A Love That Transcends A Lifetime And Beyond
True love
doesn’t go away, the body may give up one day but love stays as it is – in
memories, and in beautifully woven moments that we create.
“Only
death can do us part!” say those in love. But in their case even death had to
accept defeat, such was their love.
Ever
heard of re-incarnation? Some may say this is only imagination and something we
choose to believe in just to keep ourselves at peace, but could it be true?
This is the incredible love story of my grandparents (Mom’s parents) with whom
I have always shared a great camaraderie and have heard all about those days
when they fell in love, married, went through the struggles of raising a family
while keeping their jobs, and then seen them enjoy their twilight years in the
arms of each other.
Let us
start right at the beginning. Long, long ago (I can maybe more than 60 years
ago), Rohini, a young and pretty girl in her teens had just landed in Bombay,
the city of dreams seeking her destiny just like so many others who set foot
here looking for something better. She had just moved from Mangalore (a coastal
town in Karnataka) seeking a brighter future, education and a job. She joined
an evening college and secured a small job. In the midst of all this, they met
one day.
Gangadhar was a young man who hailed from Mangalore too, and was
in Bombay for a similar reason. They were happy to know that they shared a home
town, a language (Tulu, a local dialect of South Canara), and soon hit it off.
He was besotted by her. They would meet during evening college and he would
walk her to the bus stop.
Gradually their fondness for each other grew and they started
sharing their dreams, the troubles they faced, hopes for a better life and so
much more. She told him of the trouble she faced with the relatives she lived
with and he told her, “Marry me and we shall stay together at a rented house, I
want to take you away from that life of despair.” They got married in a temple
and later registered their marriage.
She was
the ambitious one and though she belonged to an era where women’s role was
limited to cooking and rearing kids, she was different. She dreamt of a career,
recognition and a better job. She completed her MA while continuing her job in
the day.
They soon had 2 children – a boy and a girl. She continued
working, partly because of passion and also due to necessity; to lead a decent
life in Bombay, they needed the double income. Some relatives of his were
called upon to help babysit the kids.
He wasn’t as ambitious as her and he was more interested in
drama and other such extra-curricular activities. But he always encouraged her
to do her best, to study further, to look for better prospects. He was a
hands-on dad. When his relatives moved out and the kids were still young, he
took charge. Right from getting them ready for school, tying his daughters
plaits, nursing them when they were sick, to cooking, he did it all. 4 decades
back, this was a huge thing for a man, and I am proud of my grandfather.
Of course, they had their squabbles. Tempers flew and they vowed
never to see each other again but in a few days it was back to normal. The kids
grew up. Their son wanted to fly to greener pastures and he soon moved to USA.
They got their daughter married to a suitable groom and they soon became
grandparents to a cherubic girl and boy.
Life had improved by then and they were settled. Both held bank
jobs. They moved to Goa when she got a good opportunity and lived there in the
company of fresh fish and some good whisky! Their grandkids would visit them
every year during summer holidays and life was a bliss. After retirement they
decided to move to Mangalore, their home town.
They
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary just the two of them together, as
they had always been. Their grandkids who had now grown up and settled asked
them to move closer, to shift to Bangalore rather than stay so far but they did
not oblige. They were content in their little world.
He fell sick one day, and that marked the beginning of an end.
They did not want to trouble their kids so kept this illness to themselves and
somehow with great difficulty sailed through. But he knew his end was near and
more than anything he was worried about her. How could he leave Rohini in the
lurch? He had to make arrangements for her, to make sure that she doesn’t any
face any kind of hassle when he was no longer with her. After all wasn’t that
always his motto in so many years?
He called his daughter and told her they had decided to move to
Bangalore and this had to be done as soon as possible. Arrangements were made,
packers and movers came in, all the household items were moved, the car was
sent and he handed all the car documents and other papers.
The next day Rohini and he were supposed to board a flight to
Bangalore. They never boarded that flight. He breathed his last early that
morning. What Rohini must have gone through when she woke up, kept calling his
name asking him to wake up and get ready as they had to board a flight, going
up to him and shaking his body only to find it gone cold!
She still had hope and called up the manager of the hotel where
they were spending the night. An ambulance was called and the doctor confirmed
that he was no more. She couldn’t just believe how he could leave her all of a
sudden! Wasn’t he supposed to get better? They were supposed to go to
Bangalore. What cruel joke was this?
She moved to Bangalore after his last rites but her days were
haunted by his memories. Every morning she would think of the cup of coffee
that they both had, how he would help in the kitchen -chopping vegetables, cleaning
fish, making dosas, mopping the floor. As she set about doing each of these
tasks by herself, she could visualise him. As she slept on her bed it felt like
he was right there, beside her. Like he had always been for those 57 years. She
missed the evening cup of tea, and their chats, she missed watching the
political drama, cursing BJP and praising Congress, religiously watching news.
She felt she could never get back to living her life.
And then one day, her granddaughter conveyed her the news that
she was pregnant. This was exactly 2 weeks after he had passed away. They had
been trying to conceive for many months but had not succeeded. And in that
grandchild to be born, Rohini found her purpose to live.
Like a beacon of light, Angel (my daughter Amyra) entered our
lives and time and again by her actions she reminds us of him. And she has
given Rohini a fresh breath of life. She is the one in whose loving shadow
little Angel grows up each day.
I am happy to see that Rohini has now ventured out and joined a
library (books are the first love of everyone in my family). She also joined an
elder care group which conducts activities for senior citizens. She keeps
herself busy with the kid in the day and at night she reads or watches news and
other such programmes of her interest. On weekends she spends her time at the
elderly care centre amongst like-minded people. Sometimes I drag her as an
accomplice in shopping (yes we have a mutual love for shopping) or explore some
culinary delights.
I don’t think she can ever get over him but yes she had decided
to live her life smiling and by being happy for herself and him for that’s what
he would want. Their love story always leaves me with a warm feeling and
rekindles my belief about love which is everlasting and omnipresent.
True love doesn’t go away, the body may give up one day but love
stays as it is – in memories, in beautifully woven moments that we create, in
everyday conversations, in the aroma of food, in places that we visited, in our
kids. The little things that we once did together and seemed just like a
regular part of life, but they linger on as bitter sweet memories and make our
love come alive once more, time and again.
Some love stories are meant to last forever aren’t they?
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteor
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346
i am ERIC BRUNT by name. Greetings to every one that is reading this testimony. I have been rejected by my wife after three(3) years of marriage just because another Man had a spell on her and she left me and the kid to suffer. one day when i was reading through the web, i saw a post on how this spell caster on this address AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com have help a woman to get back her husband and i gave him a reply to his address and he told me that a man had a spell on my wife and he told me that he will help me and after 3 days that i will have my wife back. i believed him and today i am glad to let you all know that this spell caster have the power to bring lovers back. because i am now happy with my wife. Thanks for helping me Dr Akhere contact him on email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com
or
call/whatsapp:+2349057261346