Chapter 1
At that time, I was three years old, my elder brother Sukhesh was five, and my younger sister Bhavika was only six months old. My mother had fallen victim to a terminal illness.
She was kept in a sanatorium outside Kandivali station.
My father used to catch the 9 a.m. local train to Mumbai every morning. The station was nearby, so as soon as he heard the train arrive, he would get out and board the TC cabin.
And the two of us brothers would sit outside in the passage and play, watching my father leave.
My mother had a friend. My father was engaged to her, but the engagement broke due to some mistake of mine. Later, my mother and father got married. More than five years had passed since that incident.
Yet the girl had still been after my father. She had caused my mother a lot of trouble. Claiming to be a friend, she would unnecessarily harass my mother. When no remedy worked, she fed my mother something, which worsened her condition. Numerous treatments were tried, but her condition refused to improve.
Immediately after Bhavika's birth, she had to be admitted to the hospital.
Father had left no stone unturned in her treatment.
Bhavika wasn't even fortunate enough to have her mother's milk. She had to be breastfed. Because of that, she had become very weak. Grandmother had left no stone unturned in her upbringing and care.
Mother's funeral procession took place from the sanatorium itself.
Father was unable to care for three children alone. In this situation, my mother's mother took responsibility for us.
Father rented a house for us in the village and left us with Grandmother.
After staying with us for four days, Father returned to Mumbai with a heavy heart.
And on the fourth day, a major accident occurred.
Uncle Manu lived in our neighborhood. He had his own two-story bungalow, land, and farmland. He had a son who was very mischievous and playful. No one could reach him in his mischievous ways.
He was infamous throughout the village.
That day, farmers had come home with a sample of the crop from his field. They had come in a horse-drawn carriage. They had to return immediately, so they hadn't considered tying the horse.
Uncle Manu's son had taken advantage of this. Seeing the empty carriage, he immediately climbed aboard.
Not only that, he had invited us to ride in the carriage as well.
And we agreed. After I got on the carriage first, my elder brother, Sukhesh, also got on. We were very happy that we got on the carriage.
Who knows what Janak thought at that moment?
He made a sound, and the horses started moving. At that, Janak cracked one of the horses' whips hard, and the horses changed direction and started running at a fast pace.
In this situation, all three of us were terrified. Janak had started the cart, but he didn't know how to stop it.
Both of us brothers were calling out to Nani Ka to save us, making boomerangs.
Little children were playing on the road. What would happen to her?
The entire village was gripped by anxiety and terror.
Where would the cart take us? Worried about that?
The cart went ahead, climbed a hill and overturned. We were both crushed under the cart. We were severely injured. I fell face down. I was hit on the back of my head, requiring seven stitches. My brother fell backwards and received two stitches, while Janak jumped and landed on the road. He narrowly escaped.
Even the doctor was shocked to see both of us brothers covered in blood.
The doctor's clinic was right behind our house.
News of the accident spread quickly in our small village.
My cousin also rushed to the clinic as soon as he heard the news. He immediately called Mumbai. And my father reached Hansot by nightfall.
He regretted leaving his children in the care of others.
He told Nani Ma a lot.
He cried after hearing it.
It was neither Nani Ma's fault nor ours. The desire to ride in the car had prompted us to obey Janak's advice, and this accident had happened.
Yet, we survived. Grandmother considered this a divine revelation.
00000000 (to be continued)
