Bharathi S. Pradhan
A story in a Mumbai daily early this week was alarmist in tone when it talked of how desperately ill Anup Jalota's wife Medha was. Her kidneys had failed, her heart was failing, she was being rushed to the US, son Aryaman had got admission in a New Jersey college to be close to her, Anup had put all his engagements on hold and he had cancelled his concerts.
Whoa. My latest book, Heartfelt - An Inspirational True Life Story was centred on precisely this celebrity couple's moving experiences. Right from their turbulent earlier marriages to finding each other, right from having Aryaman, a miracle baby, without the recommended surgery to unblock her fallopian tubes to how wonderfully the child had grown up, right from the anxious times when Medha's heart started failing over a dozen years ago and her transplant surgery in 2001 to her failing kidneys and the dialysis, everything was in the book. But the main theme was the wondrous power of the mind — his and hers — that had healed her over and over again.
So what was new in this breaking news? Medha laughed delightedly when I made a panic call to her. Aryaman has always been a brilliant and happy child who scored a top 'A plus' in every one of his subjects in his finals at Singapore International School. His going to university in New Jersey was only a natural progression in his academic career.
'We're going in August to get him settled there,' explained Medha. And that's when she will stay back to attend to her medical condition which, yes, is serious. But it has been for years. And along with her kidneys (she has been on dialysis for over four years and does need a transplant), she will require yet another new heart (she has survived over 12 years with the heart that was put into her in 2001). All of which is very complicated and risky, as it has been for the last 14 years.
So there is nothing earth-shatteringly newsy about Medha Jalota's medical condition which has already been chronicled in detail in a book. What also continues is the spirited manner in which Anup and Medha stand up to the challenges that life keeps throwing at them. Anup's crisp and cheeky remark to the story this week was, 'Get ready for Heartfelt Part 2.' In other words, he's once again ready for the fight to bring her back 'dancing', as he always puts it.
Two people who have sympathetically followed the Jalotas' story are Rajkumar Hirani and his pilot-wife, Manjeet. Their son, Vir Hirani, goes to the same school as Aryaman did and they're aware of what a great kid Medha and Anup's son has grown up into. Raju had once conducted a project in Vir's school and, after personally interacting with Aryaman, had come away full of praise for the child's sharp and receptive mind.
The Hiranis have also tracked the Jalota story from close quarters with Manjeet constantly amazed at the way Anup would cheerfully bring Medha into a school meeting or function in a wheelchair. 'I love their spirit. Whatever their problems, they always attend all functions and they're always so chirpy,' observed Manjeet.
By the way, I asked Manjeet, the experienced flier, what she had to say about the mystery behind the missing Malaysian Airlines' Flight MH 370. Manjeet explained that conspiracy and sabotage theories had to be believed because if there had been a mechanical failure, there would always have been enough time to make distress calls. Also, the transponder did not switch off, it was switched off. 'Life's like MH 370. Mysterious and unpredictable,' she signed off.
The Jalotas will agree with that. Meanwhile, what may be safely predicted is that one of these days, very soon, Manjeet will be grounding herself after many tiring years in the cockpit.
On a very different track, it's no mystery that when the election fever was at its pitch, Rahul Gandhi had gone to Shirdi to seek the blessings of Sai Baba. What did not get reported at that time was that during his stay at the Sun--Sand which is near the temple, the Gandhi scion wasn't interested in the Indian food except for a bowl of dal. Almost all his meals were at Little Italy, the all-vegetarian Italian restaurant on the premises of the private hotel. Mamma Mia!
