Valiachan's Last Days

In end December my parents had called me to tell that valiachan did not sleep well during night  and he had woken Achan up in the night  to ask for coffee.He also had  breathing problems ,but was not agreeing to visit the doctor.I called up home,and valiachan himself picked up the phone,he was waiting to speak to the doctor on phone.I asked him 'why don’t you go to the hospital' as I could hear his breathing.He said I am 85 years old and I don’t need a doctor now.Then he added,but you don't worry.

We started the next day to to reach by evening. On first January,he was in a bad state,he wanted hot liquids to drink and steam for his chest.My husband Bhagat and father bathed him in the evening and got him ready and convinced him to go to hospital. Once he was ready he called me and asked me to get a comb for his hair. Bhagat was there in the hospital till Wednesday for supporting Amma and Achan.In the hospital on the day before his death on Thursday, me and Sutej ,we visited him in the morning,he had kanji. When we were leaving ,he said 'why don’t I also come home with you',I said ' Since he needed  an Xray ,so we will come back in the afternoon. Then Ranjini chechi visited for delivering Lunch and Clothes.Achan was there till afternoon. In the after noon,we reached the room earlier than him and Sutej had slept.He came from the Xray and was really happy to see Sutej sleeping and kept lying down watching him and smiling.He kept having hiccups and  we asked for water,but he would say no.In the evening we left with kumarchi and nimmi ammayi at the hospital.Amma,Acha ,leghu chechi ,anju visited him in the evening. Amma and Achan returned late in night.Hema was scheduled to arrive on next day morning.At night my mother's brother Nandamama stayed in the hospital,he  said that he kept hearing the heavy breathing which subsided later.He called up at 3:00 am in the morning to announce the news of his death.