The Homecoming

26 September, 2005, around 12 noon. We were in the midst of witnessing the breaking of many families, one by one. Two, three, four...the judge would quickly go through the cases one by one, and pronounce the couples as ‘no more-man and wife’. The divorce cases were done with ease, one after the other, quickly, in the family court in Bhopal.

Nikhil and I were also among the ‘family court cases’ that day, awaiting our turn for the judge to complete the ‘hearing’ for us. In the one or two hours that we had been sitting there, we witnessed breaking of many families.

My heart was beating loud. This was the first time I was visiting any court and was earnestly wishing and hoping that things are finalised at the first hearing itself! I did not want to wait longer. Neither did Nikhil. We had decided and that was it; we wanted things to be settled fast.

The tension was mounting and the buzzing courtroom was getting more and more noisy. The ambience of the courtroom was a far cry from the filmy courtroom we have watched on the television soaps or cinema screens.

We were sitting at the witness box, along with some other couples. The judge was seated on a high platform on her coveted chair and was flanked by more than four-five advocates in their shinning black coats and some couples were standing near the table. In short, the space near the table looked so crowded that I wandered if the judge could concentrate on individual cases. After sometime we could also see our advocate entering the courtroom and walking straight towards the judge’s table, to join the crowd. His gait was one that of a proud conqueror, with his pot-belly leading the way.

The judge would ask each of the couples if they had decided that they wanted to separate. And she would announce the closure of the case. That was it! I am sure the formalities and ‘balance sheet’ must have been decided earlier, out of the court and the event here was only a formality.

At the door of the courtroom, Baby Rakhi was cuddling comfortably in the arms of her care-taker. Rakhi was a seven month baby, staying at the Matri Chhaya –Adoption institution in Bhopal. She was visibly bored at being in the arms of the caretaker since so long and not being able to crawl around. To avoid any disturbance, whenever she opened her mouth, her caretaker would hurriedly move out of the court room lest she starts howling and disturbs the court proceedings. I could not help but laugh at the scene.

Rakhi looked so fresh and pretty, in a bright, crispy violet cotton frock. The caretaker was carrying an extra pair of knickers in a small thin yellow polythene bag. I could not take my eyes off Rakhi. I took her in my lap for sometime and filled my lungs with the lingering fragrance of Johnson’s baby soap and powder. But she again opened her mouth and before her sound would shake the courtroom, she was outside the room, howling, in the arms of the agile caretaker.

Suddenly we were summoned by the judge. My heart was pounding in a way that I could not hear anything else and a fear gripped my arms and feet and I was cold. I mentally allowed Nikhil to do all the answering. But at that very moment, I suddenly let go off my anxiety telling to myself, what will be, will be.

So the hearing session started and I expected it to be very long. ‘Who is Nikhilesh?’ she enquired; ‘Myself..’ Nikhil raised his hands. ‘Who is Anindita?’ I was still trying to get to the judge’s table and gosh! the ‘hearing session’ had already started. Short in height that I am, I had to raise my heels to make an eye-contact with the judge, raising my hand. Her next question was, ‘Who is Baby Rakhi?’ and the caretaker and the father figure of the Matri Chhaya known as Baba, pointed at the baby, now blissfully sleeping on the shoulders. To my utter surprise, the strict looking judge, Ms Indrani smiled affectionately and said, ‘She is asleep....take her back, don’t disturb her sleep’ and before we knew, she announced that our case was finalised and pronounced us the parents of Baby Rakhi! She instructed us to collect the Adoption deed the next day.

So, before we knew it, before we could even realise it, we were parents of this little baby, staying at the Matri Chhayaa, whom I have been meeting every Sunday, spending time with her, with a prayer that we develop familiarity before she comes home. The entire adoption process was initiated six months back and about a month back, we had filed the affidavit for adopting her and it was the Almighty’s mercy towards the expectant parents that adoption was finalised at the first hearing itself, very unusual as it is.

I asked the advocate again and again if it was really done, if we could take our baby home.

So, on 26th September 2005, while many couples were there at the court to break the relation, we were the only couple waiting for our chance for the judge’s hearing to build a family; a family, which was decided by destiny and soul, if not biology.

After an affectionate godh bhadai at Matri Chhayaa, our daughter came home, seated on the lap of her father, dozing off, with her head comfortably leaning on his chest. And as the clock struck midnight on 27th, our little haven was lighted up with the arrival of our child whom we had borne in our heart, mind, thoughts and prayers, all these years.......