In Health and Sickness!
Having lost a close relative to cancer recently, my family members have been moved, stunned and saddened by the demise. She was a fighter. They say she was hopeful even until her last few days. I remember meeting her about a month before she passed away. She didn’t speak much but she had a smile on her face. She looked calm and composed. It was around 3a.m. when my parents knocked on my door and said they had to rush to the hospital. I could guess the reason. The next morning, my father called me to ask if I would like to come to Pashupati to pay my last tributes. I wasn’t sure. I had never before gone to Aryaghat. I decided to go. Upon arrival at Pashupati Aryaghat, I got the chills, goose bumps and before I even realized, I was crying. I heard my cousin sister wailing for the mother she had lost. I saw my nieces weeping silently and consoling their mother. I saw the men putting up a bold face and doing what had to be done to carry out the funeral rites. My heart felt heavy...