A Hundred Little Flames by Preeti Shenoy

Author:Preeti Shenoy [Shenoy, Preeti]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Westland
Published: 2017-11-13T18:30:00+00:00

30th March 1987

Monday.

No news from Rohini. I am getting impatient.

31st March 1987

Tuesday

No letter from Rohini at all. I asked the office peon thrice, just in case he had made a mistake.

‘Nahin sahib. I will bring them straight to you if something comes,’ he says.

I have to stop writing in this diary during office hours.

1st April 1987

Wednesday

At last a letter!! I am happy again.

I am pasting it here.

Madras

29th March ’87

Dear Gopal,

How WONDERFUL to hear back from you! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing back and being so gracious about it.

Yes, I agree with you that the obstacles life throws in our paths, makes us grow. I only wish it wasn’t so painful.

It is terrific to know that you have risen to the position of General Manager and it is great that you have done remarkably well in your career.

You asked about what Raman is like. And how I spend my days here and what I have been upto all these years.

Raman is a very smart man. He is currently doing research work on ion scattering on metal-semiconductor interfaces. Don’t ask me what that means—I have no idea! But it’s something he gets engrossed in. It helps him cope with the grief.

As regards me—before Lalitha was born (it took about eight years after my marriage to conceive her) I used to teach at a school inside the IIT campus. I taught art. I had to undergo a lot of treatments to conceive her. So you can imagine how protected and loved she would have been.

Once she was born, I resigned my job. I was a stay-at-home mother, and looked after her full-time. I wonder now where the years went.

Once she was off to college, I had some time once more, but I couldn’t go back to full-time teaching. They have restrictions on upper age limits for employment.

I worked with a few local artists and helped them showcase their arts. I also worked with Unnati International Rural Cultural Centre (UIRCC) for a while—mainly organizing cultural festivals among rural youth, to provide them opportunities to learn and practise the fine arts. I helped in many national integration camps.

Then my health took a beating. I had to have a hysterectomy surgery two years ago. After that I lost Lalitha. I haven’t gone back to work since then.

In the past, I have travelled to Hyderabad and I have helped organize camps there. Now that you are there, I have motivation to join back work.

If I come to Hyderabad, will you meet me, Gopal?

Rohini

PS: I have enclosed my old business card which has my phone numbers. I am reachable on the residence number mentioned there.

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