25. When Rain Changed a Destiny: Suyash’s Engineering Admission

     It was raining heavily. I sat by the window, watching the sheets of rain blur everything outside, and felt a quiet ache within. Such a beautiful opportunity… gone. And yet, I told myself, let it be their way. Perhaps it is better when children take their own decisions and live life on their own terms. Maybe this was also a way for me to step back — to no longer feel responsible for shaping Suyash’s life.

2.      We were then living at Napean Sea Road in Mumbai, while my sister Preeti and her son Suyash were in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. I had spent nearly 25 years of my life travelling from Kharghar in Mumbai’s local trains, and not a single day passed without me feeling that precious time was being lost in travel. That thought had stayed with me so strongly that when it came to my own children’s education after their HSC, I was very clear — I did not want them to spend their youthful years commuting. I wanted them to study in a residential college, away from home. In my mind, it solved everything. I would not have to rush every morning preparing lunch boxes, I could focus better on my work which had become quite demanding after my promotion as an Officer, and most importantly, the children would learn to live independently — managing themselves, their time, their responsibilities, and slowly growing into confident individuals.

3.      But with Suyash, life had unfolded very differently. He lost his father at the tender age of 11, after years of watching him battle brain cancer. His childhood was not filled with carefree outings or vacations but with hospital visits and uncertainty. Growing up as an only child with his mother, he became her companion in every sense. Surrounded mostly by elders, including my father, he turned into a gentle, helpful boy — running errands, assisting with technology, helping others with mobile phones and smart TVs. Then came the COVID years — two crucial academic years spent entirely at home through online classes. His world had been small, protected, and deeply intertwined with his mother’s.

And yet, somewhere within him, there was clarity. He wanted to pursue Computer Engineering.

4.      May 2023 brought with it the results — and with it, a quiet disappointment. JEE Mains did not open the door to Advanced. BITSAT was not encouraging. A few private universities had given admissions — Manipal, Amrita, VIT — but the fees were high, hostel costs even higher, and still there was no assurance of getting Computer Engineering. I suggested SASTRA University at Thanjavur, a place we knew well because our own son had studied there. I had seen how transparent their admission process was, how reasonable the fees were, and how the peer group consisted of students who were sincere and grounded — not necessarily toppers, but not weak either. It felt like the right place.

5.      When Suyash got Computer Engineering (AI & DS) at SASTRA, my heart was filled with joy. Silently, I offered my gratitude to Siddhivinayak Temple, Prabhadevi, because somewhere deep within, I had wished for exactly this for him — his desired stream, a good college, a path that could secure his future.

But life is never just about opportunities. It is about emotions — deep, binding, sometimes overwhelming emotions.

6.      For Preeti, this was not just about sending her son to college. It was about letting go of the one person who had been her constant through years of struggle. From the time her husband fell ill, it had always been just the two of them, holding on to each other. The thought of sending him far away, all the way to Thanjavur, felt unbearable. And Suyash, sensitive to his mother’s feelings and aware of her financial situation, began to step back from his own desire. He said he would study in Mumbai, in whatever stream he got through MHT-CET.

7.      They eventually secured admission in EXTC at a college in Chembur. When they told me, I accepted it outwardly. But within, there was unrest. I could already see the life ahead — long, exhausting train journeys from Kharghar, the daily uncertainty, the anxious waiting of a mother if he got delayed or unreachable, the limitations on his growth, his exposure, his independence. And yet, I questioned myself — who was I to insist? What if he could not adjust away from his mother? What if she could not stay alone? What if, in the end, everything worked out anyway?

8.      That rainy morning, as I sat by the window, these thoughts weighed heavily on me. I expressed my sadness to my husband. He listened quietly and said he wanted to speak to Suyash just once — to understand his reasoning. I messaged Preeti accordingly.

9.      And then, something unusual happened. My daughter called from the US — something she rarely does so early in the morning. Almost instinctively, I poured out everything to her. Her husband, who had studied EXTC himself and later moved into the IT field, listened carefully and said something so simple, yet so powerful: “If he wants Computers, he must study Computers. Otherwise, he will have to come back to it later anyway.”

That one sentence shifted something.

10.    Soon, all of us were on a conference call — my daughter, my son-in-law, Preeti, and Suyash. Questions were asked gently, but there was no strong reason, no convincing explanation for why he should let go of Computer Engineering. And then, my husband stepped in with quiet assurance — he said he would personally take them to Thanjavur and settle everything.

What happened next still feels unbelievable.

