53. Gold flowers were showered

Thousand moon- Shrimati Shantabai Narsinh Fadke
 contributed by - Dr. Raghunath Boradkar

Shrimati Shantabai Narsinh Fadke  81+ lives in Belgao Karnataka. Here she narrates three experiences where she thanks providence for saving her and her family’s life and in fourth she tells us about the moment that gave her the utmost joy in her life. Lets have it in her own words.

I still remember the chill that ran through my spine when I remember this incident. We had returned to Mumbai from a North India tour.  My grand son who was  about two and a half to three years old  used to be with me always. On this tour he was not with us. I was a little uneasy without him so I asked my daughter in law to send him by plane with someone  to Mumbai from Belgao. We  received him at the Airport.

Next day we were to go to Ghatkopar to my niece for lunch. It must have been eleven thirty or twelve noon and the local was not crowded  My grand son was on my lap. The local halted at a station .When I looked out I saw people jumping from the train and running. In a minute or so another local coming from behind crashed in to  our train with a terrific bang. Our compartment was lifted up  and caught between the engine and the girders supporting the electric cable. For a moment my heart stopped as I clutched my grand son. Luckily none of us was hurt. The co passengers who were as terrified as we were. helped us in getting down on the platform . We then just ran to safety even forgetting to thank those who helped us. I still remember them and pray God that they be happy. It was God’s grace that saved us.

The second incidence that I remember happened when we were on a south India tour. In all we were fourteen people  We were going to Bhatkal and passing through a Ghat  when suddenly brakes of our car failed .  My son in law Prabhakar was driving the other car and was following us. He noticed that our car brakes have failed. What he did was very courageous. He overtook our car , went ahead and then managed to throw a big stone on the road. Our car dashed against the stone the petrol tank was broken and the petrol leaked and Balukaka who was driving our car managed to stop it by steering the car in to a mountain side ditch and we heaved a sigh of relief. We then got the people to repair the car and proceeded further. The rest of the journey was uneventful. Again Grace of God.

The third incidence carved in my memory occurred when we were traveling from Kanjivaram to Madras[Now Chennai]  We started sometime in the evening. This time we were caught in a cyclone. There was a heavy downpour  and strong wind that could sweep  anything, Trees had fallen and the electric poles bent.   It appeared that our car was the only car on road, The cyclone raged for four hours. By midnight we reached a small village. The villagers understood our plight and gave us shelter in the village school. Next day we left for Madras again thanking the villagers for their benevolent act.

Nothing can hurt you when the Almighty protects you.

And now the day of utmost happiness and paramount joy in my life.

In Fadke family my mother in law had seen great grandson and they had celebrated the occasion by showering Gold flowers on him in a function called Mavand.

In January 2003 that is after forty years we had the opportunity to celebrate the same function again for my great grandson. There were four generations living under the same roof.

All religious rites were performed. A bowl of Bronze[Kase] was filled with clarified butter[Toop] and I saw the face of my grandson reflected in the Toop. This was a moment of Paramount joy. My eyes were full of tears but they were the tears of Joy.

A feeling that can not be put in to words. Gold flowers were showered as was done forty years back. What pervaded the atmosphere was pure happiness  and for me it was  a moment of glory.

Shrimati S.N. Phadke Belgao.