8:00 PM , 11TH FEB……NASIK

I ENTERED SOHAM HOSPITAL TO MEET Mrs ANITA BURMAN WHO WAS OPERATED FOR BRAIN TUMOUR ON 2ND OF THIS MONTH.MATILDA MAM HAD GIVEN THE REFRENCE OF THIS WOMAN WHO WAS POOR AND OPERATED FOR BRAIN TUMOUR,AT AN AGE OF 36.THE FAMLY WAS POOR AND THUS WE IN RELIABILITY HAD COLLECTED Rs2100 FOR THE NOBLE CAUSE.I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAND OVER THE MONEY AND RETURN BACK.I WENT TO 4TH FLOOR , ENTERED THE RECEPTION.’SEMI WARD’ I WANTED TO VISIT AND THE LADY POINTED AT A HALLWAY LEADING TO THE SAME.

I HAD MANY THINGS IN MY MIND AS MY LIFE ITSELF IS IN DOLDRUMS.AS I CROSSED THE CORRIDOR I HARDLY NOTICED ANYBODY.THERE WERE DOZENS SITTING THERE FOR THEIR PATIENTS.WELL I WAS OCCUPIED WITH MY LIFE TENSIONS SO JUST WENT ON.JUST TO GIVE MONEY AND LEAVE.AS I SAW SEMI WARD 4 I KNOCKED AND WAITED.A SMALL GIRL OF AROUND 8-9 YRS OLD OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID ‘YES’.I SAID ‘ YEH ANITA BURMAN KA WARD HAI KYA’, WITH A FORCED SMILE JUST TO MAKE THE GIRL FEEL COMFORTABLE.SHE SAID ‘COME IN SANJAY UNCLE’.I WAS TAKEN ABACK A BIT THEN REALIZED THAT MATILDA MAM MUST HAVE INFORMED THEM ABOUT ME.

ANYWAY I ENTERED TO SEE Mrs ANITA BURMAN WITH PLASTER IN HER HEAD , SALINE IN HER HANDS AND VERY FEEBLE.HER HUSBAND WAS SITTING BESIDE HER HOLDING HER HAND.AS I ENTERED N SAID ‘ NAMASTE’ THEY ALL BECAME ALERT AND GREETED ME VER WARMLY.I DON’T KNOW BUT SEEING THEM MADE MY MEMORIES OF MY MOTHER GALL BLADDER OPERATION & SWOBHABIKA’S ACCIDENT AFRESH.I SAT DOWN STILL WITH A FORCED SMILE UNABLE TO TAKE CONVESATION FORWARD.I ASKED THE LADY , ‘ HOW R U ‘? AND SHE REPLIED AGAIN WITH A FORCED SMILE ‘OK’.I KNEW NOTHING WAS OK.HER HUSBAND CAME AND SAT BESIDE ME AND SAID WELL SHE IS NOT FINE AND UNDER OBSERVATION TILL NOW N WILL BE FOR NEXT 24 HRS.I WAS RIGHT NOTHING WAS OK.

I SAW THE LADY AGAIN WITH PLASTER ON HER HEAD AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT THE DREADED TUMOUR INSIDE HER.HER HUSBAND SAID IT WAS ALL OF A SUDDEN AND FINALLY SHE WAS OPERATED.FOR PAST 10 DAYS SHE WAS JUST STRETCHING.’SOMETIMES SHE BECOMES INTENSE AND INITIALLY WAS NOT ABLE TO TAKE ANY SOLIDS’ SAID HER HUSBAND.’3 DAYS BACK SHE TOOK HORLICKS TWICE AND WHOLE NIGHT VOMITED LIKE ANYTHING.THE DAY AFTER THE DOC WERE TO CUT THE STICHES AND SEE FOR RELEASING THAT WAS DOUBTFUL’.ALREADY IN HEAVY DEBT OF OPERATIONS THEY HARDLY HAD ANYTHING LEFT.THEY SAID AS SOON AS SHE WILL BE RELEASED THEY HAD NO OPTIONS BUT TO GO TO KOLKATA,THEIR NATIVE PLACE FOR SUSTAINING EVERYTHING.EVEN THE SMALL GIRL PROBABLY WILL HAVE TO LEAVE THE SCHOOL N CONTINUE THE STUDIES IN KOLKATA SINCE THEY HAD NO MONEY TO TAKE HER STUDIES FURTHER.I WAS JUST LISTENING.

