The Legacy of Hansabai

She was everybody’s lifeline. Nobody could do without her. It was always, “Hansabai, my son has indigestion. He is vomiting continuously, what should I give him to eat?” “Hansabai, I’ve some urgent work tomorrow, will you look after Krishna, till I come back?” “Hansabai, quick, tell me what I should apply on this wound, it is hurting terribly?” and so on.

Throughout the day, and indeed, throughout her life, all she had ever done and with lots of interest and patience, had been attending to the needs and concerns of her tenants; whom she considered as her family.

Hansabai was the owner of a huge, ancient ‘wada’ which was situated right in the middle of the city, a crowded area where traffic never stood still and where hawkers noisily vended their wares.

But as one stepped into the ‘wada’ with a sprawling courtyard where all kinds of exotic trees grew in earnest togetherness and numerous potted plants vied for one’s attention; with the rambling house in all its stone and wooden structure; it seemed as if time stood still. It was eerily calm. A far cry from the din outside!

The copyright of this story is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.