Manisha - My Neighbour

Debi Mukherjee (India, 18/06/06)

Manisha, hailing from Maharashtra, is my neighbour in Bhopal. She is in her late forties. Her only son, Heetesh has just completed his graduation and enrolled for post graduate course. Her balcony in the first floor could be viewed from that of mine and vice-versa. As her kitchen is adjacent to the balcony, she can even see us from the kitchen.

Both Manisha and her husband address me as “Dadi” (grand mother) and my husband as Dadu (grand father). Their son, Heetesh also calls us Dadi and Dadu.

My sister, Chhabi, feels very jittery about this. “Why don’t you make it clear that you have opted for voluntary retirement and not too old to be called Dadi by Manisha”, she laments. “Further it is strange that both parents and their offspring call you by the same name”-she adds to justify her stand. Knowing fully well I have no objection to this address, she communicates her feeling to Manisha. But Manisha sticks to her address on the ground that it is out of immense respect she calls me “Dadi”.

More I see Manisha more I develop adulation for her. She has volunteered to take the responsibility of taking care of us. Whenever we are in the balcony she will come running from the kitchen and enquire about our welfare. Saying “Good morning” is a part of her routine ritual. In case she misses to see us even for a day she will grumble about it. Whenever we go out of station, she will see to it that Heetesh drops us and picks us up while returning.

She laughs a lot and at times a bit louder which could be heard even from our interior. I keep on saying a person laughing with her hearts content has a broad mind. They generally sleep late and we hear her chattering even when we are on bed.

She has been deeply pious in her day to day dealing. On every religious occasion she will be observing fast. On Nag Panchami day (The day when Hindus worship snakes) I saw her frantically searching for a snake charmer. It was 2 O’clock in the afternoon and she has been without food since morning. Ultimately a snake charmer was traced.  She offered milk and a plate of cooked food including desserts with utmost devotion.

One day Chhabi and her husband, Tapan, came to join me for lunch. My husband was out of station. All of a sudden Chhabi developed stomach ache in the afternoon. It was a Sunday. Assuming that it was a routine gastric problem, she tried antacid. Pain still persisted. In Bhopal Medical practitioners are not available in the clinic on Sunday afternoon and they are not inclined to pay home visit even if the patient is serious.

 Tapan consulted a few Doctors known to him on telephone. Permutation/combination of medicines continued as per telephonic advice of each one. Afternoon became evening followed by night but there was no relief. It was becoming unbearable with passage of time. Irony is that despite three Doctors in her family (one married daughter and her husband-both serving in Army and the youngest daughter doing final year MBBS), none of them was in station. At about 12’O clock in the midnight pain was so unbearable, Chhabi opted for hospital admission.

I was taking my car out. Watching from her kitchen Manisha came running out with Heetesh. Having learnt the problem she asked Heetesh to accompany us to the hospital and stay there till all the formalities of admission completed. It was stone in the gallbladder which was troubling Chhabi needing immediate operation.

This gesture of Manisha will be in my memory for all the time to come! Recently Manisha has shifted to a ground floor flat in our row in the rear side. We are not being in a position to see or address each other unless one pays a visit! Missing “Good morning” is really a sad affair!