8/7/2019 Aki's baby day - Days of little pleasures and happiness

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/akis-baby-day-days-of-little-pleasures-and-happiness 1/5

Aki's baby days

Aki, my daughter is in class XIInow , appearing for the final

examination. 17 years have passedlike a magic. We can still recallmany moments of her life . Thevideo still plays in the eyes of mymind. That time it was simple daysin and days out but today when Ire-look through those days I find

many unseen treasures hidden in those simple yet precious time of her growing up .

....17 years back

It was a rainy morning of July in Bankura - a small town of West Bengalwhen my wife first felt the labor pain . My MIL (mother-in-law) andmyself took her to the small nursing home where she was under goingpre-natal check ups.

Dr Mukherjee was the only reputed gynecologist available in the town.

Immediately on our arrival she was dressed in a funny labor dress & wastaken to the labor room while we were told to wait outside.

Her shrieks and shouting were being heard from the corner of the room.It was getting very tensed when a friendly looking nurse came and droveus to the waiting room.

From 1 PM morning till 7 PM evening the labor was continuing but our daughter did not leave mother's womb.

That was the moment when Dr Mukherjee came out of the labor roomand told us that the umbilical cord of my daughter was running over theshoulder that was why she was not coming out.

I was non-a-pause as if the Doctor was asking me for a solution. Thenshe told me that the situation warrants for Caesarian child birth.

8/7/2019 Aki's baby day - Days of little pleasures and happiness

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/akis-baby-day-days-of-little-pleasures-and-happiness 2/5

My MIL became further tensed and almost crying she told the Doc to dothe operation very carefully as her daughter had already undergoneprolonged labor pain since that afternoon.

I had to fill up the necessary form for the consent and then in less thanfifteen minutes time we heard a baby crying inside the operation room.

She was born. The friendly nurse came out and declared that a girl childwas born.

In another fifteen minutes the nurse bring our little daughter tied up inclothes and put her in the baby crib. She was still crying. My wife wasinside the room the doctor was closing her section. She came out onstretcher after another fifteen minutes.

A nurse came and put some water in our daughters mouth. She seem tohave been struggling very hard inside mothers womb that's why she wasvery tired and became asleep very soon.

In semi consciousness my wife asked me how was our daughter lookedlike ? MIL told her that the little cutie looks like her mom.

Had it not been fifteen minutes Aki ,our daughter woke up and startedcrying in full volume. The nurse came rushing but in the mean time MyMIL had already told my wife to breast feed her. So she was, in the whole night she cried for at least 10 times and everytime she was to feed by my semi conscious wife in her bed and everytime after feeding my MIL would check up her bottom for poop , clean it, change the rag and then put her in the crib.

Next morning She slept uninterrupted for two hours and my wifemeanwhile learnt how to feed her while she was still asleep.

Nextday throughout the whole day she perfectly proved to be a hungrymouth to feed and constantly wiped. My wife served the feeding partwhile MIL did the other part.

8/7/2019 Aki's baby day - Days of little pleasures and happiness

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/akis-baby-day-days-of-little-pleasures-and-happiness 3/5

In the evening as the nurse pursued I hold my daughter in my chest andtook her to the lawn of the nursing home. She was sleeping comfortablyin my chest. My wife tried to open her eyes but she was not ready to openup instead she licked her fingers to declare another round of feeding.

We brought her home. First one month we kept a nurse to help my wifein taking care of Aki at MIL's house while I returned to Korba, my work place.

After one month I brought them to Howrah where my family lives. Herein 15 days Aki learnt many new exercises like throwing fists , openingeyes when someone calls her and licking her fingers.

Three and half months later we were all set to go back to Korba. On anwinter evening we boarded the Ahmedabad express from Howrah. Akiwas all playful through out the journey to the station. Her rate of feedingnow reduced to once in three hours.

Inside the train she was on my lap and playing. As the train moved weput on a sweater to Aki but she started crying at it . Finally her momremoved the sweater and she became playful again. Here we learnt onefact that babies feel less cold .

At korba in our new flat our life got circled around Aki. As the daysmoved she gained more power in her limbs. One day her mummydiscovered that she was powerful enough to drop pillows from the bed.We put on more pillows around her bed so that she cannot fall from thebed.

But despite all the barricades of pillows one day she overcame all of them and fall from the bed with the pile of pillows. I blamed my wife for being careless and she blamed me for being mindless while Aki, our daughter was sitting on the pillows and licking.

At her 7 months of age we gave a party - 'Annaprash' ( her first taking of solid food ) . From infant she became a baby then. Somebody gifted her ababy walker and that became her long time companion.

On the walker she would incessantly roam the quarter from one end to

8/7/2019 Aki's baby day - Days of little pleasures and happiness

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/akis-baby-day-days-of-little-pleasures-and-happiness 4/5

the other . Sometimes she would sit near the balcony and would silentlywatch the birds sitting on the electric poles. Watching her growing was apleasant experience.

Days turned to months and into years.One day she was doing something behind the door , her mother wascooking at the kitchen.

I asked , 'Aki what are you doing ?' Aki was silent. I followed her behindthe door , she became puzzled and shy. I followed her eyes and thennoticed a big water spot on the wall. Aki was licking the wall.

Aki, ran towards her mom and hid her face in mom's bosom.

At 3 years of age Aki was sent to a Kindergarten play school. She likedthe school very much. But every other day her mom discovers that shecomes home with a different water bottle or a different tiffinbox or sometimes a different hair ribbon. So she had to go to the school everyalternate day to re-exchange Aki's accessories.

Every Sunday and holidays when I was at home Aki would come withme for morning ride on our Motor cycle. We would go at long distance toexplore the jungles of Korba. We would imagine that we were roaming inthe Jungles of Tanganyika . Chirping of birds would fill the surroundings.The Hasdeo river blowing inside the jungle behind the forest would addcolors to our imaginations.

The years passed and she moved into the primary school then to highschool. We came to Mumbai and today she is in Class-XII appearing for final examination.

It seems the time has passed in a breeze. It was just like yesterday. Shewas born , we brought her home , she grew and today after 17 years itseems we could do many more things then.

Even today this time would also move into past. Our mind issomething like a telescope , the more we move away the moreclearly we discover unseen things.

8/7/2019 Aki's baby day - Days of little pleasures and happiness

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/akis-baby-day-days-of-little-pleasures-and-happiness 5/5

Life's little pleasures are tinier than one can imagine and our life is acollection of these precious moments which build our moments of happiness and joy.

S. BeraPowai