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Lalitha Balasubramanian

Children Stories Drama Inspirational

5.0  

Lalitha Balasubramanian

Children Stories Drama Inspirational

An Ode To A Friend

An Ode To A Friend

10 mins
396


She stared at the empty space below her knee that had been her leg a few hours before. Tears started flowing down her cheeks. She could not control them, nor could she control her grief. The dull pain at the spot where the doctors had amputated her right leg was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. Sindhu’s mother could not bear to see her beloved daughter in this state. She sat down on a chair next to the bed and held her hand tightly within her own.


“Amma! Why did it have to happen to me?” she asked with her face crumbling with emotion.

“Shhhhhh. Take rest now darling. The doctor advised you to stay calm for some time at least. We can talk about it later,” said her mother, not able to control her own tears.


“Calm! How can I stay calm, Amma, when my leg is gone?”

“Please darling, sleep off for some time,” her mother did not know what to say to console Sindhu.


Seeing her mother succumbing to emotion, Sindhu kept quiet and pretended to sleep. But her thoughts were wandering to the happenings of the past few days. She was a national level hockey player representing the country in international tournaments. On that fateful day, she was returning home from the felicitation ceremony where she had been awarded the 'Player of the Tournament'. Since she lived in Virar, the local train was the best and quickest way to reach home.


She boarded the train. The crowd was heavy and she just had enough space to stand on the edge of the footboard on the Virar local. As the train approached Borivili station, a man pulled at her bag. Sindhu was not going to give up her bag which contained her precious award. She fought the man. But the pull of man against the train’s movement was too overpowering and Sindhu lost her footing and fell down. At once one of the other commuters pulled the chain, and the train stopped. The man was pounded and trashed by the irate commuters who recovered her bag.


But Sindhu was badly injured and had lost consciousness. The concerned fellow commuters and the railway officials took her to a nearby hospital. Her parents were informed about the accident and they rushed to their beloved daughter’s side. Sindhu recovered slowly. It was absolutely unfortunate that gangrene set in on her injured leg and the doctors had to amputate her leg to save her life. But Sindhu’s world had crashed. Her dreams of helping her team win an Olympic medal in hockey for the country was now in tatters.

 

The effect of anesthesia made her drift off into sleep again. But when she woke up, she cried out in pain as the anesthesia effect had worn off. The doctor came in quickly and gave instructions to the nurse to give pain killers. This continued on and off for a few weeks after which her recuperative therapies started. She was fitted with a prosthetic limb. She attended physiotherapy sessions and was making good progress.


Many a time she was accompanied by her mother, who saw to it that Sindhu was provided with maximum comfort. But Sindhu was allowing herself to sink into depression. She did not want to face anyone from her team, though all of them came to visit and lend her support. Seeing them would push her back to the thought that her life on the hockey field was over. She was just twenty-one and her life was in shambles. Wallowing in self-pity, Sindhu felt miserable. But at the insistence of her parents and not wanting to make their lives more miserable than it was with her in the hospital, she made her way to the therapy room.


It was during one of these physiotherapy sessions that she met another athlete named Vidhya. Vidhya had been hit by a truck in the prime time of her life. She had been in her teens and was a promising long distance runner when the accident took place. She had undergone several surgeries and now she too was fitted with a prosthetic limb. Her injuries had been far worse. But the girl had a sweet smile on her face always. 


“How do you manage to smile in such a situation, I wonder?” asked Sindhu, when she became quite friendly with Vidhya.


“I have a reason to smile,” replied Vidhya. “You see, I am still alive. The accident did not take away my life, though it took away one of my legs. I can still see the beauty of nature. I can still hear the amazing chirping sounds of birds. I can still feel the aroma of good food teasing my nostrils. My hands are functioning well. I can paint, which until the accident was a hobby for me. Now it has become my passion.”


Sindhu admired Vidhya. The girl was younger than her but spoke with wisdom beyond her years. And what she said held true for Sindhu too. She wondered whether she would ever have the courage and determination to face life with such a positive attitude.


“Shall I show you some of my paintings?” asked Vidhya

“I would love to see them,” answered Sindhu.


The next day, Vidhya brought some of her paintings. There were a few based on nature which were beautiful. But what captivated Sindhu were the portraits which flaunted her flair for accurately capturing the emotions of the model. Vidhya was holding one canvas back. Sindhu was curious but Vidhya hesitated.


“If you don’t want to show it to me, I understand,” she said, albeit a little disappointed.

“It is not that I don’t want to show it to you. I don’t know how you will take it though,” she said.


When she hesitatingly unfolded the canvas, Sindhu’s curiosity was roused further. But the moment she saw the painting, she was stunned. It was a beautifully drawn sketch of Sindhu. The eyes reflected her grief and depression, the lips were pursed in self-pity and the entire sketch was a mirror image.


