SOFTNESS UNLIMITED

SOFTNESS UNLIMITED/affection/God

“Sirji, aap yahan keise?” said he entering the door, “Bedroom ke bahar. Yahan to aap ko bahut mushkil hogi”. He sounded very concerned.

I raised my head from the book I was reading. Attendant of the guest house was standing in the doorway. He was a lean built mild spoken teenage boy hailing from a village in Raipur district of Madhya Pradesh. Dropping his studies in between, he has joined this work, because of household problems, normally faced in very poor families. As such, he possessed rare personality traits like being very meticulous, keeping and wearing clean dresses and above all being honest and respectful.

”Ander se to yahin theek hai,” Said I, explaining the situation as simply as I could.

He came to me and asked the reasons why I was under this arrangement instead of being in the bed room.
I told him that another guest has arrived in that bed room for occupying the second bed, as all other rooms are already full. The person is very dirty and unhygienic to live with under any circumstances. He smells as if he has come out of gutter just now. Above all, while sleeping he is making loud noise from nose and throat alternatively, similar to as it comes from the transmission belt with heavily padded joint, of a conventional Atta Chakki, when it moves around the fly wheels. This temporary arrangement of converting drawing hall to sleep by spreading a bed sheet over the three seater sofa is a much better option.

He did not show any reaction except that he appeared to be thinking

I indicated to the other sofa and advised him to sleep there that night. Actually he returned quite late every night from the main guest house and normally slept on the sofa which I was occupying that day.

But anyway since alternative was available I did not bother much.

In fact I was in Kota at that time. During early nineties the site where Fertilizer factory was being built was still an isolated place from the main Kota city. It was around forty kilometres away on a single road leading further to other remote area, where the symptoms of progress were still not visible. On both sides of road plenty of lush green paddy fields and scattered villages with innocent looking people appeared very charming during day time journey. The raw face of Indian villages is very seductive and creates a magnetic field of attraction. Almost no conventional transport is available for going to main city. Mudguards provided over the wheels of tractors or the trolleys attached behind the tractors for ferrying the agricultural produce, are the best option for people intending to travel. No public transport is available. Occasionally getting a private bus, after hours of wait, is considered a luxury.

Partially walled and partially barbed wire fenced large compound with some residential area is the only lit up area in the surroundings. One multifunctional make shift arrangement, nicknamed ‘Sahuji ki dukan,’ lust in front of the entry gate operated STD/PCO apart from selling tea and few dry packed food packets, Few residential houses are built for stay of essential duty employees while others travel from Kota main city everyday by company’s busses. A small six roomed guest house with attached catering /dining is the place for temporary visitors like me who come for specific short duration assignments. Another flat few blocks away was converted to guesthouse to accommodate when more guests arrived. That is where I was putting up for the time being. As such it has four bedrooms fitted with wooden wardrobes, a large drawing hall, a small room with racks to serve as store and spacious self contained kitchen with ample space for dining. Good money has been spent; it appeared, for furnishing and decorating the flat tastefully.

I was engrossed in an article written by ‘Hans Christian Von Baeyer’ on problem solving. The writer has tried to explain the point of solving puzzling situations and overriding the hurdles, by referring to the remarkable talent of Italian-American Physicist Eurico Fermi. To add here from book I was deeply in tune with the writer and unaware of the environment that I did not notice what the attendant was actually engrossed in at that midnight hour.
I had presumed that he was attending to routine chores in the kitchen before going to bed. But the fact was something altogether different. He has brought out the complete bed from my room and was making it ready in the kitchen for me.

“Yeh sab kiyun kar rahe ho”, I asked him a little upset over the extra labour he was putting in, which was not in his preview in any way.
“Aap taklif mein raho yeh mujhe achha nahin lagta,” he replied explaining that he was very unhappy with my being in discomfort and that he is trying to convert kitchen into bed room so that I can sleep properly.
It aroused me and I sensed my body shivering with emotion. My uneasiness evaporated and I was impressed by this gesture by him for comforting me. My eyes became wet with emotion and made me tongue tied to speak any word immediately.

“Sab kuch aise he rehene do and go immediately to sleep,” said I, composing myself a bit “The time already is well past midnight and you have to report for duty at six again.”

