Abha | by Ayan Sinha | Aug, 2025

As she opened her eyes, the bright sunlight hit it with extreme pain. She immediately cried with extreme pain and implored her husband “O my love, please pull the curtains, it’s hurting my eyes”. Her husband Dr. Bose who was making the lemon tea in the nearby room, rushed to the room and pulled the curtains in the Victorian bedroom where they slept. Abha quickly wore her black tinted eyeglasses and chanted “Jai Guru Jai Guru” and got up from the bed. This was the couple’s usual routine for last 16+ years since they had shifted to Bhagalpur and their youngest of four daughters had been married. Abha and Dr. Bose who had married with each other partly because of love and partly because of necessity had been at each other’s side through thick and thin.

​As they sipped their lemon tea in this beautiful morning, the fan which had been humming suddenly went off. Dr. Bose exclaimed “Oh!! Here goes the electricity again “and muttering some unmentionables under his breath went to start the inventor. You see Bhagalpur had since eons been short of electricity. So, there were frequent load shedding in this city. People of this city had got used to spending more time without electricity than with it.

​​Abha who breathed a huge sigh just as fan started humming. She missed her morning walks on the streets of Bhagalpur. It was part of her routine to go for a walk after having her lemon tea. Nothing could stop this woman of 66 from going out and have a walk come rain or shine. Even when some street thugs had mugged some women of their jewellery, still she would go out. Despite many of the neighbours warning her against going out like this fearing she may get mugged. She told them I take off all my jewellery and then go out. This lion-hearted woman who if hadn’t it been for her love, Dr. Bose, wouldn’t have survived beyond 30 years of age would not let anything stop her.​

​​For Abha Bose had juvenile diabetes and needed doses of insulin each day. Abha had learned to survive with this malady from her young age, but it was Dr. Aay Bose who taught her to not only survive but to live. And she on her part had taken care of his two daughters from his previous marriage. His first wife had died giving birth to the second daughter.

Diabetes which had become a third wheel in their marriage was like a parasite to Abha. It had slowly slowly taken away parts of her body. It was the eyes that were mostly affected. She had been diagnosed with cataract and had to operate upon twice. Walking was the only exercise she could do to keep the sugar level down in her body.

But last few months had become painful. Her vision had started to blur slowly at first and then rapidly. Dr. Bose and Abha had gone to consult with many doctors but none of them were encouraging. As her vision failed so did the. fight in her. Abha was not the same anymore. It was only the calls and letters from her daughters and her grandchildren that kept her up.

Abha was cooking their breakfast some toasted bread and egg poached. Dr. Bose who usually would be reading his newspaper was helping her set up the breakfast table. It was a very hot day in the month of May. Only yesterday the temperature had hit 43 degrees in Bhagalpur. Abha made her way to the table slowly as Dr. Bose bought the toast and poach to the table. Abha applying orange jelly to the toast asked Dr, Bose” O dear, Any news from Munnu? I remember she was applying for teaching position in many schools in Bombay”

Dr Bose retorted” My Dear, it’s Mumbai now and no she didn’t call yesterday. Now that she has gone so far, it might as well be to a foreign land. At least when she was in Jamshedpur, she could have come by taking a bus.”

Abha sighed slowly and said “Bombay is such a big city, I am worried about it. What would the handsome chap like Buro and that little kid Bua do there? How will Munnu get a teaching job in that big city? Would it not be tough to travel in there?”

Dr Bose said in calm voice “All would be fine dear. Kids are growing up and they will learn to live in there. Munnu is not as helpless as Runi, and Buro is not just my grandson, he is my GRAND SON. He is becoming as tall as his father and developing muscle, Munnu told me.”

Abha asked again “I talked to Runi yesterday you know, she had called. Saikat/Bujju is growing up too. Joyonto is busy in his PWD work these days”.

Dr Bose replied, “All our grandchildren are doing well.”

Abha remarked again “what chances does Munnu have in Mumbai. Aren’t the people biased against those who have studied in Bihar.”

Dr Bose replied in an even calmer tone “Bias is everywhere dear. But that doesn’t mean those who are deserving will not get jobs if they are qualified for it. Munnu has done B Ed and has prior experience teaching in schools in Jamshedpur. She will definitely manage to get some position.

​Conversation went on like this for about an hour even after the breakfast was finished. These two love birds used to talk to like newly married people. They had met at a relative’s house when Dr. Bose was already a widow. Abha was visiting and taking care of her sister’s kids and Dr. Bose’s eldest sister (who was deceased) happened to be first wife of Abha’s brother-in-law. So they used to meet each other regularly and fell in love with each other eventually and subsequently married despite opposition from Dr.Bose’s immediate family. You see they thought Abha would be unsuitable as mother to Dr. Bose’s two daughter from previous marriage. But despite the opposition and torment laid out by the immediate family, Abha and Dr. Bose prevailed. Abha took over as the matriarch and kept the family happy. The taunts continued from the immediate family members against Abha, but Dr. Bose stood by her through thick and thin and he eventually shifted to Patna for good as he got a good posting there.

