Irrespective of hundreds of business tensions on his head [which i never knew], irrespective of heavy loans on his head [which (none knew in my family) he took to get his brother and sister married], irrespective of always taking half sleep at nyt [most of the nights some or the other person used to come and ask him to open the shop at midnyt and give medicines, and this great person never learnt to say NO, so he used to always get up and go], irrespective of all that HE never lost his smile. He never ever let me or my mom know what he used to undergo.
He had a luna which he was using since 4-5 yrs.. He would press the horn when he was almost 500 m away from my home..As soon as I would listen to it [as i wud be waiting for the sound of his luna and its unique horn] ,i used to go open the door and stand their till he arrived. And allow him to enter only if he showed that what he got for me that day as he used to get me some or the other thing i asked him to get.
He used to have Paan in his mouth and as soon as he used to enter and hug my sis [who was then 7-8 yrs old].. She used to give a tight slap on his face. and she used to ask him to throw the pan and then hug her :)
and such was his relation with her that he wud immediately go and throw the paan and clean his mouth and hug her and kiss her back. Later on it became a situation that whenever i had to ask something from my da, i used to first pataufy my sis and then she used to ask that and i wud get it in no time.
Days passed we grew up.. I finished my 10 th std. I had a dream to become an Engineer. I used to hear from many ppl in my native that once a person goes to bangalore, he becomes set for a life time.
I used to tell all that at home and convinced my parents to send me to bangalore. Such was this man's greatness that even then he never said NO. and happily got me a 118 waiting list ticket , gave me some money , came to drop me to railway station and sent me off.
Knowing not even a single person in bangalore, it was tough for me to decide on many things initially and but i had good friends always, so it helped me a lot in getting settled in bangalore.
Such was the trust on me that not even once did he ask me abt what i am doing in bangalore, how i am staying, what i am eating, and so on.. He just knew that i wud do it. [AND WHY SHOULD NOT I .. AFTER ALL I AM HIS SON].
He bought a phone during august 2004 only to send it to me within a month as i asked him that papa i need a mobile phone as every person here in jain college owns one but i dont.
March 2005- Things went smoothly and i finished my 11th std exams and my holidays started. I planned to visit home , but before that i went to delhi where i had planned to stay for a week with my friends.
By now he had bought one more phone nokia 3315 only to keep it at home so that my mom could use it and my sister could play games with it.
Staying at my friends house in delhi i called him up on 22nd march morning-
Me- hey dad wassup.. 4-5 more days i will be there. Get that home mobile phone recharged for 333. Get a carton full of orange cream biscuits.I m coming dad i am coming.
Dad- u come dude.. everything is ready. u just come. What else u want tell me. ?
Me- nothing dad.. love u bye.
I go to cyber cafe, spend 5-6 hrs there. at 2 in the afternoon take out my mobile and read a msg which says
"Call up ur home immediately"
I call back and get to know that he is no more.
I reach back to my native on 23rd morning praying all night that hope whatever news i got is not true, hope its just a bad prank played by someone, hoping i will find him and talk to him. only to reach and find out that i was hoping against the hope.
I get to knw that he got an heart attack. My question is how ??
\A person who has medical shop since 1983, a person who has saved so many lives by just giving them the tablet which u can keep under ur tongue and save urself. A person who has served the ppl of Katihar selflessly, how can God even think of calling that person to himself. How the hell did he not know that he has got an ataack and he is supposed to have that tablet which he has given to 100s of ppl.
Instead he felt that its an acidity problem and had ENO, which doctors say acts like a poison for a person who has had an heart attack.
I still dunno the reason why GOD did that to me and my family. I had never ever seen so many ppl in anyone's funeral at my place. Near his shop when 100s of ppl gathered to see him i gotta know what he meant to ppl of katihar.
the Doctor who declared him dead, when ppl of that chowk went to thrash that doctor and threaten him to run for his life, then i gotta know what he meant to ppl of katihar.
When i opened my shop 3 days later and when customers came again and kept on telling me innumerable stories abt my dad and his love towards common ppl and how he had saved so many lives, i realised what he meant to the ppl of katihar.
My question is why this person could not save himself ?? Didn't God know that he has a girl who is just 10 yrs old. Didnt God know he has a wife who is solely dependent on him. Dodnt God know he has a father who is a asthma patient and completely dependent on him. Didnt God know that he was my 1st hero , my 1st idol whom i always wanted to be there alongside me.
there are a many questions which will always remain unanswered. Everytime i think of 22 march 2005 tears roll out, my legs start shivering , the face of my mom and my sister comes ryt infront of me. and all the beautiful memories which i have shared with this person flashes back.
No one can ever take his place in my life. Some things are just irreplaceable . How much ever ppl convince me by saying things will be alright, time will heal all the problems, and all that.
I know that nothing is gonna change, the person is never gonna return in my life. and i know i will miss him forever. FOREVER.... :(
