“Komal…. that’s what I
want to name her!” Sunita said excitedly, bringing her bundle of joy close to
her and tickling her tummy, making the little one squeal with delight. “Isn’t
she as soft as silk?” she asked touching the silky soft cheeks of her baby.
“Indeed she is, Suni,
Komal is what we’ll call our baby” agreed Kunal.
Everyone clapped and
cheered as the proud parents called out the baby’s name thrice in her tiny pink
ears, and the priest continued with the other naming ceremony customs.
Sunita wiped a tear as it slid down her cheeks.
“Stop watching this over and over again, Suni,” said Kunal
taking the remote from her hands and switching off the VCD, “It’ll only make
forgetting Komal harder for you.”
“You think I can ever forget her? Which mother can? It’s my
fault….”
“…..Shhhh….don’t say
that. It’s not your fault.” His voice was choked with emotions too as he
thought of that fateful day.
***********
The three of them were
holidaying in the picturesque location of Sawanpur, when the rain gods vented
their fury and turned their lives upside down.
“I’ll run down to the
lobby and try to hire a cab, ok? Let’s see if we can get some flights from the
nearest airport” Kunal had told Sunita. It had been raining too heavily and
there had been no point staying there any longer.
Then Kunal called up on the intercom.
“Suni, get my wallet,
I left it in the room.”
“Komal’s sleeping.”
“It’s ok; it won’t
take long, its just 2 floors down.”
Sunita had run down to
the lobby when there was some strange noise and someone pushed them out of the
lobby door. In the seconds that followed, the entire hotel collapsed. They had
both escaped with minor bruises, while their 6 year old Komal lay trapped in
the rubble somewhere.
They stayed for
several days amidst the ruins waiting for it all to be cleared up, but the
search had drawn a naught. Sunita had been in deep trauma over losing her only
child. She had refused to leave the place and had to be sedated before being forcefully
airlifted back home.
