The Day My Son Lost His Favorite Friend and His Innocence
It was the year 2018—a painful year etched forever in our hearts. My father-in-law, who had been battling abdominal cancer for a long time, passed away after months of illness and struggle. Despite every effort, treatment, and prayer, we couldn’t save him. When the inevitable happened, we traveled to Narkatiaganj to attend his final rites.
My son was only 5 – 6 years old then—innocent, playful, and completely unaware of what had happened. To him, going to his mother’s paternal house always meant joy, treats, playtime, and most importantly, his Nana—his favorite person.
When we reached there, the atmosphere was filled with grief. Everyone was mourning. My son walked in with the excitement of seeing his Nana, but instead, he saw sadness, tears, and silence. He looked around, confused.
After some time, he came to me and asked, “Papa, Nana kahan hai?”
Trying to maintain my own composure, I gently told him, “Beta, Nana yahan nahi hain…”
But kids don’t stop at one answer—they seek truth in repetition. A little while later, he returned with another question that broke me from the inside:
“Papa, marna kya hota hai? Sab bol rahe hain Nana mar gaye…”
I sat him down, looked into his eyes, and tried to explain something that no parent ever wants to explain to a child:
“Marna matlab hota hai ki ab wo is duniya mein nahi hain. Wo Bhagwan ke ghar chale gaye hain…”
There was a silence.
His innocent voice trembled as he asked:
“Main kal mil sakta hoon Nana se?”
That shattered me. I hugged him tightly, tears uncontrollably streaming down my face, and told him, “Nahi beta… ab hum is zindagi mein unse nahi mil sakte. Hum unhe hamesha yaad karenge, unki baatein karenge, lekin mil nahi sakte…”
And then, he began crying… and crying hard. The sound of his grief still echoes in my heart. That day, my little boy lost not just his Nana, but also a piece of his innocence. He was introduced to a reality of life too early—the truth of death.
As I held him, giving him the only comfort I could offer, I whispered through my tears, “Beta, janm aur mrityu dono is jeevan ke satya hain. Inhe koi nahi taal sakta.”
I broke down that day—not just as a grieving son-in-law, but as a helpless father. Because that day, I saw my child experience pain for the first time. And I couldn’t protect him from it.
That memory never fades. And maybe it never will.
Tags: parenting, grief, loss, children, father-son, emotional-moment, death, innocence, real-life-stories, family-love
About The Author
