Being Born 21st June 1982

Introduction...

Birth of a child is a joyous affair. Everyone wants kids. Marriage in India is done to have kids, right? But in this we forget that it is not only the child we want, but we want  HEALTHY KIDS. Every mom should at that time needs to look after her health, take care of what she eats and not live in stress. That said and done, it also becomes imperative that if there is an inkling of doubt regarding the child's health, start researching. If the doctor has any inclination of something being wrong with the baby, then please take necessary actions. However, much it seems heartless at that point, I can assure you, no child wants to go through an ocean of pain, social sympathy and economic torture.

From Reuben...

Dear Modern Parents, 

Please take care of your kids from the day they are conceived. If you have any inclination that the child will not be 100% perfect in mind and body, then please rethink before delivering. If you think I am being cruel now, it is nothing compared to the life I have led. 

I wanted to laugh and play cricket. I could not. I wanted to ride a bike, I could not. You still don't think I need to be aborted? Well, how about this, I never could eat salt in any form all through my childhood. When my friends were getting ready for a sports day, I was busy getting hooked to an I.V. I was always having fluid retention in my body. There were day I could not walk also. All I can say is I was not given the choice whether I wanted to live like this or not.

Don't hate me too much for this suggestion. I was only 4 when I started questioning why I am different from others.  May all kids be born healthy. Love Reuben.

From Rubina...

My mother had hepatitis when she was carrying him. The doctor would not abort and she convinced my parents that nothing will happen to the child. My mother was hooked on saline for 6 months, eating only boiled food, rasgullas and sugarcane juice.... and lots and lots of saline water.

When he would ask me why he was born I could not answer him. I knew not the purpose of his birth except for the fact that I loved my bro too much. How do I know that I loved him too much? I cried every year once when the doctors would say that he is in a critical stage. I cried like that for 29 years.

Note to my readers...
I am sorry if I have made anyone sad. All I know that no child should endure what he had endured. But then this is not a tale of sadness but a tale of bravery, a constant battle between life and death.

The first time it happened, he was in an incubator.........

Being Daryl

From Reuben to All : [His exact words] 

The transformation from being Ruben Bhowmik to being Reuben Daryl was like a journey , the path had lots of twist and turns and lots of potholes and difficulties to reach my destination of being "Reuben Daryl " and the journey also had sacrifices too ! Yet I conquered it! Well, I have never written a sort of write-ups anything in my life other than writing short stories and essays way back in my school days as assignments. But, something suddenly sparked in me to write a memoir about myself and my family. People who walked into my life my life made it wonderful and those who walked out made it excellent. This memoir contains all the memories that I shared very closely with my family members beyond mom, dad and my elder sister. It’s a journey of my life seen through my eyes, seeing my family and the people around me. The journey of my life has been exciting, filled with deceit and betrayals at the same time and yet making the best out of my life so far. 

Handling my kidney disease on the other hand is another major part of my life.  Being born on June 21, 1984 makes me a cusp between two zodiac signs, Gemini and Cancer. The characteristic of Gemini has a complete effect on me, that’s versatility. This memoir would give you an insight view of the circumstances I have been through my life so far. Remember, it’s not complains that I would be mentioning, I call them “experiences” that I am sharing which are very personal that made me.  Read the memoir and you would surely get to know what it takes to be “Being Daryl”...

From Rubina To Ruben:

So now you want me to put this up? How come I end up with all the hard work and you are always relaxing? Not fair, bro... :)  But come to think of it., we always had this fight. You the lazy and me the lazier. What a pair!

I see that you have touched a lot of people in your lives. You have certainly given me something beautiful. A destination, a journey. I hope I reach the place you had asked me to go. So here we go bro... The journey starts. Stick with me or, ok no blackmailing ......

A note to all my Readers:

This journey is the journey of Reuben Bhowmik. He was a soul who touched all our lives, family and friends. Not all are good and not all are bad. But then, that is what makes him 'Daryl' - a name he chose to become. Why does a man want to leave his family name? He was very insistent on the name Daryl. When I used to ask him why he would say," Sounds good." I always took it in his face value.. or should I say voice value. [For the last two years, he was a voice for me.. A voice I would talk to for at least 10 hours a day.]

Today I found the meaning of the name.. Daryl means Beloved Loved One... 

That is all he was searching for... to love and to be loved.