Coming back to present, as Abha laid down on the living room couch, she was reminiscing all the good and bad things in her life. She was born in Darjeeling, West Bengal. But her father had left for heavenly abode early in her life leaving behind 6 daughters and a son to be taken care of. As she grew up she faced poverty and had penny pinch for every little thing. As she grew in lack of money, she understood the value of money and she bought the same discipline in her family after being married. She would cultivate chickens in her house and sell the eggs. She made the discipline of the girls wearing clothes handed down and studying from books the elders had read and left behind. She had seen how difficult it would be to get daughters married, so she knew she had to save enough to get four daughters married. Because of her stern discipline she was even called evil stepmother by the those from Dr. Bose’s family.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered how Dr. Bose stood by through thick and thin.

Abha remembered that she got each one of her daughters married of to good and honest men. Eldest was married to a professor in Kharagpur, second eldest to an scientist in USA, third to the son of famous plastic surgeon and youngest to a man having government job in West Bengal. This was the best she could do, and rest was on the girls to manage their lives as she had managed her family.

Reminiscing all these she felt asleep before being awoken by the calling bell jarring near the doored. Dr.​ Bose approaching the door asked, “Who is it?”

“Postman” came the curt reply.

Opening the door, Dr Bose stretched his right hand as the postman handed him an inland letter. Dr. Bose’s eye shined as he read the name of the addresser. It was from one Mrs. Nandini Sinha, Mumbai. He closed the door and exclaimed to Abha” A letter has come from Munnu, my dear.”

While Dr. Bose was tearing the letter open, Abha quickly sat up from the couch and said” Give me the letter, I want to read it.”

Dr. Bose handed the letter to her as tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly wore her prescription glasses and started reading the letter.

It was written in red ink. Not because Munnu didn’t have blue or black ink pen but because Abha had especially requested everyone to write in red. Her falling vision had made it possible for her to read only letters written in red.

Abha started to tear up while reading the letter and had to take off her spectacles many times to wipe her eyes. It was strange scene from where Dr. Bose was standing. He was wondering “Why is my dear crying? Is there some bad news” “

Before he could ask, Abha was smiling again and seemed like a glow had come to her face.

Abha said” here read it”.

Dr. Bose quickly took the letter from her and started reading it in haste. Munnu had rambled on as was her nature about this thing or other. The important news was that she had finally secured a teaching position in a school not far from her place of current residence which was hardly few minutes away. This filled Dr. Bose’s heart with delight. Just this morning they had been discussing about Munnu’s search for teaching position and here had come the big news. No wonder Abha had been so emotional. He himself felt like crying.

Abha suddenly exclaimed “But why is the inland letter so dirty. Seems it must have fallen down in the ground.”

Dr Bose replied” Must be the postal service who have dropped the letter. I must go to the post office and lodge a complaint tomorrow.

As the day wore on, the couple seemed happier. Later in the evening both had chapati and veggies and went upstairs to retire for the day. Abha was feeling more lethargic than previous days. She was hoping to get a call from Munnu. Suddenly she started to feel some acidity in her stomach and asked Dr. Bose” Dear Can you give me something for acidity, it seems today’s veggies have not suited me.”

Dr Bose hurriedly got the some pudin hara from the medical cabinet and gave it to her. Abha felt momentary relief from it but the acidity along with cramps started to come back again. She didn’t want to bother Dr. Bose again. So, she lied down on the bed to rest. Thinking that it will go away automatically.

She started reminiscing again about her childhood, when despite poverty all her siblings were happy and would play around in the pond. About the time she would go to college in the bus and college going boys would eve tease her and if anyone tried to touch her, she would use her safety pin to prick them. Her whole life was flashing around her. Her marriage to Dr. Ajoy. Bose. Everyone from her family had attended the wedding. Her elder brother had given her away then. Her life with her four daughters and their children. Every time she visited them, especially her eldest grandson, Buro, who had visited them in 1997.He had become such a string handsome boy. She wished long enough to see her grandkids get married. As she was dreaming a white light started to come from far away. It was bothering her a lot. She called out to Dr. Bose to check it but he was not listening to her, He was snoring contently. She decided to get up and look into it herself. She got up with ease, there was no pain in her body. The light seemed to come from a tunnel far away. “A tunnel in my room” she wondered. Then a hand came out of the tunnel, it was a very fair and smooth hand, and it spoke in a very heavenly and smoothing voice” Come daughter your time on earth is over. Come with me to Vaikunth Dham”.

Abha was shocked and she quickly looked at the bed. Dr. Bose was sleeping on the bed and right next to him was she with her lips slightly open.

She suddenly felt fearful and cried” Without me what will happen to my dear”

The voice replied “Don’t fear my child he will soon join you. This is the result of my boon.”

Abha looked at the bright shining light with surprise and exclaimed” Guruji, is this you.”

Guruji thundered with laughter and said “Yes my child, I gave you a boon that you will leave for heavenly abode with sindoor on your head and look at yourself, you are coming with me to the gods with sindoor on.

Abha understood the significance of this all. Her work on earth was over and now she should make her way to heavenly abode. She said “Jai Guru , Jai Guru “ and held on to the hands of Guruji as her soul rose up to heaven.