Between 6:30 am and 8:00 am, a decision that seemed final… changed completely.

Flight tickets were booked.
Hotel arrangements were made.
And just like that, they were ready to leave for Thanjavur.

11.    Looking back at the events of the previous day, I cannot help but feel that something beyond us was at work. The heavy rains, the long queues, the technical issues during document upload, the sudden requirement of an HSC hall ticket which was never asked before, the system not accepting uploads, the counters closing — all of it felt like invisible obstacles. And then, something even rarer — a pre-announced government holiday due to heavy rains, preventing them from completing the process the next day.

It was as if every attempt to finalize the Mumbai admission was gently being stopped.

12.    When I called Preeti that morning, she said she was just about to continue the process — upload documents and pay fees. But within those ninety minutes, everything changed. There was nothing left to upload, nothing left to pay. The direction itself had changed.

13.    For me, this was nothing short of divine intervention. The Almighty had worked through circumstances, through delays, through people — even through us — to guide Suyash towards a path that was meant for him.

14.    Today, Suyash is in his third year at SASTRA, doing well, growing, becoming more confident with each passing day. Recently, he secured an internship at a prestigious Government Institue in Mumbai for May 2026. And when I look back at that rainy morning, I no longer feel a sense of loss. Instead, I feel gratitude.

Because sometimes, what we think we are losing is actually what we are being protected from.

Sometimes, when paths close, it is not rejection — it is redirection.

And sometimes, faith quietly works in the background, arranging things in ways we cannot even imagine.

All we need to do… is TRUST.

 

24. 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebrations that I attended.

 

I feel truly happy and grateful that I got this opportunity to say a few words today for Uncle and Aunty’s golden wedding anniversary.

I met the Bagaria family a few years ago as next-door neighbours, at a phase in my life when both my children had gone away to college and my husband was mostly a weekend husband because of work postings. Even though I was busy with my own work during the day, evenings in an empty house had started feeling difficult.

And that is when this family quietly became such a beautiful support system for me.

The children — especially Shourya and Shristi — would come running to greet me. Aunty would often keep aside some special dish or snack for me and lovingly say, “Come, eat with us.” Those simple words carried so much warmth and comfort.

I stayed near them only for a short period, but the affection and bond have continued for years.

One thing I always admired about Aunty was how proudly and lovingly she spoke about her family — her children and daughters-in-law. I remember when she had kept an Ekadashi fast and wanted to do the udyapan pooja. She was so happy talking about how everyone supported her wholeheartedly. Listening to her always felt so lovely because you could genuinely see the love and respect in this family.

Recently, when I was posted in Goa and staying in a rented apartment, some people there openly told us they didn’t want to become friends because we were “just tenants” and would leave someday.

And I remember thinking — what a contrast.

Because families like the Bagarias make people feel included, welcomed and cared for, no matter how temporary life may be.

And on a lighter note… aren’t we all tenants in this world anyway?

Maybe we can all learn something from Uncle and Aunty — to be a little more affectionate, a little more accommodating, and a little more inclusive.

So today, here at the Jio Convention Centre, we have all been enjoying a truly rich and memorable experience of hospitality—from the moment we handed over our vehicles to the valet at the entrance, to the lavish and delicious spread that has been so thoughtfully arranged for all of us. And as we receive the prasad of the Satyanarayan pooja and this beautiful Lord Ganesha memento, I feel that these are not merely gifts; they are reflections of the generosity, warmth and thoughtfulness that Uncle and Aunty have shared with family, friends and well-wishers throughout their lives.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish Uncle and Aunty a very happy Golden Wedding Anniversary. May God bless them with good health, happiness, peace and many more years of togetherness. May their love, kindness and ability to make everyone feel like family continue to inspire all of us for years to come.

Thank you.

23.When Faith Overruled Fear: The Night That Saved Shashank

 

The year was 2012. Shashank, my nephew, was about six-and-a-half years old. He had cough, cold, and fever — something so common, especially when viral infections are around. Normally, with a few days of medication, children bounce back. So initially, there was no great cause for worry.

2.      But Pooja being Pooja, she never treated anything casually. She would personally take charge — balancing allopathic medicines with home remedies, carefully managing side effects, and ensuring that symptoms did not aggravate. She had, over the years, become deeply knowledgeable about the human body and its responses. After all, this was the same woman who had tirelessly managed her husband’s chemotherapy and all its painful side effects with remarkable strength and precision.

