Jun 30, '09
"But ma, why do dadu and dadi have to go away?" Soumil asked for the umpteenth time that morning. And, that was just one of the questions his mother Megha had no answer to... just like why doesn't the sun get wet when it sinks in the sea? Or if a ten-headed dragon really eats up the moon bit by bit every night, and the moon regrows just like the guava on the tree in their backyard. Megha was getting tired and impatient. "Ask your father," she snapped, and yet again, Soumil was tossed around like a ping pong ball, at a question neither of his parents had an answer to... or this time, didn't want to answer. Soumil ran into his grandparents' room. He did that every morning after waking up. Just, it was different this time. As he broke into the room, he saw his grandmother packing their things, while his grandfather sat looking out of the window.
"Dadi, where are you going?"
"Away."
"Away, where?"
She just shook her head.
"Are you going on another pilgrimage?"
"No, Somu."
"Then?"
Soumil ran to his grandfather, "You have an answer to all my questions! Where are you going and why? When will you be back?" In reply, his grandfather could only sigh and say, "Be a good boy, Somu."
Now the only person left to answer his questions was his father. This was one thing Soumil could not not have an answer to, no matter what. So, he ran to his father but stopped short in his way when he overheard him talking on the phone. The only words he could remember were old age home. "What's an old age home, papa?" he shot as soon as his father hung up the phone. Waiting for a conversation to be over, was just one of the good habits Soumil had learnt from his dadu. Soumil didn't always have that habit. 'Talkative' was the one remark he invariably got from his teachers. He'd got beaten up by his father several times for interrupting 'when elders were talking'. But he would forget the beating soon and do it again, till one day when he was telling his grandfather about a football match his team had won, and instead of letting him tell his story, his grandfather interrupted him every one minute and said something. Soumil got angry with his grandfather for the first time, and violently pulled at his kurta. His grandfather could only smile and say, "Didn't that make you angry? This is how your father feels too when you interrupt him."
"What's an old age hom?" Soumil asked again, "Why are dada and dadi going there? When will they return?"
"An old age home is where old people live. And, I can't say when they'll return or if they ever will," said Vanraj with a poker face. "But why are they going?" Soumil asked again. "Oh, come on, Soumil. Because they have to. Your friend Arvind's grandparents also went there," said Vanraj, "Go, talk to them or go to your room." Soumil twitched his nose and ran to his grandparents' room again.
Soumil's grandma had worn the lavender sari that she had had for years. It was still quite as new because she wore it sparingly, and kept it well, as it was for 'special' occasions. This is what made Soumil's grandfather ask, "Why are you wearing this sari?"
"This is what I wore when I first stepped into this house..." she choked before finishing.
"The taxi's here," Vanraj cleared his throat and informed. As he stepped out, Soumil asked, "Dadu, why are you sad?" His grandfather sighed again and said, "Thirty eight years... we have lived in this house. For thirty five years we have been with our son, your father. Of course, we love him and are so attached. So, we are unhappy that we won't be seeing him again, and you," he answered patiently and willingly, just as he had always done. But, he wasn't smiling like he always did. Soumil noticed that and also that his grandfather looked much older when he didn't smile.
As they walked out of the gate, Soumil's dadu and dadi turned around one last time to look at the name, 'Chhaya Sadan', named after Soumil's dadi. But more so because, like Soumil's grandfather told him once, she had always been with him like his shadow. Megha chose to stay back home, as she had a headache. For the first time Soumil sat in the vehicle quietly, between his grandparents, holding each of their hands. He wasn't squealing at the other cars or showing his father and grandparents his friends' houses. He didn't let go of his grandparents' hands for even a minute. And, he could feel both his grandparents' grip tightening more and more as each milestone passed. They reached the old age home.
As they all stepped out, Soumil wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts and held his grandparents' hands again while walking. He was made to sit out on the bench when the three of them went into the office. There are not many trees around, thought Soumil, dadu wouldn't like it so much here. "Does anyone water the ground every morning?" he asked the sweeper, "My dadi is allergic to dust. Watering the ground would settle the mud..." The sweeper looked at the ground, then and continued his work. After 15 minutes, Vanraj stepped out of the office and said, "Let's go." Soumil peeped inside but couldn't see his grandparents. "Why didn't dadi and dadu come to say goodbye?" asked Soumil. "They were tired after the journey. So they went up to the room from the back door," his father replied. Soumil didn't believe him, anyway. He knew his grandparents couldn't stand saying bye to him.
Soumil was quiet and pensive all evening. He ate little and went to bed confused, sad and crying. Next morning as he came into the living room, he annoucned, "Papa, I want to go to a boarding school." Megha and Vanraj were both taken aback. "What? Why?" asked Vanraj, lowering his newspaper. "I just want to," he replied. "You cannot just want to go there. There has to be a reason. We know how much you hate the idea of going to a boarding school," said Vanraj, though he knew it had something to do with sending his parents away the previous day. Was his son punishing them? "No, you can't go to a boarding school," said Megha tersely, "you're the only son we have. Forget about it."
Vanraj thought reasoning and talking softly would work, so he asked, "Ok, how about telling me why do you want to go there. We will think about a way out...", hoping Soumil didn't bring up the topic of his grandparents. Soumil looked down, fidgeting with a pen lying on the table. "Hmmm?" asked Vanraj again, as Megha stood there anxiously. "It's for your and ma's good, papa," said Soumil. "What? How can our only son going alway from us be good for us?" aksed Megha.
Soumil finally replied, "So that you both wouldn't be too attached to me. And when I send you both away to the old age home, you wouldn't be unhappy like dadi and dadu."
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