THE NESTED LOVE

By KAVITA  S HEGDE

This book, written by Kavita Hegde, is a collection of 10 English stories depicting the vivid emotions and themes embedded in our life. The love to comprehend the tight or loose bond between real or false relations is quite clearly visible in these fictions. Love is one indomitable spirit which encompasses all our lives and when the same emotion lacks, the loss of everything is evident. The unforgettable coastal life in childhood of the author fills the same essence in the characters and it is naturally reflected in most of the characters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BlueRose Publishers
• Release date: Jul 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354273797

Book preview

Hey Shiva, where are you from? I asked him with all my curiosity.

From Bihar Sab.

His voice was never loud and words were very limited too. He was a caretaker of a villa whose owner had settled in France and rarely came to India. Right in front of my house that empty house would mock at me; I always felt it was as lonely as I was. Just a year ago when Shiva came as a care taker and started living in the servant quarters, I felt relieved.

I and some of us in the colony would often assign him some gardening work in our compounds and he would never refuse to work. He had no friends or any acquaintances. All his life was the villa and its maintenance. Sometimes I saw, a lady would come to his quarters for an hour or so, whom he later introduced as his wife. He, in his humble voice told me that she stays away from him due to their children’s education. He also told me she would come to take the monthly expenses from him and I felt; it was natural, for anyone to look after the family and what objection would you and I have for this?

Holi……the festival of colours! The most joyous festival of Holi, for which the whole colony waited for a yearlong, was being celebrated with so much of craze that day! Everyone was dipped in colours completely. The elation was at its pinnacle in the morning itself. All the members of my colony were grouped in the corner of the street and were busy in throwing colours on each other, hiding and escaping from the ‘pichkari’ holders, and what not! A great fun and also a healing for all agony, hatred and jealousy were going on!

After my kids went in search of higher prospects, I and my loving wife lost the charm in life. How unfortunate I was! I lost my wife within next few years which permanently made me lonely. I led a life with an utter boredom of course but now I was used to my solitude, inevitable. When the cheers outside reached the sky, I just peeped out of my gate for all my inquisitiveness to know who is doing what. Suddenly my eyes caught the sight of Shiva who had fallen down… struggling to breathe. I rushed and shook him, Shiva, what happened? Tell me something….Shiva……

Poison……..poi...., and he fell unconscious on my shoulder. Poison? Who? Did he consume or someone else gave him? My lord…… I would not afford to delay and all around looked for some help. No….no one was there in any of our houses. All were drowned in the enjoyment of Holi colours as if they were intoxicated. Two young men were eagerly going somewhere and I felt they were the only resort. Both of them were unknown to me and they were drowned fully in rainbow colours. I begged them for a help. We do not know whose hand helps us in our emergencies. These two men looked at each other for a while but after seeing the serious condition of Shiva, lifted him and made him seated between them in my car without any hesitation. In that moment of emergency too, what really surprised me was the incessant effort of those anonymous boys to wake Shiva up and that really stirred me.

We took him to a nearest hospital; the receptionist told me that the doctors who would treat such patients were on leave and also they would not admit him because the medicine for such patients was unavailable there. Shiva had to be admitted in a government district hospital which was the only one destination for such critical cases; she suggested. Gone case; I felt. His condition was worsening second by second and I had to roam now in search of that hospital which was too far. I prayed to my God…..let me admit him in the hospital……till then he should survive somehow. I was not ready to lose him.

Standing in such a long queue to get him admitted, I could see the real colours of life in the government hospital. It had all the facilities but it was unable to hold so many patients more than its capacity. So many critical patients’ relatives, who were pushing, pulling, crying, yelling, fighting had turned the entire ward into a hell and were least bothered about the warnings of any staff. The ward was brimming over with all critical cases and almost all were lying on their death bed. Most of them were poor and in uncontrollable condition. Dwindling and dying lives at every minute had made that air so rough and sensitive both; I guessed. The entire ward was dedicated only for snake batten people, suicide attempters or poisoned ones. Just imagine…..every minute a dead body would come out….with screaming and weeping relatives.

Is it true that hard situations turn everyone so weird and rough? I was standing like a helpless and hopeless man for someone, who was not my flesh and blood. I was so proud of my decent lifestyle, filled with every comfort and…..now……I was not less than a worm in a pit. I despised myself for coming here and standing in such a stinking line, but where did I have a substitution? What else could be done?

A question from the counter drowned me in the ocean of thoughts. How are you related to Shiva? Yes…who am I to him? According to a wise man who was hidden in me, I told that he was only an acquaintance found in danger, in front of my house. I was quick enough to imagine all the consequences including police enquiry. It shook me…..what else to say?

I checked my pocket, I had left my mobile at home in my hurry. I hardly remembered any numbers. Suddenly I thought it was my duty to inform some of my neighbours. What if they blame