After taking bath, I get dressed quickly and came out from toilet-cum-bathroom attached to the hospital room.
I saw Reena and Ritu already dressed sitting on the edge of bed closely. They were still sobbing.
I rushed to ICU. Reaching there, I saw Dr. Dhingra standing along with junior doctors and nurses outside the ICU door.
He shake hand with me and held my hand in with both his hands.
He said, "Sorry bro, we could not save Ashok. We tried our level best. Please come to my cabin as we have to do some paperwork."
I went to his cabin. He gave me few papers for signing. I signed them without reading.
He then said, "Patient died within 12 hours of admission in ICU. As per the hospital policy, we will transfer you back the entire amount of Rs. 70K, you paid last night. Please tell me your bank account details."
I thought for a while and replied, "Please transfer it to Reena's account."
He looked at me appreciatively and said "OK, I will, as I already have her bank account details."
I was clueless of what to do next as I was facing such a situation first time in my entire life.
Dr. Dhingra understood my confusion and said, "Our hospital provides full package of transferring the body from hospital to home and then to cremation ground as per the religious procedures.
"We also arrange prestigious saints to perform cremation rituals properly" He added.
I felt relieved and replied, "OK Dr. Dhingra, please make all the arrangements. Deduct the expenses and transfer balance amount in Reena's account."
He made few calls and informed me "All the arrangements are made. Body will be transferred to home in the ambulance in next 15 minutes. You may accompany the body. The saint is on the way to Reena's home. He will perform all the rituals at home and cremation ground."
"Our 2 men will make all other arrangements. You may now wait in the backyard behind ICU" Dr. Dhingra added.
I came out from his cabin and called Reena to come to the ICU. Reena and Ritu came, and we altogether entered in the ICU.
Hospital staff have already wrapped Ashok in white cloth and kept his dead body in a coffin with his face only visible.
Reena and Ritu almost collapsed on sides of coffin and started crying looking at his face.
I helped them in getting up on their feet saying that Ashok will be transferred to home in next 10 minutes.
Two of the hospital workers came, covered the coffin, lifted it and started moving towards ambulance in the backyard. We followed them.
I helped those men to transfer the coffin in the ambulance.
We all sat in the ambulance.
I called Meenu from ambulance itself informing her about the death of Ashok and advised her to reach Reena's home immediately along with Tanya and Ankit.
I suggested Reena to call her younger sister Abha or her hubby Arun as I was not in talking terms with them.
Reena called Abha sobbing all the time informing about sad demise of Ashok.
She also informed about me being with her. Hearing this, Abha said she will reach along with Riya in 1 hour.
Reena knew that Arun would never come in my presence. He always avoids me due to unpaid debt of Rs. 4 Lakh.
He took from me 10 years back, which now amounts around Rs. 10 Lakh.
Arun knows if he faces me, things may escalate, and I could go legal causing big trouble for him which may lead to even his arrest and he may go to jail for few years.
We reached Reena's home in next 10-15 minutes. Ambulance left after transferring the coffin into drawing room of Reena's home.
It was a very small home with a drawing room, kitchen and a bedroom. Toilet-cum-bathroom was attached to both the bedroom and drawing room.
Soon saint came with his 2 disciples along with all the cremation material.
Disciples started making frame of bamboo canes for transferring the body to cremate it finally in the cremation ground.
The saint was guiding his disciples and reciting shlokas all the time.
Local people started gathering outside to accompany the body to the cremation ground.
It was a very awkward situation for me as I was the only man in house and knows nobody there.
Reena and Ritu sat in the bedroom. Soon local women started pouring in and leaving after meeting with Reena.
Those 2 hospital men who came with us in ambulance returned with a big, framed photograph of Ashok, along with mattresses.
They arranged photograph frame on a small table and mattresses on the floor of drawing room.
They also arranged and burned several incense sticks in front of the photograph, and all over the drawing room.
I remember, it was the zoomed-out copy of the photograph attached to the one of the forms I signed in the cabin of Dr. Dhingra.
Body of Ashok was then shifted from coffin to frame of bamboo canes and carefully tied by the saint reciting shlokas loudly.
The saint advised me to cremate the body as soon as possible as it started deteriorating and soon will start emitting foul smell.
I informed him that Ashok's sisters in law are on the way and reaching in 5-10 minutes.
Soon Meenu came along with Tanya and Ankit, and Abha came with Riya.
Reena and Ritu came outside from bedroom, and all of them started crying loudly sitting near the dead body.
The saint advised me to lift body with the help of Ankit and his 2 disciples, handling it over our shoulders.
We lifted and came out of the home and started moving towards cremation ground.
Around 50 local people joined the procession with the saint leading us chanting loudly "Ram Ram Satya Hai," and we all repeating it.
Soon other people in procession exchanged our shoulders with theirs to lift the dead body.
We reached cremation ground in 15-20 minutes. There I saw several pyres. Most of them were in different stages of burning.
The leading saint took us to a unburnt fresh pyre.
Those 2 hospital men already standing near a fresh pyre helped in transferring the body over the pyre.
Saint performed some rituals by keep pouring lot of clarified butter over the entire body and covered it with wooden planks.
He then accompanied Ankit to take few rounds of the pyre and directed him to put the pyre on fire with the help of a burning wooden stick.
Soon after the entire pyre caught the fire, and it started burning with huge flames.
Soon after people started leaving.