Later on in the morning, her health deteriorated further and she was then moved to ICU for intensive care. At 12:07 pm Baghdad time, Jaya called me. I was in my office then. She was crying profusely and just managed to tell that her mother is no more. I messaged Babai immediately as he was in class then. He called me after 20 minutes. I told him everything then.

My colleagues were consoling me and expressing their condolences. After I reached home from office I called Jaya’s father as Jaya didn’t pick her phone. He informed that they have brought her home from hospital and they were preparing for her funeral. Then he gave the phone to Guruji. It’s good that Jaya’s maa went for her eternal journey in presence of Guruji. It was just an unplanned visit for them. His son, Sudarshan came for Chennai so they just went to Allahabad to see her. Sudarshan went back to Varanasi, Guruji stayed back.

I am planning to go there next week for ‘Shraaddha’ (special rites performed for departed souls by their sons). We believe that the shraaddha rites are necessary so that the journey after death of our parents, who have taken utmost care of us during our childhood, becomes comfortable and without any distress, and that they acquire momentum for moving to the next higher region in the afterlife.

We will miss you, Maa! Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.

A bird sat on my window in Baghdad

Little bird, little bird,
Fly through my window,…

More than the Internet and email, it is the mobile phone that has led to the demise of the original character-constrained mode of communication. Because of higher cost, people used to send urgent and serious messages in brief via telegram. The arrival of a telegram could make the heart skip a beat or the stomachs tighten.

After joining Punjab National Bank as Management Trainee, we were sent to various parts of India for training. I remember we then used to communicate to our family through telegrams. Telegrams were then the fastest mode of communications. I also liked the way the message was printed on a thin strip of paper that was then pasted on a larger sheet to be delivered to the addressee.

After joining bank, I have sent many official encrypted telegrams for financial transactions. Even we used to wire our key figures to Regional Office after closing of each half-year. We used to have code books and formulas to generate the test key and then that was suffixed to the message for sending via telegram. On receiving the tested or encrypted telegrams, we used to decipher the codes and match with contents to apply the message. This is the reason that funds transfers are still called as wire transfers or TT (Telegraphic Transfers). The telegraph also revolutionized the news industry and we still call our news agencies wire services.

I have not sent a telegram in a long time but the thought of the service, although past its shelf life, makes me nostalgic. Yes, I feel nostalgia for its passing. RIP Telegram! It’s end of an era.

Her ECG was okay. The blood tests showed that serum sodium, serum potassium and blood sugar were below normal. Immediately she was put on IV medications for restoring these to normal levels.

By the grace of the God, the blood test results today showed that she is near normal. She is today back to her old room,

The oncologist informed us that there is positive improvement after radiation treatment. Thank God! She said that she would like to complete 20 doses now and then she will discharge maa for 2 weeks. Maa has got 14 doses of radiations, so far. After 2 week rest, she will administer 10 more radiation doses.

I am just praying that my maa gets better now.

After reaching home, I received an invitation from Ouss for having lunch with them on Facebook chat. It has been a long time that we have properly met. So, I immediately accepted his offer. He said that he would come to pick me up at circa 3.30 pm.

Ouss called me at 3.15 pm and told me that he is waiting in his car outside the gate of our complex. I was ready by then. I got down immediately and we drove down to his house. They also stay close by.

Soon after reaching their house, Teeba laid the lunch on the table. Their daughter Deema has started helping her mother. Hmmm, she is growing up! Girls grow up fast. Their younger kid – Hassony was busy in games on iPad.

Teeba served kibbeh shorba, salads, baba ghanoush, pickles, chicken biryani, and yoghurt. All the items were delicious. I would have licked my fingers had I used my hand while eating. I have enjoyed dishes cooked by Teeba before also. She is a lovely cook.

One of our friends, Rafeef also stays near to their house. She joined us after our lunch. We had nice gossips while sipping tea. Our gossips continued while we savoured ice cream.

I didn’t realize that I was there for four hours until I saw the clock hanging on the wall. It was 7.15 pm then. I asked Ouss to drop me at my house back. Rafeef, Teeba & Ouss drove me back to my house.

