THE SUNSET YEARS

- P. Krishnamoorthy

The crimson sky with setting sun on the western horizon was simply spectacular. Raj Verma was gazing at this spectacle from the balcony in  his recliner. Verma was a retired but suspended Collector. He was charged with many unproven cases  yet dragged by  the bureaucratic government with numerous legal adjournments. Verma was a honest individual, always go by the rules and regulations of the constitution.   His righteous approach to any issue without yielding to the pressures of the politicians was commendable. Everytime he came out unscathed against all the pressures in his thirty years of service. Just before six months of his retirement he was involved in an issue that prolonged for years. While the government retired him exactly on the due date in last six months, they withheld his retirement benefits like his pension and gratuity under the pretext of pending clearance of his ‘suspension status’ by the supreme court.

The issue he had to challenge was  where the government wanted him to approve a proposal  of putting up a leather processing tannery in an agricultural village under his jurisdiction. Its inhabitants’ main source of living was through their agricultural produce  By allowing the tannery in the village, its waste water mixed with tanning chemicals would be diverted into the adjoining river that was the mainstay for the irrigation of agricultural lands.  This was the main objection against tannery coming up in that village. But a big conglomerate with the connivance of the politicians for personal gains, brought heavy political pressure on Verma to approve the project; but he was very adamant in not yielding to the various pressures. Finally after all levels of hierarchy exhausted, the government resorted to a legal battle, finally ending up in the supreme court. 

Verma’s only son Kishore was in U.S. for higher studies. He picked up a liking with Susan, an American girl, a divorcee and single, much elder to him, working in the college office. She also reciprocated his association. At the end of the course, Kishore was not able to extend his stay due to visa restrictions  Susan suggested his getting a permanent visa by marrying her. Kishore agreed to her proposal in spite of knowing that she was an anti-Indian. This made Kishore’s visit to his parents difficult for a long time. 

Besides his legal entanglement, Verma’s domestic peace was shattered with Kishore’s wedding with  Susan, that too a divorcee,  elder to him and an anti-Indian American. All these developments made Verma’s wife disabled and bedridden, suffering from mental depression and other chronic health problems. 

The definition of sunset years covers the years after one’s retirement till death. During this journey one tends to recall his or her memories of youth when with dashing youthful exuberance one was adorned by others either for his atheletic activities and laurels, leading to adding companionship by marriage, either thru personal choice or arranged one. This kind of recollection lead to a longing  of retracing back in that journey. This thought process, though a kind of ‘mirage’ was purely temporary, and fades away when reality  takes over to one’s present life. Life would be a mixer of  positive and negative developments in varied proportions.  

When Vema was in his prime of youth, he was always positive, and he was able to wage wars as a one man soldier against dishonest issues without yielding to them;  but in sunset years he had to end up as a wounded soldier with his own son shattering his dreams.  This also led to his wife’s disability status.

Aa the time had elapsed quite considerably between his prime youth and sunset period, Varma was depressed as more adjournments prolonged his legal fight. Adding more misery,  his wife’s health condition became deteriorated to an alarming situation. After a couple of days she had heavy breathing problems from which she could recover and died. . Without any help from anybody Verma felt more isolated and  abandoned  He was hoping to a dawn when the situation would take to a better turn, giving relief to him. Though it was a wishful thinking on his part, still he was optimistic to happen in realty. 

The hopeful dawn was there after a week. Verma could see the light at the end of the tunnel. There was a telephone call from Delhi. His attorney informed Verma that the supreme court delivered a favorable judgement in his case against the government. They also instructed to relieve Verma  from ‘suspension’ status and to give him all withheld benefits of retirement by the government.  

Following this, there was another call from Kishore from U.S. conveying his condolences on his mother’s bereavement and to inform that he would be visiting him in the following week along with some official work.  Verma was so pleased to hear the two good news on the same day. They prove to be the hopeful dawn that he was optimistic all along. 

On the scheduled day of Kishore’s arrival, Verma was preparing to receive him in the airport as he would be meeting him after a long time. He was checking with the airport whether the flight had landed. Their response was he was on the flight and left the airport. Verma became restless as he did not reach home and  it was already four hours since he left the airport. He was trying all his contacts to locate his whereabouts. Finally there was a call from the police that Kishore got involved in a traffic accident with a truck  while travelling in the taxi, and got admitted in St.Vincent Hospital. Fate’s ‘roller-coaster ride’ had begun. The jubilant Verma in the last few days with the legal victory and followed with Kishore’s visit, had overturned into a precarious condition of his son’s life. Sunset years could noticeably played its part with joy and sorrow. Before Verma could reach the hospital, Kishore was in the surgical room. When Verma arrived in the hospital, the doctors declared that his condition was stable and forty eight hours to go out of critical condition. Varma could only see him thru a glass window as he was not permitted near his bed due to possible infection. 

Verma returned home thoroughly disappointed. He simply prayed the Almighty for his speedy recovery and give him “the serenity to accept things which he cannot change and to change things which he can and the wisdom to know the difference”  He was mentally and physically tired with these negative developments.  

Next day Varma he was leaving to go to the hospital, his attorney called him on the phone to inform that the supreme court had ordered the government to pay him with considerable compensatory amount beside his retirement benefits for all his mental tribulations he had gone thru all these years. Again another instance of ‘roller-coaster ride’.

Kishore’s condition became very critical. While Verma was rushing to the  hospital, the driver stopped the vehicle as there was a political rally going on. He was asked to take a diversion and go in a different route. By the time Varma came to the hospital, it was late and Kishore could not survive. After reaching the hospital,  the driver noticed that Verma was not rushing to get out of the car. He was panicky on Verma’s silence He called the hospital staff for help. They found that Verma died few minutes before due to a heart attack. While removing him from the car, his cell phone fell down from him. One of the staff found that  there was a text message from the doctor attending on  him. As the doctor himself was in an emergency and rushing to his home, instead calling Verma on the cell phone,  he had sent him a text message informing Kishore’s death. On seeing the text message Verma had a heart attack and collapsed instantly in the car. The last journey in his sunset years had begun in the car itelf.