What If?
What If?


Ravi Uncle got his posting in Mount Abu. Dad was transferred a year back to the only beautiful hill station in the Aravalli Range in the state of Rajasthan working with Survey of India. In passant both Dad as well as Uncle had gone for field work and they had to stay for six months away from their families.
Shashi Aunt and her three children were staying upstairs and we were in the same building staying on the ground floor. It was the weekend and our schools were closed. Aunt was preparing breakfast and her eyes were on the baby and her daughters. She gave a box of crayons to the girls to draw whatever they wanted. Jagdish the youngest was a two-month-old baby sleeping on his baby cot. Pritha, the elder daughter who was a month shy of 8 was neatly drawing scenery and Namita the younger one was 6 years old and a very naughty child. Somehow she opened the almirah door and then pulled the drawer and jumped into it. All of a sudden the almirah tilted and Aunt saw it from the kitchen door. Shashi Aunt came running her sari end loitered on the ground and almost tripped she ran to hold the almirah.
Pritha was in a side sitting. Meanwhile, no one noticed a big monkey that had entered the room and was sitting on a small sofa that was kept near the open balcony. Aunt wanted to scream with fear but her voice got choked. With one hand she had caught hold of the almirah and here she was scared that the monkey might injure Jagdish. So, she kept on making a whoosh whoosh sound loudly.
She got hold of her tears and told Pritha to run and bring a small brass plate and a spoon. The little girl started beating the plate with the spoon. The monkey perhaps did not like the sound and jumped to the balcony railing and went away.
Then the brave lady slowly shoved Namita away and let the almirah fall slo
wly. But the almirah fell with a thud and there was a big sound. Her children were now safe. she ran and closed the balcony door and picked up Jagdish close to her bosom and cried loudly.
My mother had heard the noise and came running upstairs. She came and beat the door loud and a frightened Shashi Aunt opened and Ma found her shivering with an unknown fear. In the meantime, many others from the neighborhood had come to help Aunt. Ravi Uncle could not be contacted as he was working in a remote place. That very day the others from the office had come and did their best to take Aunt to the hospital as she was still in shock. The office was like a big family and more when the husbands had to go out to the fieldwork and the family was left behind. Slowly things settled down to normal and when Ravi Uncle was back he changed the house. Aunt never again opened the balcony door as long as she was there.
What if the almirah had fallen with Namita? What if the huge monkey had picked up Jagdish or hurt the small boy who was two months old? What and what? Sometimes she used to scream and get up in the night sweating all over. Shashi Aunt had a long period to get over her fear. All mothers are great and are drawn to protect their children. It is pure and simple that troubles come and life can be fierce and testing but how she manages if necessary even if alone doing wonders to be honored. True they have eyes at the back of their heads.
Conclusion: Sure enough there is no end to the query, what if this had taken place, what if the almirah with Namita had fallen or if the monkey could have hurt the baby? Any, other person imagining the situation would get lost in how to tackle so many things together alone.
Bravo!