Friday, December 3, 2010

Suneeta and Mahesh

Suneeta
The phone is glued to his head
Suneeta is the daughter of my late sister Kanta. Suneeta lives about a mile from my place in Delhi. I walk to her home from time to time. At other times I take a rickshaw. Suneeta calls me every day about seven o’clock in the evening to invite me for dinner. She does not take no for an answer! Her cooking is adding to my waistline. Her household consists of her husband and her son. Her daughter is in Dallas studying computer science. Her husband, Mahesh, is a charming man who keeps the conversation going. Both of them have a great sense of humor and I feel completely at home there.

Mahesh has a degree in auto engineering. He is working as an independent claims adjustor. He is very busy working almost seven days a week. Suneeta runs a pre-school for kids for four hours every morning. Their son has finished high school and is applying for admission and hopefully a scholarship some place in the USA.

They live in not too far from the Red Fort of Delhi. This area was first inhabited at least a thousand years ago. It has been in continuous use since then. The streets are not wide enough for autos. Mahesh has to park his car about half a mile away.

My sister had a sad and tragic life and died of cancer at the  very young age of about 55. When she was born there was some problem. I am not sure what happened but it caused her to have borderline mental retardation. She could not walk until she was three years old. Then she could not read and write no matter how hard she tried. At the age of eighteen she was married. Naturally she could not fulfill her duties competently. She was expected to cook, clean, take care of her in-laws, husband and children. Here she could hardly take care of herself. It was very tragic for her husband too. There was no divorce in India at that time. Kanta had four daughters and one son. They are all married and are well settled. Her grandchildren are going to graduate and post-graduate schools. Kanta would have been so proud and happy.

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