Didi, my elder sister is gone!

Friends, with a heavy, broken heart, I have to inform you that my elder sister, Ms. Shukla Mukerjee, has passed away on August 31, in Kolkata, West Bengal!

Shukla (L) and Sharmila (R) with me, in December 2020.

The picture here is from December 2020, when all of us were in Bangalore to attend my niece’s wedding.

Perhaps, I, and we all, were not prepared for this! It probably started around July 28, when there was some pain in her stomach, which later started swelling. Her daughter’s birthday was on August 4. In a WhatsApp chat, she said that she wasn’t feeling well. Around August 11, my marriage anniversary, we received news that she had been diagnosed with fourth stage cancer. And, this cancer was quite aggressive. Naturally, we were very alarmed! I was shocked when informed that the doctors took out 5 liters of water from Didi’s tummy! She came back to her home around August 13.

My other sister, Ms. Sharmila Bhattacharjee, called me on Friday, August 20, stating that our sister was really in terrible shape. We travelled to Kolkata on August 23, only to find that Didi had gone off to Tata Memorial Hospital in Rajarhat, Kolkata.

I was the first to visit her. She first scolded me saying that I had not applied any hand rub, which I did. I held her hand. She asked about my wife and cousin brother. I told her that they had come along and would be visiting her soon. Didi told me to not allow my son to visit her. My first thought on seeing Didi in that state was: God, do not let her suffer! If you wish, please take her away from this suffering.

Didi even made her younger daughter, who was with her at the hospital, call us on video. We all spoke with her. She only smiled, but was unable to speak anything, perhaps, due to tiredness. This was repeated almost every day.

The doctors who were monitoring her, told my brother-in-law and his daughters that the cancer had really spread very fast, and requested them to take Didi home. Shocked, they asked for some cure, in this case, chemotherapy. The doctor said it would not be of any help, and was a high-risk case! This was a real shocker!! At home, we discussed the next course of action. My sister, Sharmila, my wife, and Didi’s elder daughter, had now broken down. We all felt a dose of chemotherapy could somehow prolong Didi’s life.

I again visited Didi, and even requested her to come back home. On Sunday, August 29, the doctor gave Didi a mild dose of chemotherapy, and kept her under observation. However, Didi did not consume any solid food. The next day, the doctors repeated what they had mentioned earlier! They even suggested we move Didi to palliative care. This is a specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, or in terminal stage. We were all flabbergasted, and did not really know what to do next!

We all had some troubled sleep on the night of August 30 . Around 5am, August 31, my wife nudged me awake. She broke the dreaded news to me! My gosh! My Didi was gone! Apparently, she breathed her last around 4.50am. We immediately rushed to the hospital. I also called my sister in Bangalore, who had just gone back two days ago, and gave her the terrible news.

The docs were probably spot on when they told us that her cancer was advanced and spreading very fast, and they could not do anything. The whole episode lasted around 20 days. The last rites were performed on September 9. I have so many lovely memories of my Didi that I cannot narrate them here. Today, I am back in Delhi with a picture of her. RIP, my dear Didi! Love you very much!!