Vidhya was looking at her with bated breath, probably expecting her to be pained or furious. Suddenly the humor in the situation got to Sindhu and she burst out laughing.


“Is this how I look nowadays?” she asked.

It was Vidhya’s turn to be stunned. She had never expected her new found friend to react in this way.

“I should definitely correct the image that you carry of me in your mind,” laughed Sindhu.


Her mother who had accompanied her that day was amazed. It was the first time that Sindhu’s tinkling laugh had been heard in so many months. It brought a wan smile to her face. She silently thanked Vidhya for bringing the smile back on her darling daughter’s lips.


 The moment, however, was a turning point in Sindhu’s life. She admired her friend who had helped her to come to terms with her current predicament. She admired her grit and ability to face adversity with a smile. She admired her tenacity to get back to reality and change the course of her life with positivity.


‘Losing a limb was not the end of the world’ as her friend had now taught her. Sindhu decided to take her life in her own hands. It was not easy. It never is for one who is facing adversity of such magnitude. But, slowly hope started to set in. She gave her full concentration to her therapy sessions. She started improving fast in the company of her friend. Within a few months, both the friends were walking without support on their prosthetic limbs. They were inseparable now, drawing support from each other. Sindhu’s parents were happy to see their daughter smile again.


One day, Sindhu surprisingly received a personal message from Vidhya. The message was poignant and touching.


“Hi, Sindhu! I know we talk and meet every day. But some things sound better when written. I want to thank you for being so supportive and encouraging. Today I am happy to have got an invitation from the Art Gallery to exhibit my paintings. They have arranged for a prominent person in the Art field to be the Chief Guest. I want you to be my Guest of Honour and the first person to receive a painting of mine from my hands at the felicitation ceremony. Will you accept? I know you will, as this entire second stint at life has been in your company, my best friend. Thanks once again for being you! Love, Vidhya.


Sindhu was thrilled for her friend. She at once messaged back. “I will be there, Vidhya. And I shall be honoured to receive your painting.”


As promised, Sindhu was present at the felicitation ceremony. Many prominent people were supporting Vidhya’s cause. But Vidhya had eyes for her friend only. She welcomed her and led her around explaining every painting in the exhibition. And at the felicitation, she ceremoniously handed over a gift-wrapped painting to Sindhu. Sindhu gave her a warm hug.


Eager to see what her friend had gifted her, she opened the gift wrapping as soon as reached home.


She stared in amazement. It was another portrait similar to the one that Vidhya had shown her earlier. But the similarity ended there. Her eyes were sparkling with joy. Her gait personified positivity. And there was no sign of depression or self-pity in her gaze. A short note at the bottom of the canvas caught her eye. It was written “MY INSPIRATION”.


‘At least, I am not worthless anymore’ she thought. ‘Vidhya calls me her inspiration. Little does she know that she is mine.’


Sindhu began to think of what she could do in the future. She decided to follow Vidhya’s example. Vidhya was a talented artist. But she too had relegated painting to a hobby when she was into sports. And now the same hobby of painting and art had turned out to be her savior.


Sindhu decided to pursue her own childhood interest in music. Music would be for her, what painting was for Vidhya. She enrolled in music classes. Though she was rejoining after a long gap, it was as if she had not been away from it at all. Her music teacher was happy to see her again as she had always been one of her favorite students. Her voice was strong and sweet. She could hit the high octaves with ease. Her vocal range was great. Within no time she was on her way to becoming an accomplished singer.


Time passed by. It was exactly two years since that fateful day of the accident. She rang up her friend.


“Vidhya,” she said excitedly. “I want to meet you today.”

“Anything special?” asked Vidhya.

“Yes. And I want to share it with you first. Can we meet in the garden today?”

“Sure. I will be there at 5.30 pm.”


With rising excitement and curiosity, Vidhya got down from her car in the garden at 5.30 sharp. Sindhu was waiting for her and the two friends sat on the garden bench.

“I am going to die of curiosity,” cried Vidhya. “Come on Yaar! Don't keep me waiting anymore.”


Sindhu cleared her throat. “I have been invited to sing for one of the prominent Music Sabhas in Chennai this December.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Vidhya. “What a great achievement! Isn’t December the Carnatic Music season in Chennai?”


“Yes Vidhya,” replied Sindhu with her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I wanted to share the news with you first, even before my parents as you have been the one person who has always believed in me. That note “MY INSPIRATION” at the bottom of your gift was the cornerstone that turned my route and inspired me to go forward in my musical journey. I can never thank you enough. I want you to be there at my first concert. Just seeing you in the audience will make me perform well,” she pleaded.


“Of course I am going to be there, my friend. That’s the least I can do for my inspiration, my role model and my best friend, is it not?” she teased. 


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