Continued from Part I...
Savitri had the penchant for handling difficult situations with ease, and she was a thorough diplomat. If there was a guest whom she did not like, whe would very cleverly abstain from any talks and move away from the scene without creating a fuss. Her religious bent of mind, coupled with her wordly experience she had over the past many decades, enabled her to wiggle out of any situation. She had the poise and composure to face tasks that seemed difficult for others. Iyer, in all these years, did not venture to find out the complications that could arise in the domestic front. Obviously, there was no need either, since Savitri was taking care of these things to perfection.
When things are going well, nobody seems to observe it. A slight deviation from normal conditions results in large variations in lifestyle. If life takes its normal course, one feels it is monotonous. But, once it begins to alter, the changes are easily noticeable. This is what happened to Iyer, when one fine day, Savitri fell ill. Though Iyer was concerned, Savitri dismissed it in a huff saying that it is nothing more than mild fever. Mild fever it was, but it can't persist for days together. That was not the case with Savitri. The fever stretched on to a week now and it showed no signs of subsiding. The relentless Savitri continued with her work, though with laboured effort. She did not want to show her tiredness to Iyer. As such Iyer was not in his elements from the day Savitri caught her illness. He reduced his morning walks, spoke a lot less with his friends, didn't spend much time in the idly shop, and tried to assist Savitri with all that he could. His concern towards her was always confined, and even Savitri knew that though he was bearing a tough exterior, he was an highly emotional person. He got the best doctors in town to check her illness. Sometimes, science plays havoc when different people try to analyse the same thing. There was no clear cut reasoning to Savitri's illness. Some called it as mild fever and cough, some of them said that it was the sign of old age, some went to the extent of calling it typhoid, and so it went on, with each of them giving his own view on the illness that could not be terminated. Being a religious soul, Vishnu Sahasranamam and Kanda Shashti Kavacham still played from the old tape recorder in the evenings. Savitri believed that God could be the only saviour to help her come out of her bad patch. But, her condition deteriorated day by day, and at a particular point, she was not able to move her feet. Iyer employed a nurse from the local hospital, and she catered to her basic needs. Now that Savitri was not in a position to cook, a mami was found to fetch food daily to the house. Though the food was nowhere close to the daily meal that Iyer was used to, he did not make a fuss about it. His mind was already rattled thinking about the unthinkable.
Iyer then asked his son to bring his grandchildren home for a few days hoping that it would make a difference in their lives. His son had two sons, and the old couple loved their grandchildren more than anything else in the world. The relationship between grandchildren and grandparents is a very peculiar one, it surpasses all boundaries in terms of the love each of them yearn for, and the affection towards each other extends beyond all limits. Both of them do not expect anything from each other, other than the mutual love and affection. There is always a speciality about this relationship which can be understood only by the two sides, and everyone would have experienced this wonderful phase of life. Savitri, seeing her grandchildren, found a new lease of life, which she had not experienced before. She sensed a new found vigour and sprang forth as if she was a little kid. There was a glow in her face, which was lacking all these days. Everyone immediately sensed the cause of her illness. She was suffering from the pangs of separation from her son's family. It took a couple of days for Savitri to get back to her normal self. It was indeed a big relief for everyone to see her come back to her old self. Her son also understood that there was no point in staying miles away if his parents are not happy. He took a decision of coming back to his home town as soon as possible. Even the doctors were surprised at the transition, and called it a miracle to see her walking back to glory.
Savitri lived to see her great grandchildren playing in the same cradle which she had laid out for her son.
Savitri had the penchant for handling difficult situations with ease, and she was a thorough diplomat. If there was a guest whom she did not like, whe would very cleverly abstain from any talks and move away from the scene without creating a fuss. Her religious bent of mind, coupled with her wordly experience she had over the past many decades, enabled her to wiggle out of any situation. She had the poise and composure to face tasks that seemed difficult for others. Iyer, in all these years, did not venture to find out the complications that could arise in the domestic front. Obviously, there was no need either, since Savitri was taking care of these things to perfection.
When things are going well, nobody seems to observe it. A slight deviation from normal conditions results in large variations in lifestyle. If life takes its normal course, one feels it is monotonous. But, once it begins to alter, the changes are easily noticeable. This is what happened to Iyer, when one fine day, Savitri fell ill. Though Iyer was concerned, Savitri dismissed it in a huff saying that it is nothing more than mild fever. Mild fever it was, but it can't persist for days together. That was not the case with Savitri. The fever stretched on to a week now and it showed no signs of subsiding. The relentless Savitri continued with her work, though with laboured effort. She did not want to show her tiredness to Iyer. As such Iyer was not in his elements from the day Savitri caught her illness. He reduced his morning walks, spoke a lot less with his friends, didn't spend much time in the idly shop, and tried to assist Savitri with all that he could. His concern towards her was always confined, and even Savitri knew that though he was bearing a tough exterior, he was an highly emotional person. He got the best doctors in town to check her illness. Sometimes, science plays havoc when different people try to analyse the same thing. There was no clear cut reasoning to Savitri's illness. Some called it as mild fever and cough, some of them said that it was the sign of old age, some went to the extent of calling it typhoid, and so it went on, with each of them giving his own view on the illness that could not be terminated. Being a religious soul, Vishnu Sahasranamam and Kanda Shashti Kavacham still played from the old tape recorder in the evenings. Savitri believed that God could be the only saviour to help her come out of her bad patch. But, her condition deteriorated day by day, and at a particular point, she was not able to move her feet. Iyer employed a nurse from the local hospital, and she catered to her basic needs. Now that Savitri was not in a position to cook, a mami was found to fetch food daily to the house. Though the food was nowhere close to the daily meal that Iyer was used to, he did not make a fuss about it. His mind was already rattled thinking about the unthinkable.
Iyer then asked his son to bring his grandchildren home for a few days hoping that it would make a difference in their lives. His son had two sons, and the old couple loved their grandchildren more than anything else in the world. The relationship between grandchildren and grandparents is a very peculiar one, it surpasses all boundaries in terms of the love each of them yearn for, and the affection towards each other extends beyond all limits. Both of them do not expect anything from each other, other than the mutual love and affection. There is always a speciality about this relationship which can be understood only by the two sides, and everyone would have experienced this wonderful phase of life. Savitri, seeing her grandchildren, found a new lease of life, which she had not experienced before. She sensed a new found vigour and sprang forth as if she was a little kid. There was a glow in her face, which was lacking all these days. Everyone immediately sensed the cause of her illness. She was suffering from the pangs of separation from her son's family. It took a couple of days for Savitri to get back to her normal self. It was indeed a big relief for everyone to see her come back to her old self. Her son also understood that there was no point in staying miles away if his parents are not happy. He took a decision of coming back to his home town as soon as possible. Even the doctors were surprised at the transition, and called it a miracle to see her walking back to glory.
Savitri lived to see her great grandchildren playing in the same cradle which she had laid out for her son.
Easy to see where the inspiration comes from. RKN has left a mark in you.
ReplyDeleteTrue, RKN's influence is so much evident..yet, the difference is that RKN never takes sides - in ur story it is so evident as to where the blame lies! That's good - and that line "When something's going right no one notices" is a gem!
ReplyDeleteSowmya
Shn+sop: RKN is a literary genius. Truly,the inspiration comes from him through his flawless simple stories. Me taking sides? I couldn't get that :-)
ReplyDelete