Chetna
November 2005 – 1 february 2006
Chetna left this world a few hours ago.. leaving us stunned.. everything had been set for her heart surgery
I was instantly drawn to this little pixie girl when I first met her a few days back in ward no 18 of Safdarjung hospital. Her wide eyes were filled with an incomprehensible dolefulness for one so young..
She had a defective heart and could barely breathe.. though she tried as best she could.. the family had ben given the verdict: open heart surgery, something so remote for them as the cost was prohibitive.. We knew what we had to do and set out to do it.. but she had decided otherwise… shortly after the angiography she gave up and left this world for another…
The questions will remain unanswered, the whys and ifs that will come to mind.. but tonight spare a thought for the young grieving mother who lost her second child.
The words of Robert Hepburn have always helped me at such moments.. I share them here:
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush,
Of quiet birds circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there. I did not die.
May her soul rest in peace!
I was out for a long time and read the news of chetna passing away. She was a small bundle who with her innocence made everyone smile and spread happiness and joy around her. But maybe fate and destiny didn’t want her to see the harsh side of the world for too long and took her away from us. A loss of a anyone precious and dear to us is tough and if the loss is that of a harmless baby, nothing can seem more cruel. My her soul rest in peace and wherever she is today, may she be in the best of health and full of happiness…And hope her family and loved ones get the courage to cope with her loss.
abhilasha