Selina would be there every evening without fail. So when she did not turn up for our walk that day I was surprised. I am the one who skips our walk occasionally not her. She loved people and had to be around friends all the time and so she wouldn't miss our walks for anything. I called her up and she apologised saying 'my mother was hospitalised last night so I cannot come today.' Her mother had been diagnosed with jaundice a week ago and suddenly she was hospitalised now. The next morning I called up selina and found that her mother had passed away. She didn't want me to come to the hospital. I went to her house when the body was brought there.
The house had 3 tiny rooms-a hall, kitchen n bedroom. The hall was so small that with her mother s body there, the entire room could fit in no more than 3 people sticking to the wall. Many of our colleagues were surprised that selina, an always smiling, talkative tiny woman had a father who was bedridden and was living in this hole called house.
Selina is a remarkable woman. her father had stopped working when she was in her early 20's due to his drinking habit. Her mother a school teacher, her elder sister and she worked to keep food on the table and put the youngest brother through school and college. Putting up with her fathers drinking was the only difficulty selina faced then. She loved her sister and refused to be bogged down by the poverty at home.
They then found someone for her sister and got her married. It was a shock to the family when her sister s husband did not take her with him when he went abroad just 4 months after the wedding. Closely behind this came divorce papers and a letter saying 'I want a divorce from the girl because she is very beautiful and is proud of it'. The sister was inconsolable and selina felt her pain. She would do anything for her sister but she could do nothing now.
She witnessed her sister slowly withdrawing herself from the world and saw her taking to drinking. There were many days when she would drink herself unconscious because she could not stand the pain. The sister stopped working and no longer contributed to the family. It was now only selina and her mother running the family. The megre earnings had to be divided between food and alcohol both for the sister and father.
Then her father had a stroke and became bedridden. Medical bills were added to the expense and the mother retired.
Selina managed the family until her brother started earning. But his contribution to the family was not consistent and the family still depended on selina for stability.
Tragedy struck again when her sister was found dead one afternoon. They thought she was sleeping after heavy drinking and did not realise that she was dead for a long time. Selina had to put up with speculations in the family that the sister must have comitted suicide. It was then that he mother started drinking too.
Meanwhile selina fell in love with a married guy who liked other women as well. It took time for her to get out of the heart break. She got a job in Malaysia amd went there on tourist visa. She trusted a guy with her passport to get her a work permit and that guy disappeared. She had to run to the indian embassy and with great difficulty reached india after losing all her money there.
And now her mother is gone. Selina, the only non alcoholic member of the family, is with her brother and father, still taking care of the family, still smiling and still being very sweet to her friends and is happy.
No wonder it is said that happiness is a choice.
Ps: I am sure that such people only must have been the inspiration for K.Balachandar movies back then.
No comments:
Post a Comment