Centurion at 99.

“99 down!! We aren’t far away from history arewe!?! It is gonna be a huge celebration! It is gonnabe a saga!!”….. As Mr. Ranjit shah lay on his bed he

could listen to these words he had said two months back echoing in his ears!!

In the last two months life had changed!! Changedso much that from being a man who moved theworld, he had become one who couldn’t move an

inch of his body!! Ranjit who wasconsidered to be one of the finest writers of modern day Gujarati

literature had 99 novels to his name! and the 100th did not seem far away! Fate however had something else on its plate to offer!!

As he was crossing the road after visiting a temple,a car knocked him of his feet forever!After a month of fighting between life and death, modern day technology won the battle and kept

him alive! From being an independent person who lived alone in his palatial house after the demise of his wife ten years back, to not being able to move at all, was a drastic change!

Once he was discharged from the hospital, his son

Shaurya took him to his place as there was no way he could live alone! He had never stayed with his son since he left home during his college days to study business in London! Distances had dampened

the closeness in the relationship! Ranjit had never had the time because he was too busy in the different worlds he was creating in his novels! He

had a huge fan base and this was reflected by the love and care his fans had shown during this first month by hosting prayer meets, sending innumerable padikis(powders that would help heal

him), letters et al! The main question troubling everyone however was “When is the 100 th coming?”

Ranjit was in pain! As much as it was physical it was in the mind! It was a result of dependence!! He spoke little during the first month! Doctors tried as hard as they could to bring him to his feet but in

vain! He wanted to die!! Die desperately! Modern day medicine and his inability to be able to commit suicide prevented this from happening!!

Shaurya, his wife Naina and their son Aryan did as much as they could to comfort him! Naina took a month off from work and though the nurses did the

job with efficiency, it was love that she gave him that mattered the most!!Aryan made it a point to talk to him about his friends and all that happened

at school that day! Shaurya would read out to him all the fan mails once he returned from work and talked to him about the politics and news of the world( Ranjit had a lot of interest in these things)…

the talking however was mostly speaking! Ranjit hardly ever responded! He was disinterested and found it strange as he was not used to being loved

like this!

Time, they say, is the best medicine! Though no part of the body moved, his frame of mind did!! He started to smile!! He started to ask Aryan about his friends! He talked to Naina about his books and

how would write them! The proximity between the father–son relationship was back! The accident had given Shaurya his father back.

Over time his health deteriorated!! He was

breathing his last! One of his fans asked him in a mail “Sir don’t you regret not having been able to

complete your century!!” He asked Naina to write in reply what he said! “Dear well wisher! For years I was alone! Lost in the magical world of my books!

People loved my work! However there was no one to love me! I was successful, rich and I had presumed that I was happy and satisfied! The canvas of life however is divided into two! One of achievement and the other of love! One side of it was brimming and the other side empty!

Satisfaction is a result of the combo of both! After meeting with the accident and the initial agony, the love my family gave me has filled the other half so beautifully that the achievement part of my canvas

seems trivial! I would never have know that my son loves me so much! That would have been a regret and to be honest it was! Even at 150 books it would have stayed that way! The colours of my achievement canvas could never have coloured the

canvas of love! Through all the pain and trouble, God gave me what I didn’t even know I wanted!!

Now I will die a satisfied man! And where there is satisfaction there is no regret!”