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).