Monday, August 11, 2008

Tiny Hands


- by Ayesha Parveen 24 Sep 2008
Category: Others
This story has been read 78 times.
http://content.msn.co.in/MSNContribute/Story.aspx?PageID=781687fc-1864-484e-84bd-207e61cdbcff

Muhib's wife divorced him and he lost his job the same week. He had never believed that his marriage could fall apart. As his former-wife Anu had left him, she had called him ‘a total failure’.

Muhib remembered how hard he had tried to save his floundering marriage; however, Anu had no interest in it any longer and had blamed him for whatever had gone wrong over the last eight years. When she had asked for a divorce, he had not contested it and the legalities were settled amicably. Within him, nevertheless, a storm raged; after all, he had loved this woman who now had nothing to do with him. Muhib got the custody of his daughter Dipti, as Anu was not keen to have the child with her.

Unable to come to terms with what was happening to him, Muhib had become inattentive in his work and as misfortune would have it, his boss asked him to leave. Thinking life could never be good to him now, he went home that day to find his ailing father had come to live with him. Wanting to give his son whatever support he could, the old gentleman had sold his cherished house and ancestral land in the village, and come to Muhib.

As he gratefully hugged his father, Muhib let the tears fall on the once-broad shoulders. Other than the emotional support he would be getting from his father, he was relieved for his two year-old daughter Dipti. Her grandfather would take care of her when her Daddy was not home.

Muhib had always dreamt of starting a business; now, with the unexpected support from his father, he started giving his dream a chance. The next three years flew by for Muhib as his business started growing. But his heart ached; he had not forgotten Anu’s calling him ‘a total failure'. Even now, her words remembered would sting in a way that hurt his self-esteem.

Time does not stand still and one day, Muhib's father passed away, peacefully in his armchair, as the five year-old Dipti was telling him her favourite story, that of a fairy with blue wings.

Shattered by the death of his father, Muhib thought he could no longer face life. Perhaps he should have taken better care of the old gentleman, he thought with a feeling of guilt. Moreover, he now had to take care of Dipti and to him it seemed his path was strewn with insurmountable difficulties. For the first him in his life, Muhib believed Anu had been right about him.

After cremating his father's mortal remains, Muhib went to get his daughter from his neighbour's place. Back home, as Dipti sat on her father's lap, in the house that now seemed empty, she cupped Daddy's face with her tiny hands and asked, "Daddy, Grandpa has left me and gone to God. Who will talk and play with me now?"

For the second time as a grown-up, Muhib cried. He was all little Dipti had. As he looked into her eyes so full of trust, he knew his child was God's best blessing for him. As Dipti put her head on her father's big chest, Muhib understood that life is more than pain and hurt: it is about love healing all wounds. He would pass on to his daughter the legacy of love he had received from his father.
ayeshacgs@hotmail.com

( This post is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Smaran Ghosal. He was my childhood-friend Paula's father and very much a father-figure to me. Some of the happiest hours of my life were spent in his house and he always had a kind smile and an encouraging word for me.
Mr. Ghosal passed away on 10 July, 2008, in Kolkata. I miss him. )

19 comments:

Unknown said...

Yet another good one on relationships.You have depicted the 3 generations of mutual affection clearly.

Nahrin said...

after one and a half months summer vacation, when I am trying to come to my workplace I have to face the same urge n cry from my 4 years old son. He wakes up n started to fight with me, he doesn’t want me to leave him. Though he has his granny, aunt and maids to play with , he feels lonely without me…..
It hurts me everyday… everyday the same cry….
Today my heart cries twice……after reading the Tiny hands….
Keep it up ….

Unknown said...

your writings are indeed very very inspiring and every time it touches my heart. tiny hands...is fabulously written, and sometimes i am left to think how u depict the different relationships of the society and put them in those wonderful words. i feel your writings are very powerful and if you keep on writing you can reach as well as heal many hearts. you are fortunate that you can express your feelings through writing, very few people can do so. keep writing.

Ayesha Parveen said...

Nabadipa,
Thank you for the comment. I tried to depict how love can sustain a person in times of trouble.
Ayesha

Nahrin,
I am glad you can identify yoyrself with Muhib. Wishing you happy motherhood.
Ayesha

Rantissa,
Thank you ever so much. Your words will help me pull through difficult times. I will always cherish the encouragement you are giving me. Lots of love.
Ayesha

Unknown said...

SHATTERED seems to be the only word that could have described such incidences.

Unknown said...

A sorrowful true story...but one should learn to face any tragedy in one's life with great courage and sportmanship...I liked all your posts.

KParthasarathi said...

Very touching story.Separation from a spouse whom one loves very much is very hard and can shatter one's life.The author write so well and imaginatively that this story made my eyes moist.

Ayesha Parveen said...

Devayani,
Thank you for your comment. Even though a divorce can be shattering, there is compensation in life, like Muhib's father's love for him and his love for his daughter.
Ayesha


Shruti,
Thank you for reading and liking all my posts. Please continue encouraging me.
Ayesha

Parthasarathi,
How can I ever thank you enough?
You have always encouraged me.
Ayesha

Ayesha Parveen said...

