On 15th Nov, 2010 – “He” arrived on earth in the evening – at 7:10 PM to be precise according to Doc’s records.
Some points to remember about his arrival is:
1) The atmosphere went blimey – it was sudden change of season. Soon after Diwali we were witnessing the most unusual form of rain, combined with thundering firebolts and whirling winds.
2) Sweet rosy fragrance permeated the nursing home for some two minutes – the source was unknown.
3) Drashti got operated upon for precisely 35 minutes (approx from 6:35 PM to 7:10 PM). It went smooth, and the “Dayin” first informed us by making a “penda” shape with her hands. However no one could decipher her gesture.
4) The output of the whole process was normal – it weighed 2 kg 800 grams, looked dark pink, and had enough hair on its scalp. While being taken to family, it made absolutely normal baby sounds and jerked his legs – this was within the first minute of being taken out of the womb.
5) After reaching the first floor and having been handed to family, the head nurse announced, “Congratulations! it’s a boy!” – and a loud cheer erupted through out the first floor.
6) What happened after that is remembered by no one in particular order – but one thing that was sure was chaos. Some people queued up to have a first look, some to have a first hold, and some to shake hands. Others were busy initiating family calls. I informed Avani, who cancelled a project meeting, and arrived with Astha. Papa also arrived within 10 minutes, and having seen the baby, soon rushed back to buy “penda” for everyone.
7) What followed was routinely – snaps taken by mobile, continuation of blessings and wishes, shooting by camcorder, and so on.
8) Drashti was still under anesthesia, and was advised to sleep until the next morning. She was taken from the ground floor to the first floor after about half an hour of the birth. The medications were high at work, and she kept blabbering things – unaware that everything was over.
It was an end of a marathon that everyone in the two families ran. An eternal sense of relief swept across everyone’s face. That, in turn, was the reward.
P.S. The moon sign turns out to be “Aquarius” (Kumbh).
