Human life is shaped by experiences. It is these experiences which in turn mould his character and in turn it is his character which determines how he would react in a situation thus shaping the nature of the very experience itself. In my life as well, I have experienced a lot of events and through my actions and reactions in and towards those events have had multiple experiences. These experiences, some sweet and some bitter, have taught me several life lessons. However, it is the bitter ones that have truly helped me appreciate the sweetness of the others. Today I shall narrate one such bitter experience of my life.
It was the year 2008, I had just cleared my 10th Board examinations and started my higher secondary schooling. It had been barely two weeks of class that my grandfather suffered a heart attack and had to be hospitalised for an open-heart surgery in Apollo hospitals Chennai. Since my father lived in another city for his work it was me and my mother who had to take my grandfather from West Bengal to Chennai via flight, leaving my grandmother and sister at home. As my grandfather’s treatment was proceeding suddenly one day we got a call from my home that my father had suffered a traffic accident and had a leg fracture. My mother left my grandfather in my charge and left for my hometown as she had to make arrangements while my father was brought home. Then started two of the worst weeks of my life. Being just out of school and in a place like Chennai where I new neither the language nor the people it was really difficult for me to take care of everything from the payment to looking after my grandfather who had just had his surgery and was advised by the doctor to stay for a few days so that he could come for check-up. I also had to cook food, clean the room where we lived and give medicines to my grandfather at appropriate times. It was in this period of my life that I learned the most valuable lessons of my life. Firstly, never trust people on what they say, always verify. Secondly, family and filial duty is above everything else and should always be above all else.