Thanks to my friends – Teeba & Ouss for making my otherwise lazy, lonely afternoon wonderful.

Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims converged on the golden-domed shrine as security forces tightened security after a wave of deadly attacks across Iraq. Many of the main streets in Baghdad were closed in recent days to prevent attacks on the pilgrims, who travel on foot.

The traffic restrictions caused hardships to many of my colleagues. Many of them couldn’t come to the bank yesterday. The working hour was reduced by one hour since Sunday. Yesterday, it was decreased by two hours so that all the employees could reach home safe and in time.

The holiday has been declared today only in Baghdad province. Therefore, all our branches outside Baghdad province are working as a normal business day. So, the banking system will be fully operational today. The branches need support from head office as well as some transactions need authorizations. All routine checks are to be carried out to ensure the transactions are booked and recorded properly. So the back office is open today.

An empty Baghdad road

I am in the office to supervise the back office work and for authorizing the required transactions. I stay in the office complex and hence it’s not a problem for me. Mustafa stays close by and so he has come. Ibrahim also can manage to come to office walking, so he too has come today. The vehicles are not allowed on the road today in Baghdad. As the Baghdad branches, and Head Office are closed, so the volume of work is much less today.

“If you have a work instead of a job, every day is holiday” ― Paulo Coelho

Happy World Environment Day to everyone! Today is also World Environment Day. Let’s make it everyday.

In the evening at around 7.30pm I walked down to his house and wished him again. I had already wished him on his birthday. We started celebrating his birthday with single malt whiskey on the rocks, while watching a nice Bollywood comedy film – Bheja Fry 2 on B4U channel. I like Vinay Pathak for his comic timing.

Starting with drinks …

After our drinks, the dinner followed. There were paratha, rice, dal makhani, aloo subzi, chicken butter masala followed by a type of kheer – it was sweetened, condensed milk. It’s a nice, sumptuous dinner at his house on his 57th birthday.

… followed by heavy dinner

I walked back home at around 10.00pm. Thanks, Akhtar for the nice evening and dinner. I wish you again a very happy birthday, Akhtar.

The doctor suspended the radiation therapy and put her on medication for her infections and other complications. To restore her health became a matter of concern. Initially, mother was responding well and we were quite happy at that. But last week’s development distressed us and we were at loss of our wits; just praying to the Almighty for His help. My dad and brother were getting restive and have started losing hopes. During this time, my husband stood by me. He has immense faith on the God. He was giving me the strength through phone conversations. Whenever I am losing my patience, he gives me the strength and tells me to have faith in the God. His words are having magical touch as I derive strength from his talks. Thanks, Jeet!

From day before yesterday, we could see improvements in her. Yesterday morning the oncologist said that her condition was much improved and my mother could resume her radiation therapy soon. Thank God! I am feeling a bit relaxed that her main treatment will resume. Yes, her radiation therapy restarted from today again.

I am praying constantly that she can continue with her treatment, as scheduled and gets better to walk back home. May the God bless us all!

“Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall”
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I was waked up at 4.00 am by the night’s silence killing thunders and intermittent lightning splitting the sky here and there and lighting up my windows. I could also hear the music of rain as it was raining mildly then. I opened my windows; a gush of fresh, wet winds swept through my room brushing my sleepy eyes. I love the smell of rain-wet earth. It takes me back down my memory lane, when as a child I used to play in rain water filled ground, in mud in gay abandon. There was a fun then even getting slapped by my mother as she had to wash and clean those soiled, muddied dresses. Mothers are the God’s best gift to the humanity.

This fresh coolness was weighing more on my sleepy eyes, much better than the air-conditioned air inside. I closed the window and went to my bed to be woken up by the alarm at 6.00 am.

Yesterday was dusty and this morning started with thunder and lighting. It’s a welcome contrast. It reminded me of a line from a poem of Rabindranath Tagore –

When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O thou holy one, thou wakeful, come with thy light and thy thunder.