Sometimes, things happen very unexpectedly,and our whole life is changed in a single instance. One moment we think everything’s going as planned and another moment, all our plans come to a standstill. After all, life is unpredictable and volatile in nature and we humans hardly have any control over it.
Sunita and Ravi had been married for eleven years. They had two children, Yash and Siddhi who were growing up fast. Ravi was an executive at a management firm while Sunita was a homemaker. Theirs was a small and beautiful family. Both of them had taken their responsibilities very seriously and were doing their best to raise their children right when it happened. Ravi had recently bought his first car after years of planning and savings. He had been a responsible husband and a caring father. The needs of his family had always been his priority,and in providing for his family, he had suppressed his own desires. He was returning from his office one evening when a bus hit his car from behind,and Ravi could not survive the accident.
When Sunita was called to identify the body and claim it, her world came crashing down. She wasn’t remotely ready for anything like this. None of us ever are. Ravi’s friends helped Sunita with the formalities,and the deceased body was brought home. The incident had left everyone speechless. Ravi was too young to pass away,and it had left a void that couldn’t be filled. Relatives and friends struggled to find words that could console Sunita. The loss of her husband, the father of her kids and the best friend she ever had was too much to bear. The kids were too young to even mourn the loss of their father. The situation could bring tears to anybody’s eyes.
After a few days had passed and all the relatives had left, Sunita was left alone to think about the future. She’d send the kids to school and sit alone in Ravi’s study and worry about the future. Everyone in the extended family had left with supportive words and assured help,but she was a realist. She knew very well that taking care of herself and her kids was solely her responsibility now.She’dsit and ponder for hours at length about how she was going to sustain the lifestyle that Ravi had built for them over the years. The thing that worried her the most was theeducation and future of her kids who deserved the best. She’d remember all that Ravi had planned for them,and it made her sad.
Gradually, as she made calculations and looked at the savings in the bank, Sunita realised that she’dnot be able to provide for her children for too long and it broke her. She had never been a working woman,and she found herself clueless about what she was going to do. The burden of responsibilities crushed her so much that she couldn’t even mourn properly.As the haunting reality became clearer, Sunita began feeling suffocated. She thought it was all over and no matter what job she found for herself, she’dnever be able to raise the children as Ravi andshe had previously imagined. This was heartbreaking,and it took a toll on Sunita’s health,and she was getting weaker by the day.
One afternoon, while she was going through the documents and pictures in Ravi’sstudyand remembering fond moments spent with him, she came across an envelope that contained a policy document. She went through the document and realisedthat Ravi had invested interm insurance and that he had been paying his insurance premiums on time.She called up the customer service of the insurance company and found out thatRavi hadn’t abandoned his family altogether. He had made sure, that his family would not go through a financial crisis in his absence. Sunita felt much safer about the kids’ future and her own survival. The sum of money that she received from the insurance company brought a reviving change in her life. She took up a job and her earning supplemented with Ravi’s term insurance aided towards making sure that the two children received the best education and Sunita could live a life of independence and dignity.