Selfless Love !!!!

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Selfless Love !!!

 

My wife called, "How long will you be poring over that newspaper?

Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?"

 

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter,

Sindu, looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes. In

front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.

 

Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just

turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my

wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects' of

Curd Rice! I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl.

 

"Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthfuls of this Curd

Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear? And, if you don't, your Mom will

shout at me."

 

I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a bit,

and wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

 

"OK, Dad. I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot

of this. But, you should…" Sindu hesitated, "Dad, if I eat this

entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?"

 

Oh sure, darling'.

 

"Promise?"

 

"Promise."

 

I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine and

clinched the deal.

 

"Ask Mom also to give a similar promise", my daughter insisted.

 

My wife slapped her hand on Sindu's, muttering, "Promise", without

any emotion.

 

Now I became a bit anxious.

 

"Sindu dear, you shouldn't insist on getting a computer or any such

expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?"

 

"No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive."

 

Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was

silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child to

eat something that she detested.

 

After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide

with expectation. All our attention was on her.

 

"Dad, I want to have my hair shaved off, this Sunday!' was her

demand.

 

"Atrocious!" shouted my wife, "A girl child having her hair shaved

off? Impossible!"

 

"Never in our family!" my mother rasped. "She has been watching too

much television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these

TV programs!"

 

"Sindu darling, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad

seeing you with a clean-shaven head."

 

"No, Dad. I do not want anything else", Sindu said with finality.

 

"Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?" I

tried to plead with her.

 

"Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice."

Sindu was in tears. "And you promised to grant me whatever I ask

for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told

me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should

honor our promises no matter what?"

 

It was time for me to call the shots. "Our promise must be kept."

 

"Are you out your mind?" chorused my mother and wife.

 

"No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honor

her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled."

 

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes

looked big and beautiful. On Monday morning, I dropped her at her

school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards

her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a

smile.

 

Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, "Sinduja, please

wait for me!"

 

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. Maybe, that is the

in-stuff, I thought.

 

"Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!"

 

Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car and continued.

 

"That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish.

He is suffering from leukemia." She paused to muffle her

sobs. "Harish could not attend school for the whole of the last

month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the

chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the

unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited

him last week and promised him that she would take care of the

teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely

hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to

have such a noble soul as your daughter."

 

I stood transfixed and then, I wept.

 

"My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!"