mrigank roy

With the onset of dusk on the first Monday of 2010, one more day had passed and the wait was nothing less than agonizing. I had just had my dinner and after speaking to Mishti I thought of retiring for the day. Various thoughts of how things would turn out, on the big day, clogged my mind and I don’t know when I had fallen asleep with those thoughts. When Mishti called up at three in the morning, the next day, I knew that the wait was probably coming to an end and perhaps, the “big day” had arrived.

A few phone calls later I had reached my in-laws’ place and after seeing Mishti in utter discomfort, I knew that my wait to become a father was slowly but surely coming to an end. After the initial confirmation from the doctor, Mishti was admitted to the maternity ward of the local nursing home at around seven in the morning. The pain had slowly begun to take its toll and gradually, it was getting from bad to worse. I was with her throughout till the time the doors were finally closed for me, at around ten.

It was I and Mamoni (My mother-in-law) who were outside, patrolling the corridor in another agonizing wait, hoping for the pain to give way to tears of joy. I was then joined by maa and other relatives. I was then advised by everyone to come back after a quick bite as it may be a long day ahead. Reluctantly, I went down and once I came back, I heard, “It’s a Boy” and my joy knew no bounds. I remember that I just had a smile on my face and was relieved that all went well. When the nurse came out of the ward with my son and handed him over to me, I was transfixed and didn’t know what to say. He had only one eye open, so I asked the nurse if he is fine or is he the next “Captain Haddock”. That was definitely the most unforgettable and the happiest moment of my life. Today Mrigank is one year old and the “Circle of Life” continues…