Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Day That Changed My Life - For Better

The Morning:

It was early morning at about 4.45 when my wife Preeti, woke me up from deep slumber. The look on her face told me the time has come.

Finally, finally the wait was over, i jumped out of my bed and started jumping like a small child. The last nine months are finally coming to an end and the end is a begining of a new life in our lives. I went to wake up my mom and like a small child started jumping and telling her that Preeti is expecting her first pang of pain.

She brought me to my senses when she said we need to rush to the Doc.

That very moment my mood changed, the emotions were running wild from ecstacy to jubiliation to worry, i had no clue what was going through my mind but luckly for me both my wife and my mom were calm and their calmness worked like a soothing balm for me. I knew that they expect me to take responsibility here and i didnt let them down.

We all got ready to leave for the Hospital, my wife was getting mild pains and i was extremely concerened for her, luckily we had already kept everything ready and our bags were already packed with clothes and other utility items for Preeti and the upcoming baby. We just had to pick up the bags and leave.

The Journey:

Now that we were ready to leave, my mom gave us curd to eat and we all prayed to our beloved God, Bapu, Nandamat and Suchitdada.

But... like they say, if you get everything easily you dont understand its value and thats what happened with us, we live on the 6th floor and as we came out of the house i locked the door put the keys in my pocket and went to press the lift button, there was no response so i went to the next lift... same response... no response.

Me being me... i got angry, i started abusing god, i asked God is this the time to test our paitence. I was going mad, then i told them to wait and i dashed down to the ground floor to check with the security guy, he said since yesterday late night both the lifts are closed and the technician is already working on them. I again ran upstairs to the terrace and told him about my concern and asked the technician how much time will it take, he said he is trying his best but it will take some time.

I came back to my floor, my wife and mother were waiting for me, when they saw me they tried to calm me down and my wife said, there is no alternative, we will walk down, i was **** scared and concerened about her, but she is a very strong girl, she told me not to worry and she started going down the stairs, my mom followed her, i once again looked up, thats where he stays is what people say about God, i abused him for making us go through this and i went after my Wife and mom.

Somehow finally we reached the Hospital. A special room was kept ready for us, as we had already informed them.

Awaiting The Arrival:

We reached the Hospital at about 8.30 - 8.45 and from then on the wait began. I was expecting my wife to lie down on the bed and things like that, but then my wife being herself was roaming around the hospital inquring about other patients, every other patient thought she was there for her routine check up, but when they came to know she is experiencing her labor pains, they would look at her with open jaws.

In the meanwhile we started calling our relatives, i called my Sister Gayatri and Rugvedi and told them, they both said they will be leaving immediately, my mom called up her sisters and brothers, my wife started calling her relatives, her father, brothers and sister.

Finally the doctor took her into the labor room at 10.45 as we were waiting Preeti's Sister and her son Abhi came over, they both congratulated me and my mom and we all came to the Special Room, i could not sit at one place so i was roaming in the loby when i heard the shouts from the Labor room, i went and told my mom and sis-in-law they also came to the spot in the lobby and we all stood there hearing the painfull shouts. Being a small Hospital the nurses were quiet polite and they allowed us to talk to Preeti from time to time, one by one we met her in the labor room, meanwhile my sister Gayatri had reached along with her son Sarvesh.

The Arrival:

At 11.46, i heard the first sound, sound so faint but i could hear it and then emotions toook over me. I was just holding back, when everybody heard the sound, they started congratulating me, my nephew came to me and asked, Mama what will it be a boy or a girl, (he wanted a girl) i said i dont care.

Finally the head nurse came out with the small baby completely covered in a beautiful cloth, everybody was asking her, wether its a boy or a girl, she said its a baby boy, my sister said oh the Prince has arrived, and even today she calls him Prince.

The nurse gave the baby to my mom and i went over and saw... oh my god... so beautiful... so cute... so delicate... his color was baby pink and white... so white i cannot explain... and tears started rolling down my cheeks.

This is the most ultimate moment in a man's life... a couples life.

That moment... my life changed forever... for better.

It was to happen... My life changed... Changed drastically... I had heard from elders, friends, colleagues and also read about, how life changes post the arrival of a new member in your life... and i always thought how could it be possible... how could one new member change your life... but it did.

I m happy my life has changed... changed for good.

I can still remember the feeling of completeness the moment i first time saw my son... He was so beautiful... he was Pink colored... a Pink which u cannot produce in any factory... a Pink which i had never seen before... he was so delicate... so peaceful... so lost in himself... I was scared to take him in my hands, but... his magical eyes made me take him in my arms... and i cried... Tears oh Happiness... Tears of Satisfaction... I understood the true meaning of these terms at that moment.

I was so immensely proud... I said..."I m your father my son, you are looking at a very proud man today..." and elders standing around me started laughing... they said the baby cant see for the first day at-least... and i knew instantly how naive elders are... They wont realize the sparkle that i saw in my son's eyes when i was speaking with him... They wont realize the kicking of his legs the moment i spoke with him... They wont realize the flickering of his eyelids the moment i spoke with him... No they will not realize it... Only a father will understand those special moments.

Then before i could realize, every one was jumping on each other to hold him... everyone wanted a part of him... everyone wanted to click a pic with him... as if he was one of the biggest celebrity... But he was... He was a celebrity that day... That day belonged to him... It was his day.

Now i was waiting to see her... who had given me the biggest gift of my life...

I was getting anxious by the moment... I had heard about the unbearable pain that she would have to go through... The pain, for men unbearable but for a woman... the most beautiful pain of her life... Man can never understand the pain of giving life... its a special & very precious gift to a woman by God.

After agonizingly waiting for an hour... there she was in front on me... on a stretcher... her eyes searching for her baby... our baby... Then she saw me... Her eyes spoke a thousand words that very moment... I could see pure happiness in those eyes... Pure satisfaction... Pure containment... Every emotions that could describe Happiness... could be seen in those beautiful eyes.

I went and took her hand in my hands... That was it... As if we both were holding back to cry with each other... The tears we shared that day brought us even closer then ever before.

Then everyone started gathering around her... congratulating her and touching her and feeling her... For me... those couple of minutes with her... will remain with me forever.

This was the first day of my new life... a life which had changed permanently... for the Best.