Asha Poojari

By Asha Poojari

WRITER’S DESK -

This is an emotional friendship story of Super charming kid and her old matured friend. Life is mysterious thing... sometimes in life the odd's makes you comfortable just by being with you and understands your unsaid things of heart far better than your loved ones.

Chapter 1. Peehu Parikshit

Peehu - “Eshu yeh light kab jalegi” (When the light will turn on)

Eshan- “Hoga baby”

Peehu- “I loved this head band”

After a while Peehu murmured “Eshu can you see that tall.... building?”

Eshan - “Yes”

Peehu - “Can you count how many floors are there?”

Eshaan - “Yes baby”

Peehu - “How they make such big building? How people climb there?”

Eshan - “They have architects, engineers who build it.”

Peehu - “I want to make big building for Naani, Mama, Papa ...

But yeh light kab jalegi Eshu ..”

(“Yeh Eshu bolna .. Shi baba yeh Eshu bolta hi nahi.. Peehu chatted in tiring sound)

(Meanwhile this sloth opens her mouth; let me introduce myself to you one more time. Eshan stare her with poor face and said “One more time”?)

Peehu excitingly continues ...

I am Peehu, I am six years old. I am sweet little girl adorable to my Mumma, Papa, Naani, Naana and loving Maasi. I love to play in garden, painting walls and troubling my Naani and Mumma. Plunking leaves from Nani’s Garden is my favorite activity and guess what I get beaten for it from Naani. Everyone pampers me a lot but Maasi and Nana don’t show because their way of expressing love is different. Apart from this, I go to school every day with Papa and Mumma. At school, I am interested more in activities than in studies. I am fond of eating Chocolates, Noodles, Juice and (whispering sound) I love to eat Potato fries, but none of them I find in my school tiffin box. So, I never feel like eating my boring tiffin where I find only Upma, Poha and all.

Every Friday, Mumma and Maasi take me to Eshu Uncle, I always feel very Happy and excited whenever Friday comes... you know why? Because I know, I am going to meet my Superman, yes, I call Eshu Superman. There is a story behind it.

Eshu Uncle is Doctor First than my friend and also friend to my Maasi. On my first meeting with Eshu Uncle, I remember Maasi and Naani were discussing something, while I was playing with round paperweight kept on papers. Suddenly it slipped from my hand and it was about to fall on the floor, I was so sure that Naani and Maasi would hit me. But suddenly Eshu Uncle noticed and caught it, so swiftly that no one got hint about it, not even my chature Maasi. I got impressed and from that day we became friends. He is very loving and kind person. One secret, whenever he talks or looks at Maasi he got different kind of smile on his face like I get when i see my crush on TV. But I don’t understand why my Massi always disagree with him and even scolds him sometimes, as I usually gets from her.

Chapter 2. Dr. Eshan Dev

Peehu! She is not just a case for me. Peehu is very smart and charming baby with her talking tiny eyes she talks a lot. And those expressive eyes are gifted to her by Aanaya, her maasi. Actually, Aanaya and me are college friends we were never close nor good friends in college, though I wanted to be one of them. But she maintained a safe distance from me, maybe I was not her kind or she was not comfortable but her smile is very beautiful. Both Aanaya and Peehu shares same kind of smile innocent one. Whenever I see Peehu, she takes me to my childhood i was naughty, pampered by Mom. Though Peehu and my challenges are different but I can feel and understand what she needs more attention. Many things her parents don’t understand but I do because somewhere in life we have gone through same challenges.

I have seen my childhood in Peehu, even I wanted to do so many things when I was small but could not do because of family financial crises but ethical or unethical i wanted to do something. I wanted to fulfill my dreams and I tried my best and reached where I am today. Peehu is diagnosed with Autism, it is also known as Spectrum Disorder where kids get Speech and verbal communication issues. Peehu cannot talk like you and me. But she can understand our feelings, love and care expressed to her. I am trying my level best to make her life normal with therapies and assigned activities; she is responding very good to it.

I love to be with Peehu, but I also know Aanaya doesn’t like it. I don’t know why I am not able understand Aanaya. Yes, we have different views, thoughts but I respect her, as she cares Peehu a lot. As human being she is great having a pure soul.

Chapter 3. Aanaya

Peehu when it comes to her, she is my sweet heart. I pretend to be strict to her because she is already over pampered by her Naani. So, I control myself because everything should be balanced. I am an IT engineer by profession. For me Peehu is stress buster after long working hours at office when I reach home and see Peehu doing her naughty things, that make me to forget everything and smile. Yes, we all wish Peehu to be normal, want her to talk and understand like we do and I know she will be normal very soon.

