REVATHI BHASKER

Abstract Drama Others

4.0  

REVATHI BHASKER

Abstract Drama Others

The Attachment

The Attachment

6 mins
21


It all seemed as if it was a bad dream. Vijay was hospitalized for COVID and within a few days, had succumbed to it. Veena was crestfallen – the loss of her soul mate for nearly fifty years, a very loving and caring husband, but above all a wonderful human being who radiated happiness wherever he went – was too much to face. He endeared himself to one and all, and there was not a single person in their colony who did not grieve for him. It was a loss to the entire community, they all echoed.


All good things have to come to an end and Veena was comforted by her daughters and sons-in-law who stood by her side throughout, helping her to accept the reality with courage and fortitude. After all the obsequies were over, they helped to bring back the house to order. 

Vijay had been very meticulous in all that he did and the way he had kept accounts and records was superb. The family did not have any difficulty in locating important documents and files which simplified many matters. When it came to sorting his personal belongings, Veena could not swallow the lump in her throat and left it to the children to distribute them among the needy.


However, there were two steel glasses, she would not part with – they reminded her of the last few days they were together before he was hospitalized never to come back. They had spent a week in a resort and she would lovingly serve him coffee in those glasses every day. Vijay was not comfortable with the coffee mugs of the resort, but was more than happy to sip coffee from the steel glasses – tumblers as he would refer to. When the suitcase they had taken to the resort was being unpacked, Veena’s attention fell on these glasses and she just picked them up and took it to her room.


She had left the glasses on her dressing table and gone for her bath. When she came back, she saw them missing. She hurriedly dressed up and came out of her room demanding where the glasses had gone. She spotted her two years old grandson playing with them and snatched them away from him, leaving him bawling.


Her daughter was shocked by Veena’s behavior and tried as she might, she could not console her weeping son. It took quite a while of cajoling and reassuring that an identical set would be got for him, that his wails subsided to whimpers.

When Veena had cooled down, her daughter asked her if she would let her son have the glasses, but Veena would not hear of it and clung to them even more. No body at home had expected Veena to behave so, especially on such a frivolous matter. Veena had no qualms whatsoever in transferring ownership of all or most of her assets, but this was something very close to her heart and she said that she would never ever part with them. 


The loft housed several large brass vessels, most of which were part of the “Kalyana Seer” given by her parents. Both the daughters voiced that they would not find use for them at all, but Veena would not give them away.

Once her daughters and their families left for their homes, Veena felt lonely and even more depressed. The only thing she looked forward to was her morning and evening coffees which she had in the glasses last used by Vijay. She would relive the joyous moments and visualize how Vijay relished the hot coffee she served in them. She would not put them for washing by the maid, but would rinse them thoroughly, wipe them and put them away for the next use. 


To overcome the loneliness and to keep herself occupied, she joined a group of volunteers to teach daily slokas and bhajans to children in a temple nearby. She had opted for the early morning slot and would walk down to the temple with her prayer books and bhajan books, but she also unfailingly carried with her the two steel glasses. As soon as the Abhishek was over, she would collect the Abhishek teertha from the punditji in them and return home after teaching the children.


Soon everyone came to know of her obsession to the glasses and while a few would ridicule her, others paid no attention to such a petty feeling.

One day however, something strange happened. As the Abhishek was going on, everyone heard the wails of a baby. She was crying for milk and the poor impoverished mother had no money to buy milk for the baby. She too looked so emaciated that it was obvious that she could not feed the baby at all. Veena caught sight of her leaving the baby near the sanctum sanctorum and rush to the place where the milk which was being offered as Abhishek, was flowing into the outlet. With the pallu of her sari, she would collect some milk and then rush back to the baby and squeeze out the milk into the baby’s parched mouth. 


Without a second thought, Veena just pulled out the two glasses from her bag and gave them to the lady asking her to collect milk for her baby in them. While the lady stood dumbstruck, Veena asked her to hurry up as the milk was slowly getting depleted and if she was not fast enough, she would be unable to collect sufficient milk for the baby.


A big grateful smile spread over the lady’s face. As she happily went, Veena sensed a feeling of fulfilment – this is what Vijay would have expected her to do. 


That was the beginning of Veena “LETTING GO”. No longer did she yearn to possess things and cling to them. She was happy to let go of her feelings, desires and all good things.


By doing this, she found peace within herself. True, it was rather unfortunate that she lost her Vijay, but carrying the cross to eternity was not a practical solution. The next morning, she asked her maid to bring down all the contents of the loft and got all the vessels and miscellaneous things distributed in the nearby village, where everyone, very gladly took them home.  


Soon her daughter and grand children visited her again. Her children saw a different Veena. The two glasses were nowhere to be seen, but there was a wonderful glow on Veena’s face. They kept prodding her and she divulged that she had learnt to master the art of “letting go”. “Nothing is permanent in life and change alone is inevitable”, Veena said. “No one can live forever and not a single thing is indispensable. Then, why should we crave to increase our possessions, when we know that we can never carry them with us when our time comes to leave? Only our good deeds will stand us in good stead. Let us be remembered for the happiness we radiate in the lives of others long after we are gone.”  


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