“Oh please grandma,not again.This is the third time you are telling me the same story”,said Adil in a vexed tone. Adil’s grandmother , Kautilya had recently shifted to their place in the city from the village. For her Adil was still a child and she used to narrate infantile stories to him like she did when Adil stayed with her in the village. Kautilya was heavy with grief after loosing her husband recently and just to divert her mind from her husband’s death , who was too dear to her, her son, Rakesh brought her to their house in the city.
Adil was very dear to Kautilya. Since childhood he was there with her in the village and upto intermediate she had brought him up. For his graduation, Adil had moved to the city. Kautilya was a pious woman. She had an unshakable belief in God. Even after her husband’s death , she hadn’t stopped praying to god. Adil was the apple of her eye. She hadn’t loved Rakesh as much as she used to love Adil. Adil also loved his grandmother. She was there for Adil always.
But after coming to the city Adil’s attitude had undergone a drastic change. It wasn’t that he had stopped loving his grandmother but now Adil started behaving in a more mature way. He had become more responsible. Although Adil had become mature according to his age but for Kautilya he was still a young child to whom she used to narrate stories and to whom she used to talk for hours. Adil had a lot to study but just to keep his grandma’s heart he used to listen to all that she used to say, though at times he used to get irritated listening to the same thing again and again.
Old age is something which is a very difficult phase of our life. It is so because physically we are not left with the energy to do all our work our self and we have to depend upon others for our work. Depending upon someone to get your done is the cause of all sorrows because if the person on whom we depend does not work according to us we tend to get upset. During old age people need someone to talk to them but now-a-days it is becoming a trend to avoid old people as youngsters generally find them “Boring” and do not want to pay any heed to what the old people say.
A general air of malaise surrounded Kautilya. Her son and daughter-in-law could not spend much time with her because of their jobs and her dearest Adil had started ignoring her. Many a times she used to remember her beloved husband and shed tears in his memory.
One day while playing cricket, the ball suddenly came and hit the window of Adil’s room. Luckily the glass wasn’t broken. Adil rushed to take the ball. When he went near the window he saw his grandma standing in his room. She was holding something in her hand and her eyes were constantly gazing at that thing. Tears were rolling down her eyes as she was looking at that thing. “May be it’s grandpa’s photo’’thought Adil. First his heart melted on seeing his grandma he was about to go and console her but the very next moment he heard the call from his friends and he went back to them and resume playing.
On the same day at night, it was found that Adil’s grandma’s heath had deteriorated a lot. She was rushed to the hospital. It was late at night when all this had happened. Everyone was in their night attire. When Adil was about to leave his room to go to the hospital suddenly he stepped on something. He bent to pick up that thing. He was taken aback when he saw that it was a card made by him for his grandma when he was very young. It was a “ Thank You ’’ card which he had made. He sees that the ink on the card as if someone had thrown drops on it. But the very next moment he understands that it was not the drops of water but his grandmother’s tears which had caused the ink to spread. He recalls his grandmother holding a piece of paper and crying while he was playing out. He now understands that it was this card which she was seeing and sobbing.
Adil recalls the entire incident. He remembers that his grandmother had once spend all her money which she had saved for her “ 50th Anniversary’’ when Adil was hurt while returning from school in the village. Not even a single penny was left with her as she had utilized the entire amount in Adil’s treatment. In return Adil had made a very beautiful card for her and wrote “ Thank You’’ and on it. With a very heavy heart Adil rushed towards the hospital. To show contrition for his behavior towards his grandma he took every possible step to save her. Adil had a doleful look while entering the hospital. He was crestfallen. When he visited the room where his grandma was admitted , he had a feeling of great penitence.
“Don’t look so woebegone , Adil ’’ , said Kautilya.
“I love you granny and I am sorry from the bottom of my heart”, said Adil to Kautilya. Before Adil could continue further , the doctor advised Adil to leave the room as Kautilya’s condition was critical and it wasn’t advisable to talk to her for a long time.
“Granny may forgive me but I don’t think God will ever forgive me for my rude behavior towards granny”, said Adil to Rakesh.
“ Son, I know you love your grandmother a lot and whatever you have done, you have done as an ignorant child. You have never intentionally hurt her”,said Rakesh.
Adil learnt a lesson and from that day onward Kautilya was his top priority.
–END–
