I week later...

Thurday, The 2nd of april. It was a bright and shiny day. birds were chirping, the buses were honking without remorse and the rush hour had begun in Mangalore city. For me it was a morning just like usual. It started early in the morning and the usual work like watering the plants, reading the newspaper and washing the vehicles.

My Gransfather who was 73 years had been diabetic and a problem with the liver. He was a businessman. Very busy and active but for the past 1 and half years he had been at home and his son, my uncle had taken over the business to endure his father's safety and rest. My grandfather had lots of schedules with the doctor and medicines to keep up with. My grand mother helped him and stood by him at all times.

But that day, for all of us there was an un-expected event. Though the morning went very well, by late afternoon my grandfather went to coma. It was a horrifying sight to see my grandfather's situation. I said to myself, 'How could this happen? I saw him smiling at me and even spoke to him in the morning. he was fine then!'. But this had happened indeed.I pinched myself, slapped myself. I wished if it was a dream, somebody shake me out of this nightmare. But it was true indeed.

No one had lunch in the noon. His bedroom was full of relatives, friends etc. When I entered the room, there was a faint recitation of the "Vishnu Sahasranama" and other sacred chants coming from the tape recorder. Everybody were in tears. I saw my dad, uncle, mom and grandmother beside the bed on which my grand father was sleeping, They were weeping with sorrow and fear.
I saw my grandfather, he was still breathing but he was in a coma state. He had no control over his voluntary muscles. Just then my aunt suddenly broke to tears and started rubbing my grandfather's palms and feet. She wanted him to wake up and start living like normal again. But the others convinced her that it is not possible.

There was excitement in that room at 2.45 P.M when he opened his eyes took a deep breath, looked at everybody in the room. Just when there were hopes that he would be normal again, He stopped breathing. A pall of gloom had decended on us. The feeling was unbearable by everybody. My Grandfather had died. There was nothing we could do. After all isn't evey human being supposed to pass away when his time comes? We called on our family doctor. but he was very busy. We went to another doctor, he refused to come. what to do now? all the doctors have closed down for lunch! just then my mother knew a doctor she used to go to before. She called him up and asked him to come to confirm the death of my grandfather. Finally the doctor arrived to say he's no more.

We had to arrange a proper ritual after his death. My dad and my grandfather's brothers arranged everything what they needed for the ritual. They took my grandfather in a van to the morgue where they burn the bodies of people who have lost their lives. The ritual was conducted just the way my grandfather wanted it to be. Infact he told my uncle what to do and what not even before he expired. Grandfather must have been happy even after his death everybody thought.

So a week has passed since this tragedy happened. Now life has almost come to the usual track as before, but just that we lost our dear and loving family member who was the seniormost. My grandmother was the worst to the affected by this gloomy incident. Even now she is not willing to speak to anybody.

As we all know, life has to go on. Every living being who comes to this earth has to depart dead when the time comes for god to take the person's life away.