LOVE IS SO UNCONDITIONAL

 LOVE IS  SO UNCONDITIONAL 

It was that time of year when hospitals were the counterpart of our home. My father was operated for gall bladder stones and so he had to visit the hospital for weekly check-ups for a couple of months on Sundays. As expected, the place would be teeming with people and the seats outside the doctor’s cabin would be full of diversely ill patients waiting for their turns for hours and hours.

My father did not like to take me along with him as after waiting and standing there for hours, when our turn would finally come, only he was allowed to enter the cabin because of some specific tests that the doctor thought would be traumatizing for me. My father thought I would be bored and tired and that it was better I didn’t go along. But each time I somehow managed by insisting. Though he was right on the tired part, I never found hospitals boring. I was strangely fascinated by a huge number of things there and mostly by the different people, their families and the intense emotions in their eyes that one wouldn’t see in such abundance elsewhere.

On one such Sunday, when I was in the hospital, loitering around, I saw that man again. He was

probably one of the workers as he was wearing the hospital uniform but what attracted my attention was his strange behaviour. I often saw him peeping into a patient’s room. Once or twice I even saw some senior authorities scolding him and asking him to work but that would not make him go away. He would stare into the room and smile to himself. The nurses mostly ignored his presence. The doctors, too, wouldn’t react much. But his suspicious presence was bothering me a lot and I found it creepy. I couldn’t just ignore and let it be.

I stood there for few minutes and after a while I finally thought of talking to him. I went up to him

and asked if he knew the patient inside. He stared at me blankly and then ignored me. This made me more suspicious so I warned him I’d complain to the hospital management and authorities.

‘I am Mahesh,’ he said calmly and took me inside the room. ‘Look, you woke her up!’

I stood inside the room, confused. I was suspecting him of something wrong.

‘How’s Sree?’ he asked the young patient.

She smiled at him and pointed towards the doll lying beside her and said, ‘She is sleeping.’

Mahesh turned to me and said, ‘She is Kashvi. She is suffering from cerebral palsy. She was

mentally stable at birth but over the years due to the negligence of her parents, her condition has

turned worse.’

I looked at her. Everything about her was so serene. The word ‘innocent’ would be too small to describe those eyes. And the way she was sitting—with blithe carefreeness. She was not even worried about her looks. The uncombed hair, chapped lips, dry skin, and flowing nose; nothing bothered her. The hospital gown was falling off her shoulder and I could see bruises all over her hands that were apparently caused by excessive injections. 

I went near her and touched her hand. I touched those bruises and bumps. She then pushed my hand away and looked at me in anger. Maybe I had hurt her. I looked into Mahesh’s eyes, unsure of what to say. I was sympathetic but mostly I felt uneasy. I had tears in my eyes.

‘Four years ago her parents brought her here,’ Mahesh said. ‘When she first came, her condition was worse than ever. She wouldn’t listen to anyone and wouldn’t even eat. She would often get these attacks where she would scream, cry, and throw everything around and even tried to harm herself. It was very difficult to control her. One such time when things got out of hand and she started getting fits, the nurses just couldn’t control her and called me for help. That was the first time I saw her.’ Mahesh said that with a warm smile and deep affection in his eyes. ‘I asked the nurse about Kashvi,’ Mahesh continued, ‘She told me that Kashvi’s parents couldn’t look after her any more. It was

difficult for them to keep a watch on her every second. They do pay for her treatment and visit her but are too busy to be able to give her much care, which was very necessary. The nurse also told me about her eating habits. She won’t even look at food for days until she is dying of hunger and when she finally ate, she would vomit out most of it.

‘I then went near Kashvi with a bowl of soup. I raised a spoon but she instantly turned her face and

when I tried a little more, she pushed me away. I knew forcing her would worsen the situation. All

she needed was a little extra love, care and attention. I know that her parents do love her and are very

much concerned, but they never showed it to her. Maybe they never thought that could help her heal.’

Mahesh went near Kashvi. She was falling asleep. He looked at her and started running his finger through her hair.

‘The first time I saw her I could feel a pain in her cry, a glimpse of suffering in her screams; it

tormented me. I barely knew her but whenever I saw her, her face would scream for help. I don’t

know if it’s just me but I always felt she was not happy. There was more to those painful cries. I

wanted to know it all. I wanted to know her. I wanted to help her.’

Mahesh stood up and went to the wash basin at the corner of the room. He wet a towel there and

came and sat near Kashvi again. He then started wiping her hands and face with the towel. He wiped her lips where food was still stuck from the lunch and also her nose. Then he took out a comb from his pocket and started detangling her hair. I watched him as he did that. Softly and slowly, conscious of not waking her up, he neatened her hair.

‘I couldn’t meet her for the next few days,’ Mahesh said. ‘I had work at the other branch of the hospital which is a few miles from here. But throughout the time I was thinking about her. I tried not to, but her face just wouldn’t leave my mind. I felt like taking away all her pain. 

‘When I finally got back, I came to know that she was still not taking her meals properly. I came to

meet her and tried to convince her to eat. I thought being her friend might help me to understand her better. After numerous attempts she finally agreed, but with a deal that I would have to buy her a doll. She is smart, you see!’ Mahesh said and laughed. He then turned to me and asked, ‘When do you hear a twenty-two-year old ask for a doll?’ I saw tears in his eyes which he immediately hid and started smiling again.

‘She finished her entire meal that day. That was my first step into making her life better and

happier. I felt like I have accomplished a lot. I immediately ran to the shop nearby and bought her this.’ He picked up the doll lying beside her and said, ‘She has named the doll “Sree”.’ Mahesh showed me the doll with immense happiness and a content smile.

‘Since then I would spend most of my time with her whenever I get free from work. I try to fulfil all the wishes she puts up before taking every injection.’ Mahesh smiled. ‘We had lit lanterns on her birthday and let off dozens of helium balloons. We ate ice creams under a banyan tree and went for boating in the park nearby on a Mickey Mouse boat. We played a lot of pranks on the doctor and the nurses. I was even suspended for a couple of days when the hospital authority came to know that I had

sneaked her out of her room at night to the terrace so she could see the stars and the moon in the open sky.’ Mahesh giggled and pulled Kashvi’s cheeks.

‘I have seen her getting better over the years. I know she won’t be completely fine but she is happy. I know she can’t walk or do things by herself but I also know she would stand by my side. I know she can’t console me or cheer me up on days when I would feel low but her eyes are enough to make me feel better,’ Mahesh said and then paused suddenly. He was probably trying to control his tears.

‘Do you love her?’ I asked him.

He smiled and said, ‘I don’t know if it’s love but we do share a very special bond and I want this

forever. I want her to be with me forever.’

He then kissed her forehead and said, ‘I have a very small house with minimal resources but I’ll do anything to keep her happy.’

He looked at her for some time and walked away with tears in his eyes and a smile.

After returning from the hospital, I spent the whole day with myself. Everything that happened was so unbelievable for me. I just couldn’t think of a love so unconditional in today’s times. It made me question myself and the world we are living in. The more I think about them the more I desire to turn everyone into a Mahesh. He and Kashvi have shown me a really beautiful meaning of love that will stay in my heart forever.