I was sitting late in the night again in front of my system, which had become the major part of my life now. My life had become extremely monotonous and uneventful. But the day I met ‘Cheeku’ my life had changed dramatically. Cheeku was this spark in my life which had a motive planned by God. But now Cheeku was not there but having him living with me for 2 weeks had rejuvenated my soul completely.It all happened one day when I was going to my office yet again on a weekend. I was traveling in a local ST bus which was more rickety that a cot with 3 legs. After much grumbling and making faces, I finally managed to sit on the conductor’s seat, which he reluctantly gave after my continuous miserable looks. I was almost reaching my destination when I heard someone brawling and shouting. I strained to look back and saw a young boy and a man looking as if they were 2 scared mice trying to get free from a trap… and few men yelling at them. I did not understand the scene in the beginning. Slowly, I heard the other man (one of the mice) saying in broken English, “I take ticket baba. Purse and phone someone take away from me… my ‘babai’ phone. Please check na”. Then it struck me that he had been pick pocketed and probably dint understand Hindi or Marathi. From my place I could hardly see their faces. At least double the people were standing in the bus than the available seats. The man was crying and holding on to the child closely and balancing 2 –3 cartons together with his leg. Clearly he had taken tickets till the last stop, but some thug had robbed him and got down in the previous stop (as is usual in Mumbai). The guy he was talking to or rather pleading to check people around was trying to explain that the pickpocket has probably got down in the previous stop. But when the man was reluctant to get down, some 7 to 8 guys asked the conductor to stop the bus and literally threw him and the cartons out. The child and the man started screaming and the child almost got trampled under the big monsters around him. The people around were so rude and ruthless that they dint even allow the child to get down. He was now hiccupping. All this I was witnessing as a silent audience shamelessly having no other option, as it is quite common in Mumbai.
When the kid was crying endlessly, people started cursing him without even a remote clue of any guilt. Then suddenly he became breathless and that was the time when something literally slapped me hard on my face and made me rush to him. I carried him and stopped the bus. I did not bother for anyone as I dint consider them worth bothering. Almost near my workplace, I knew a big hospital nearby. I quickly summoned a rickshaw and hurried to the hospital. There I rushed the kid to the emergency and after around a half hour of struggle, I was called in by the doctor and briefed about the situation. The child was under tremendous shock and was facing trouble in breathing maybe because of some previous medical history. I went inside the room and saw him sleeping peacefully. The tiny stature, the fragile built of the kid melted my heart and I felt wetness near my eyes. I dint even realize that my eyes were continuously pouring. I went near him, kneeled down and touched his tiny hands. I looked at his innocent face and was scared that he might wake up at the slightest sound and will know about his current location and start missing his father (assuming that the man was his father). I sat there for another 1 hour 40 minutes when he opened his eyelids…He looked at me peacefully and asked me ‘meeru yavaru’(who are you) in a total charming voice. I knew Telugu. So I understood but kept quite. He mumbled ‘maamaiya’… I understood that as ‘Uncle’ in Telugu. I asked him his name and he whispered in a low voice… ‘Cheeku’. I melted completely. I told him not to fear and took him to the nearest McDonald’s. He had mixed feelings of excitement as well as fear, naughtiness as well as timidity, speed as well as hesitation in his walk. I told him everything that happened in my broken Telugu and was surprised to see his confidence in his talk at such a young age. He must have been hardly 4 or 5 but talked like a grown up. After a hearty meal, I asked him if he would come with me to my house. He hesitated and after a long silence, he nodded and said ‘only if you promise me to search my uncle”. I approved and took him happily to my house where I lived with two more ladies of my age. They were surprised about the incident and agreed of my action. One of my flat mates lent her shirt to him, which was almost till his knee. He looked like a huge teddy bear. We ate and played with him till 11 in the night. After he slept, we 3 discussed our POA (Plan of Action) for finding out his uncle.
The next day we gave a notice in the local newspaper and informed the police. Then after a load of questions, we came to know that Cheeku had come here with his maternal uncle to meet his parents after a year. He had been with his grandmother since last year as his father was struggling for a job and did not want it to affect the child. Now after a year he was going to meet his father. One year back he had been with his parents. He couldn’t recollect much but just said few things that he remembered. He talked of some big bridge with lots of dirty water below, of a big police station near his house with lot of police vans and many things which we dint quite take seriously as we did not really believe a child’s memory.