3.      Pooja and her husband were both banking professionals posted in Gujarat. Back in 1991, when their first son was born, they had relied on Jyoti’s parents to care for the child while she resumed work after maternity leave. Everything seemed perfect — after all, what could go wrong when a child is under the loving care of his own grandparents? But life had other plans. When the time came to admit him to school in Vapi, they arranged for a babysitter to take care of him after school hours. One day, the child fell sick. What began as a simple illness soon turned mysterious. Communication gaps, unfamiliar surroundings, and a growing dependence on beliefs and practices that Pooja was not entirely aligned with — all of it created a situation where, despite trying various treatments in well-known hospitals, they could not save their son. He passed away at just five-and-a-half years old.

That loss was not something that could ever fade.

4.      So when Shashank fell ill at the age of six in 2012, those painful memories came rushing back. Fear took over logic. This time, Pooja and her husband placed complete faith in the doctors.

5.      They were living near us in Kharghar then. When Pooja called me and said that Dr. Moralwar had diagnosed Shashank with a disease called “Kawasaki” and that an injection costing ₹40,000 in cash was urgently required, I was taken aback. I could not believe it. I rushed to the hospital immediately.

6.      There I saw Shashank — my little nephew — lying on the hospital bed with an IV drip. He looked alert, his face did not reflect any severe distress, and yet he had been admitted and was being given glucose intravenously. I was shocked. I questioned — why an IV when the child could eat normally? But Pooja and her husband were in a different state of mind. They looked defeated, almost resigned, as if history was about to repeat itself.

But something within me refused to accept that.

7.      I immediately thought of Dr. Shenoy, an MBBS general practitioner based in Goregaon East, about 43 kilometers away from Kharghar. He was known to see nearly 300 children a day and was regarded by many as nothing less than a God’s messenger for the poor in the Goregaon-Malad area. I had trusted him completely with my own children throughout their growing years. Based on my own experience and understanding of his treatment approach, I felt strongly that we must seek his opinion before proceeding with such a serious diagnosis and expensive treatment for a disease we had barely even heard of.

8.      At around 5:30 pm, I called his clinic and explained that we would be travelling from Kharghar and might reach by 8 pm. Then I turned to Pooja and told her to inform the hospital that we were taking Shashank out. But she hesitated. Her fears were valid. What if the hospital refused to take him back later? What if something went wrong? What if this was destiny, and no doctor could change it? She was caught between fear and faith — and fear was winning.

9.      At such moments, my husband has always been my pillar of strength. When I told him that I wanted to take Shashank to Dr. Shenoy, he did not question me. He simply said yes and got ready to drive.

10.    Time was slipping. I urged Pooja to sign the hospital form — “Discharged Against Doctor’s Advice.” With a heavy heart, she did. We carried Shashank, still with the IV port in his tiny hand, and began our journey to Goregaon. Traffic was terrible. Reaching by 8 pm seemed impossible. I called the clinic again and informed them we would be late — around 9 pm. To our relief, they assured us they would wait.

11.    When we finally reached, Dr. Shenoy saw us immediately. He examined Shashank calmly and then said something that changed everything in that moment — “There is nothing to worry. It’s a viral flu. The child is hungry. Feed him.”

12.    He gave a simple dose of medicine, packed a few more, removed the IV port, and said, “Free the child. He will be alright.”

That was it.

No panic. No complicated diagnosis. No expensive injection.

Just clarity. Just experience.

We stepped out of the clinic around 10:30 pm. All of us were hungry. We stopped at our sister’s house in Powai and had a simple meal of curd rice. But that night, that simple meal felt like a celebration. There was relief, there was gratitude, there was quiet joy.

We returned home — and we never went back to that hospital again.

13.    That was in 2012. Today, in 2026, Shashank is a healthy 21-year-old young man. And not once did we face any such health scare again.

14.    Later, out of curiosity, we looked up what “Kawasaki disease” actually was. It turned out to be a rare but serious condition affecting children, involving inflammation of blood vessels, often requiring prompt treatment. It is part of a broader category called vasculitis — disorders involving inflammation of blood vessels, which can affect various organs. The disease was first described in detail by a Japanese pediatrician, Tomisaku Kawasaki, in 1967, after observing several such cases.

Reading about it on the internet could easily make any parent panic.

15.    But our experience taught us something invaluable.

No matter what we read or hear, nothing replaces the reassurance, judgment, and experience of a trusted doctor whom we can meet in person.

Sometimes, fear magnifies situations beyond reality.
And sometimes, faith — combined with the right guidance — brings us back to truth.

