you!’ At last, Anu said,
‘Daddy! I am going to be the full fledged doctor soon, so, what is the harm in the
examination? You don’t have confidence in me?’
For the first time papa opined in a
dejected mood, ‘Anu! We have cent per cent faith in you!’ Anu questioned frigidly, ‘Daddy! What is the
problem? Don’t you want to share the sorrow and unhappiness with me? I am so
indifferent and cursed?’ Suresh coolly
said, ‘Anu! The time has come to tell you the truth!’ Anu said sarcastically, ‘Daddy! There is no
fun in hiding!’ Suresh has taken a long
pause; he looked at Sarita and very sadly said, ‘Anu….!’ again a long pause, ‘Anu…..!
Look…….! Your mamaaaa…….! is seven and half month……… carrier!’ Anu yelled, skirled, yippee with astonishment
and amazement, ‘Whatttt???????...... Mummyeeee!!!!!!!......... pregnanttttt????????.............,’ and with consternation she stared
at mummy for a moment and started laughing loudly like an insane girl ‘Hi….
Hi…. Hi…… Ha… Ha…. Ha….. Hi…. Hi…. Hi….’
The saga interrupted when Anu
received for the first time in her life a drub, a thud, a buff from her
mama. Sarita thundered, ‘Anu!!!!!! Go and
bring the rope. I want to hang myself. I do not want to show my ugly face to
the society!’
The next morning was not as usual,
Anu and Papa solaced her throughout the night, both the daughter and father
came out of the initial tremor, but, the mother was as good as bedridden. The first and foremost worry was Sarika’s
mental health. How to convince her and prepare
her mentally and physically for delivery was the biggest exigency. Both ensure her to seek the help of psychiatric
first otherwise she will have to go through the ordeal that will be harmful to
both the mother and the baby. Proverb
says, ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going.’
Strange suggestions were received
from Sarika, like 1. Kill me. 2. I want a divorce. 3. Like ma Janaki, abandon
me in the forest. 4. Forgo me. 5. We all will run away from this city and later
on will tell the society that it is Anu’s child. 6. Tell others that I am a
surrogate mother of Anu’s child. Etc.
All her admonitions were turned down after detailed persuasion and it
was determined to face the new challenges, as Patricia Heaton said ‘A woman
experiencing an unplanned pregnancy also deserves to experience unplanned joy.’ Two pronged strategy was decided, one, to
take society into the confidence, and two, to look after the health aspect;
both the proposals were initially turned down by the expecting mother but after
persistent efforts she accepted them.
Two unknown quotes are ‘Being a good mother has nothing to do with age,
but more the size of your heart’ and ‘Unplanned does not mean unwanted or
unloved, it just means life knew what I needed before even I did.’ A total of three days were wasted just to
convince her. In the mean time all the
members of the lady gang were persistently inquiring about her health as Sarika
was almost bedridden with gloomy face as if she is in the last stage.
The fourth day was the litmus test
day. The question was, who will leak the
story, because, this is the only thing on the planet that cannot be hidden. At last, it was decided to tell the guarded secret
first to Mrs Deshpande, as she is the closest friend of Sarika. When Mrs Deshpande came to know from the
horse’s mouth that Sarika is seven and half month pregnant her first reaction
was typical a strange and outlandish look with wide open mouth that never shut till
completion of the story. The news gets
viral like conflagration within next five minutes. All the members of the ladies club thronged
around Sarika like honeybees around the beehive. The first half an hour after the narration of
the story was like mourning and lamentation as if a loved one has just departed,
however, further hours were funny and hilarious; it has eased tension on the
family.
The admonitions, advice, preaching,
counseling, discourse, debate and deliberations were many; few are quoted for
ready reference. 1. How it happened. 2. You
were not using family planning measures.
3. Whether planned or unplanned.
4. Test for twins or triplets. 5. Who will take care? Whether Anu’s
duty? What about education and settlement of new entrant? You have not thought
of it before? 6. A lot of difficulties during delivery, being aged. 7. What Anu
said? What Suresh said? 8. Are not you feeling shy? 9. Difficulties during Anu’s
marriage? So on and so forth. The witty
and comic comments were many, few are quoted here. 1. You should have announced your plan
earlier, we all would have joined the chorus and remained simultaneously pregnant. Ha… Haa…. Haaa….. 2. We will celebrate your pregnancy in ladies
club premises with the grand gala party. 3. Copper T is better. Anu!!! Go!!! Don’t listen!!! No. Condom is
safer. No. No. Self control is the best
control. Huu… Haa…. Hii….
It is said that fortune favors the
bold; the women flock of the colony has decided unanimously to support Sarika from
the core of their heart, even her dishonest and unpredictable maid supported
the noble cause. The whole colony was in
festive mood for next one and half month.
From younger to elder, men and women, poor to rich all have decorated
Sarika’s house, given her the precious gifts and uncalled advice, enjoyed the
parties and celebrated the different functions associated with pregnancy like rendition
of songs, played different games, charades, conundrum and cradle. Sarika and her family have taken everything affirmatively
and positively with sportsman spirit and thus Sarika quickly gained the lost confidence
and so question of psychiatric support doesn’t arise. She enjoyed the pregnancy to the fullest
extent as if she is the first timer; pregnancy at the age of fifty and that too
already having the marriageable daughter is not a joke, it is the laughing
stock for the others. The great Indian
culture, ethos, traditions and rites were responsible to compel the whole
colony to participate in each and every event.
Finally, the ‘D’ day arrived. In the morning Sarika was having uncomfortable
feeling. Barring Anu and male bastion,
elders and experience holders from the colony debated on the issue of normal
delivery verses caesarean operation. Since
the age was the unforgettable factor, finally it was decided to hand over the
patient to the doctor as early as possible.
So, the whole procession reached the venue; looking at the large melee,
the doctor asked ‘who is the patient?’
As all the women flock looks alike in shape and size, the question was eminent;
Sarika comes forward. Sarika departed as
if somebody is going to shoot her, though second timer. After the preliminary clinical tests, doctor
decided to operate, the message conveyed to the gathering. The affirmative decision was conveyed to the
doctor, but not before the sarcastic remark, ‘now-a-days doctors become
butchers. It was not during our time.’
Since the signature of the relatives
is required before any surgical intervention, therefore, Anu and Papa received an
opportunity to reach to the main spot. Nursing
staff tried to disperse the mob, however, they failed in their duties. The operation was successful and Sarika
blessed with the cute boy. Everybody
tried to have a first look, of course, Anu and Suresh could get the first glance,
and Anu screamed and yelled loudly with glee and joy ‘My Yammy Gabula.’
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