Awakening

Awakening

- By T Ch Hanuman Rao

“O elders! Why are you feeling sad that your children are deserting you? Please analyze the deficiency in your bringing up. Teach your children to be grateful to others and make them love others. Make them live like human beings with the traits that separate us from animals. If you succeed in doing this, they would never desert you…………”

Sarangapani told Sailendra “Come home early from office”

“Why uncle?”

“I have a friend in America and his father is in Musheerabad Old Age Home. When he learnt that I am coming to India, he wanted me to call on the old man”

Sailendra nodded and said “ok uncle, I shall be back before 5”

Sarangapani is brother of Sailendra’s father and working in America. He comes once in a year or two for attending marriages or deaths of close relatives. He is close to Sailendra and guides him for his career development.

As promised, Sailendra returned home early and left with his uncle for the Old Age home.

“Have you ever come to this home” asked Sarangapani as they approached the destination.

“No. I passed by this route many times but never went inside. After all, I know none in this place” replied Sailendra.

While both were entering the home, Sailendra observed that most of the inmates were in their sixties and seventies. Though no one is related to other inmates, they were reviewing their lives sitting together in the corridors, below trees or sitting in the lawn.

Some were in their rooms becoming immune to the desire to breathe the evening breeze. They observed two of us through their windows and came rushing out of their rooms. Perhaps their vision was not good. As they approached us, they realized that we were not the ones whom they aspired to see, they returned to their rooms with awful disappointment reflecting in their eyes.

Sailendra felt embarrassed seeing their despair and felt guilty for being responsible for their disappointment.

“I came to meet Mr.Purushottam. I have come from America” said Sarangapani as soon as they entered the warden’s room.

Warden eagerly asked “are you his son?”

“No I am friend of his son” replied Sarangapani.

The smile on the face of warden vanished and he said with a sigh “if you want to meet him, you have to come either before eight in the morning or later to eight in the night”.

Sarangapani frowned and pondered what an old man in mid sixties must be doing in the twelve hours leaving the old age home. Is it possible that he is working somewhere? As per his friend’s version, he must be getting pension of around 5000 rupees per month and there is no need for extra money in the present scenario. Is his urge to make money so strong that he wants to continue earning?

He asked the warden “is he working somewhere?”

“No! He is not employed anywhere…” the warden stopped amid the sentence. He continued after a moment “you better come in the night. You can ask him directly”.

Learning that the warden would not tell them anymore, Sarangapani and Sailendra left without any further discussion.

At the gate Sailendra looked back and felt a lump in the throat. He went in this route so many times but never realized that such world existed in those four walls. The inmates stay till their last phase of their lives at this place. Does this mean they have none they belong to? Does anyone come for them? Waiting is torturous. Is it not horrendous expecting someone to visit them in vain? Dying like an orphan is the worst that can happen to anyone. Are they the cursed ones?

While starting the car Sarangapani said “I have a dinner engagement tonight. We would return in the morning”.

It was a bit late by the time they started from home.

When they reached old age home and asked for Purushottam, he indicated towards a man climbing down the stairs.

He looked in between 65 to 70 and about six feet height. He was well dressed and looked as though he was leaving for job somewhere.

When they approached him, Sarangapani introduced himself “I am friend of your son and came from America”

He merely nodded and said “I see”

“He wanted me to call on you and enquire your welfare”

“I am happy here alright”

Sailendra searched for any sarcasm in his tone and found none of it.

Purushottam looked at his watch and said “I am sorry. I have to leave urgently. Moreover, what is there for us to talk about? Please inform your friend that I am fine. Good Bye”

He did not wait for their response and walked away briskly leaving Sarangapani and Sailendra stunned by his curt response.

After sometime Sarangapani recovered from the shock and said “he was unhappy that his son left him here and he has shown it on us”

Sailendra did not feel that this statement was correct. He felt there was no anger nor sarcasm in his words. His words appeared to be with no hidden meaning from a man who understood what life is about.

After a week Sarangapani left for America.

Purushottam continued to enter the thoughts of Sailendra. One morning he went to old age home merely to meet him.

The dawn was beginning and the sunrays were raining on the men whose dusk was approaching. The men started their routine of waiting for their reneged kin or forthcoming conclusion to their ordeals.

Different from others, Purushottam was seen sitting in meditation.

Sailendra waited till he opened his eyes. Purushottam looked at him questioningly.

Sailendra said “I came a few days back to meet you”

“I remember. Why did you come now”

“I wanted to see you again. I don’t know why. I just came to talk to you”

Purushottam frowned and appeared to be studying him for some moments.

“Did you feel pity for me?”

“No! I was impressed by your character”

Getting up he asked Sailendra “What specialty did you notice in me?”

“I have seen all the inmates. Most of them were spending their time in waiting for their relatives who dumped them in this place. You were not like that. Even at your age you looked to be doing some work without any pathos.”

He suddenly laid his hand on Sailendra and asked with a tinge of affection “You have a keen observation. Are you a writer?”

“No I am a painter”

“Very good”

While they were walking side by side, Sailendra asked “are you not angry with your son for having sought his own comforts leaving you at this age?”

Purushottam replied without a moment’s thought “no!”

“Why?”

When they sat on a bench below a tree Purushottam started “I came to this old age home three years ago. In the beginning, I too used to smolder with grief like others for my condition. Having slogged for the son, working day and night bringing him up, he left me as soon as he became independent and it hurt me enormously. I used to curse him for his ingratitude.”

He continued “While I was thus in turmoil, I started observing a bird on the tree top initially, casually and then as a routine.”

Sailendra looked up and observed the tree keenly. It was a well spread neem tree. It was giving shade to the men, home for the bird nests and greenery for the nature. While observing the tree he was listening to the old man.

“The bird brought up the chicks with lots of love and attention” continued the veteran. “It brought the food and fed the chicks with its beak. It protected the chicks from the intruding predators. It protected them from rain and sun with its wings. The chicks grew. One day the chicks flew away never to return ……………”

Sailendra understood how the old man reasoned with himself. The animals and birds too look after their offspring. But there is difference between animals and men. Human beings have gratitude, compassion and capacity to think. These are the only traits that separate the humans from animals. The tragedy is that children remind old parents of the lives of animals. What a tragedy!!!!

When Sailendra expressed his thoughts to Purushottam, he patted his hand and said “True! There is difference between animals and men. Parents have to teach their children about this fact. Take my case. I taught my son how to succeed in career but had never taught him about gratitude and sharing love. This is what most of the elders are continuously doing. That is why from morning to evening I go to various houses telling the parents to attend to this vital need. I tell them the importance of teaching the children not only their academic lesions but also the values of gratitude and affection towards others. I tell them to wake up by giving my life as an example”

Now Sailendra understood what the veteran was doing from morning to evening. He was waking up the others before it is too late for them.

After sitting with the old man for some more time, Sailendra returned home directly. As soon as he stepped into his room, he opened the almairah and tore the passport application and threw into the dustbin.

He thought “I wanted to go by the words of uncle and leave for America. No! I don’t want to remind birds and animals to my parents in their old age”