She couldn’t see her husband dying in her arms. She felt helpless and sorrowful.
Courageously, she begged her neighbours, relatives and every possible person she could and gathered a small amount and left for Baramati for the further tests of her husband.
Doctor moved her husband in the check-up zone, she discreetly sat outside the room with the teary eyes, praying god to save the only wisdom in her life. Doctor came out of the check-up ward, her eyes lit, eagerly waiting to hear the well-being of her love. But Fate had some other story written for them, Doctor advised further costly tests and medications, which were going to cost them a bounty. Lataji’s world collapsed with her nowhere to go, no money to treat her husband. Her world was shattered, her heart ached, overwhelmed by emotions, she cried with helplessness.
They came out of the hospital heavy-heartedly, stopped by nearby samosawala, had two samosas on piece of newspaper, her eyes stopped on the bold Marathi headline on the newspaper, her eyes lit, heart skipped. The headline was about the ‘Baramati Marathon and it’s prize money’. She was excited and all sorts of thoughts flooded her mind.
Next day, Baramati Marathon was about to commence, everyone geared up in their sports shoes, cozy shorts and tracks, sweat absorbing tees. And there she comes, the 67 year old Lata Bhagwan Khare, wearing torn saree (lugda), bare footed, tears in her eyes. She argued with the organizers, they weren’t ready to let her participate in the marathon, she pleaded, she begged, she convinced them to approve her participation.
Marathon started, she hitched her saree just above her ankles, she ran like a wizard, like a 16 year old teen, she didn’t think of anything else, she could just see her husband’s agony and the winning amount in front of her eyes ahead. She didn’t care about the hard hitting rocks and pebbles on her way, her feet bled, but she ran and ran. She won the marathon and was awarded the prize amount. It meant a life to her, she was going to see her husband live. Crowd cheered her, streets of Baramati clapped for her. People were flabbergasted, they saluted her and applauded her.
She collected the winning amount and made sure her husband received the proper medication. This is love, this is devotion. She didn’t blink an eye, she never thought about how she is going to win the marathon, how is she going to run barefooted, how’ll she survive. She only ran with one motive, to save her husband.
I salute Lata Bhagwan Khare, for her courage and fortitude. In the world full of excuses, you just proved to be an icon.
* As received in a social media group
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