That night, it was not just a doctor who treated Shashank.
It was faith, courage, and timely action that saved us from making a decision we might have regretted forever.

 

22. The AIBE Exam I Went to Write, and the Lesson in Humanity I Brought Back.

 

AIBE XXI – My Story

I got my AIBE examination centre at a school in Nallasopara, a good 70 kilometres away from where I stay. Given my physical health, limited stamina, and recurring acidity issues, I was genuinely concerned. How would I manage a journey of nearly three hours, write a three-hour examination, and then undertake another three-hour journey back home?

The examination was scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.—exactly in the middle of the day, neither before nor after lunch. Even planning meals required careful thought.

The immediate solution seemed obvious: check into a hotel near the examination centre the previous evening.

It was a practical and feasible idea. There were innumerable hotels in the area, though not very close to the centre, most being about 20–30 minutes away by road. That sounded reasonable enough.

Meanwhile, my husband spoke to a few friends because Nallasopara was a place we had only heard about and never actually visited. It always sounded like a far-off suburban residential area. The most economical and practical connection with Mumbai was through the Western Railway local trains, which run frequently.

But with a bag full of books, advancing age, health concerns, and a life that had gradually moved from middle-class train journeys to travelling by car, train travel was simply out of the question.

One of our friends then offered us the use of their earlier residence, which happened to be much closer to the examination centre.

Little did I know that I was about to experience a royal welcome and what felt like VIP treatment.

We left our home in Kharghar at around 5.30 p.m. and reached our friend's place by 8.30 p.m. During the journey itself, our friend Suraj called several times to check on our progress and informed us that their maid was waiting to show us the flat.

I remember wondering what there was really to see. I had carried food for ourselves and was mentally planning my last-minute revision for the examination.

The first warm feeling greeted us even before we entered the building.

The security guard at the gate showed us where to park our car. The moment we mentioned Suraj's name, everyone became noticeably courteous and hospitable. It may sound like a small thing, but it was a rare experience.

Over the years, whenever we visited someone, security personnel would usually ask us to make entries in registers, instruct us not to park in certain places, or direct us to leave the car outside the society premises. Here, however, we felt welcomed even before entering the building.

When we entered the house, another surprise awaited us.

The refrigerator was stocked with vegetables, coconut water, curd, buttermilk, eggs, milk and bread. The house was spotless, fully functional, and ready for comfortable living.

A little later, Lakshmi, the maid, came to explain where everything was kept. I told her there had been far too much trouble taken for us. After all, we were only going to stay for a single night and would leave immediately after the examination.

She replied, "Madam has told me to keep everything ready for your stay—new towels, new bedsheets, and even the air-conditioners have been serviced."

At that very moment, Suraj's mother called on Lakshmi's phone. I took the opportunity to speak with her.

All I heard was:

"Geeta, you can stay for two or three days. Cook, eat, rest. Everything has been kept for you."

Those words brought tears to my eyes.

That night, one question kept ringing in my mind:

What is true richness?

People may possess immense wealth and money, yet may not know how to spend it. People may interact with hundreds of others every day, yet may not know what words need to be spoken at the right moment.

Those words—"You can stay for two or three days"—were not merely words.

They felt like affection.

They felt like belonging.

They reflected a largeness of heart, generosity of spirit, and a magnanimity that cannot be measured in material terms.

Even the best words fail to describe the sense of gratitude and overwhelm that I have felt since arriving here.

I kept wondering how I could express my happiness and gratitude to Suraj and his family.

The next morning, I woke up and made coffee for us. I cooked rice and tomato chutney, along with cucumber salad and curd for lunch. My husband prepared omelettes and bread for breakfast.

We did all this partly to make use of the fresh provisions thoughtfully kept for us and partly as our small way of acknowledging the care that had been extended to us.

The AIBE examination brought me to Nallasopara.

But the greater lesson I learned was not from any law book.

It was a lesson in hospitality.

A lesson in kindness.

A lesson in how genuine affection can transform an ordinary act into an unforgettable memory.

Thank you, Aunty.

My deepest regards and namaskarams to you.

My heartfelt wishes to Suraj and his entire family for a long, healthy, prosperous, happy and blessed life. May good fortune, good health, and happiness remain with your family for generations to come.

Sometimes, the most important examinations in life are not the ones we write in examination halls.

They are the ones where people quietly demonstrate the values of humanity, generosity, and love.

And in that examination, your family scored full marks.

I had gone to Nallasopara carrying law books for an examination. I returned carrying something much more valuable—a reminder of the goodness that still exists in people.