My saarthi, Sebastian, is just back from Bangalore after a 10 days' leave. As he gave me his customary salute in the morning, on boarding the Gypsy, I asked him about his family and the way his leave had shaped up. He's an extremely quiet and shy guy and one has to really be persistent to draw him into a conversation.
He'd gone in connection with a betrothal ceremony in his wife's family. The apple of his eye is his one-year old daughter, Andrea Fiona(I'm fond of the name and have told my men and their families that she's my latest girl friend, much to their amusement) who, along with her mother, have stayed back and will join him a fortnight later.
He was rather pensive as he recounted his grandmother's death that had occurred early in the morning. She was 82, had her third heart attack last Thursday and was in the ICU of a hospital in suburban Bangalore when he'd boarded the train yesterday. Seeing his countenance and thinking that he wanted to be back there for the funeral and connected proceedings, I told him that he'd my permission to proceed on emergency leave forthwith.
His reaction, indeed, surprised me. He politely declined my offer and confessed that he was ruing the fact that quite a lot of money was spent on the old lady, fitted to life support systems, when there was actually no hope left in her survival. He was angry with the hospital authorities for making money at the expense of their sentiments!
Yes, a very dispassionate observation indeed!!
He'd gone in connection with a betrothal ceremony in his wife's family. The apple of his eye is his one-year old daughter, Andrea Fiona(I'm fond of the name and have told my men and their families that she's my latest girl friend, much to their amusement) who, along with her mother, have stayed back and will join him a fortnight later.
He was rather pensive as he recounted his grandmother's death that had occurred early in the morning. She was 82, had her third heart attack last Thursday and was in the ICU of a hospital in suburban Bangalore when he'd boarded the train yesterday. Seeing his countenance and thinking that he wanted to be back there for the funeral and connected proceedings, I told him that he'd my permission to proceed on emergency leave forthwith.
His reaction, indeed, surprised me. He politely declined my offer and confessed that he was ruing the fact that quite a lot of money was spent on the old lady, fitted to life support systems, when there was actually no hope left in her survival. He was angry with the hospital authorities for making money at the expense of their sentiments!
Yes, a very dispassionate observation indeed!!
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