Scent of Life(SUDESHNA MAJUMDAR) For a four year old, the word ‘Birthday’ conjures up images of a party, friends and presents with lots and lots of fun. So, when Kate informed her son Mike that they would be going to the graveyard next day on his dad’s birthday, the poor kid’s initial reaction was whether they would be celebrating the ‘Happy Birthday’ party there…

As gently as she could, she explained to the child that there would be no such celebrations because that only happens for those alive and his father had passed into another world four years ago. He seemed to have understood, or so I thought, till he shot his next question, “what present will we be taking for daddy?” The question jolted both me and his mother. Even before she could recover from the shock, the little kid shot back, “some toy?”

It must have been a disapproval on both our visage that made him drop the idea and quickly come up with another suggestion, this time - a real bright one - “Mamma, will we take perfume for daddy?” Charlie loved perfumes and immediately we both nodded in approval. The thought of spraying the gift around his dad’s last resting place seemed the most wonderful way of remembering him.

The pall of gloom that usually descended upon her for the last two years, around this time of the year, seemed to vaporize into thin air. Without realizing, the little boy had turned what would have been an otherwise solemn day, wrapped in painful memories of happier days, into a rejoicing.

Kate recalled what excitement the day would hold for her husband Charlie, and how eagerly he looked forward, with childlike delight, to wearing the new set of clothes, and with what glee he opened the gifts given to him by the family. Kate decided that the celebrations should not end just because the cruel hands of destiny had snatched the man in his prime from their midst. He had lived life king size. There was no reason why his child should not be taught to treat life the same way.

Kate took an instant decision. “From now onward you will get a new set of clothes on your dad’s birthday. And as for celebrations, there would be a round of chocolates and ice-creams” - his father’s favourite.

The happiness on Mike’s face had to be seen to be believed. In a way it helped fill partially the hollow in Kate’s heart which had been a part of her life for the last three years….

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