May be because I received a consoling touch through his helping behaviour, my introvert attitude melted a bit and I couldn’t resist sharing with him, at that unusual time, about my illness and visit to doctor. I confessed that I couldn’t eat throughout the day as nothing was available in the restaurant or outside the factory gate which might suit my need during bad health.

He seemed genuinely worried and restless for my plight and was already trying to help me to the extent within his means.

After helping me to shift to the new arranged bed in kitchen with utmost care, advising me to get rest and not to worry, he left me alone.

My health has actually got imbalanced since the previous day. I am suffering from heart problem since about six years, when I was posted for plant commissioning activities in Hindustan Fertilizers at Namrup, Dibrugarh. The help and keen monitoring from my very affectionate and caring family members and thorough control on food, yoga exercises and other activities, I had come out of serious trouble and medication had reduced to almost negligible. The site conditions at Kota had had adverse effect on my health. Physical exertion has increased manifold. Prolonged duty hours were too much stressful. The food available at restaurant was the usual North Indian ordinary hotel type with same curry and plenty of oil and spices. This was miles apart from the controlled and selected food, carefully prepared specifically for me. I am habituated to and on which I could survive smoothly till now. The stress and anxiety of moving to Kota unexpectedly under duress and leaving my family in the middle of pre- planned vacations at Darjiling had almost created symptoms of a second attack on heart.
Visit to doctor was a project in itself. No medical officer could be located locally. The heart specialist at Kota was more than forty kilometres away. No transports from the company’s office so the only options were walking to main road and try to board passing tractor through personal request. Of course people in general obliged the needy passengers normally. I went to Sahuji at the shop on main road and explained my position to him. May be coincidence or blessing of Almighty, the Sarpanch of the nearby “AttaPir” village was going to city for his court work. When “Sahuji” explained my position to him , he very gladly agreed to help me and give me to and fro lift provided I can finish me work in about two hours of reaching Kota. In spite of comfort of very old Ambassador car of Sarpanchji , journey up and down was like climbing a mountain. Doctor had advised an angiography immediately which was not at all possible there given the conditions of non availability of local medical help and without the presence of my family members. Exhaustion was reaching extreme with no strength for movement. I was trying to get some sleep.

The attendant once again appeared in my vicinity. He was holding a flask and a paper wrapped packet. He had brought hot sweet milk with freshly toasted bread slices. Without telling me he had gone to main restaurant once again and has arranged all this personally .This all well past midnight at around 2 AM. He insisted me to eat some so that body gets a bit of energy which will help in recovery.
I took the food, brought by him with personal efforts at that odd hour of night and conveyed my gratitude for such hospitality. He was still hesitantly standing not bothering about his own sleep. But it was too much for me to bear. Out of affection I almost admonished him to go to sleep and not to waste any further time on me because he has to report to his normal duty again at six in the morning.
While sipping the hot milk, sitting on freshly made bed, at this odd hour, having received so much care and attention, I was trying to assess the situation. He cared for was not imagined by me.

Bearing the agony and suffering from second heart attack, without proper medication, far away from cosy comforts of home , in this industrial colony half a century miles away from main city, without any family member to talk to, the selfless approach and the care and concern of the young attendant, completely unrelated to me earlier, without any expectations has forced me to think aloud that : GOD EXISTS EVERY WHERE AND AT EVERY PLACE READY TO BLESS FOR COPING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS and that I was not unsheltered and unattended.
Tears flowing from the eyes I simply wept.

Ram Singh was HIS name.

I don’t remember when my eyes closed and I fell asleep deep, unattached to the unusual surroundings, without any sense of illness or being faced with difficulties. I continued to sleep till late morning.

Feeling as if someone was jerking me and calling my name, I tried to open my eyes, to find Vijay, Ram Singh and few other site officials, standing near my bed. Vijay was my close friend and associate from our Delhi office. Hearing about my illness, he has come to take me back to my Headquarters at Kolkata for my proper medical treatment.

It was dream come true.
I could notice Ram Singh’s face, relaxed, standing behind all, with a mischievous tinge if smile.
Relaxed and forgetting my worries I prepared myself for the journey ahead to be in the care and attention of beloved family members thinking in the back of my mind as to how I will repay the debt of Ram Singh.