In the morning and in the afternoon, the cawing of crows broke the otherwise deathly silence of the road. As Babita was in family way, her craving for different kinds of food was so intense that it was difficult to meet that. Another worry that gripped Mukesh was the safety of the unborn child. As Babita was consulting gynaecologist Dr Hajela, the Pandeys occasionally got in touch with her over the phone on the way.
Navneet recalls that social workers and volunteers of various organisations and policemen offered them cooked food and fruits on the journey. Navneet says that, as the volunteers came to know his Bhabi (sister-in-law) was pregnant, they provided more fare than what the family required.
Suddenly, Babita fell ill. She was feeling nauseous and often cried out. She was also becoming feverish and listless, her right eye flickering alarmingly. The vehicle had to stop. Mukersh knew that he had to seek medical aid, but, as it was out of the question then, he called up Dr Hajela, who advised them to break the journey. For fear of contagion, the hotels were closed. So were the clinics. Once her conditions bettered, the family resumed the journey.
In the evening of May 24, as the Bihar borders came within their sight, their heart began to throb. They breathed a sigh of relief. On May 25, after more than 50 hours of that painful voyage from Bhopal, they reached Motihari.
Babita says, as she got out of the car, her father pulled her into the house, repeating as he kissed her, “It’s all right, it’s all over now.” He yelled, “It’s our Babita. She’s home!”
Three months later, on August 8, she gave birth to a baby boy. He was named Suryansh. Navneet, back in Bhopal, has rejoined work. Mukesh and Babita, still in Motihari, are planning to return soon, unless there is another country-wide lockdown!
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