Is this Hopeless End Or Endless Hope ?

She lay there in the hospital bed staring blankly at the open door. Her 85-year old hands and legs are hardly of any support to her. She is alone and feels lonely. The bedsore on her buttocks indicates the length of her stay there. She is senile, her doctors really don’t bother much.

My friend asked her , 'ma! Do you know who has come to meet you? His is one of my good friends?'. She looked into the my eyes and face. For a moment it seemed like this lady would've been a beautiful young bride once upon a time. Her eyes were moist with a sense of innate pain. She just nodded to what my friend said. Later my friend was telling me She does not really care about all the years she has spent in the hospital. She does not remember the cruel treatment she met out to her in public. She does not care about what she ate or what she wore. She does not remember the recipient of her harsh words, She does not remember becoming senile. Per haps the only thing which she remembers is “hope”. And I felt as if hope is the only oxygen for her. The lady in front of us was beautiful once. Now she is greying, wrinkled, sad and standing in front of her. She gives her a blank stare and says,

"Dora, Na bidda vochada". It means “Sir, Did my son come back?”

A mother's memory is funny and very different from any creature on this earth. She quickly says his name. In a short snapping tone full of contempt. But she does not remember why she is upset with him. Maybe it is something to do with her son's wife,or may be because his son is not eating properly, I thought in my mind! Well, my friend asks her "do you remember some slokams ma". She stares at my friend "chinni Krishna leelalu ma, you do it everyday.". For the next 10 minutes, she chants the sloka without missing a word, pronouncing Sanskrit, a language she does not speak, to perfection.I was stupefied, impressed to the core with her clarity n speech, although I did not reveal this. She is not repeating from memory, she is reliving some memory. Did someone love her many years before, did she love anyone ever? Who cares about the past love of an 85 year old? After saying the last askhara of the sloka, she falls silent. Does not speak further. We left after few minutes. She seem sad.

Well, this is a story of a old women who has been abandoned ber her own son, who admitted her in a hospital and never came back. Days , months and years passed by with no trace of her son. I visited her few months back along with my friend who happens to be a doctor. Yesterday, I heard she is no more and municipal authorities took in charge for her last rituals. I was pulverized completely. How can a son, do this to his mother? And some of the hospital authorities said that during her last breath she was repeatedly calling her son. Mothers love is very much unconditional. One need not perform something to gain it.

I still remember how happy my grandfather used to feel when my mother used to bring a small flower for him. I know that it doesnt cost much, but it carries loads of love and warmth which are truely priceless.Well, I don’t know who is her son, nor any one has a clue about it. All i can say is Humility makes men look twice as honourable. Her son may be strong as a thoroughbred, making life look like a one-horse race or weak with little or no money. But when it comes to humility, he is as graceless as a three-legged donkey.

Well, guys am not sure if hope is a weakness or strength ! But yes, one thing don’t forget the famous saying, what goes around, comes around. Don’t forget that one day you will be a father and you too will be old.