After a one-month long stay at a hospital having been diagnosed with TB, I had been confined to a wheelchair. On discharge, I had to start walking again, from scratch. At about this time, I was invited to a grand wedding to be held at Bangalore Palace. On the evening of the reception, the night sky looked resplendent with beautiful stars and a crescent moon. In the interiors, the palace was brilliantly lit up for the occasion and at every turning, there were bouquets of fresh, fragrant roses.
As I mentioned earlier, I was just learning to walk again and was dependent on my sister for support. I stumbled, and moved tentatively trying to maneuver my legs to balance my body, weighing a whopping 98 kgs!
At the wedding reception, the greatest challenge was to climb the steep stairs of the outdoor makeshift stage. Yes, it was a Herculean task for me and all the more daunting for the stairs had no railing for support. I was all the more frazzled as I was conscious that in front of the stage there were photographers and videographers eager for a “scoop”!
Here comes the twist! My struggle was so obvious that it even caught the attention of the bride. When she saw my woebegone face, she rushed to help me. Now all the cameras were trained on us! What an embarrassing moment! Yes, we all know that wedding photographers try to catch candid photographs, which are for posterity. The groom on the stage looked totally shell shocked but couldn’t do a thing about it!
The good news is with all the help, especially from the bride, I reached the stage without any feared slip-ups. Once on the stage, the kind bride went back to her place as if nothing had happened! It’s funny how some brides are so haughty, supercilious and unhelpful, but on her big day, this bride was positively helpful, kind and compassionate. She shone more brilliantly than all the diamonds in her wedding jewellery.
Now six months down the line, with the help of a mobile health app, I have strengthened my core muscles and bones and walk. No more wheelchair, walking stick or even my sister’s help. Indeed, for this, I am grateful to not only my family, but all the online coaches that the mobile app provided. They have made me what I am today and have instilled in me the motivation, and inspired me every day, to do my workouts or at least walk in the park everyday. I have now lost weight and taken inches off to be a healthier version of myself. But I recall on that distant evening when I was overbearing and helpless, a kind bride forgot all else to help me with the kindness borne of her compassionate heart.