I don’t blame my father for putting up with my maternal grandfather, who was staying alone, as his only son - a MRCP Doctor from UK - was settled in a distant place and it was not possible for him to relocate to native place.
I suppose, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement for them — but for us, a strange psychological hang-over of not being brought up conventionally.
My grandpa, a MA in English - and also a law graduate - from one of the most reputed colleges in British ruled India, “Presidency College,” Kolkata, was a renowned advocate, perhaps the most successful in undivided Assam.
Brought-up in a sophisticated environment with no dearth of luxurious amenities, including a chauffeur driven car - very few could afford it at that time - I, perhaps, had a childhood that very few could even dream of at that time.
However, affluence never adversely affected my mother’s determination for imparting best education to her children and she, with a strict administrative control, ensured that no other priorities could take over our thought process.
What a life it was: I grew up playing with German Shepherd - Altesian Dog - and also driving a car at the age of 12 — illegally though!
But suddenly everything went wrong: My grandpa fell sick and got completely bed-ridden. With a major source of income completely dried up - and my father earning a small salary - our life came to a near grind halt.
And then, what happened was beyond everybody’s imagination: My mother, leaving behind the shadow of a upper-class lady, started a small knitting school -- somehow managing to keep our life moving.
How she managed to ensure our survival and also financed the best education to all of us, is a highly inspiring story that I’d share with you later.
However, during my current professional crisis, which continued for more than 3 years and half - what, I’ve hopefully left behind - she never allowed me to lose hope, bombarding me with numerous small stories of her struggle that she had never shared with anyone up until then.
She never let my loneliness engulf my soul and mind, and I’m sure, without her emotional support I would have just collapsed — forever!
Terminally ill, she is counting her days now, but, if there's another life -- hey God, let me be her son, again!
Update on 14.01.13: Lost her, forever, on 6th Jan '13.
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