Life and Time
From Palghat Engineering college hostel, I used to start suddenly when the college announces closure suddenly for 3 or more days. Those days there were no methods to communicate home about this. It used to take more than 8 hours to reach my place by bus. If I start after college, I used to reach by midnight. Most of the bus conductors oblige on my request to stop the bus near my house which is on the roadside of NH 47.
No street lights and it used to be complete darkness at that time. Normally just impossible for anybody to see a person in the utter darkness. I will call Amma, Amma 2 to 3 times standing at the front door and in a split of second she will jump out of the bed saying loudly it is my “Joy mon “Most of the time without even putting the light she will open the door recognising my voice. Next she will get in to the kitchen and bring something and say I expected you tonight.
When she was in her last days at M.A.J Hospital, Ernakulam, I reached the hospital directly as I got the message about her serious conditions from my wife. Towards the last days she was not able to see properly and was lying on the bed. I reached late night directly to hospital and amma was awake. As I entered the room, Sheela asked her to recognise me. Amma looked at me and said she is not able to see properly and it is difficult to make out. At that moment, I called out ‘Amme’ as usual and instantly she smiled and uttered the same words, it is my Joymon. That moment will remain for ever in my memory and it will die with me only. Now she is no more. I will not hear that words again. I will not see that face lighting up on seeing me. I will not able to call anybody like that. ……. Life has to move.
As attended the funeral, I was reminded of the great observation by a saint in a funeral. He observed “ All those gathered here definitely do not think that they could be in this position in the very next moment. He also added that , if everyone things like that, the world will come to standstill " Standstill means there is no motion. If there is no motion, no time. So time stops for the person when life cease to exist. When there is no motion, no light( light is also a result motion of electrons), no sound(sound is also result of motion(vibration) ) and life becomes standstill.