It was a hartal day. An unexpected, unofficial "holiday" thanks to petromagic. The magic which ensured that when everything is on the downslide in this country, there is atleast one commodity on the upward swing. So there I was, with quite a lot of unplanned time at my disposal wondering how to utilise it optimally. The confusion soon ended when I received a call from my mother asking me to trace out the telephone number of my friend, a doctor.
As there was a sense of urgency, I had to act immediately. The fact was that I knew that my friend is a doctor and is presently working in a hospital in the neighbouring district. But other than that I had absolutely no clue about how to contact this person. Being a hartal day, the only way out was to make a few calls and try my luck. Soon, I could obtain the hospital number and a few further calls later I was in hold of the precious mobile number of my doctor friend . Feeling quite elated I immediately dialled the number forgetting the fact that doctors' have no hartal in their lifetime! These hartal induced holidays are the prerogatives of ordinary mortals like me. After making a few desperate calls, I gave up thinking that my luck has finally run out.
In the evening I was surprised to receive a missed call from my doctor friend. I got really excited and rang back immediately. The voice at the other end responded positively when I queried whether I had called up the right person. Then I identified myself quite hesistantly as I was calling her after nearly 22 Years!!
But those years just seemed to melt as I heard a hearty laugh break out at the other end. In a moment, we were back at the Arya Central School, where we spent those most valuable ten years of our life. The voice had changed, years had simply flown but the warmth of childhood friendship was still the same. It was as if we had met only a week after the school had closed for a vacation. We eagerly lapped up information about those missing years and updated each other's profile in our memory.
When I finally informed her about the real purpose of locating her, she was only too eager to help me. The talk soon shifted to her professional life, as to how busy she was in real life being a Gyneacologist and yet how she still found time to spare, to be with her own kids. As she described how tough and time bound her job was, I was quite amazed at the transformation of my school buddy, a simple down to earth person, into a medical tutor cum practitioner, totally professional to the core. Even more surprising was her decision to quit a posting in the highly paid private sector and opt for the government service simply because she wanted to spend quality time with her own kids. What is the use of regretting years later that one could'nt enjoy the growing years of our own children, she said, as she explained how satisfied she was with her wise decision. It was not a remark made off hand by a mother of two. It was a well thought out decision taken at the right time at the right juncture.
As I ended the call with Dr.Resmy, I felt really happy not just because I had found a long lost childhood friend but also because I got a much needed affirmation as to the correctness of the decision I had taken years ago when I opted for the government service instead of the glamorous job of a journalist. For years on, I used to shrink uncomfortably when faced with umpteen queries as to "Why this job and not that?". From now on, I too shall proudly raise my head and reply confidently, with just two little words- Family First.
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