After a brief stint as a salesman/accountant/branch manager/ in “Mangalore Dresses” a cloth shop in Berhampur my father joined State Bank of India. His first posting was in a rural branch in a small village named Kodla in coastal Orissa. He had his own set of trials and tribulations during his stint of seven years in that place. He had shared most of his experiences with me but the one which he shared a few months back was really mesmerizing.
During his stay at Kodla, mostly he was alone. Reasons, unavailability of potable drinking water, electricity, proper transportation facilities etc. which made him to keep the family at our home town Berhampur. He stayed in a rented house owned by an old lady who was residing next to it. The old lady had a son who hasn’t turned up to see her from ages. She used to miss him a lot and was longing to see him. She used to like my father very much and every evening she used to sit besides him and talk for hours about his son and others. My father also developed a sense of belongingness towards her. Sometimes she also used to take help of him in running errands. My father used to happily do it and whenever he used to return back to Kodla after a vacation/leave he used to get some fruits and goodies for her which used to make her very happy.
Once my father took a couple of days leave and came to Berhampur to spend sometime with the family. On the very second or third day of his leave he felt very uneasy. Something was bothering him which he couldn’t understand. He immediately informed my mother that he will resume his duty and will leave the next morning. My mother was surprised but she didn’t say anything. My father had a sleepless night. He woke up early in the morning and boarded the first bus to Kodla. After reaching his house he saw a small gathering in front of the old lady’s house. He dropped his luggage and immediately went inside. To his utter dismay he saw the old lady lying on her deathbed. The neighbours informed him that for the last two-three days she was in the same condition and was uttering my father’s name unconsciously most of the times. When my father took her in the lap she opened her eyes. She smiled and drank a few drops of water and that was her last activity.
