"Elderly women! Shall I have food?" Lajo asked after coming for the third time. "No! I don't mind. By doing this, you eat this food. Take the leftover food home, the kids will eat it." I said. Didn't feel like eating. Looking at the walls, it is getting tired to swallow mouthfuls. Lajo removed the curtains of the window. Light spread in the room, but what to do with the darkness of the mind? After Aditya's departure, he has imprisoned himself in this room for a week.

"If I don't feel like eating, I make tea." When Lajo told Manuhar, I could not refuse. Only the words of me and Lajo break the dullness of this kothi doing evening. A week ago, the walls of this kothi were laughing, talking, smiling with Aditya, Rachna and the children. Waiting for these moments throughout the year. The kothi resonates with laughter, laughter and laughter, when these people come to India from London on holidays. In those few days, I live my whole life. It seems like the pace of life has returned.

This time Aditya came and got hold of his stubbornness, "Mummy! You come with me, stay there. If you live alone here, then I also get worried.

“By uprooting the roots of the banyan, you can plant a new place! The memories of your father are settled in this house. It was explained with great difficulty to him. She had given up on the condition that she would go to London with him next time. I had said 'yes' to keep his mind. Once went to London. After coming here, he got my passport-visa made and took me with him. That's what I wanted too. It was better to spend the rest of life with grandchildren than to chew memories while staying here alone. Aditya wanted to sell this kothi before leaving. “You will stay with us, then what to do with this cottage? sell it. I have spoken to the property dealer. Getting a good price." Aditya said, but I do not know why I did not agree. “Son, I do not get away from my soil so soon! My eyes will be closed in this room." After that he never mentioned about selling the kothi.

"BBG Tea!" Lajo left with a cup of tea on the table. I was very happy to be among my loved ones. But our definitions of happiness were different. Aditya and Rachna leave for office in the morning and the children go to school. I used to stay alone in the house all day. To overcome the loneliness, I took the reins of the kitchen in my own hands. On seeing the parathas in breakfast that day, Rachna interrupted, “Mummy! If you keep feeding parathas to children like this every day, they will become overweight. How many calories are in it. These parathas are also not good for our health. Pizza probably fit the caloric mold.

Children had their own world. Cartoon channels had left behind the stories of grandmothers. He would remember me only when he was hungry. That was enough for me. When he asked for poha or upma in broken Hindi, I would forget the pain of arthritis and go to the kitchen. It seems like Aditya's childhood has returned. I would collect his school bag. He would fix his room. These busy moments give me immense happiness. "Mummy! Don't do the work of these kids. Let them do their own thing." Aditya said seeing me keeping the school bag. "Why, didn't I do your work when you were young?" I laughed.

"Then it was different. You were the housewife. Rachna is a working woman. He has to take care of both home and office. In such a situation, if these children become lazy, then the workload will increase on them. Aditya had explained to me. But he probably did not understand that this was an excuse to spend some moments with the children. For these moments, I have come across the seven seas.

I had become alone among my loved ones. Throughout the day, he kept checking the channel with the remote in his hand. Once I found a Hindi religious channel by chance, I became happy. Bhajans used to come on the channel every afternoon. I used to listen to bhajans and sing hymns by raising the channel's volume. After a few days neighbors came and complained to Aditya. “The old lady who lives in your house plays music loudly in the afternoon. We get disturbed. Get it closed, or else we will complain to the police."

"Mummy! This is London, not India. Here life goes by rules." Once again Aditya explained. What is the point of such a life if emotions and pleasures and sorrows also become slaves of the rules. She was starting to remember her roots. There was no place for words in this hectic life. There should be no knot in the delicate thread of the relationship, so I was afraid to say that I wanted to go back. I knew Aditya would be the first to ask, "Do you have any problems here?" How do you tell the pain of the heart? I don't want anything except two loving words and a few moments.

The elder sister-in-law got a call from Banaras, "Son's wedding. You guys must come." “It is not possible at present to take such a long leave. Children's exams are also going on. Rachna told compulsion. "If it is not possible for us to go, then you go." When Aditya said, I immediately agreed. That's what I wanted. From Banaras I came straight to Delhi. Aditya called several times, "When are you coming back?" Every time I avoided him by making some excuse or the other. Sometimes the pain of arthritis and sometimes the weather of London. Didn't feel like going back. There I was alone even among my loved ones and the people outside here did not let the feeling of loneliness. Still, does the mind believe without children somewhere? I look for his arrival throughout the year. This time I had asked Aditya, "Can't get a job here?" “People are yearning to go abroad. If I leave my job and come here, what can be more foolish than this? And then what's in here?" When Aditya said, there was a ruckus in his mind, 'Am I not here?

