The Lone Support
Author : K.S. Kang
As I was getting out of my bed this
cold winter morning , every limb of my body was aching due to pain in joints that
I had developed after the age of sixty years. Both my sons are well educated,
engineer-management graduates from the premium engineering and management
colleges of the country and hence well settled abroad with their families and
children. Though they invite me continuously to live with them but I am unable
to stay with them for more than one month due to two reasons- first my weakness
for my home town and secondly due to harsh cold weather abroad. It has become
the reality of contemporary times that wherever I see I find old couples
spending the last phase of their life alone as if paying fine for fulfilling
the duties of their parenthood too well as they had left no stone unturned in
procuring best possible education for their children as a result of which they
are too qualified to get a job according to their qualification in this small
town. Most of the old couples are keeping in touch with their children, thanks
to technology or rather information technology, through video calls, Skype, Google
Hunt, and What’s App. For most of the grandchildren
the existence of grandparents is in virtual world only, as often they are only
visiting guest during their vacations for a month at the most. Like most of the
parents of my age I rejoice in the progress of my children and do not wish to
interfere in their peaceful and prosperous life.
I would also
have suffered like most of the couples of my times but God had showered some
mercy and blessing on me in the form of this girl named Vandana. Though biologically
she is not my daughter but for every practical purpose and reason I am her
father. I found Vandana lying as an infant in the garbage place during the
riots. I clearly remember that evening when I was returning from work. As it
was winter season so darkness started descending rather early and with that
temperature also started dipping. As it was a times of crisis due to communal
violence precipitated by the demolition of a religious place in the
neighbouring town. As I was hurrying towards my home, I heard a faint muffling
cry. When I came nearer I saw that lady in thirties was lying lifeless with an
infant in her embrace who was crying weakly. Both the arms of the lady were
chopped as if she put her hands to protect the child from the assaulter.
Carefully I took the child away from her embrace and saw that it was a girl
child and breathing and live. So I brought her to my home and decided to keep
her despite protests from my wife and mother who were apprehensive about the
class or community to this girl belonged. However, I managed to convince them
on account of humanity that after all she was a human child and perhaps it is
God’s will that she should live that is why I reached that place to save her in
time. This child whom I had named Vandana grew up with my and became their
favourite playmate in various games. She went with her brothers to school and
with time she developed into a beautiful fine lady. I got her married to a
young boy with a good job in the neighbouring colony of the town. She has
developed so much concern and affection for me that hardly a day passes when
she or member of her family do not visit our home in order to know our well
being. She has become the lone prop in
my old age and I thank God for providing this wonderful prop to me in the last
phase of my life.
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