Hum saath saath hain

Few days back, I was reading an article, where an old rickshaw puller stays in Calcutta, and his wife and kids stay in a small place in UP. He has been doing this for many years. He only visits his family thrice a year, on festivals. I was just left wondering, what kind of life was it, and here I am not talking about rich and poor, poverty or above poverty. How much earned. He was away from his family - His only wife and children.

I have no idea, about, why he left his wife in his village while he came over to a far off place to earn. Yes, initially may be he wanted to settle down, but she has been there all thru her life, waiting for the husband 3 times a year,  and taking care of their children. I am not sure if other family members were involved. Their kids are now pretty much grown up, the eldest working in a factory and contributing to the family, the youngest still doing his degree and a daughter who is probably married. But this man and his wife are still apart.

Its not like I have not seen couples being apart in different places for better income, but I never realized this situation as the couples. There were always kids involved, the dad worked in some place, the mother took care of the kids holding the fort in a place called home. What about her desires to be with her husband? I never thought about it when I was kid.

But after meeting G, I cannot imagine staying away from him. We laugh, smile, roam around, fight, tear apart each other’s hair, sometimes behave like we can’t stand each other, but we are together. In these many years of being married, there were in different places for a few months.. The first time, it was when we were recently married. We would take breaks and stay with each other for a week or weekend, and then second time was a couple of years back, when G was in a different country and I was in India. These months felt like a thousand daggers to my heart.

 

Wen I think about all those couples who stay apart, not because they can’t live with each other, but because they can’t afford to live with each other, my heart goes out to them. At such times, I thank my lucky stars, and decide to never ever fight with G or even argue with him.

 

 Yeah right!! Like that’s gonna happen. Neither me or him can stay with each other with such formality. We need all the feeling in little doses. Kabhi khushi kabhi gham.. We need it all, but together (hum saath saath hain).

 

Is there smoke without fire?

Magpie entry 282:

“I want to see Magic” Ryan insisted.

“It’s too late now darling!!! I promise, you will see Magic tomorrow”, Celina promised. She had an idea, on what would be the magic Ryan would witness the next day.

Years ago, when she and her husband were just married, he would show her a lot of tricks masking them under the name of magic. And why wouldn’t he, that’s what he did for a living too. He was a magician. He was very popular, and used to travel to lot of places for these magic shows. One of the tricks was the smoke trick. It was their favorite. Celina wanted to learn the trick.

One night, he blindfolded her, and told her to concentrate on what he says. He taught the trick of creating smoke from mouth, without any fire. She followed his instructions, and could feel smoke making its way out of her mouth. When she opened her eyes, there was a lot of smoke around her. They spent all night smoking, without any fire or cigarettes. It was a fun night they had, blowing smoke at each other.

Initially, Celina accompanied her husband on all his shows. Once Ryan came into their lives, she had to stay back on days when Ryan had school to attend. It was one such night, her husband had gone for his shows, and she was alone with Ryan.

The next morning as she promised, when Ryan was busy fiddling his breakfast, he saw smoke coming out of Celina’s mouth.

“Whoa mom!!! You can do magic just like Papa… I love you” he jumped on Celina and hugged her.

 

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Forever yours

Magpie entry 281:

He was there buried a few feet under. I was a little girl when this happened. But I remember how fond I was of him and the day he was buried in our backyard was one of the sad moments of my life.

Every year, on the anniversary I go near his grave, and mourn for him. Even though I can no longer hug him, I hug the ground where his body was laid to rest. Its been a decade, the ground is no longer bare, there is tall grass in that place, may a few plants which bear beautiful flowers too.

But all I can think of is him.

My parents say, he was very much fond of me, fussed over me when I was baby. I remember growing up with him, eating meals with him, sleeping next to him. And one fine day, when I came home from school, they were taking him to the hospital. I dint know what to do, to reduce the pain which he experienced that day. A couple of days later, what came home in the van, broke my heart. I saw him sleeping in the van, but I could see he was no longer breathing.

Dad dug up a huge pit in the backyard, and said that he now will no longer stay with us in the house, but this will be his new home. And we laid him to rest and closed the pit.

Today, I hug him again on this day, I still cannot get over him. Even though my parents insisted, I promised myself, I will never replace him in my life. I will never get another dog as my pet.

 

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