A Mother in India

8th October- The Indian Air Force Day

Normally the temperatures come down slowly in the month of October. Probably due to the prevailing global climatic changes the temperatures sharply dropped within a week this year. What a relief it is to wake up to days that are no longer hot and humid but cool. The birds have already started coming down from the mountains to nest. I wonder how many would be able to go back with their young. For their nesting grounds in Delhi are slowly disappearing. The place I live has many 'Rain trees' still full of pink flowers even on the low lying spread branches. During a moonlit night, against the backdrop of dark green leaves the delicate flowers emit a pink lustre. By the end of this month the flowers will wilt and drop.

The 8th of October was the 'Air Force Day' - celebrated every year in the Air force bases in India with impressive parades and air shows. I can still remember vividly watching a magnificent Air-show from the roof-top of our home in the holy town of Allahabad. It began with two large helicopters swaying dangerously close to the ground trying to keep pace with a Hindi song belted out by a young officer, followed by fighter aircrafts effortlessly performing aerobatics - tumbling all over the great blue sky . Probably it may be the fact that I was sixteen, carefree and filled with patriotic zeal; no other air show I have watched till now can match that particular one.

This year one memorable function we attended was one at an Air Force base my husband had commanded. It was more than six years since we had left that base. During that tenure my daughter had been unwell. It had been a difficult time. She was on Haloperidol then. The sensitivity was so heightened, the depression and restlessness were terrible. She was not able to read at all -something which she loved. Falling asleep had been so difficult. Our psychiatrist had slowly tapered Haloperidol and the new medications had been slowly introduced. What a difficult time she had gone through during that switch over period. She did not want anyone in that base to know about her condition. She told us that it would be difficult for her. So we had to make sure that no one knew. That took a lot of effort. It was not easy. The memories of it all came back on the long drive to the base.

At the function I look across the garden to see my husband smiling surrounded by his students who have become senior officers in the Indian Air Force and I feel so happy. Many now know and understand and it has not changed the way his students treat him - with regard and respect.

Posted by survivor at October 22, 2007 03:21 AM