,

"BBG! Today I will die by breaking this nest." Lajo's voice broke my sleep. Lajo was looking at the skylight with a broom angrily. Straws, small pieces of rope and colorful clippings of cloth were spread all over the room. The bird was preparing to build its nest on the skylight.

Lajo climbed the stool with a broom. Don't know from where the chirping bird came and started hovering around the nest. I looked closely at the bird. His round eyes were saying, don't ruin my house. My heart sank. Who could understand better than me the pain of a deserted house? "BBG! You see, this bird will make noise by chirping throughout the day. Will spread garbage so differently." Lajo argued. "No problem. Apart from you and me, now someone will make noise. Lajo laughed after listening to me.

I used to see that nest everyday. I had fallen in love with that nest. The nest, bathed in the rays of the sun filtering through the skylight, looked very beautiful. It seems as if nature itself has created it with the right hands. In the evening, the bird would bring something to this house by pressing it in its beak - pieces of rope and sometimes colorful foil. Often she would sit on the tubelight and gaze at her nest. Then I saw the expression of satisfaction in his eyes.

Here, for a few days, the bird was making rounds of the nest several times a day. The chirping noise had also increased. While cleaning the room, Lajo peeped into the nest and saw, "The bird has laid eggs, BBG!" She cried happily. After a long time my mind was at ease.

I became concerned about the safety of the nest. There was a fear in the mind that the ball of children playing cricket in the street would not ruin the house. Lajo smiled looking at me worried, "Don't you worry. Nothing will happen to this nest." I was waiting for the day when chirping would be heard in this house.

Several times a day I would go to that room, in the hope that I might hear a chirping today. The pain of arthritis had also increased for a few days. It was unbearable pain to walk. In the morning and evening, Lajo gets oil massage done. Despite this, do not forget to see the nest once a day. I don't know what kind of attachment I had with that house.

In the evening, Lajo came running, “Bibi! The babies have come out of the eggs. The whole three is three." Forgetting the pain of arthritis, I ran towards the room. He climbed on the bed and started looking up. Three small beaks were visible. Overwhelmed by the energy of motherhood, the bird was chirping around the room giving the message of the arrival of new guests. Lajo made pudding in the evening. For the first time after Aditya's departure, I had tasted the pudding with my heart.

If the little children used to tremble with hunger while waiting for the bird in the evening, I would have thought myself to go and put a grain in their beak. Lajo would have laughed at this thought of mine. Along with those children, I would also wait for the bird. It was only after the children's hunger was quenched that the morsel would come out of my throat. Their beak now started reaching outside the nest. When the mother went out, all three spread their delicate wings and pulled them back in fear.

After a few days, the pain of arthritis started re-emerging. Fever also gripped with this pain. Poor thing! Served me day and night. Couldn't get out of bed for a week. "Auntie! You need to treat the mind more than you need to treat the body. Your medicine is Aditya. Go to them. The whole matter will be touched." The doctor had advised along with the medicine. Maybe he was right. The deserted walls have hollowed out the body. There is panic in this kothi doing evening and evening.

"Mummy! I arrange visa. you do not worry. I'll show you the biggest doctor in London." Aditya was happy to hear my decision.

After a long time, I had to go to that room today. The direct sunlight coming from the skylight reminded me of the nest. Seeing the desolate and deserted nest, the mind was shocked. Gulzar Ashiana became deserted in an instant. Lajo came with a broom. "Let it stay! Don't throw this nest. Look how sad the poor bird is." I looked at the bird sitting on the fan. "No BBG! This bird knew that one day the children would fly away. Look, that bird is neither sad nor angry. This is the difference between a human and a bird. We raise children with the hope that they will be the support of our old age and we spend our whole life waiting for their return. After all, why do we care about children's happiness? Don't we have the right to find our own happiness?" I was surprised to hear Lajo's words. An uneducated woman inadvertently taught me a lesson in life. The bird that flew away came out of the skylight. The open sky took him in its arms.

I started looking for that sky. Together with Lajo, he cleaned the entire kothi. Opened all the windows. A gust of fresh air came to sneak a peek. The goods of both the upper rooms were shifted to the store room. Outside the kothi, a board was placed 'nest'. Girls who came to study from other cities along with their parents reached this nest in search of some place. "Auntie! Please give me the upper room." "I'll put my bed by the window." “Me and my friend will be in the same room Auntie!” The rhythm of life was being heard in this noise of the girls. I myself was moving with the rhythm.

This rhythm had given new enthusiasm and new enthusiasm. The pain of arthritis also gave up. Throughout the day I was busy in fulfilling their wishes. After coming from college, listening to his words, the time is not known.

"Mummy! In what way did you get into this? People have no faith these days and then these are your rest days." Aditya got angry. rest now