On The Airport
That was the day of 05 August 2008, At Ahmedabad International Airport, A newly wed couple was flying for their great Australian dream at 11:40pm flight to Melbourne via Singapore. As an Indian custom around 70 to 100 relatives came to bid a farewell to the couple.The relatives were feeling that possibly they won’t see the couple coming back in the future.They all were sad. All those memories of years spent together with parents, grandparents, uncles-aunts, cousins, friends and colleagues would get missed in very unknown place to them which may be culturally different as well as linguistically too.Raghav and Janki were never been to overseas . With the mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety it was difficult to separate from family as specially for Raghav from his mother as he recently lost his father but financial circumstances were such that going Australia for earning money was an only option for them. The strong widowed mother Uma stayed calm and kept smile on her face but when Raghav and Janki started to leave for final entry into the gate of the airport, Uma just broke down into tears and so Radha and Shyam- The parents of Janki. Uma is having a thought of her passed away husbad’s dream. The couple could see misty-eyed relatives wishing all wellness and progress. The separation was not from one side that was from both sides. Raghav’s only one paternal unlce came to say goodbye to him. He could imagine his mother’s lonelyness without her sons.
“Whether my paternal uncles and their families will help to sooth my mother’s separation from us, I think no.” Raghav is having his final thoughts, ” Then why we are going? Is it worth? Would we be ever able to come back? ” He suddenly start to remember his relatives words to keep him stay there while they were visiting him at their home. Some said “You have very good job and you bought a new house here regardless it is on loan.” and some said “What will your mother do?” Raghav was just getting dragged back with these thoughts.
Suddenly he heard a voice from his soul saying ” Don’t run away from your responsibilities, go overseas and support your family even though you are in a pain. That was your father’s dream.”
He firmly kissed Uma and Janki bowed to the parents and mother-in-law and both rushed away into the airport to hide their misty eyes. There was an excitement too for new future, new opportunities, new dreams which will wash away their financial problems and will appreciate their abilities. They left all the memories and loving relatives behind for a future they didn’t imagined. End of an era of Raghav for his life in India. No one knows future.
Gujarati poem line was best fitting lines for Raghav’s situation “Na Janyu Janki Nathe Kaale Shu Thavanu Chhe” literally translates “Janki’s husband Lord Rama didn’t know what is going to happen tomorrow”.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
This story will continue in the following blogs. Please comment and share if you like….
Shri Vidya 