The call that come four years ago on Aril 13th..... Actually that started it all….It was like any other night, the next day was Vishu in Tamil Nadu ,Tamil New Year, the call came, from wellington telling that my father was not well and had been admitted in the hospital, asking me to come immediately. He had gone there just recently from Kerala he had his house there, that was the place he had lived for more than forty years so there was a great affinity that he had towards that place, so much so that even after retirement he used to go there often,
He was used to the cool climate out there, he had his contacts, fifty years and more is not a short time and for his friendly nature he had a considerable number of friends. Once out there he used to keep himself busy he used to go to the place he worked, collect the rent and was doing some trading in Tea powder which he used to get from the estates and send it to a few traders in Kerala in short he used to keep himself busy, it was a routine once in two months trip.
By the time the call came all the trains to Coimbatore had left so went to the Bus terminus at Koyambedu, it was a huge place filled with people all on the way to go to their place to celebrate the New Year, the sheer crowd on that night compared to the availability of buses was something which was shocking every time a bus was seen coming a crowd used to run towards it without even knowing where the bus was going, the pitiable part was people with so much of luggage and their families and children, there was no way one could get a bus even if you got one you never knew when it will start and reaching the destination was another problem, returned from the bus terminus since I was already late I got in and lay on the sofa and planned to catch the early morning train going to Coimbatore ,
I had dozed for some time when there was another call from wellington the caller was frantic when he knew that I had not started, it was understandable though there were a lot of friends and known people and my brother and his small son, still in matters like this I had to be there: he asked me to start immediately as the hospital where he was admitted had wanted him to be shifted to another hospital, I left to the Station it was around 3.30 a.m somehow managed to get an auto reached the station and when the train came into the platform got in and sat, the train was scheduled to start only at 6.15,what way to spend the New year.
As the morning set in and the train had moved for considerable time, I called up my mother to tell her the news she thought I was calling to wish her New year, I told her the matter she was in Kerala not aware of anything ,she was worried to say the least I told her once I reached I would call and let her know the details it was evening when I reached Coonoor by then he was admitted to a hospital in Coonoor, Sagayamatha hospital to which place I took an auto, and there my father was sitting his jovial self talking and laughing with a lot of people who had come to see him. No sign of the tension or difficulty of the previous night It looked as if he was sitting at home with no problem whatsoever that was him he could keep himself happy and others also happy, he had the gift of the gab, which endeared him to many.
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