I SAW THE LADY STILL LAID N SALINE DROPS COMING AS IF THEY WERE THE ONLY LIFELINE OF HERS.I LOOKED AT THE GIRL WHOSE MOTHER WAS STRUGGLING WITH LIFE,WHOSE FUTURE STUDIES WERE STRUGGLING WITH ITSELF AND SHE HERSELF WAS STRUGGLING TO ABSORB EVERYTHING.THE MAN CONTINUED,’SAAB PATA NAHI BHAGWAN NE KYA RAKAH HAI AAGE HAMARE LIYE’.I SAID ‘ BHAGWAN PE BHAROSA RAKHIYE,SAB THIK HO JAYEGA’,AND WONDERED MYSELF THE AUTHENCITY OF MY STATEMENT.ANYWAY NOT ABLE TO STAND ANYMORE THEIR WOES I ASKED FOR LEAVE AND TOOK OUT THE MEAGRE 2100 WHICH WE HAVE COLLECTED AND HANDED IT OVER,MYSELF WONDERING WHAT WOULD IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO A DEBT OF 60,000.ANYWAY I SAID AND TOOK A LEAVE NOT ABLE TO TAKE THE FAMILY OUT OF MY MIND.

NOW AS I CROSSED THE CORRIDOOR I SAW DOZENS PERSONS AGAIN SITTING THERE.FIRST IN THE ROW WAS A WOMAN WITH FOLDED HANDS AND MURMURING PRAYERS.I GUESS FOR HER SOMEONE LOVED ONE WHO MUST BE CRITICAL.JUST BESIDE HER WAS A 5-6 YRS SMALL KID WITH PLASTER IN HIS RIGHT HAND AND CADBURY IN HIS LEFT.HER MOTHER HOLDING HER TIGHT.I FELT SORRY FOR HIS BROKEN RIGHT HAND,ENVIOUS FOR THE CHOCOLATE IN HIS LEFT HAND AND VERY LONELY FOR MY MOTHER HUG.THEN THERE WAS A YOUNG NEWLY MARRIED COUPLE WITH THE YOUNG LADY VERY ILL AND LYING ON HER HUSBAND’S SHOULDERS AND THE MAN CROSSED HIS ARMS GIVING SUPPORT TO HER.MAY BE SHE WAS ILL.THEN THERE WERE SOME WAITING GROUP FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE PATIENTS.I REACHED THE EXIT AND WAITED FOR THE LIFT TO COME.THE LIFT CAME AND INSIDE WERE 2 WARDON BOYS WITH A WHEEL CHAIR ON WHICH A VERY OLD LADY HAVING SOME BREATHING PROBLEM WAS SITTING .THE WARDON BOY HURRIED LIKE ANYTHING AND SHOUTED AT TOP OF HIS VOICE TO EMPTY THE PASSAGE AND SAID THE NURSE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR AN EMERGENCY OPERATION.AND THEY RUSHED LIKE A GUSH OF WIND.I CAME TO A SIDE AND TOOK A MOMENT TO ABSORB THE QUICK REFLEXES AND DEDICATED ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE WOMEN LIFE.TIME WAS PRECIOUS FOR HER.THEY TOOK HER AWAY AND I KEPT WATCHING THEM.DUMBSTRUCK AND SPELLBOUND.

I STEPPED INSIDE THE ELIVATOR.PRESSED 1ST FLOOR AND WENT DOWN FELLING WHEIGHTLESSNESS IN MY BODY,MIND AND SOUL.I STEPPED OUT OF THE LIFT AND WENT OUT OF SOHAM HOSPITAL WITH AN EXPERIENCE WHICH I WILL NEVER FORGET IN LIFE.