Post from July 7th, 2015

Prithiviraj Dasgupta was the 2nd visitor to our home who came to pay respect to Baba on the morning of Baba's Shraddh on June 30. He spread the garland, paid his homage, sat for a few minutes and left. Just as I watched him leave, I realized something strange.. a very very strange fact! Baba had attended Prithiviraj's annoprashon (first rice-eating ceremony held at 6 months of a child's age) in 1977 and Prithiviraj attended Baba's Shraddh in 2015, never having met each other on any instance during their entire life-spans. I did not get to dwell on this realization as visitors trickled in.

Today, as Ma and I were sitting at their place, Apala Dasgupta mentioned that Prithiviraj had a realization this morning. As Prithiviraj spoke, I found myself listening to what I had realized on the morning of Baba's Shraddh. Even Prithiviraj and Apala were as amazed as I was to see this strangeness.. Baba, as an architect employed in Kothari Associates, getting invited by developer Prabir Gupta for his first child's Annoprashon (cherishing the beginning of his child's life), a visit and treat Baba clearly remembered and spoke about (around 2009) due to the hugeness of the "lyangcha" that got served on that occasion.. and Prithiviraj having become and stayed my friend under the most unexpected and unusual of circumstances, attending Baba's Shraddh (marking the end of Baba's life on earth). It is stranger, that although Baba had met Apala on a couple of occasions when she visited our house, and Prithiviraj had visited our house around 2009-2011 on a couple of evenings when he had met Ma, Buro and Sayari, Baba and Prithiviraj had never met each other!

"We get only that much that we are supposed to get. Only that much happens that is supposed to happen." Prithiviraj summed up.

Thanks Aurna for just being there.. Thanks to life for keeping Apala Dasgupta and Prithiviraj Dasgupta as my "friends", despite every reason of it happening otherwise.. Thanks for a place that Ma agreed to go to, after all the disappointment I had over Sunday evening.. Thankful that I could take Ma out of home first to the bank, then to Gariahat, and then to meet Aurna.. Thankful for the few smiles and laughs that I could see from her, after her severe depression over the last couple of days..