The Inevitable Destiny

Dinesh gave a big yawn and stretched. He had slept intermittently all through the night and did not feel rested. His four-month-old son, ‘A Bundle of Joy’ in his terminology, considered it the most appropriate time to exercise his lung muscles. His incessant demands were expressed by uninhibited bawling and howling. His mother Supriya though delicate and fragile, tried to pacify him by constantly rocking him in her arms. The more she tried to calm him down, the more boisterous he became. Perhaps he was trying to assert his newly discovered identity. Supriya smothered him with kisses and showered him with all the endearing terms in her vocabulary but Junior was not to be pacified. His father made all sorts of funny noises and sounds to divert his attention but that also did not placate him. He yelled and bellowed to his parent’s discomfort. At last, tired out, he went off to sleep. Dinesh and Supriya empathizing with each other gave a sigh of relief.

Dinesh still groggy with sleep managed somehow to get ready for the day’s work. He worked as a Security Guard in one of the’ High Rises ‘which had mushroomed in Kolkata in the last five years. His wife also drowsy forced herself out of bed to prepare her husband’s 'tiffin' for his lunch break. His breakfast was simple, a bowl of puffed rice with a few drops of mustard oil and shredded onion. He looked at his wife rolling out the ‘chapati’. She seemed tired and over-worked. Dark rings around her eyes, her pinched drawn appearance, made it quite evident that she was going through tremendous strain. But there was not a word of complaint from her, not a murmur. His heart went out to her. He strode up to her and held her in his arms for a brief moment and said. ‘Supriya you do a lot for me and the baby. I will try to give you a break and take you to your mother’s house when I get off during the Pujas.’ She smiled in appreciation and continued with her cooking. Supriya stood at the door to see him off with the words ‘Try to come home as early as you can, I will be waiting for you. ’Little did she know what destiny had in store for her.

Dinesh worked in EverGreen Park. The nine towers in the premises had been constructed way back in 2005. But already in ten years the buildings were falling apart and repairing work and renovation was in progress. The walls were cracking and the water pipes had become rusted and crumbling. But Dinesh had job satisfaction and was a conscientious worker. He knew that early in the morning he had to take a round of the buildings to see that everything was in order. Dinesh walked down smartly across the red winding pathway snaking through the well -maintained flower garden until he came to a couple of steps going up to Peace Tower. As he climbed, his thoughts were of only his baby and Supriya. Before he knew what was happening, both his thoughts and life came to an abrupt end. A steel pipe from the eighth floor landed on his head fracturing it through the center. Blood gushed out to wash away the last vestige of earthly existence.

When the terrible tidings were brought to her Supriya stood white and motionless like a marble statue. The crowd which had thronged outside her house was imperceptible to her unseeing eyes. She heard a string of words but they were unintelligible sounds for her. Nothing registered in her mind. She was traumatized and shocked beyond recovery. Her baby went on crying but she did not stir. He was hungry but Supriya seemed unaware of the fact. Even when the body of her husband was handed over to her after the postmortem investigations by the police, she just stared a blank empty stare. Condolences poured in and with that money that was collected by the EverGreen Park residents that the sole earning member was no more. The EverGreen Park Association also offered a Lady Security Guard’s job to her in case she was interested. Had they not taken into account her infant baby who needed her! But Supriya also needed money to survive and so she was compelled to accept the offer.

Colleagues of her husband and well-wishers of the family then suggested that she should give the child for adoption as it would be difficult for her to bring him up. They also suggested the name of a child-less couple in EverGreen Park who would be interested. Again Supriya realized

there was no option so she had to accede. She took the baby in her arms, pressed him to her heart, kissed him all over and with a stifled sob handed over the most precious possession to the Bose family who had opted to adopt the child. Satya Bose was in his thirties. He was one of the strapping youths of the day holding a high ranking position in a Multinational Company. This meant the child would grow up amidst affluence and get the best education and nurturing. Ratna his wife was a cheerful lady of the top echelon of society dedicating her time to kitty parties and frequenting the beauty spas and salons. What more could a poor widow want for her child- a good education and four meals a day!!                                                                                                                                                                                            

This unfolded another chapter in her life. All the legal documents had to be signed for Adoption. Now the Baby was named Arjun Bose. The new parents were more than proud to take their Baby home. Immediately in their enthusiasm they went and bought a baby cot, feeding bottles, and baby food. Three-four sets of baby clothes were also purchased. Satya, the father insisted that a pram was an absolute necessity and that they should also include some toys. But the Little One started giving trouble in the car as he seemed to be uncomfortable during the ride. He kicked and he yelled, trying to break free. His new mother did not have the same patience as the other and shouted back. Amid the hullabaloo, the Bose Family reached home.

