Small Story 80 Relationship won't Die

Small Story 80. Relationship Won't Die Madhav Rao was shocked to receive a reply to his invitation from his sister, Rama. In her letter, she mentioned that she wouldn't be attending his 80th birthday celebration, which was scheduled for one week from now in Madurai. Shyamala, Madhav's wife, was also surprised to see her sister-in-law's response. The reason behind Rama’s decision was something Shyamala hadn't expected: her son , Dr. Sudharsan, a leading surgeon at the Government Erskin Hospital, had refused to give his daughter Vasanthi in marriage to Rama's son, who had been working in Canada for several years. Sudharsan had cited the simple reason that relationships between cousins often don’t work out, especially in marriages, which made Rama very upset. She had been unable to convince him, and after that, she stopped visiting Madhav Rao’s place. More than one and a half decades had passed since her last visit. Eventually, she had migrated to Canada. Madhav Rao had always been very attached to his sister, her husband Raghavendra, and his nephew Dhananjay. But despite the tension between the families, Madhav was still hopeful that she would come to his 80th birthday celebration. On the day of the function, held in the famous Lakshmi Sundaram Hall, many dignitaries, VIPs, and doctors had attended. Madhav Rao, who had retired two decades ago from his position as Director of RAW, was highly respected by his colleagues and friends. The celebrations were grand, and people came to Madhav Rao and Shyamala to seek their blessings on this special occasion. Suddenly, Madhav Rao's old friend Keshav arrived with a young boy. “Madhav, I remember the old days we spent together in Chennai. I can't forget them,” Keshav said with a smile. Madhav nodded warmly. “Who is this boy?” Keshav replied, “He’s my friend's grandson. He's here on holiday from some country, I can't quite remember. He wanted to witness this function, so I brought him along. My friend is my neighbor in Adyar.” The cute boy, about 14 years old, prostrated before Madhav Rao and Shyamala in a traditional gesture of respect. Later, Keshav took the stage and introduced the boy to the guests. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here to celebrate the 80th Sadhabishekam of Madhav Rao, a very important occasion in Indian tradition. This young boy, Ram, has come here to witness this function. He is an admirer of Madhav Rao and his family. His grandparents were supposed to be here today, but due to personal reasons, they couldn’t attend.” The guests looked at the boy with curiosity as he stood up to speak. “Hello, everyone,” Ram said confidently, addressing the room. “I am very proud to say that I belong to this prestigious family. Madhav Rao is my grandmother's brother, and he is like a grandfather to me. My grandmother had her reasons for not coming here, but I convinced her, and she allowed me to attend in her place. Despite the letter she wrote to her brother, deep down, she wanted to be here. Unfortunately, she suffered a severe cardiac arrest recently and is now resting. She asked me to convey one message to all of you: relationships never die." Ram’s words were powerful, and Madhav Rao felt a lump form in his throat. Tears welled up in his eyes. Shyamala, too, could not hold back her emotions as they listened to the boy’s heartfelt message. K.Ragavan 17-11-24