Pure Love

This incident occurred just four days ago and shook me so much that I wanted to share it with all of you. I was in the office when my CA came up to me and said that his wife had called to inform him about his neighbour’s death. But he told her since it was impossible to return home, he would reach the cremation ground directly from office. With my permission he left promising to return by lunch time.

The next day he came and apologised to me for not coming back the previous day as circumstances had made it impossible for him to do so. He explained that the body was taken for cremation after 4 p.m. so I commented that it being the month of June and also the hottest, it wasn’t right to keep a dead body for so long. Now he narrated the whole story to me.

The delay had been caused because they were waiting for his sister to come. So I further questioned him if she resided in another city or country. To my surprise I got to know she was only 15 kms away from his house. Out of curiosity I asked why had she not arrived sooner, if she’s in the same town. What I got to know after this was even more shocking.

He told me that the man who had passed away was from a very poor family. They were two brothers and a younger sister. The elder brother had moved away with his wife and kids as this brother wasn’t earning much and had also developed some medical problems due to which he was unable to lift weights or be physically fit to lead a normal life. So this younger sister who was very beautiful and highly educated, loved her brother and his wife dearly and also supported them in every way she could. A very well off gentleman liked her and wished to marry her. But she kept a condition before her brother and the prospective suitor. She asked this young man to allow her to support her brother unconditionally, to which he agreed. On the other hand her brother refused to take any financial help from his sister.

So his sister forced him to accept help for his medicines and basic household necessities. She was married and went to live in a beautiful house with all possible luxuries. Amazingly this girl never forgot her brother and his wife. Every month she would go to the market to buy the monthly medicines and groceries for them which always included his favourite candies, cottage cheese, and endless Indian local delicacies. Thereafter, the driver would drop her at her brother’s house, where she would spend the day with them and leave at night. This routine had been continuing religiously for the last fifteen years. This sister also never forgot to buy clothes or pay his hospital bills or any other emergency that required her presence or monetary help.

So when this gentleman passed away his sister was the first to be informed. But this lady requested her sister in law to wait for her even if she got delayed for certain reasons. While everyone waited this wonderful lady went to the market taking charge of her emotions. The market opens only by 11p.m. there she purchased all things which were her brother’s favourite, including his special sweets, cheese, candies, a set of white clothes and pair of white shoes, for it was this colour that he had always loved, but she never used to buy anything in this colour for she never wished to see him in that colour and always avoided this topic with a smile. She reached his house a few hours later. Every person present there was shocked to see this lady whose tears dropped unchecked and was emotionally broken completely. For she went up to them to ask them to dress him in the clothes and shoes of his choice, for she wanted to bid goodbye to him with all that he loved. So after he was changed in white and covered with flowers, she placed all the eatables he loved with him. By now her feelings were no longer in control and she broke down pleading, “Brother today I have got all your favourites, even the white clothes and shoes. Don’t leave me yet, please wake up, come back!” But it was all in vain, for the dead have never returned once claimed by the formidable clutches of death.

This incident has made me wonder that if this isn’t true love, then what could real love mean? It is where there are no expectations, but only unconditional giving. God rest this lucky, but deceased brother who was at the receiving end of the purest emotion of god- love.