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The Ingrown Sapling
Sipping hot coffee from her cup, Mira was turning the pages of the album that contained photos from her childhood days. With each page her memories became fresh, she felt as if she was actually there in her past when she was just a little girl who was so dependent on her mother. She remembered how much she needed her mother for every small thing of her life and today she gives all the credit to her mother for what she is, a good homemaker and she herself being a ‘Mother’.
Looking at the old photographs of her mother the image became so fresh, Mira felt as if mother was actually standing there looking at her and smiling. Her mother’s young face came alive in her eyes, she remembered that mother used to be very beautiful in her youthful days; she wore simple saris with a neatly made braid that hung till her waist and a red Bindi on her forehead that made her look so graceful. Going down the memory lane and looking at the photographs of mother Mira felt good; there was warmth and love hidden in those photographs. She suddenly felt the room was filled with the fragrance of roses....the flower which mother grew in her small garden and every day she would wear one flower in her braid. Mira now strongly smelt the mystical scent of her mother and the same presence around her, not realizing when tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Some photographs made her smile whereas some of the photographs of mother made her feel sad as those golden days would never come back. Mira always admired her mother when she was alive and still missed her so much that often she wept alone feeling insecure and lonely for not having her mother by her side anymore. Mother, when alive, loved Mira the most out of her two offspring and even knowing the fact that her health was slowly but steadily getting dented she still kept herself lively, always with a smile on her face. Mother noticed that Mira often became sad and cried alone but still she kept her calm, because she wanted Mira to be strong and accept the things with time. Mira was also very close to her mother she remembers how she used to share everything with her, from boys following her home, to her first infatuation and they would talk for hours and laugh over the silly issues that Mira often brought from school. She was closer to mother, more than her elder brother Aarav, who was a young boy of 22 then, four years elder to Mira and busy with his post graduation, friends and zestful life. He had little time to look into the homely chores or even spend time with the family. Mira’s father was an engineer who stayed mostly outdoors for his projects and seldom visited home for 2-3 days and would go back again to where he was posted for his job. Mira was the one in the family who shared quality time with mother, and also Mira's was the only world where mother found her peace and solace.
Mother wasn’t much happy about her relationship with her husband; Mira saw many a times that her mother cried in her bedroom. Often she found mother writing something in her diary and whenever Mira suddenly entered the room, mother would quickly hide her diary. Mira often demanded to see the dairy, but mother used to say “NO” saying that it was not time yet. She would gently take it and keep it safely in her Almirah beneath the clothes and locked it with keys. Mira was a mature girl, she never tired to read her mother’s dairy in her absence....she respected her mother’s feelings and emotions. But still it was a mystery that her young mind was curious about and she wanted to read it, she wanted to know what her mother felt from inside, why she cried. But Mira never had the nerve to take the keys from beneath her mother's pillow....open the Almirah....take the diary and read it. She always wanted to know her mother behind the smiling face, why did she stand in the garden for long hours with her mind lost somewhere looking at the sky, and most of all why did she cry?
It was one day during the fall winter, the morning started with loud shrills in the Prabhakar household. Mira was crying and shouting, her brother Aarav stood beside her comforting her little sister. Father had just reached and entering the room; his face was filled with a shock. Mira and Aarav’s mother and his wife Ramya Prabhakar had passed away last night in her sleep. She had suffered a heart attack. It was a silent depart which no one ever expected. Mira went with the morning tea that both Mira and mother used to drink together every morning. Calling her again and again when Mira received no response she touched mother’s hands to shake her up but her skin was dead cold and sooner she realized that mother had left them and this earth forever. Mira was out of control, going berserk and when her mother’s body was being taken away from the house, she felt as if someone was tearing her soul apart from her own body. She cried loudly, but the hands that used to wipe her tears were now gone forever.
Time fled after that incident. Mira had finished her graduation already and was now looking for a job. Her father was not in agreement with her job. He could see Mira’s sadness and felt that she needed a new start and a new life to come out of the grief of losing mother. He, still being the head of the family decided to get Mira married, there was no asking for her approval as father’s decision was final. Mira got married in Indore to a very big businessman. Her brother Aarav was left alone in the house as father, with his job, continued to stay outdoors. Father was never much attached to the family; therefore mother’s presence or absence didn’t make any difference to him or perhaps somewhere it did. He had his own life which he shared with someone. Mira's mother strongly hated this gesture of her father which made them live with much struggle. Father chose his life with another woman, while mother was trapped in a relationship with two children and a marriage which was something that she never was able to escape from
After Mira’s marriage, her brother Aarav shifted too, to country way far from their small town of Kalewadi in Pune. He got his dream job in UK and didn’t give moving a second thought. And the home of the mother, the home where all the memories were still fresh for Mira was left behind hollow. Years passed and father, busy in his own life, never visited the house. Aarav too got settled with a European wife, a son and a beautiful life. Mira also got busy in homely chores and she herself being a mother now of two beautiful daughters and a son, was experiencing a lot more life was offering to her. She was happy with her husband. He loved...