Both the parents rushed up to set up their baby’s room. They had a bit of an argument as to where to put up a swing for him. In the meantime, they had to sterilize his bottles and give the baby his milk. But this meant work and Ratna the new mother was not used to it and neither was she prepared for it. She loved her carefree life and found all these hassles a lot of unnecessary trouble . It had not occurred to them that they should buy baby food suitable for the baby according to his age. As a result, by drinking milk meant for one-year-old Arjun started retching and crying due to colicky pain. It complicated matters further for the couple. Ratna had had enough for the first day and she suggested to her husband that they should employ an ayah to look after the baby. But Arjun did not appreciate the idea of an outsider perennially pottering around in the house. At night when the baby woke up for his quota of milk, Satya alerted Ratna so that she could attend to the baby. In her turn, Ratna told her husband to see to the baby’s needs because she was too tired. In the end, they took the baby and put him in another room and closed the door so that they would not be disturbed. One after the other many ayahs were appointed but their span of service was very short. They proved to be of little help as their attendance was irregular and erratic. Ratna chafed at the trammels imposed because of the baby. Without somebody to look after him, she could not go tonight shows or spend the evening s at the threat. They started regretting having taken on the encumbrance when they could have had a life full of fun and enjoyment.

Little Arjun was getting used to crying himself to sleep in a solitary room. Whenever he demanded milk at night, there was no one to hold the bottle to his mouth. Even in the heat of the summer, he went without his refreshing bath. Day after day he lay in his bed all by himself. No one took him out in the fresh air under the blue sky in his brand new pram. But a child has no one to whom he can air his grief!                                                                                                                                         

On the other hand, his own mother Supriya was bound by the terms of the agreement. There was the understanding that she was not to have any interaction with the baby after signing the contract.It was felt that the baby would not be able to adjust to his new surroundings if he continued to be under the influence of his mother. After her day’s struggle when Supriya would come home and long to have her baby in her arms or feel the close proximity of her husband, she would be confronted with a big void, and then she would dissolve into uncontrollable tears For her now there was nothing to look forward to, no meaning in life. To make the pain more poignant, there was no one even to put a comforting arm around her. She would sob her heart out.

All was not well in the Bose family as well. Ratna felt that now she was trapped. She felt she was suffocating with a noose around her neck. ‘Was there any way she could be free of the fetters? ‘ she constantly tried to figure out. At last, the solution dawned on her. It was like a ray of light which suffused her entire being -----it was the much-needed panacea. She could not wait to tell Satya---she had found a way out of all her problems. Her husband was equally relieved and thought hers to be a great plan.

The next day she kept on looking at her watch as if she just could not wait for the evening. The problem had assumed such importance and urgency for her that at the dot of six, she hurriedly took the baby in her arms and as her husband was not available to drive the car, took a taxi to Supriya’s house. As Supriya opened the door to Ratna, she stood motionless and without expression. She remembered bitterly that according to the contract she must not have any interaction with her baby. All her normal feelings and emotions had to be stifled. Ratna, on the other hand, went straight to the point in a business-like fashion. She frankly admitted that she was incapable of looking after a child and narrated all the difficulties she was encountering. She requested Supriya to stay with them as one of the family so that she could give the baby his due. But Supriya felt it was below her dignity to stay in somebody else’s house. Besides her very own offspring was now no more hers. On the other hand, Ratna being a clever strategist, to gain her own ends, started telling her about the Little Ones’ miserable condition with them. Supriya’s mother’s heart could not take anymore! 

For her, her baby’s happiness was of greater importance than everything in the world. She grabbed the baby and pressed him to her heart like a long starving man would grab a loaf of bread. The baby gurgled in delight as if he could feel his mother’s love. For a vibrant moment, mother and son were lost in an ecstatic world of their own. The inevitable destiny had taken Arjun along a very winding path but he was meant to enjoy the best of both worlds, and from that day onward Supriya became an integral part of the Bose Family.