Thankfully my flat mate was on a night shift, which facilitated us in taking care of him by turns. Then after a futile effort of 2 weeks, one weekend we went to a nearby lake and were playing and screaming our hearts out after so many years… After college one rarely gets to go back to the playful mode. Thanks to Cheeku, we were having blast of a time. But after some time, I got tired and bought some candyfloss for everyone and we all sat down on the bench. Then Cheeku gradually started talking about his mother. He told that they used to go to such lakes every Sunday and his father would make him play on all the rides. His mother would similarly get tired soon and then buy candyfloss and they all used to return home late in the night. Soon he also said that near his house there were lots of lakes.
Late that night after everyone slept, I was still not able to sleep. I was quite disturbed and not getting sleep. Something was bothering me and I did not quite realize what it was. I went to the kitchen groping in the dark and drank some water. Came back and tried sleeping. No success. Then suddenly something struck me and I got up with a jump and switched on the light. Took out my diary and wrote few points and then feeling happy with myself, and slept in few minutes.
When I woke up I was clear about my plan for the day. Cheeku was jumping and playing all around with a balloon that we had bought the previous day. I discussed my plan to my 2 flat mates and they were very surprised at how it struck me and not them. One of them Neha was convinced that my intuition was almost correct. We asked Cheeku about some description of his parents. He said the usual things. After lots of futile attempts to make him remember Neha suddenly jumped and ran into the room and came back with a piece of rag. When she brought it close, I realized it was a small, not so old photo with a man, woman and a baby. She said she got it the locket that he was wearing. She had removed it to put a new thread for it. Neha left the house at around 10. Back home I packed up Cheeku’s things and got him ready. I cooked and we had a heavy brunch. Then we went to a nearby mall and did some shopping. We came back at around 4:30 p.m. and soon I slept. I was in no mood to play anything with him. So gave a coloring book to him which he happily started coloring. In around an hour my other flat mate also came. We were having tea when Neha came back at around 6 in a cab. We watched from the balcony. She seemed to have somebody with her. We were looking at each other surprised and confused because she dint have any relatives and we never brought home any ‘friends’. Her co passengers got down and were coming towards the gate when suddenly Cheeku started shouting and screaming with joy and ran towards the main door. He ran out of the house despite our futile attempts to stop him lest he fell and broke his beautiful little nose. But he did not stop and ran down the stairs from the 3rd floor till the ground floor and almost ran into the man. The man was shocked for a second on the sudden bump. But when he saw Cheeku’s face, he was overwhelmed with joy and hugged him tightly. We two although were getting what was happening still went down and brought them to our flat and after they sat, I recognized one of them as the same person in the bus who was with Cheeku.
They were 2 men and a lady apparently who were Cheeku’s parents and Uncle. Neha explained that my guess that Cheeku’s house was somewhere in Thane area was correct and she had shown the photo to a constable in the Thane police station. The constable smiled and took her to a lane nearby where in a flat Neha found the lady in the picture. Cheeku’s clues that there were many lakes nearby his house, a police station and other small description had given me that intuition. We talked for some while and Cheeku gave his mother the saree and shirt to his father, which we had purchased in the morning. Then they explained that Cheeku’s uncle had somehow come walking till their house after been thrown out of the bus and they were very worried about Cheeku’s safety. Cheeku waved to us as the cab started and promised to come back soon to meet us.
Today I was just pondering, sitting in my seat in the office on a Sunday after 1 complete week of Cheeku’s departure. It was 6 and I walked down the building of my office and past the gate when suddenly heard some shrill voice. I turned back to find Cheeku there waving and running towards me. I was surprised and did not respond for about a minute thinking it was just a dream. When suddenly he pulled my handbag and as I bent down, gave me a hug. I was all smiles and found that his parents had brought him along. He told me that now he will come every Sunday to meet her. I remembered something and crossed the road and called the candy floss hawker and bought for each one of us.
