postcard from j: small wonder!

I watched her as she squeezed herself between two strangers, one being me. We were sitting on the 3-seater of the bus' top deck. My tired eyes barely noticed her face when suddenly, I realized the burkha-clad woman had a child in her arms. He was tiny, frail and very very fragile.


I love children. Love to hold them, to play with them, to entertain them and be entertained myself... But this child somehow held my attention in a different sort of way. I was almost afraid to even touch his chin. A conversation with the mother followed. I asked her how old he was and she held up her hand and indicated 5 months old "lekin bahut bimaar rahta hai". That got me curious, so I probed a bit. They live in Govandi, a suburb in central Mumbai, close to Chembur. It turned out that the little fellow was physically weak since birth. "Woh tho royaa bhi nahin...", she said with a sad face. The children’s hospital was unable to make him well and many people had asked her husband and her to visit some baba who would definitely solve their problems. So they were actually returning from one such visit to a faith healer. I told her to hope for the best, that the Almighty has a plan for everyone, and not to lose faith.

Her husband was standing, waiting for a vacant seat. She seemed quite worried and understandably so. I suddenly remembered about my family’s recent visit to the Shrine of Don Bosco’s Madonna in Matunga and how I had a few blessed medals from there. So I searched my bag and happily found a golden medal of Infant Jesus. Giving the medal to her, I mumbled something about Infant Jesus taking care of her child. Her eyes lit up, she tugged at her husband’s sleeve and thanked me. Embarrassed by her thank-you, I told her to thank only God as only He has the power to make the impossible possible.

When I finally got up to alight at my destination, little Mohammed Anees was sound asleep, thanks to the pacifier (which the mother thought was a bad habit to catch). And Naseem Bano (yes, that’s her name) had a few less creases on her forehead. I felt a strange sense of serenity within me as I jumped off the bus and made my way through the chaotic neighbourhood.

Say a prayer for Baby Anees, will you?

Comments

GoldFish said…
oh yes sure....there goes a prayer frm me...
anything for such a thoughtful nice man....
u cud hv a luk at my blog if u like.........
Anonymous said…
Hi J

sure i will...babies are so precious! But I have my own theories about sick babies...GOD gives them only to the best couples! Sick babies need a lot of our attention, patience and time. Only truly selfless parents can give these to them, and God chooses them carefully.

Sharon
(proud ma of a 2 month old)
Anonymous said…
Hey J,
That was a very noble and special gesture on your part. Sometimes hope and prayers work better than medicines.

I guess such instances remind us how luck we are just to be born healthy. But we humans still crib of "whims n fancies" that eludes us as we grow. It is important for all of us to understand the lesson within this story, WE GUYS ARE DAMM LUCKY! by just being normal!

I pray to the almighty for wellbeing of Anees and his parents.
Ar Ar Ar Arrrrr said…
ohh boy...
think this incident happend very close to ma place...

anyway I pray for Anees's quick recovery.

Greetz!!
Anonymous said…
No matter how hard i try... such instances in life all point to the same ... that there is something bigger out there.

Someone who does not fit into the logic of science that has us entangled

KayT
Unknown said…
Noble Gesture from a Noble Kind, i must say.. How often do we even care to speak to our neighbour we often travel wid...we don't even care to say a hi to someone who stays next door... God sure dosen't leave someone alone with such a caring Hart... Sure our Prayers are with that child, God Bless Him & His Family... God Bless You Too...

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