My attempt to temporarily cheer a parched soul :
I entered the prayer hall at Chennai to pay condolences and allowed Jeyajothi Mami to pour out her sorrow in words. Then I tried to pacify her :
“Krish mama, who had rich men at his hand’s reach didn’t damage his kidneys or liver, heart or lungs, by drinking or smoking. More important- he didn’t do injustice to your faith deposited on him. I need not tell you how he could have done it…….
Didn’t i make you smile?
No chance. I did not give up.
I continued, ‘ok. You won’t smile. Look, for fifty long years, you were his loving jokey making that race horse to run mad and instead of kicking you back to Thoothukudi, he preferred to take his last shelter on your lap. Which woman would not love to have a husband like him? Will you smile now, please?’
She was still gloomy. I didn’t leave her. I continued :
‘My dead lady, all your people will go their way in a day or two and are you going to live the remain 2/3 decades of your life, keeping your face swollen like a pooshinikkai, in your language or mathan in mine, in English pumpkin. You are a charming woman, though a bit old. Smile, please!’
The simple lady of good heart, laughed heartily.
While coming out of the meeting hall, I warned her, ‘be prepared to live alone but never allow you to be lonely. With whomever you live, your daughters or grand daughters or brothers or sisters, you will be alone but never succumb to the temptation of your mind to become lonely. It is my experience that gives you this advice ‘
Her face shrunk . It will never come back to the old blooming stage . Her loss is permanent .