It was the day, when I was promoted to Mama. Ma became Nani, and she grew older but in reality she found a new partner for cheers ЁЯЩВ .
I reached on time to the Mata Gurji Medical College Hospital from Siliguri, as I heard Didi was admitted there. And God’s clock ran faster than all human predictions! It was the first time, when I saw a newborn baby of less than one hour. A new born baby looks just like pink tiny body, to whom even touching may give a another kind of sensation. As my hands were not washed (with Dettol soap, as the TV commercials shows :), I didn’t touched the baby. As the world welcomed him, the baby too welcomed me with little open eyes and we shared something unknown.
My joys had no bounds for the newly welcomed guest for our home. For a person like me, these special events, brings up whole circle of turbulent thoughts.
For the first time, the first thing I imagined – Was I also appeared as the same tiny soul on earth in front of my elders ? Though this appears as the most trivial thought one may have, but imagining myself in the same tiny body, gave me a different feelings altogether. In evening hours, when the baby was resting with open eyes, Ma told me pick up the baby as I really wanted to ‘feel’ the baby. Though I did not have confidence to pick the tiny pink newborn baby up, I did so, on being insisted by Ma. With all the cushions of the baby ( I added one more thick towel ЁЯША ), I picked the baby up, softly.
As my joys were no bounds , I slowly made dance movements with my favourite devotional tunes cuddling the baby into my chest. It was the start of a very auspicious relation – of Mama – Bhanja. In our area, for many auspicious occasions, starting good works with this pair is said to be bringing good omens. And the baby seemed to understood everything and was perfectly calm on my lap. And even now at his naughty age of 4th year, Mridu (рдореГрджреБ) in my company, turns out as – I am a good boy – automatically without any extra effort. Of course with a wish that he may enjoy a game on his fav compu ( laptop).
And on that day I got immersed into another array of thoughts. These ranged from the duties and sense of thankfulness of a grown up infant (that’s me) with my duties towards my elders – who cared for us some day and spent days and nights. How much dreams for our future and well being they must have carried in their eyes while trying to get us asleep! How much care they took for us when the infant grows up so much of precautions! The precautions ranges widely, slipping down from bed, small cuts, trying to eat everything including insects and emotional needs ! The list is endless…
Why one takes care for the small babies so much? While giving them selfless love, they never wish for money, fame or anything else. But of course they wish for a token of love and faith, in return back, when they grow up, even if the innocence diminishes with the human growth. How they may feel, when instead of treating them with love they are not given even the basic human treatment ?
Its worth(less) to mention about some persons, who on being shared these feelings, remarked “What so special, when every parents have to do their duties !! ” I was shocked and my feelings got buried deep.
Though itтАЩs my practical experience that when the elder people especially old age are given a really good treatment, they turn out as child again. (A post pending here on our mausi caretaker- “Khairun’s Ma”)
Many things in our life, we can’t feel with ‘lectured words’ unless we undergo same situation to feel the same. Finding the new born baby in my lap, I was immersed with great sense of unpaid gratefulness. That day as Ma was sitting there, I put my head on her lap, recalling, what she might had done for us. We were again on the long enriching gossips, and her concluding remark was- “Ekhon kothai bujhechis Babu ! somoy aaschte jabe, aaro bujhbi. Kintu aajke bujhte paris, sei tai onek !! ( Babu (as she calls me) , when could you have understood all the things ! As the time will pass by, you will learn much more. And for now itтАЩs satisfying that, today you can feel these things !! )
These mothers are always correct. Still I have to learn, and really a lot, I think.
Thanks a lot, for all the learning curves, paved by you, for us.