Eshan, he is one of the best neurologists in city and my friend too. However, I was not comfortable initially but later on for Peehu i did. I don’t like him but as a person he is good but we don’t share same tunning which is required to be good friends. Since college days he is different, use to bunk from classes, troubling college faculty all this were his part of life but now he is Neurologist Don’t knows how but I was shocked when I first heard about him, second shock I got when I saw Peehu and Eshan together. Peehu is so comfortable with him like she knows him since long time like family member. They play together, do paintings and do lots of fun activities. Bonding they share together is extremely good and surprising too. Surprising because in short time span Eshan had made a separate place in Peehu’s heart, usually Peehu don’t get comfortable with anyone easily. I hope everything go well and Peehu start living like other normal kids.

Chapter 4. Naani

Peehu, when it comes to Peehu she is unique and very dear to me. After very long time I have been so close to this kid, after my daughters. When I am with her, I forget rest of world even my husband too. Everyone says I pamper her a lot, but you tell me is there any condition or limit to love your grandchild, answer will always be NO. Before Peehu coming to my life I was very Time table follower person than she came and changed everything in my life.

Peehu cannot talk or her understanding is not like normal kids, I took Time to accept these facts. She is very naughty, moody and sometimes cranky but she is adorable to everyone. My only wish is to hear my innocent talks, chanting rhymes etc from her mouth. And I believe one day it will happen. We spend whole day together she is my full day partner these days because when her mom and Dad are at work, I take care of Peehu.

These days Anaya and me are taking Peehu to Dr. Eshan he is Neurologist and friend of Aanaya too. Almost we have tried different doctors and Ayurvedic treatment for Peehu but nothing worked so well like Dr. Eshan. I can see improvement in Peehu, she shows her interest in reading and learning new things. Peehu’s aggressive nature and arrogant behavior is changing she is becoming calm and obedient. I know we have to keep patience to make her normal.

Chapter 5. And The Nightmare.

Dr. Eshan narrates ahead.

On one fine day when Aanaya and her mom came to pick Peehu from therapy section. Aanaya was not able to find Peehu and Dr. Eshan too. She got anxious, when she tried to call me, but my phone was not reachable this made her angrier and more worried. Both her mom and Aanaya started searching for Peehu but they were not able to find any clue. After an hour Peehu and me came back to center in my car. Aanaya was so angry that she did not took a minute and nor asked me anything she went straight to Hospital Authority and complained against me, that Dr. Eshan took a child out the Hospital without any permission and which was not allowed as per codes of Hospital authorities. Ananya was so disturbed that she was not ready to listen anyone and this led to my suspension from Hospital for further investigation. I was in shocked state, I tried to explain Aanaya but she was not ready to listen anything. Actually, I just wanted to Peehu to have some outdoor activity, something new, but did not find chance to justify myself.

Later in late evening while leaving for home, I was very depressed, wanted to spend some time alone I left my phone in my car and started walking in isolated road for some peaceful time, I was totally broken from inside. While walking on road I was in deep thinking about how things went worse, suddenly some drunk biker came and kicked me so badly that my head got banged on divider and that led to pool of blood on whole road. There was no one around on road, the guy who accidentally kicked me came back to check whether I am alive, I thought he would help me and but thereafter I don’t know what exactly happened I fell unconscious.

No one could ever find where has Eshan gone?

Here when Peehu saw everything between Eshan and Aanaya, she got disturbed and upset too. She could not accept her apart from Eshan, Peehu got injured in Garden while playing. Peehu got high fever same day and went into unconscious state. Whole family including Aanaya was feeling so helpless.

Peehu was taking Eshan’s name in fever. The whole family was waiting for Eshan to visit Peehu so that some miracle take place. Everyone in family got panic, suddenly Eshan went missing and now Peehu has stopped responding to medicines. Due to high doses of medicine, she went into coma in few days and after somedays she passed away and went to Eshan who is no more in world.

Thirteen days later, conversation continues between Eshu and Peehu..they were sitting on a tree branch.

Eshu ..Yeh light kab jalegi.

Peehu – Eshu I want to sit on Giant Wheel will you come with me.

Eshu – Yes baby.

Peehu – I will sit on Train too, last time Mumma took me.

On other side, everyone is preparing for ceremony. People gathered for prayers and Havan. They completed prayer for Peehu’s soul to rest in peace.

And after customs and rituals suddenly Peehu light gets ON.

Peehu got Mukti, after all rituals done by family. But nobody knows about me and I have to be alone like this all the way from now onwards, says Eshan.

People returned to their home after prayers, one of the common friends of Eshan and Aanaya, visited to Aanaya after hearing shocking news about Peehu. Aanaya narrated whole story to him but her friend Rajesh was shocked, He told Eshan is not that kind of guy who will run way after committing any mistake, even in our college days when you told me he leaked exam papers but he was not the one, I feel some part of story is still missing. Everyone in the family were in deep shock, they could not accept whatever happened during last few days.

On the other side, Eshan was left behind looking for emancipation of his soul.

By Asha Poojari