Mothers are angels on earth!

Waiting by the calendar - A mother's wait..!

Mother's are angels on the earth. I had one. She always asked "Do you want some tea water?" . Black tea was called tea water. She always brought it for me when I was young. When I was studying. When I was sick. When I was happy! When I was in a hurry! When I was at ease and relaxing. That was an all time elixir.

It actually was not the tea, it was that endearment which got me.  Now, I am grown up and up.  And she is gone. At School, at college, when I didn't have any means, that is when she got me the black tea all the time.

As a mother she would have  treasured
the experience. When I came on leave she was still having the black tea. I had stopped taking black tea except at times occasionally.  But whenever I was at home she came with her endearing cup of black tea and asked: "You used to like black tea. Do you want some now?" .I always said "Yes, yes. You are bringing black tea, please give it to me. Hadn't had it for long" I will take a sip and say "How rejuvenating!" Her face will be lit up. It was the old time memories which actually rejuvenated me. She will leave saying "I have work to do. I am making a special dish for you" She won't be long. She will return with some recipe or the other which I had a liking.
"When you are gone after your leave, I count the days on the calendar to wait for your next leave" which brought tears in my eyes.
Now, she is gone. No body remembers any special preference of any one else. That is the prerogative of mothers to their children. How they react make them happy or sad.

When mothers are gone all those experiences become memories and nostalgia. These days when ever I took a cup of black tea or lemon tea her memories and endearments came gushing in.

Mothers are really angels on earth!

Feelings of a train journey!

Feelings of a train journey!

It is a great feeling when one embarks on a long journey by train in India! The bogeys are neat and clean, the toilets are always dry and with water in the taps and flush. The smell of steel rubbing on steel coupled with the general smell of a lot of muck generated by a large number of people congregating and disbursing every day!
Those of you who have ever undertaken a train journey will remember all that.

Of course, I am talking of all those who undertake journeys by the third class in olden days and second class, these days!   These classes have a fraternity of their own and a kindness to all thith who travel by trains!  I am one of such travellers. And I still like to travel by the second class! This is the most humane class in the train.

The general compartment in this category is still better, but....but... the number of those in these classes have gone up to the extent, getting a sitting seat itself  is a great effort, these days!
Earlier, I had traveled in this class on a long journey from Kerala to the distant Gohati in Assam, which in itself, was a bravado! I did it in five days in four trains. Now, all that has changed! Gohati has changed to Gouhathi. There is a direct train involving less number of days. In those days, I changed trains in Madras of the day, then Howrah of the day, New Bongaigaon of the day and landed in the great great Gohati.

Then my journeys for a long time was between Kerala and Delhi.
Now, I travel mostly between Chennai (my olden Madras) .. and my Thrissur.

The feeling once I get in is to get diwdat Thrissur. I thought most of the travellers had similar feelings. Almost all the travellers waited for the TTE, the Travelling Ticket Examiner to come and go! Once he checked our ticket, we go to sleep. If we get a good sleep, one get up at Thrissur and that is it! I have done the journey. Not always. Even though, most of the people slept through this journey, at times one is awakened due to a long stop or the train getting unduly delayed...!

The Cutting of the Plaster!

The cutting of the plaster!
Now was much easier to walk with the plaster.  Earlier walking was with a steel walker, jumping on one leg with both hands firmly clutching on the handles of the walker!  This used to tire me out and for the first time I found out how strenuous it is to walk or move around like that! I felt a great salute coming out of my heart to all those who are forced to walk with a walker or are  side-lined to wheel chairs.  Dependent on some one else for their own movement!   My condition was much better and there was hope of a return to the normal. That is a great feeling.
We entered the Hospital premises where we were guided for the registration and advice.    We paid for registration and were guided to the sitting area to wait!  There we were advised to the cutting room.  A large man in a blue dress greeted me in that simple room with a bench and a side bench. He had a round cutting saw in his hand and he asked me if I can sit on the bench and stretch my plastered right leg out on the bench.  Once I was ready he started cutting the plaster with his round saw.  The saw started cutting with a wee sound and the man at it was careful with it holding the motor of the saw very firmly.  I could see it on his face.  Since it was cutting on my leg, I changed my gaze from the cutting area to his face so that I am not unduly anxious!  Still at times, I felt if the saw was going to touch my flesh and told the cutting official so.  He smiled back reassuringly and said that he would take good care.  I knew he would be doing it for other plastered guys day after day and looked out of the window.  In ten minutes flat he finished cutting and then there was a close layer of cloth and cotton below.  This he cut out with a small surgical scissors.   And that was it!  The plaster was it.  The plaster was gone!  “Now you can go and show to the Doctor”  On his advice we moved to the doctor.
The Doctor smiled “How do you feel now?” That was great kindness from a Doc here in Kerala. Normally they put in that question to make the patients at ease. Now that it was nearing 45 days after my plaster, I was feeling better. “I am better now” I replied.  He checked the upper side of my foot with some little swelling but much better than when I had got plastered.  The skin on the right foot in the plaster had started to peel off at places without a touch of oil or water for long.  The Doctor after viewing it carefully advised:  “Slowly apply some oil for a few days and start to walk slowly, very slowly initially.  Chances are there could be swelling. But don’t worry, it will go away. Put the foot in moderately warm salt water for a while once or twice a day so that the swelling will go away. If there is pain, here, take this pain reliever” With that he gave us the prescription for the pain killer.  Luckily, I did not have any pain.
We walked out from his room with a free free heart as it was really suffocating in the plaster for a long period.  At times the leg got itching and I used my car’s broken metallic aerial wire to scratch it. At times it was perspiration which was alleviated by the fan above.  At times I thought when it will be over.  I remembered the movie “The Great Escape”  I relived the feeling of the star who was getting stuck in the tunnel.. you recall.. when the light goes off.  But luckily it was depicted in film that the others were waiting on both ends of the tunnel.  That was the hope.  I always thought with gratitude the great Hospital which had the angelic Doctor in it!  It proved correct, when we visited him for the removal of the plaster.  I was set free! Thank God!
Drive home was in my car with the newly freed leg!

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അമ്മയുടെ ആ നിവേഴ്സറി....! Mother's Anniversary!