“Mother, I have to go abroad for a few months. I have made arrangements for your stay.”
About 32 years old, unmarried doctor Sudeep said as soon as he entered the house late at night.
“Son, do you need to go abroad?” Anxiety and panic were visible in the mother’s voice.
“Mom, I have to go to England to do some research. It’s only a matter of months anyway.” Sudeep said.
“As you wish.” Mother said in a voice to the dead.
And Sudeep left his mother ‘Prabha Devi’ in an old age home located in the neighboring town.
On coming to the old age home, initially the frustration and despair towards life was clearly visible on the face of every elderly person. But there was no wrinkle on Prabha Devi’s face even after coming to the old age home.
One day some elders sitting in the ashram were talking among themselves. There were two or three women among them. One of them said, “The doctor had no relatives who left his mother here.”
So a woman sitting there said, “Prabha Devi’s husband had died in her youth. Sudip was four years old then. After the death of her husband, Prabha Devi and her son had to live and eat. No relative helped him. Prabha Devi taught her son by sewing people’s clothes. The son was also very quick in studies, that’s why he could become a doctor.”
After passing about 6 months in the old age-ashram, one day Prabha Devi called on the mobile number of her son from the office phone of Ram Kishan Sharma ji, the director of the ashram, and said, “Sudeep, have you come to India or have you come to England now? Are you in me?”
“Mom, I’m in England right now.” Sudeep had the answer.
Prabha Devi would call Sudeep every three to four months, the only answer she would have was, “I am there now, I will let you know as soon as I come to my country.”
In this way almost two years passed. Now even the people of the old age-ashram started saying that look what a clever son turned out to be, with how much deceit he left his mother here. An old man from the ashram said, “I don’t think the doctor must have gone abroad, he was just trying to get rid of the old lady.”
Then another elder said, “But he was not even married.”
“Hey, he must have some ‘girl-friend’, who must have said that first make separate arrangements for mother’s stay, then only I will marry you.”
After living in the ashram for two years, now Prabha Devi also came to know about her destiny. The son’s sorrow started eating him inside. She broke down badly.
After staying in the ashram for two more years, one day Prabha Devi died. On his death, the people of the ashram told Sharma ji, the director of the ashram, “Give the news of his death to his son. We do not think that he will be abroad, he will be here somewhere in his country.”
“How do I inform his son. It’s been three years since he died.”
Hearing this talk of Sharma ji, the people present there ate sanaka.
One of them said, “If it has been three years since he died, then who used to talk to Prabha Devi on mobile.”
“I have that mobile, which has the recorded voice of his son.” Sharma said.
“But why so?” Someone asked.
Then Sharma ji said that about four years ago when Sudeep came to drop his mother here, he told me, “Sharma ji I have got ‘Blood Cancer’. And as a doctor I know very well that it is in its last stage. I will be in a lot of trouble. Blood will also come from my mouth and gums etc. This pain of mine cannot be seen from mother. She will die while living. I have to die but I don’t want that because of me, I will have mine before me. Mother dies. After my death, I will donate our small ‘flat’ of two rooms and whatever household items etc. I have to the ashram.
Hearing this story, the eyes of the people present there came with twinkle.
Prabha Devi’s last rites were performed in a part of the ashram itself. In his last rites, Sharma ji also called the family members of the elders living in the ashram.
The story of mother-son’s precious and unbreakable love had the effect that some sons took their old parents back to their homes.
