Kajal Chatterjee
Despite very humble salary/pension, arriving ready with a packet of much much significant amount or offer of the same!
Flooded with resources and immersed in luxury - - - if somebody opens his "liberal heart" with offer of a much much ridiculous amount , another wealthy offers another meagre amount riding with a caveat "You have to see that the medical treatment of X does not stop because of lack of money" with his offer lesser than even daily hospital expenses!
And also there exist individual who simply walks in the hospital and pay a huge amount through his credit card without my asking!
No I didn't ask anybody for even Rs 1. Rather I would prefer "break-up" of all my/family savings till I reach the amount of bare survival of myself and family and only thereafter would I ask money from them who have voluntarily offered the same despite their financial limitations.
While bed of roses hardly teach the practical side of individuals (with their goods and bads), crown of thorns certainly do!
Else how could I have fathomed the mindset of my acquaintances or determined my position in their lives!
Had I not landed in a major personal cum family crisis, how could I have got reconnected with M with whom our personal relationship came to a dead stop since mid-August 2024 following the RG Kar hospital horror!
In reply to his forwarded WhatsApp post which I didn't like for the political and class content embedded in it; I just offered my counterpoints firmly, but in most humble way possible.
But M counter reacted in a bit taunting way and I also did the same and thereafter absolute silence from our part though we had shared an extremely cordial relationship till his retirement on 2017 and thereafter remained in virtual connection everyday literally!
Last October, he arrived in our office to bid goodbye to one of our colleagues on the verge of retirement. This was the first time our 4 eyes met after stoppage of all communication since mid-August! Yet we simply ignored each other as if we are simply "unknown" despite sharing close bond for a quarter of a century!
Without indulging in the debate whether both or one of us had mixed ideological relationship with personal relationship; the ultimate fact remained that apparently our relationship had arrived to a permanent closure.
But that I was in complete wrong has been proved when my mobile rang to see with much startlement that the caller is none other than M! After stunned silence of 5-6 months from our end, M couldn't hold himself up any more when one of the most popular figures of our office circulated the news of the medical-related crisis I have landed myself to!
When I responded, his verbal language of concern from deepest core of heart was not only overwhelming, also it seemed that the deafening silence of more than 5 months hadn't happened at all! And yes, M formed the second person (not related through blood) to offer money in own accord, thereby once again proving that relative is not necessarily associated with blood, rather association with soul forms the main determinant factor.
And since our unofficial coordinator of sorts have circulated the news of crisis to almost all personnel of office (working/retired), at least 2 others had also surely received the news who also had stopped conversation with me after realising that my opinion revolving the RG Kar issue stands in opposite pole of theirs!
But while M promptly responded with the most positive attitude possible, other 2/3 remained as frozen as ice; thereby proving that the iceberg named M was indeed very "weak" enough to melt when call of humanity gets heard on the horizon!
Yes, the true picture of individuals come out in open only when one has to sport crown of thorns or lie upon bed of arrows!