Departing on Eid

"Uncle don't go for these, they are actually very sweet and not good for you at this time", I said to Burman uncle, Burman aunty said the same and said him to have some other dishes. Actually Burman uncle had diabetes and his sugar level was terribly threatening since last few days. He has also grown very lean since last year when I last saw him. The whole day of Eid was as usual very busy with lots of guests coming over and we were tired, Burman uncle and aunty were the last to come that day. They are one of the dream neighbours which everyone wishes to have. It was the Eid-ul-fitr of 2006, I had to leave for Durgapur in the morning. This kind of departure always makes my Mom very tensed, she never wants me to go the very next day, she was very upset. But as we all were tired we went to sleep. it was 00:30 hrs and somebody was knocking the door heavily, quite loud to wake us up. I went to see what has happened, I saw burman aunty, she was sweating and panting and was knocking the door of Tiwari aunty our next neighbours, I asked aunty what happened and she said gasping a breath, "please call your mummy and papa beta", by the time mom was already out and chinku also came out of his house with Tiwari chacha, we went to burman aunty's house to see what has happened. She was running allover, was very confused and worried, I saw uncle lying in the bed, semi concious. Tiwari chacha asked chinku to take out the Car, I went to aunty and asked mom to take care of her, I picked up Burman uncle in my hands and took him out of the bed room, we had no time to think. I said we will take him to the Mission hospital as it was just five minutes from our place. I brought him out of his house, and I sat at the rear seat , tiwari chacha handed over burman uncle in my hands, I was holding him. Chinku started the car, burman uncle was falling short of breath, I opened the window, Tiwari chacha and Papa said they are coming in bike and we moved, suddenly Burman uncle had a heart attack, I was able to feel that, I looked for his breath, he was breathing, I then took my arms from his back and pressed his heart twice, he was breathing. I was very confused and a bit terrified too, nothing such has happened with me before. He turned his face towards me and was trying to say something, he gave a very intense look at me, but then he turned his face the other way, I was holding him in my hands as we hold a kid. We reached the hospital very soon. Me and chinku carried Burman uncle to the emergency ward and asked the nurse to call the doctor immediately. She said in a very sleepy voice to wait for ten minutes, and she called the doctor. Before doctor could come, Papa, Mummy, Tiwari chacha, Burman aunty every one was there in the hospital. Doctor came in and straight away went to see the patient. We were outside waiting for him to come. He came and burman aunty started crying loud, and it was so loud in that very hour that we couldn't even listen to what doctor said. But I could make out what he has said, he called us and asked what happened, we told him the same, and he said "He departed when you were on the way to the hospital".

The next morning I was in train, and was remebering the look of burman uncle which he gave me with his last breath. I was thinking of this departure on Eid in my entire journey.....