It is a selfish world..........most people would not five a morsel to a stranger without gain..
In such scenario, when I see and savor exemplary acts of kindness....tears of joy jerk out of eyes..
Here, I will narrate the story of such a Godly couple.......
They were distant maternal grandparents of my father......
While my father was a mere infant, his mother died.....his father decided to marry again....so, his maternal folks adopted him..
They showered huge love on him...but having a lots of kids to support, it was difficult raising another kid...especially paying for his education....
In this condition...a childless aunt-uncle of his deceased mother took interest in me...
They showered love on him...sent him to good school and colleges........got him married to a nice woman (my mother)....
When my father was in college, they had a their own child..a very eligible boy...and then many grandchildren too...
As their family grew......they helped my father build a house for self...and gifted about 12 acres of land..
Subsequently, they cared for each of their children, including me...especially me..
I have heard that soon after I was born, my mother had a paralysis..the aging grandmother of my father ....our great-grandmother...who we lovingly called 'Badi maa' took care for me during those difficult days....
Despite having own family now, their love for us never dwindled.......every time we would visit, she would make sure to get some delicious food...a ripe guava..a mango..
Every time they harvested a crop, made anything special, or even snacks...she would our home some of them.....pea, mushroom etc....
Gifted us in each festival...
The couple were religious and pursued a very healthy lifestyle...so they lived into their 90's....but, regular fasting and rather austere life had curved the spine of Badi maa...she walked bent...almost perpendicular posture....must be painful to her...she never complained though...those were the time, no one popped pills unnecessarily..
For us, seeing them was like seeing God..
They watched wedding of some of my siblings.........I was youngest, so they never saw mine...I wounder, how Badi maa would have liked my soft-spoken spouse..
Within a span of 6 years (1999 and 2005), they died.......leaving behind huge emptiness...
Its been 10-15 years.....every time me and my mother remember them....we cry....in nostalgic memory..of a pair of great human beings...who knew the meaning of life..and found joy in giving....making the life of a orphan kid...
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