YEARNING

Vishal's red, doleful and puffy eyes are gazing at the gray sky desperately searching for sun amid the dense cover of dark clouds.

He is sitting on the steps of an ancient temple.

Devotees generally flock to this revered temple.

Though his wife and son without fail visit this temple every Sunday, owing to his hectic schedule he has not been here since past couple of years.

In the wake of Covid-19 crisis,

The temple is secluded. Only a few priests are walking about in the empty premises.

The magnificent gold-plated door is shut, and the deities are not visible.

Temple has been shut for worshippers adhering to rules of nation-wide lockdown imposed by Government of India to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Abruptly the ever-buzzing city has come to a grinding halt.

Unprecedented health crisis has disrupted and changed life in almost unimaginable ways.

Pin-drop silence makes Vishal feel uneasy and gloomy. He shifts his gaze on his wife.

Kaavya is sitting on her knees, on the step closest to the door and relentlessly pleading to lord with all her heart.

He can completely empathize with her,

and also feel her agony and anxiety.

She has mastered the art of 

solo parenting their son Parvish,

As Vishal remains occupied with his professional commitments.

She has successfully managed everything alone right from tending to their little one's every emotional and physical need to getting his admission done in a renowned school and participating in all activities organised by school.

Several times she has appraised Vishal. 

about Parvish's yearning for his father's presence and attention.

His job of sales manager is very demanding and stressful.

Extended work hours do not permit him to return home before Parvish falls asleep.

On weekends he mostly travels to other cities to attain his sales targets.

The little time he carves out for his family often gets disrupted by urgent calls from his superiors or clients.

His quest to provide his family with a comfortable and luxurious life along with securing their future drives him to work frantically neglecting not just his family but also himself.

While sitting on steps of temple,

A profound realization hits Vishal.

He has always been focusing on uncertain and unpredictable future and taken the precious present moment for granted.

He starts ruminating and feels remorseful for not cherishing the countless little milestones of Parvish's growing up phase.

He repents for not chasing his crawling baby, for missing the joyride of holding his toddler's tiny fingers and helping him take his first steps and for not seeking pleasure from shopping for his infant.

He takes out his cell phone, starts browsing through WhatsApp images folder, which is flooded with images of catalogues, visiting cards of his clients, screenshots of some work-related correspondences etc.

At last, he locates an image sent by Kaavya.

It is a drawing made by Parvish.

His deepest feelings are palpably evident in his drawing.

He has drawn a house inside house are two tadpole people,

A child holding his mother's hand.

A rectangle is drawn very far from the house with a tadpole person in it and papa written over it.

Tears well up in Vishal's eyes looking at the picture.

He can never forgive himself for breaking Parvish's heart and getting tears to his eyes on his fifth birthday.

About four months ago Kaavya had organised an Avengers themed birthday bash to celebrate Parvish's fifth birthday.

A day before his birthday,

Vishal was compelled to leave for Delhi to attend an important seminar.

He had promised to return before cake cutting but failed to keep his promise.

He had got caught up and unfortunately missed his flight. He made sure that Parvish received his birthday present, a beautiful tricycle.

Kaavya made all possible efforts to make the birthday boy feel special.

Yet he refused to cut the cake.

The event ended midway.

Both Kaavya and Parvish were hurt and irked with Vishal.

Kaavya's anger melted soon but Parvish was miffed with him and kept ignoring him for four weeks.

His giggles returned only after Vishal spent one entire day without any hindrances pampering him, playing with him, taking him for a movie and relishing family dinner at his favourite restaurant.

Kaavya had remarked that she had never seen Parvish so ecstatic.

Kaavya's soft voice gets Vishal out of his deep thoughts.

She is done offering her prayers.

She sits next to him and suggests that they should return to the hospital and try talking to the doctor.

Parvish was rushed to the emergency ward of the hospital after facing breathing troubles.

He has tested positive for coronavirus and is fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

His parents who have tested negative.

haven't seen him for four days.

They are briefed about his health by a doctor once daily.

As they both get up from steps,

Vishal tells Kaavya that he would be back in a few moments.

With a guilt-ridden heart, he climbs up to the step closest to the majestic door.

He bows his head and with folded hands.

Thanks almighty for blessing him with the precious gift of his family and acknowledges that his life is incomplete without them.

He makes a candid confession, that he got off track and unconsciously adopted an extremely fast paced lifestyle.

In chasing material possessions, he ended up shirking his responsibilities towards his son and wife.

With a sincere heart, he implores God to heal and recover Parvish.

He takes a vow that henceforth, family will be his priority and he will ensure that Parvish never feels neglected again or yearns for his love.

After offering his prayers he starts getting down, He finds Kaavya still praying.

She seems totally distressed.

He gently assures her that their Parvish will win this battle.

He holds her hand and they both anxiously start heading towards hospital.

The temple is situated on one of the busiest and congested streets of Mumbai city.

Vehicles literally have to crawl their way through the traffic.

Vishal would have never in his wildest dream imagined this bustling street to wear such a deserted look and completely turn empty.

Even during wee hours, the street has not been so quiet, only the siren of ambulances and police vans can be heard.

Though the hospital is five-minutes from the temple on foot, Under normal scenarios it is unbearable to walk due to pollution and continuous honking.

As they are walking numerous thoughts are racing in Vishal's mind and Kaavya is also drowning in worry.

Few stray dogs are loitering fiercely looking out for some food.

Vishal takes out a pack of biscuits from Kaavya's bag and spreads it on the edge of the footpath.

Dogs start gobbling the biscuits.

Vishal remarks that if Parvish was with them, he would have got terrified seeing the hungry dogs and would clasped their arms out of dread. Kaavya nods in agreement.

The entrance of the hospital is thronged by multiple famished beggars and homeless people calling out for aid.

Hospital is full of chaos and panic.

Doctors and paramedical staff completely covered in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) are running hither and thither, trying their level best to provide treatment to each patient.

Although hospital is already overburdened with cases

yet almost every hour a new patient is brought.

The situation is very grim.

Vishal and Kaavya enter the waiting area.

It is jam-packed with worried and frazzled relatives of patients.

Each one appears to be frightened and troubled as they are desperately waiting to interact with the doctor to know about their patient's current health condition.

Vishal's heart aches to see a teenage boy and girl sitting in one corner and mourning the loss of their mother.

The hospital daily witnesses five to six patients succumbing to the virus.

Plight of their relatives is heart-wrenching.

After waiting for nearly five long hours Vishal starts pacing restlessly in the waiting area.

He has tried a lot to enquire about Parvish's health from several paramedical staff,

They have requested him to wait for the doctor.

Suddenly his heart starts pounding and skips a beat ,as he notices a doctor approaching them.

Mustering courage they stand in front of the doctor.

Doctor takes off his mask and gives them reassuring smile,

 He informs them that Parvish has been shifted to the general ward as his breathing has regularised and he seems stable but as a precautionary measure he will be kept under observation in hospital for two to three days.

Vishal and Kaavya heave a sigh of relief.

Doctor also lets them know that any one parent can meet the child.

Vishal tells Kaavya to go but she insists that he should go.

She explains that Parvish will get more elated seeing his elusive father and also, she has seen a deep yearning for

Parvish in his eyes.

He emotionally apologizes to her for not being able to properly balance between his personal and professional life and  promises her that hereinafter spending quality time with them will be on top in his agenda and he will be her partner in parenting their prince.

Her eyes glitter with joy and she too promises to unconditionally support him.

Feeling grateful to God for his mercy,

Vishal eagerly starts walking towards the In-Patient Department of the hospital.