There was silence in the house; no one even looked at each other. And after a few hours, she came home. Lying on a stretcher, carried on shoulders, she entered the house.

I don't know why everyone was addressing her as the body has arrived, but for me, my grandma had come home. Yes, I was too numb to realize any other thing. As I went close to her, it seemed that she was still sleeping, and she would soon call out my name, once she wakes up. I touched her forehead, it was cold. I called her name, but she didn't respond. Tears were rolling down my cheeks. It was hard to believe that she wouldn't call my name anymore.

They dressed her up in her favourite silk sari, the one in which she always looked beautiful as ever. I kept admiring her as she wore her 'rudraksh maala' and 'chandan ka tika'. With her spectacles on, she was now ready to depart.

Only if she could see that so many people had come just to visit her, she would have been happy. But she was sleeping calmly, like a baby.

I kissed her forehead one last time and closed my eyes; I could still hear her calling out my name.

I touched her feet and looked at her one last time, hoping that she would say, khush raho (stay happy), as always. But not a murmur came this time. They lifted her again and carried her out of the house. She was gone.

Each time, when she came to see me, I never stopped her from going back, and this time when I wanted to stop her, she didn't listen. Guess I was too late in making the move.

The day she came to visit me the last, she wanted me to sit beside her, but I left hurriedly for my mundane tuition.

The next time when I saw her, she was in the hospital. Lying ill on the bed. Her face was dry and she had turned turning weak due to her old age. As soon as I entered the ward, she said Why have you come here Shreya Don't you know that this place is full of diseases and you might catch an infection

I've come to meet you dadi. I said, holding her hand.

You could have met me at home. She said and asked me to leave.

A few days passed by and she was back home. I thought of visiting her, but circumstances didn't allow me to. Tuesday morning, she was lying on her bed, when bhabhi came and said, prasad le lijiye, dadi (please take the prasad, dadi).

As she took the prasad in her hands, with deep agony she said, Hey Hanuman humko mukti de do (Hey lord, please set me free). And within sometime, she fell unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital, where she lay motionless for two days, until her soul was set free from all the worldly desires. And she went away , far from us, without even saying goodbye.

Life is very short and we have many things to do. Often we forget to spend time with our loved ones due to work pressures. And later, we repent once they're gone. So, why not cherish these moments today, before it's too late It's not that we don't love them, but we just fail to express our love for them. And once they're gone, we are left with nothing else but guilt, sorrow and pain. And, we only wish to get a chance to rectify our mistake. But then, it's too late. We are rendered helpless. No matter how much you repent, the loved ones are never going to come back. So, open your heart and show them how much you love them, while they're still here because life doesn't always give a second chance!

Source: Times of India

BDST: 1728 HRS, OCT- 27, 2015
Edited by:  Sharmina Islam, Lifestyle Editor