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Bharath Kantrapati is an engineering graduate presently working in Nagpur, India. Hobbies are movies, reading novels and net browsing

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Yet to Come ....

Far From The East

by

Bharath Kantrapati

It is Sunday Morning. After finishing the breakfast I am sitting in the verandah of our home and my wife Arundhati is in the kitchen planning for lunch. We are waiting for a phone call from our son Rajesh. Every Sunday morning, like a ritual, we always wait for that call. Sometimes when the call gets delayed, we get tensed up. Many times when Arundhati mentioned this to Rajesh, he scolds us and asked us not to wait for his call at all. But how could these old minds stop worrying?

Rajesh, our only son, stays in Chicago in United States. He is living in States for the last eight years. He got married four years ago and they were blessed with a son two years back. Rajesh and his wife Rekha, along with their son Abhi visited us six months earlier. We played a lot with our grandson and on the day they were to go back to US, we wept like anything. They call us once a week, that is, every Sunday morning and we are always waiting eagerly for those calls.

I got retired two years back from my long State Government service of thirty three years. We constructed this house three years back with the money Rajesh sent and part of my retirement money. Our house took the shape of my little dreams. I wanted to have a little garden in front with lot of flower plants. And I always wanted to have a big room as an exclusive pooja room. We named our house as, ‘Rajesha Nilayam’.

This house brought us settlement. From the meagre savings I had from my entire service, this could have been a distant dream. All I could boast of proudly was making Rajesh get his Engineering degree. He studied well and he got into Information Technology wave and finally he settled down in US. With his savings he made my dream house a reality.

Things changed a lot over the past sixty years of my life. I still remember vividly how I walked four miles to the school from my village. Our village Rayanappadu was not having a high school and we had to walk four miles to our next town. We guys walked like that for five years till we finished tenth standard. For higher studies, our financial position was not cooperative that time. I learned typewriting and registered myself in the local employment agency and finally landed in the State Government Co-operative Banking Organization. I worked sincerely with my best efforts in that organization. All I could able to achieve was three promotions and a couple of commendation letters from my management.

I wanted Rajesh to have good education, so I admitted him in a good Christian School in the town. I never compromised on any thing related to his studies. If there was something which he need for his education, I would buy him that. Rajesh always was good at studies and was up to my expectations. Later he joined his engineering in the state capital and he stayed in a hostel there, away from us. It was difficult on our part to be away from him and Rajesh also was home sick for some days but later he got adjusted. Everyday our topics used to revolve around Rajesh.

Rajesh got a job in one of the leading software companies in the capital city itself. He used to visit us once in six months. The days he used to visit us were like festival days for us. Arundhati used to be more active during those days. As long as Rajesh was home, Arundhati would not give a damn about me. As soon as he leaves, for two or three days, it used to be hard for us to cope up.

I could not say anything, when Rajesh said he would leave India for going to States. He said it would be good for his career and his company wanted him there. Arundhati could not digest this easily. Being a mother, she thought her son was going away from her. I consoled her explaining the trend in Indian engineers going abroad for a good career and I assured her that nothing would go wrong. Rajesh promised that he would visit us every year.

Finally, that day Rajesh was leaving. Arundhati was crying from that morning. She didn’t sleep well for a couple of nights. We all went to Hyderabad to bid farewell to Rajesh. Many people joined us at the airport including his friends and some of our relatives. Arundhati was continuously telling him precautions. When it was about five minutes before he left, Arundhati and myself burst into tears, then Rajesh hugged both of us and he too wept. It was a tearful farewell to Rajesh.

We could not rest well, till we received a call from him after he landed in the States. He settled down well there in next couple of weeks. He would call us every week and talk to us for a long time. We ask him a lot about other Indian people and about his life there. Now and then he writes a long letter to both of us. We read those letters at least ten times before we preserve them in our cupboard.

After hearing the news that Rajesh left to states, I felt myself being treated little differently by others. My colleagues would tease me when money matters come up. Some even commented that my life style changed after Rajesh left to States. And Arundhati, you cannot control her at all. She started gathering all our neighbors and telling them stories about the States. Whatever little, Rajesh tells us over phone, she adds little more value to it while narrating.

What else could be more exciting? Rajesh said he would be visiting India that month end. We were very happy. Arundhati and I were waiting for this occasion from a long time. It was close to two years since he left India. We made elaborate arrangements for him. Arunadhati made sweets what he likes very much. We called up all our close relatives and informed them about Rajesh’s arrival.

The day arrived. We burst into tears when we hugged Rajesh at the airport. He didn’t change much. He stayed for four weeks. He brought lot of miscellaneous gifts, not only for us, but for his cousins as well. My brother’s children and Arundhati’s brother’s children arrived from village to meet Rajesh. The scene was fantastic to see, all the kids flocking around Rajesh, asking him all about his new life and US. After a week of his arrival, he started visiting his uncles and aunts in the villages. He missed us all very much. All those four weeks were celebration days for us and all of them went by just like four seconds and before we noticed anything he returned to States again.

After he left, we used to sit in the lobby and we memorize the moments Rajesh spent with us. What else can we do? We thought we should look for a nice girl for Rajesh. Arundhati spoke to Rajesh and asked his consent towards marriage. Knowing that we were looking for a nice girl, many of our relatives and other people flooded our home with visits and phone calls. We visited a couple of families and finally we decided on three matches. We sent those details to Rajesh and asked him to select one of them. He said he would visit India in the coming six months and would like to meet the girls in person.

He arrived for the second time to India. He saw those three girls what we sorted out and he selected one. It was a hectic wedding. He wasn’t having much leave. We had to plan and do the marriage within two weeks time. Arundhati and I were very tired. We took pains in calling all of relatives personally and we tried hard not to miss any one. Marriage went well and Rajesh took his wife Rekha along with him to States.

Many events took place in the next few months. I got retired from my long service. My colleagues gave me a great farewell. I couldn’t sleep that night, knowing that next day I would not going to office. I still visit my office once in a while to meet my colleagues. Knowing my uneasiness to be at home Rajesh suggested me to build a house for ourselves. With the money he sent me, I bought a plot in the employee colony, a little outskirts of our town. Next six months, I was busy in the construction of my dream home.

We wanted Rajesh to attend our new house ceremony. Even though it was little difficult for him, they made the visit for two weeks. We called all our relatives and did a grand celebration of the event. This time Rajesh was little more busy, now he had to visit his in-laws as well.

After one year from then, Rajesh and Rekha were blessed with a son in the States itself. We thought of planning a visit to the States, but my health did not permit then. We were very much eager to see our grandson, but we had to satisfy ourselves with the photographs sent by Rajesh. We felt like we were seeing small Rajesh again. At last they visited us six months back.

I am not sure whether we are living happily or not. We are not comfortable living away from our beloved son. But at the same time, we are happy that he settled down well there. With the job what he is doing in States, he kind of uplifted our financial status in the society, I could build my own house and lead a leisure retired life.

Arundhati cries sometimes, whenever she comes across any thing, which reminds us of Rajesh. And she curses fate sometimes for not letting us to be with our grandson. Rajesh asks us many times to come to the states and settle down there. We are ready to visit him for sometime, but our old minds do not digest the idea of settling down there. I believe we are in a kind of whirlpool, where we get something and we miss something.

Just then, Arundhati shouted from kitchen, “phone is ringing, must be Rajesh”

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