I wish that I can fly with her!...An Unpublished Story

I wish that I can fly with her!...An Unpublished Story 

    I hail from a typical village, located in forest area where main source of income and livelihood of the people is agriculture or agriculture based labor work. Synergizing with almost ninety percent of my village, called Bhithidih, my parents too used to go to others fields for various works related to agriculture. They used to start from our “kachha ghar” before sunrise and come back to home not earlier than sunset. This background always helped me in getting me inspired; made my morale very high; encouraged me to do honest and dedicated work howsoever the work is; strengthened me towards achieving my goals in life.

 I remember the horrible sunny days during summer, my mother used to go to forest to collect “tendu leaves”, the leaves that are used to make “bidis” (as good as cigarette for rural and sub-urban poor folk). She started early in the morning and used to come back by 2 PM. She never had privilege having footwear those days; even I could get my first slipper when I was in class 9 that I used to wear only when I went to school. My mother, the great mother worked very hard in the forest all barefoot. Due, to very hot summer and always working barefoot caused full of cracks in her heels. The surprising fact is that she never complained about her pain and trouble which she used to undergo. My father too accompanied in almost all the hardest works ever one could do in their lives.

    She used to heat up a dry fruit of one forest tree, called as “bhelwa”, mostly found in the forests of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. One cannot imagine how dangerous the fruit becomes once it starts melting. That melted and dense liquid which is very hot, she used to apply on her heels to heal them. Surprisingly, it worked but with intolerable pain, she used to undergo”. Actually, medicines were beyond our reach and that was the only alternative for the villagers. I hope the people now won’t be using any more. There was an amazing incident. Let me narrate the same here, which goes as:

 “The dry and black colored “bhelwa” fruit was lying somewhere that she kept for healing her heels. What happens, an ignorant boy studying in 3^rd standard (as I recall), none other than me, finds the fruit. The magical and interesting thing is that half the part of fruit, sweet in taste and orange in color is eaten. I thought the other part used as medicine would be great solution if I apply on my forehead as “teeka”. So what, the boy does not stop; and I heated in “ängars”of firewood and used it as “teeka” on my forehead. Thereafter what happened, I do not remember. I was told that I got treatment for many days and my life could be saved”.

  I read a phrase of a great columnist and author, which is of none other than Ms. Shobha De.  The phrase goes as “His mother walked into the room just as he was about to apply her new lipstick. She was startled. He was startled. "What are you doing with my lipstick? It's new...I haven't used it so far. Couldn't you have waited?" He smiled and handed it back to her. "I forgot to tell you...I am playing Draupadi in our college production... rehearsals start this evening." This phrase reminds me of childhood memory; a similar incidence; with an exception that lipstick and Draupadi replaced other terms.

 The black and very hot (around 100 degree centigrade hot) liquid melted and applied on forehead is not less than my mother’s lipstick. Heels of my mother are more than lips for which lipstick is made. Her heels, damaged; hurt; wounded; cracked…..never asked for anyone’s help except her “traditional”, self-made and instant ointment. With blessings of my parents and all kinds of help of my teacher-godfather; and above all; I am working as a successful professor, loved by my all learners and trainee invariably. Nevertheless, I wanted to take part in my drama, more like “Ramleela”, but I never could do that. However, to fulfill that dream, I used to play “nautanki” with self or with my brother. So, that very fateful day, I thought of using the “typical” ointment as my “teeka”” and playing a role of a king.

    My mother says “why have you done this”, this is not yours; I plucked the fresh fruits from the forest and kept for my healing my heels. I do not consider the fruit-based treatment material any less than lipstick because that is the only thing that always made to work happily and peacefully. My reply to my mother (Maa) was: “I want to play a king’s role and I want my kingdom to accept my as a king”; here the reply of my Maa goes very differently, its goes: “you do not need this, without this you will become a person at par with king to be acknowledged by thousands of people across this world”. She actually speaks in “Chhattisgarhi”, a local dialect of Chhattisgarh. I cannot explain what that line meant in my life. That time I would not have understood and taken her as granted. Today also, she says that “I knew you would succeed in your life, no one could stop you except you”. I must not forget here in mentioning here that she still cares, loves me as his little child and always worries about me whenever I am not at home.

 I did not play any role in reality for any king or someone else but I have been playing role of her son brilliantly, which is at par with king in her opinion. My Maa is like greatest mother the world has ever seen. I get to know about her every day even I am very far physically but eternally I am always connected as integral part of her.

  In fact, I am greatly influenced my three great women in my life and my successful journey towards excellence in my professional and personal life, all because of these three great women. The first one is of course my Maa; second one is my beloved and beautiful wife; and the third one who just transformed my life and brought countless positive changes in me, none other than my cute; loving; most beautiful daughter. All I have learnt in my life that women play great role in all walk of our lives; from my Maa only since my childhood. I got to know so much values from my grandmother, my “Dadi”.

  Now working in Myanmar, I do call her regularly and when I start talking to her she does not allow me to speak; and interrupts by asking me about my health first. I try to make her all happy and I must since whatever I am; whosoever I am; whatever I have achieved; all credit goes to her. I do not have time much for travelling with her. I remember the train journey with Maa when we visited Shirdi that always makes me very happy when I recollect the memory. I have been flying very often all across the country and sometimes across the world also. This reminds me of one incidence that happened in my childhood when I was seven or eight years old. I always saw my teacher riding a new bicycle then I got disappointed sometimes. The simple reason is my apprehension whether I could get a new bicycle in my life if I get a good job after my studies. The bicycle was biggest vehicle we used to see those days in my village. My Maa, the great mother was found saying that “see the sky, hawai jahaj (airplane) is going/flying there (especially in election time), why do you think small; think big and you will fly in sky”. I feel blessed when I recollect all these things. I have been flying high not only in air travel but my spirit always flies very high just because of Maa.

 Let me tell you one thing that she never has any wish or desire of luxury; she is extremely happy whatever with whatever she has. I wish I can fly with her. Whenever I fly, I always remember the tree great women, my Maa in particular. I can fly but she would never agree. She would say that “you fly and come to meet us”. I still believe that I will have a flight with her along with my wife and daughter. An amazing thing about my parents, especially my Maa is that she never has been to school. In fact, I was the very first person who could go to school in my entire dynasty “khandaan”.

 Takeaway: No formal education; no enough resources; not even food; not even clothes more than a pair of old sarees…and many more…..BUT…she never cared and worried….kept on inculcating, grooming, supporting, encouraging, inspiring…me….and I am a successful professor influencing hundreds of lives and thousands of students through my delivery of lectures on varied range of topics, right from technical to non-technical, employability skill, communication skill, human values, spirituality etc. In my flight of the successful career, she is always with me. But, still I dream of flying with her one day in sky via air-travel.