Looking at the old photographs of her mother the image became so fresh, Mira felt as if mother was actually standing there looking at her and smiling. Her mother’s young face came alive in her eyes, she remembered that mother used to be very beautiful in her youthful days; she wore simple saris with a neatly made braid that hung till her waist and a red Bindi on her forehead that made her look so graceful. Going down the memory lane and looking at the photographs of mother Mira felt good; there was warmth and love hidden in those photographs. She suddenly felt the room was filled with the fragrance of roses....the flower which mother grew in her small garden and every day she would wear one flower in her braid. Mira now strongly smelt the mystical scent of her mother and the same presence around her, not realizing when tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Some photographs made her smile whereas some of the photographs of mother made her feel sad as those golden days would never come back. Mira always admired her mother when she was alive and still missed her so much that often she wept alone feeling insecure and lonely for not having her mother by her side anymore. Mother, when alive, loved Mira the most out of her two offspring and even knowing the fact that her health was slowly but steadily getting dented she still kept herself lively, always with a smile on her face. Mother noticed that Mira often became sad and cried alone but still she kept her calm, because she wanted Mira to be strong and accept the things with time. Mira was also very close to her mother she remembers how she used to share everything with her, from boys following her home, to her first infatuation and they would talk for hours and laugh over the silly issues that Mira often brought from school. She was closer to mother, more than her elder brother Aarav, who was a young boy of 22 then, four years elder to Mira and busy with his post graduation, friends and zestful life. He had little time to look into the homely chores or even spend time with the family. Mira’s father was an engineer who stayed mostly outdoors for his projects and seldom visited home for 2-3 days and would go back again to where he was posted for his job. Mira was the one in the family who shared quality time with mother, and also Mira's was the only world where mother found her peace and solace.
Mother wasn’t much happy about her relationship with her husband; Mira saw many a times that her mother cried in her bedroom. Often she found mother writing something in her diary and whenever Mira suddenly entered the room, mother would quickly hide her diary. Mira often demanded to see the dairy, but mother used to say “NO” saying that it was not time yet. She would gently take it and keep it safely in her Almirah beneath the clothes and locked it with keys. Mira was a mature girl, she never tired to read her mother’s dairy in her absence....she respected her mother’s feelings and emotions. But still it was a mystery that her young mind was curious about and she wanted to read it, she wanted to know what her mother felt from inside, why she cried. But Mira never had the nerve to take the keys from beneath her mother's pillow....open the Almirah....take the diary and read it. She always wanted to know her mother behind the smiling face, why did she stand in the garden for long hours with her mind lost somewhere looking at the sky, and most of all why did she cry?
It was one day during the fall winter, the morning started with loud shrills in the Prabhakar household. Mira was crying and shouting, her brother Aarav stood beside her comforting her little sister. Father had just reached and entering the room; his face was filled with a shock. Mira and Aarav’s mother and his wife Ramya Prabhakar had passed away last night in her sleep. She had suffered a heart attack. It was a silent depart which no one ever expected. Mira went with the morning tea that both Mira and mother used to drink together every morning. Calling her again and again when Mira received no response she touched mother’s hands to shake her up but her skin was dead cold and sooner she realized that mother had left them and this earth forever. Mira was out of control, going berserk and when her mother’s body was being taken away from the house, she felt as if someone was tearing her soul apart from her own body. She cried loudly, but the hands that used to wipe her tears were now gone forever.
Time fled after that incident. Mira had finished her graduation already and was now looking for a job. Her father was not in agreement with her job. He could see Mira’s sadness and felt that she needed a new start and a new life to come out of the grief of losing mother. He, still being the head of the family decided to get Mira married, there was no asking for her approval as father’s decision was final. Mira got married in Indore to a very big businessman. Her brother Aarav was left alone in the house as father, with his job, continued to stay outdoors. Father was never much attached to the family; therefore mother’s presence or absence didn’t make any difference to him or perhaps somewhere it did. He had his own life which he shared with someone. Mira's mother strongly hated this gesture of her father which made them live with much struggle. Father chose his life with another woman, while mother was trapped in a relationship with two children and a marriage which was something that she never was able to escape from
After Mira’s marriage, her brother Aarav shifted too, to country way far from their small town of Kalewadi in Pune. He got his dream job in UK and didn’t give moving a second thought. And the home of the mother, the home where all the memories were still fresh for Mira was left behind hollow. Years passed and father, busy in his own life, never visited the house. Aarav too got settled with a European wife, a son and a beautiful life. Mira also got busy in homely chores and she herself being a mother now of two beautiful daughters and a son, was experiencing a lot more life was offering to her. She was happy with her husband. He loved...
