My little Buaji...!!

As soon as the festival of Rakshabandhan approached, I used to wait for the courier of Rakhi from my Bua from Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) the most.

Bua used to send such a big parcel.

Various foreign branded chocolates, games, color flower dress for me, saree for mummy, a branded shirt for papaji.

This time also he had sent a lot of goods.

Both Buaji from Patna and Ramgarh had also sent many gifts along with colorful rakhis.

Just like every year, Jaya Bua's Rakhi from Rohtas came in a simple envelope.

Five rakhis, roli rice wrapped in a piece of paper and a fifty note.

Mummy had put all four Buaji's packets on the dining table so that Papa could have a look at the Rakhis and gifts sent by his sisters after returning from office...

As soon as father came, he had spread on the sofa keeping the lunch box bag and laptop bag on the tea table.

"The ashes of all four sisters have arrived...

Mummy called out while offering tea for Papa in the kitchen...

"Please show Jaya's envelope...

Papa used to wait for Jaya Bua's rakhi the most and first of all used to tie the rakhi sent by her on his wrist.

Jaya Bua was the youngest among all the siblings, but she was the only one who probably had never seen happiness after marriage.

Immediately after the marriage, the brother-in-law usurped all the business and evicted him from the house.

Since then Fufa's mental condition was not very good. Used to earn a little by doing a minor job.

Bua used to run the house with great difficulty.

The only son Shyam was also put in the ordinary school of the locality. Bua ji was living somehow with just one hope...

Seeing the envelope sent by Jaya Bua, Papa started thinking something...

'Gayatri, this time on the day of Raksha Bandhan, we all will go to Jaya's house in Rohtas (Bihar) by morning passenger train without informing her...

"Jaya didi's house..!!

Mummy was completely shocked at Papa's words.

You don't know how tight it is in their house.

The breakfast and food of the three of us would also be so heavy for Jaya Didi….how would she be able to manage everything.

But father's silence was telling that he has made up his mind to go to Jaya Bua's house and everyone in the house knew that it is very difficult to change father's determination...

On the day of Rakshabandhan, we all reached Rohtas by Dhanbad to Dehri on Son passenger in the morning.

Bua was washing clothes under the tap in the verandah outside the house. Bua was the youngest in age, but the tight condition and daily worries had made her the oldest. Very thin and weak body. At such a young age, folds were clearly visible on the skin of the face. I had seen the photo album of Bua's wedding many times. There was no answer to the beauty of the Bua in the marriage. How much the problems of eleven years after marriage had changed Buaji.

Father and mother were being seen for a few moments from a distance to Bua in a very old worn saree...

Papa's eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing all of us, Buaji was completely shocked.

He didn't know how and what to react.

Take care of your disheveled hair or fix the house that is in disarray. No guest had come to his house for years...

It was as if she had forgotten long ago how to ask guests to come inside the house...

Everyone tells about Bua ji that since childhood she was very fond of cleanliness and beautification.

But today it was visible that how lack and anxiety eats up a person from inside like a termite...

Often Bua ji had to extend her hand sometimes in front of someone and sometimes in front of someone for small needs...

The situation had become such that most of the relatives had stopped picking up their calls.

Papa was the only one who, despite his limited salary, used to give something or the other to his Bua...

Papa went ahead and hugged his sister who was scared.

"Brother sister-in-law Mannu, you all suddenly today?

Is everything fine...?

Bua asked in a trembling voice.

Today after years I felt like coming to your house in Rakhi..

So we all just came...

Father said while comforting Bua….

"Sister-in-law don't come inside...

I'll bring you tea and snacks.

Jaya Bua took mummy's hands in her cold palms and said

"Jaya, you just sit near me. Gayatri will see tea and breakfast."

On our way to Buaji's house, we stopped on the way and took many sweets and snacks......

Mummy went to the kitchen and started putting plates for everyone.

On the other side, Bua was sitting beside her brother on a cot spread with an old torn sheet in the room.

Bua's son Shyam ran to call Fufa.

The auspicious time for tying rakhi was till 7 pm. Mother had gone to the mall with her sister-in-law to buy new dresses for everyone and buy groceries for Bua's house....

By the evening the whole house had changed

New curtains, new sheets on the bed, colorful door mats, and the whole family was wearing new dresses.

Don't know after how many years, Jaya Bua's kitchen store house was full to the brim.

Slowly a self-confidence was seen returning on the face of the Bua….

But the truth was that everything still seemed like a dream to him.

Bua ji had decorated the rakhis in the plate

had a box of sweets

As soon as she started applying tilak to father, father asked Bua to stop.

Everyone was surprised...

"Wait ten minutes, your other sisters are also about to reach the bus."

Papa smiled and said, then everyone kept looking at Papa….

Just then, hearing the sound of car horns outside the door, Bua, mother and Fufa came running out, then the whole family of all three Buas was in front....

Jaya Bua's house was full of guests.

Neelam Bua of Maharajganj started telling that some time back she had told her father that why don't we all together go on a pilgrimage to all four dhams...

Just that day the father called the three sisters that now the time has come for the Char Dham Yatra.

All three Buas agreed on father's talk and all had decided that this time everyone would gather at Jaya's house and help her by giving little money.

Jaya Bua was just looking at her sisters and brother's family alone.

What a big surprise everyone had given him today...

She was hugging all the sisters...

Everyone tied rakhi to father.

Such Raksha Bandhan was probably for the first time for everyone.

At night we all had dinner in a big restaurant.

Don't know when it was too late to gossip again...

Still Jaya Bua was not speaking much.

She just used to wipe her tears that spilled in between.

Everyone was lying down in the middle of the courtyard by spreading a sheet.

Jaya Bua was clinging to Papa like a small child.

As if she had been waiting for this love and caress for years

While talking, father suddenly felt that Bua's body was very cold, so father got scared...

Everyone woke up but Jaya Bua had slept forever....

Lying like a child in father's lap, she has left.

I don't know how long I was ill.

And till today there was no word from anyone...

Today she was alive only with the hope of meeting everyone...!!

Take care of your loved ones. One who is capable should help his disabled relatives. always be happy