Page 41 - Seniorstoday November 2023 Issue

degree in science from a premier college As a measure to maintain her health,
and vocational training in computer
application, Shailaja got a job in a well-
known multinational company and made
rapid strides in her career with an inherent
aptitude and attitude of not being just an
individual contributor but an effective
team member, eventually going on to
assume leadership role and making a mark.
She had a supportive leader in the head of
her department who had earlier on detected
her capabilities and gave her increasing
responsibilities and guided her to success.
It was an extraordinarily demanding
job, but Shailaja managed to handle her
corporate role without compromising her
home-front responsibilities of being the
primary breadwinner and sheet anchor of
the family. Her parents had always been a
major support for her at home.
Shailaja’s early marriage had failed due
to the mental cruelty unleashed by an
insecure and jealous husband and soon she
had to exit the dead weight of a wedlock,
taking in tow a young son and the singular
responsibility of bringing him up while
managing his psychology due to a broken
home and the indifference of a selfish
father. It was a daily struggle for Shailaja
to address and handle the demands of a
growing son, the attention needed by her
ageing parents and the relentless pressure
of office work. She could not afford to slip
on any of these fronts and did her best
with an understanding mentor in the office
and supportive parents at home, albeit
of indifferent health. Inevitably, it took a
toll on her health, adding to the woes. But
life has to go on, Shailaja had no choice
but to live through it and cope as best as
possible. She had exemplars to emulate in
her parents whom she has seen handling
vicissitudes of life with fortitude.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #52 | OCTOBER 2023
Shailaja had taken to a regimen of walk,
yoga and diet, in spite of her gruelling
schedules and 16 hours routine. As a
resident of the Queen of the Suburbs,
a quaint epithet for Bandra, one of her
routines was to do a six to eight kilometres
walk along the Bandra Bandstand
promenade, from the Bandra Fort at one
end to St. Andrews Church on the other
end and returning back via the uphill and
downhill slopes of the eponymous Mount
Mary Church road. The early morning
serenity, the sunlight, the solitary roads,
the rhythmic sound of the gently crashing
waves against the tetrapods, the occasional
banter with familiar people and much
more were a refreshing break and peace of
mind for Shailaja and she revelled in it. As
a part of her morning constitutional and to
improve her cardiovascular fitness, Shailaja
would often go up and down the steep steps
of the fort or walk on the craggy rocks of the
sea front.
It was like any other day for Shailaja as she
set out for her walk. She was greeted by an
unusual drizzle as she stepped out, leaving
the streets shimmering and slippery. As
she was traipsing the high steps of the
Bandra Fort, Shailaja slipped, lost her
balance and came down tumbling the 40
odd steps and crashed on the road below
abutting the parapet walls. She was badly
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