Parthasarathi,
When a spouse dies, the surviving one can always choose to be faithful to the departed's memory.This gives some emotional consolation. However, when there is separation due to the relationship becoming dysfunctional,it often leaves behind a feeling of failure and a sense of being rejected. Thus, it can be an extremely painful experience.But, inspite of the pain, divorce is essential in such cases, or things can become terribly ugly.
What I want to focus on is the father-child relationship;a loving father can make a a world of difference to his offspring's life.In our culture,the mother is often glorified, but the father's role in the emotional development of the child is often overlooked.
The more general theme in this post is about life offering compensations.Anu might have walked out on Muhib,but Muhib's father gave him support and his daughter Dipti became the reason for him to continue living:
"Sweet my child, I live for thee."
( the last line of Alfred Tennyson's poem 'Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead' ).
Thank you once again.

Shilpan said...

I'm touched by how masterly you have portrayed story involving three generations.

Shilpan

Ayesha Parveen said...

Shilpan,
Thank you so much for your comment.
Ayesha

lakshmi said...

Hi Ayesha
beautiful one filled with emotions.
The very fact that Muhib's daughter, Dipti places full trust in her dad, is enough to show He is not at all a failure. Some relationships like this father daughter one is so valuable and treasurable. Thanks for this beautiful story

Ayesha Parveen said...

Lakshmi,
Thank you for reading and for your comment.
Ayesha

Unknown said...

It's a touching story. Life is full of ups and downs. Little rays of hope (such as the Dipti's grandfather and Dipti herself in this case) help us believe in ourselves and get past the potholes on the road of life. I read all of your stories and liked the one called "Moving on" the best. I believe it is Dipti who will help him acomplish this and forget his ex-wife. The memory of his father, however will continue to live on and I hope that he will do the same for Dipti, if she ever finds herself in such an unfortunate situation.

Ayesha Parveen said...

Shreya,
Thank you so much for reading my posts and commenting. Yes, like you, I believe in the "little rays of hope" in life. How well you have expressed the legacy of love by saying that Muhib's love for Dipti will sustain her, when the time comes.
Ayesha

Farhana said...

When I lost my mother, I got so desperate, I could not lead a normal life, I was mentally blocked then one day seeing my daughter I realized she needs me the same way I needed my mother. I think it was the first time my motherly instinct got stronger and I felt I should let her (my mother) go. I was forced to get back to normal life and in this way the legacy of love really helped to carry on. Though this emptiness could never be fulfilled and there is no healing of this pain, we just get used to with the fact over time.
Ayesha your writing revealed the fact. Pls keep up your good work.

Ayesha Parveen said...

Farhana,
Thank you for sharing your feeling of loss with me. Yes, the legacy of love always continues.

Ayesha Parveen said...

MSN Readers' comments:

Dr.P.V.Vaidyanathan - Mumbai on 9/24/2008 11:09:32 AM
Nice story, one which touches your heart. But having said that, I also feel that there is a lot to learn from this narrative. We should realise that we are what we are---just because someone close (a spouse, child, parent, friend) labels us a failure or success, we are not necessarily that. We tend to sometimes take other's opinion of ourselves more seriously than our own opinion of ourselves. And if we are going to depend on other's opinions for our happiness or sorrow, then life becomes very difficult, as there will be many who approve of us, and an equal number of others who disapprove. So, how are we going to manage ourselves, if we are constantly listenting and paying heed to other's words? Other's feedback and opinions are important, but we must have a strong opinion about ourselves, so that we can maintain a balance, without getting too carried away by what others say. This is my opinion; it is up to each of us to decide how much importance we should give to other's words.

Swetha Amit - Mumbai on 9/24/2008 10:45:22 AM
Very poignant and emotional. A negative word which can taunt one forever despite the several accolades they get. It tends to cause a scar for life that haunts one all through life. While it takes just one scathing remark to wound ones esteem,it requires several positive ones to heal that wound with time or probably which would only fade away.Just like the above instance of Muhib where hisex-wife calling him a 'failure' kept following him like a shadow.

Ayesha Parveen said...

MSN Readers' comments:

sharmishtha - kolkata on 9/24/2008 5:03:58 PM
Marvellous story. I agree with Mr. Vaidyanathan, even if the entire world calls us a failure, all our chips are down, we one day can control our destiny if we try.

Rajesh - Hyderabad on 9/25/2008 2:48:18 PM
Great one, the moral actually makes one sit up and think!! In this fast age we all lose sight of our priorities or tend to have misplaced ones. Your stories bring one right back to earth. Keep writing more, we really need some reading of this sort.

KP - Chennai on 9/24/2008 4:48:45 PM
The lack of self esteem in Muhib is evident from his wife leaving him.He lost his job too.He could not also provide a loving home to his daughter.He must have been a failure on many counts and thereby messed up his life. The story is written in a moving manner.