GODDESS PERSONIFIED

Over a cup of tea, she began to recall the birth of her first child  this day four plus decades ago (she believes one should not utter the age on the birthday). The weather was   like the one prevailing in the wee hours of today.  She said there was no male member to lend support to her and to the family. As the labor pain started earlier evening, someone was sent to bring a taxi home. The taxi driver, in view of the emergency, tried his best to drive the car (perhaps a Mark III Ambassador) up the hillock and failed miserably as the muddy road was very slippery. Finally she along with her mother and two elder sisters and the mid-wife had to walk around 2 kilometres upto the car. The car then moved forward slowly over the unpaved road and reached the nearby dispensary.

A small description of the village where she lived and the medical facility available which she felt is necessary.  It was a tiny village and the nearby dispensary was about 5 kilometres away. The only medical store available was far from the dispensary (nearly 15 kilometres) and later on to minimise the misery the doctor himself opened a mini medical store stocking medicines of every day use.  Shops were few and far between  which opened after 10 am. The fastest mode of communication was  telegram, mainly used to communicate not-so-good news and the poor innocent villagers were afraid of receiving telegrams. The other two media are trunk calls and letter by post. One would wait outside the post office for hours together to get a call through, patiently watching the telephone operator cranking the handle of the phone to send signal to the other side. Letter by post was the most effective, although it would take a fortnight or so for the article to reach the addressee.

She shudders even today at the scene of delivery. It was crudely and thinly furnished. As they went inside the dispensary, she was offered a naked bench to lie on. The mid-wife ran to the doctor’s house nearby who immediately rushed in. It was around 7,00 pm and after examination, he remarked it was too early, A rope was tied above the bench and she was asked to hold on to it applying maximum pressure downward to minimize pain and speed up the delivery and then he went home. Her mother also went to her sister living close to the dispensary to take some rest. She continued: by around 2 am she felt a sudden push and the doctor was summoned. A curtain, unclean and torn here and there, was stretched around her and he and the mid-wife went in. She said she could hardly explain the ecstasy at  the first cry of the baby and felt relieved. The baby was separated from the mother and after a quick dry wash, the  baby was shown to her and her excitement reached to the brim at the sight of her sweet-looking new born,  reddish, with closed eyes and chubby cheeks. By then she was fully exhausted  and she looked around frantically seeking some fluid, hot tea, coffee or even a little water. Where could one expect such a minimum thing in a totally undeveloped area and that too at such an hour. One of the sisters instantly fetched some water from a nearby house and  poured it into her mouth drop-by-drop. She gradually fell into oblivion.

The efforts taken and sufferings underwent by a mother for her child  from conception till  he/she is grown up and able to stand on his/her own cannot be quantified. The father plays only second fiddle, to support the mother financially, offer her to look after the child in times of need, cater to the educational needs of the child and the like. The child’s good health, well being and prosperity are always in her prayers. Everyone feels there is no substitute for a mother and she is unique.

It is worth quoting the following Sloka written by Great Sankaracharya and translated into Malayalam by kunjikuttan Thampuran.

നിൽക്കട്ടേ പേററുനോവിൻകഥ രുചികുറയും കാലമേറും ചടപ്പും

പൊയ്ക്കോട്ടേ കൂട്ടിടേണ്ട മലമതിലൊരുകൊല്ലം കിടക്കും കിടപ്പും

നോക്കുമ്പോൾ ഗർഭമാകും വലിയ ചുമടെടുക്കുന്നതിൻ
കൂലിപോലും

തീർക്കാവല്ലെത്രയോഗൃൻമകനും അതുനിലക്കുള്ളൊരൊമ്മേ
തൊഴുന്നേൻ