The Global recession of 2008-2009 had its impact in India and my son Jyothi was also reflected by it. He had to had to relocate to Ernakulam for a new job.
Darsana, my daughter in law, also got employed at Ernakulam. We
both were at our new house at Vattapara, 15 kms away from Trivandrum City. We moved out from
Kadakkal our home town during 2010. My husband had two heart attacks
during 2009 and 2010. Jyothi wanted us to stay closer to Trivandrum, in
a place where in a emergency ambulance could come immediately. We
started living in the new place and life moved on. An Auyurveda Hospital, temple and a library was close to this house and hence we had no second thoghts to buy that house. Jyothi would
visit us once or twice a month when he came for official visits to Trivandrum. Both of them together did visit us once in a quarter or as an when required.
Jyothi and Darsana visited
us during August 2013 for three days. They bought a new car. Both of them came
here for Onam, the Harvest festival of Kerala. We all had a great time.
We made a great Ona Sadhya ( Feast during Onam) snapped photographs then went to Kadakkal our home town. We met my younger brothers and my 'Kochachan' (paternal
uncle) Sreedharan who was ill. He was a nonagenarian and was a Naatuvaidhyan (
Auyerveda Physician in Malayalam). He was an extra ordinary personality. A jack of
all trades. He could do any mechanical job, well versed in Sanskrit, had profound knowledge about Upanishads ,Vedas, Music,
Carpentry,medical science and so on. He could disguise a kidney
renal failure by looking at a person’s face. A personality with a very
beautiful handwriting too. He was a genius but not known to the world.
On 27th Oct 2013 my younger brother calls me on the phone. He said " Kochachan " passed away. He struggled a lot during his last days. We both go to Kadakkal which is 40 Kms away from our place. We stay there overnight at my brothers house. We came back the next day. The funeral rites were decided to be done on 31st Oct 2013. Jyothi was at Delhi and could not turn up for the funeral. He was at Delhi for an official assignment and would be back on 29th Oct. He asked if both of us had all medicines along with us. Jyothi's was very apprehensive about his father's health as he had two Heart Attacks.
We came back
after the funeral and everything was as usual. It was a
Wednesday, 30th Oct 2013. Next day was my uncle' Funeral Rites.
Usually its done after 5 days of death. Jyothi's father
didn't write his diary after 27th Oct. Some days he skips it.
Unusually I felt like reading his diary. I did it for the first time in life along with him that day. This was what he scribbled at last. " We
need to go to Kadakkal on Thursday. Need to perform the funeral rites for the
great man who was a genius and a chronic bachelor. Need to plant a
coconut tree in his grave. Need to go to Papanasam and immerse his
remains. Hence a Life ends " .
He spoke with Darsana on the phone for about half an hour on 30th October at around 8 PM. They talked lot of things. They spoke for a long time. Jyothi spoke to him during his lunch hours from his office. He could not speak much as he was held up in a training session. He was a Training Head for a Dimensional Media Company. He had the role of transforming the organisation to digital.
Next day we
woke up early at 4:30 AM as the function was between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM. Jyothi's father made hot water for both
of us to bath. He boiled drinking water in a large pot. Both
of us use boiled water for drinking. I was wondering why do we need
a large pot of water to be boiled as we are not going to be in the house. He helped me to make a quick breakfast. The time was close to
4:45 AM. I had a shower then he took his turn to bath. After bathing he had his regular morning prayer. I dressed up in a cotton
saree and was getting ready to move. I opened my Sindoor box
and was going to apply Sindoor ( Kumkum) on my forehead where my hair parts. (Applying Sindhoor in the Indian
tradition indicates a woman is married and usually she wears it
till widowhood.) Suddenly I feel something unusual.
I left the Sindhoor box open on the table near the phone and moved to the drawing room. I see my man collapsed towards the sofa set, near by the altar. I grab him and start pumping on his chest and try to give a CPR in the way I know it. I have seen Doctors doing it ,when I was at Bhutan as a teacher, during first aid sessions to students, as well as in TV shows. I tried to pump his chest to make sure the hear is still beating. I was crying and yelled for help. Suddenly Rajesh a boy in our neighborhood jumped our compound wall and barged in. We had more people rushing in as my cry was so loud enough to wake the neighbors early in the morning. Rajesh, Mohan and other neighbours took charge of scene. Some one called 108 the Kerala Emergency Medical Project Team and guided them the fastest route. Mohan and Rajesh was checking his pulse but did not mention anything to me. Rajesh tries to give water to my husband. He drank a sip of water, says Rajesh. I tried to close his eyes. Meanwhile I try to call Jyothi who is at Ernakulam which is 200 kilometers away. I call him multiple times and finally he responds the call. He was in sound sleep. I said with a trembling voice “Achan ( Father) has collapsed during his morning prayer. Please come immediately”. I told him we have intimated 108 and they would arrive shortly. I asked him which hospital should we take? He said , move to any hospital based on the 108 teams advice. He told, Achan's life is in their hands and lets trust them. They both agreed to start immediately.
Within no time the 108
emergency Medical team arrived. By that time the entire neighbors were
there. The team rushed in with a Heart Revival Machine and ECG
device and get into action. They try to revive his heart . They were trying their best but the ECG graph remained
straight. I could understand things are moving in the odd
direction. I became standstill, unable to utter anything. I
went near the phone to speak with Jyothi once again. With trembling
hands I try to pick the receiver. I am unable to dial his
number. I see the Sindhoor box which I left open near the
phone. I close it. Its of no use to me henceforth. My 39 years of married
life is history. The last line in his diary, "Hence
a Life ends " became a reality. God might have liked him so much and summoned him straight away after his morning prayers.
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