"Meenutti"
Calling her name out loud, Devi went upto her three year old angel, who was presently engaged in digging up something from in between the seats. They had been travelling for over 6 hours, and she couldn't blame Meenu, if the little one acted out like this.
"Ammaaaaaa", Meenu wailed as she was pulled away from her excavation spot. A mother is never supposed to get tired of her child's wailing, but once in a while, all mothers would have wished that the child didnt cry, atleast this once. But not for Devi. She just smiled and hugged Meenutti. And you can easily understand why.
The doctors werent able to actually say what disease it was, but some problem inside Meenutti prevented her from speaking. Whether this problem was physical or mental, nobody knew. Even after hundreds of diagnosis by a qualified array of specialist doctors, the advances of Medical sciences had to bow its head against the play of nature. All it could find out was that Meenutti could understand whatever was said to her, but she couldnt (or wouldnt) give a reply.
It has always been the case, that as long as everything is going fine, man forgets God, but as soon as an insurmountable force stands in his way, he falls at God's feet. The casually devout couple of Suresh & Devi were now spending day after day in temples across the country, pleading with God for letting them hear their child's voice. They were going around bartering; his hair, her ornaments, money, etc for Meenutti's voice.
But no matter how much you are ready to give, unless the right time comes for you to give the right amount, you dont get what you have asked for in return. In their case, it was a local Ayurveda doctor, who told them about Sai Baba of Shirdi.
And that was where they went three days ago. With plenty of hope, they visited the shrine, prayed at the feet of the marble statue of Sai Baba, asked from him a miracle, to make their child talk. They stayed for two whole days; did all sorts of things which was due there, but still Meenutti didnt say anything. And cursing their fates, and wondering if the activities they indulged in their past lives were so bad, Suresh and Devi left Shirdi, with Meenutti.
Meenutti was, as usual, oblivious of what was happening around her. She just wanted to have a Milkybar, but her parents wouldnt buy her one. They had been instructed by the doctors that Meenutti should take no milk in her diet, because of a medicine she was taking.
When Meenutti saw the man with the red hat, selling Milkybar on the train, she started pointing in his direction, and jumping on her feet. In order to keep her quiet Suresh said, "We have no money for milkybar right now." After making a fuss of it for some more time by running around in their little cabin, knocking down water bottles and any stuff she could find, Meenutti settled down in the window, and didnt heed the calls of her parents.
It was at this moment that an old lady, with Sai Baba's photo on a thalli came into their cabin, asking for alms in the name of Baba. Suresh started searching his pocket for some change, but could find only a ten rupee note. Someone who was travelling with them, told that this is common in these parts, and that they shouldnt encourage these people.
Devi felt compassionate to the old lady, and she pressed Suresh to give the ten rupee note. And so, praying to Sai Baba, they put it in front of his photo. From the corner, Meenutti, who was observing the proceedings, thought this was too much. She had been denied her Milkybar for months now, and now her parents were starting to lie to her.
"You have money to give to that old lady you just met, but you dont have money to buy a Milkybar for your own child."
Meenutti couldnt grasp the situation, but Suresh and Devi were in seventh heaven on hearing that complaint from their child. She had talked finally. They thanked the old lady for coming into their cabin, gave her a lot more money, and thanked her again.
But the thing was Meenutti wouldnt speak again. She was still angry with her parents for not buying her that Milkybar, and she just ignored them. And they left her to her own means till they could take her to the doctors agian, and that was how she was excavating something shiny from between the seats.
And so, while picking up Meenutti from there, when she cried out "Ammaaaa", you can see why Devi hugged her, and cried. It was already three years, but that was when she really became a mother, when her child called her "Amma".
