Ch.21 chapter 21 - Sanyog - A Coincide...

âSorry, I didnât want to trouble you â¦â , I said in an embarrassed tone â¦

âBe comfortable â¦â, I requested her â¦

âWould you like to have a strong cup of coffee , I will prepare for you â, I offered her â¦

âSameepâ, she said as if she was broken down â¦ just now we had ice-cream â¦ have you forgotten again â¦

Oh! I exclaimed â¦ I donât mind having coffee after ice-cream â¦ I saidâ¦to make her smile â¦ and dissolve the seriousness in air â¦

âBut, I do â¦ â , she uttered dejectedly â¦

I knew , she was really upset . So , I decided to narrate an incident which she was insisting â¦

Okâ¦ I would like to mention one incident which happened with me while I was posted in Egypt â¦ I said in a breath â¦ to change the topic â¦

âYes, please go on â¦â, Sanyogita repliedâ¦

Still, I could sense the weariness in her voice â¦

I had just taken the charge of my office there , this incident happened with me while I was returning to my official apartment â¦ in Cairo â¦ there are thousands ofÂ immigrants in Egypt , I was aware of this , I had read a lot as well I was officially informed about this â¦ I was working till late evening that day â¦while traveling back , I was dozing on the back seat â¦ my driver suddenly used the breaks , even emergency hand break also â¦ the car halted with a severe jerk â¦ my head collided with front seat â¦ I had forgotten to put seat belt on that day â¦ I was very furious and asked the driver what happened â¦ he replied , Sir â¦

And in the front light of the car , I saw two women , with their heads covered with scarfs were standing in the middle of the road â¦ I was fumbled â¦ why they were standing in the middle of the road , if they have been hurt â¦ with that thought in mind , I cursed myself and thanked God â¦ that nothing happened â¦

I said the driver , go out and see whether they are okâ¦ very few vehicles passed by and the road was almost deserted â¦

The driver denied in the beginning to go out but later when I told him about the language barrier , he went out â¦ he talked something with them and returned back to the driver seat â¦

What happened â¦ I asked himâ¦ what these women want from us ? why are they on the road at night â¦ isnât it dangerous â¦

Sir they are immigrants , meaning refugees â¦ I asked what they want from us â¦ Sir one of them is daughter in law and the other is mother in law ..

Ok then â¦ I said â¦ Sir that daughter in law is in labour pain , she needs medical assistance and there is no hospital or medical facilities near by their camp â¦ so they are here and the mother in law is saying that she is ready to do anything , anything for her daughter in law â¦

Sir , she told me , to inform you â¦ Hearing this I had goosebumpsâ¦ I felt ashamed of myself â¦ I was very angry with my driver â¦

I said â¦ why are you wasting time â¦ tell them we are ready to help and I am like their brother â¦ I shifted to front seat and they were on the back seat â¦ nearby hospital was almost fifteen kilometres away, throughout the journey the girl was in bad pain and mother in law was thanking us again and again â¦

I asked about the men in their families and I was completely devastated by their answer â¦ they were engaged in the wars back in their countries and for the safety of their women folk , they sent them to another country. These women has crossed the borders during midnight and somehow reached this refugee camp â¦ I was dumbstruck by their soulful experiences â¦

You know wars happens for their own reasons but the real sufferers are the womenfolk and the children â¦ I have witnessed their pitiable condition,Â of refugees in several countries , I have worked or visited â¦

I looked at the face of Sanyogita , it was completely shadowed with fear, anxiety and grief â¦

What I expected was anger and few bad words from her , keeping into consideration her real nature during college time â¦ on the contrary when I observed her silence and grief stricken face , I was awestruck â¦ what happened , I asked her â¦

She replied sadly , you are right , women are the sufferers , no matter , whether they are refugees or not â¦

What? I questioned â¦

Women still suffer , women suffered and may be they will suffer , she uttered, there are no limitations of nationality or any other barriers â¦

What are you saying , since when you have changed your perspective? I asked her

You were having radical opinions and firm beliefs regarding feminismâ¦ I added â¦

Sameep, everything changes with time and experiences , life teaches us many unexpected lessons â¦ Sanyogita said in a calm manner â¦

Surprisingly , I looked at her and I was shocked to see that pain in her eyes which I have never witnessed earlier â¦

What happened? Any problem ? I questioned her â¦

Sameep she said laughing , I can ask you the same question â¦

Who will give the answer first thatâs the problem , she added â¦

May be coming time , I replied silentlyâ¦

Mr. Philosopher â¦ she said laughing â¦ I know you very well â¦

Instead of feeling bad by her words , I was feeling excited that till date she is sure , she knew me very well â¦ my way of thinking , my beliefs etc.

âWhere are you lost?â, Sanyogita asked â¦

I said , âNow I have told an incident â¦. Itâs your turn now â¦â

Sameep â¦ she called â¦ I felt from the bottom of her heart â¦ I will need some more time â¦ I think â¦she supplemented.

Dr. Archana Pandit

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