At 6.00 in the morning he took out his red Hero cycle and set out for his home- a distance of about 7/8 kms. He cycled through all those familiar lanes and through the main Khwairamban bazaar and again along the banks of Imphal River. He was filled with both enthusiasm and fear.

He was enthusiastic to meet his family and fearful because of his last night's nightmare. Finally he reached the Mahabali grove near his home and he remembered his childhood days when every afternoon he would come to play football or watch the monkeys jump from a tree top to another.

Finally he reached his home in the Bhadralok Machin Leikai, a colony on the banks of the river, sandwiched between the Govindajee temple and the Mahabali forest. He rushed inside his house shouting. "Mom, you are O.K. and Grandma?" when he realized that both of them are O.K then only he settled down.

Akash's family consisted of his grandmother, mother and four of them -2 brothers and 2 sisters. His grandma had been suffering from a disease called Rheumatoid arthritis for at least the last 15 years. Gradually the disease was eating into her joints and her life and their lives. The once active lady who would supervise all garland making activities of "jhulon pala" in the neighbourhood temples had started confining herself into her bed. Only occasionally she would go out for a few yards.

But she still remained a perfectionist in everything she ordered them to do. It could be cleaning of the palang chimneys or the paknam that would be prepared in the neighboring kitchen. She could exactly tell when to do what. She had started leading a lonely life and the chiming bells of the nearby Govindajee Temples during the daily 4/5 aarties had become her constant soul mate.

Akash and his brother and sisters had unknowingly started avoiding her in their pursuits in schools and college. Akash , on the other hand was still in his Lower limb classes. He knew the synovial membrane, the cruciate ligaments and the menisci of the knee joints etc but why and how his grandmother's joints are destroyed he could not make out.

It was indeed a race against time. His anatomy classes should lead on to pharmacology, pathology, medicine, orthopaedics surgery and so on ---this could be a journey of 3/4 years in smooth sailing. At times he would really wonder whether he could be of any help to his grandmother when he finishes his studies or will it be already the end of the race. But these days his frail grandmother had started assuming the strong decision maker of the family. Akash would discuss everything with his grandmother.

Akash had become very stressed and so stressed at times that he would appear odd to others. He would go inside the movie hall and not watch the movie but think and think about what he should do next. He had to think fast for a solution, fast enough before the next bout of vomiting blood by his mother.

That day Akash decided to stay back. Night in Akash's home could easily drive an unaccustomed mind mad. He shared a common living cum bed room with his mother and his brother. His sisters and grandmother shared the next smaller room. At night before they sleep they could hear the grandmother's groan in pain, for her every movement had become painful.

Before they go to sleep it's the same and they could be woken up several times in the night by the same groans. It may be taxing for few days and when it becomes everyday matter one could easily become erratic. Normally one of them would wake up and massage her to sleep. That night before they tried to sleep Akash announced, "Nurse, hot water bag for bed no. 1 and massage for bed no.2."

His sister replied, "All done already, Dakter Babu." In so many days the whole family laughed at the new found joke and this rare moment slowly merged into the darkness of the summer night.

To be continued....