Tuesday, February 11, 2014

How much does a miracle cost??


Tess was a precocious eight year old when she heard her Mom and Dad talking about her little brother, Andrew. All she knew was that he was very sick and they were completely out of money. They were moving to an apartment complex next month because Daddy didn’t have the money for the doctor's bills and our house. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and it was looking like there was no-one to loan them the money. She heard Daddy say to her tearful Mother with whispered desperation, “Only a miracle can save him now.”

Tess went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully, three times. The total had to be exactly perfect, no chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention but he was to busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! “And what do you want?” the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. “I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages, he said without waiting for a reply to his question. “Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,” Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. “He’s really, really sick... and I want to buy a miracle.” “I beg your pardon?” said the pharmacist. “His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” the pharmacist said, softening a little.

“Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.” The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, “What kind of a miracle does you brother need?” “I don’t know,” Tess replied with her eyes welling up. “I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money. “How much do you have?” asked the man from Chicago. “One dollar and eleven cents,” Tess answered barely audibly. “And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to. “Well, what a coincidence,” smiled the man. “A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.” He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.” That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neurosurgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. “That surgery,” her Mom whispered “was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?” Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost... one dollar and eleven cents ...... plus the faith of a little child.

This story was narrated to me by Madam Loya Agarwala in her Counselling Classes. I believe there is a lot to be learnt from this.

Friday, February 07, 2014

Welcome To Guwahati


It was 06:30 in the morning; early enough for most Guwahatian’s to be awake. I was on my car with some bollywood tracks on the stereo. The driver complained about the chill weather but there was nothing that I could help him with and so I decided to be dumb. I looked out of the window. Guwahati was wrapped in a blanket of fog. I anticipated the view. I passed many familiar sights. My eyes sparkled while cherishing nostalgia. I looked at everything. Perhaps the entire city clique wanted to say me something or perhaps it was just an envision. I passed an assemblage of young college chaps; or rather espied a scenario of my own teenage. I passed the holy underpass where I proposed my love. I could commemorate a series of events. I broke down. I spotted a sign board that made my heart skip a beat: “Welcome to Guwahati”.

Although Guwahati was not the same as I left it 42 months back yet it wasn’t so different. The city was continuously thriving ever like always. Guwahati wasn’t just the Mother of Trade for the entire North-Eastern state’s; rather it had another beautiful attire. Guwahati was always ornamented with natural allure and charm. Far away from katzenjammer and the mess & hubbub of metro life, it is a tiny dot on the world map on the banks of the mighty river Brahmaputra.  People call it differently and have their own notions and connotations about it. But, as for me, it shall always be just one thing: Home.

N.B- This article was submitted under my pen for the second issue of Guwahatian - An E-Magazine from Guwahati.