THE LITTLE ANGEL
Hmmm… I would have slept for a record 23 hours if it hadn’t been for a call from my cousin. Yea I had begun sleeping at 9:45pm last night and had slept through most of the day. Nope… the tse tse fly (pronounced as set se…or sexy!!!) is absent in my city. So that was not the coz of ma sleeping sickness. I was just… what do u say… lazy??.... super lazy??
Whatever it be, when I woke up I found 28 missed calls across de screen of ma fone!!! Boyyyy!!! That was a decent number. This seemed to have no impact on my conscience and I slowly drifted off to sleep once again.
I was woken up by my mom, and she thrust the cord less fone on ma face telling me to speak up fast as it was ma cousin from Ireland. Adarsh is ma uncle’s son who is a consultant cardiologist in Ireland. Last time he called..He had screamed at me for picking up the fone as he just wanted to hear the “aunty in de fone” talk Hindi and Malayalam!!! Yea… weirdness runs in the family… I’m not the only victim.
Anyway “helooooo….” I said, sounding nothing like the way I do when I’m awake.
“Sleeping beauty…areyyy udd!!!! Aunty boli chaubeezo ghante sothi rehti ho!!! Aur koi kaam nahi kya tumhe!!!” traitor mom!!! I thought. Nothing can be more mortifying than having some one realize you have nothing to do!!!!
“tum tho tehre cardiologist. Tumhe tho dilonki maramat karne se chutti kab milti hai?? Bolo… aaj kaise yaad kiya??” I attempted an old number to make ma self look small.
And it clicked!!
He went onto say about how job kept him busy and how his lil doggie grew big. Yea… he’s got a st.Bernard .slowly I felt his voice turning troubled as he spoke about his trip last week to London and running into Akshaya’s parents at a restaurant. I sensed the purpose behind his call. His mind was troubled and just needed to speak. After taking to me for about 20 minutes, I felt him easing and the conversation slowly returned to things like his next visit to India and his approaching engagement ceremony etc. Adarsh put down the fone leaving a worried me at the other end. That is how I began writing this blog.
Clearly thoughts about Akshaya was dominating my mind. Soon after completing his studies from London Adarsh had worked in Kerala for a few months. My dad had gotten him a job in the biggest hospital in our city so that he could have some 1st hand experience and at the same time spend some time with us. He is ma mom’s pet u see.
Akshaya was one of his favorite patients.. till date. And the prettiest and the youngest… she was about a year and a half when her parents 1st brought her to Adarsh.
I thought back to the day when I had 1st … and last met Akshaya. Adarsh and I had planned to go out in the evening. He had left to the hospital asking me to pick him at 5pm from the hospital. On arriving at the hospital, I found Adarsh holding an extremely cute little girl in his arms. He beckoned me in and took the lil girl whom he called Akshaya and me to an adjoining room, where he began examining the little child. From the ex-pression on his face I realized that there must be something wrong. He handed me the stethoscope and made me listen to the violent heart beats of the baby. Her eyes were flickering in all directions.. without concentrating any where and there was lil co-ordination between the two. Adarsh told me she was breath less… confirming my doubts. I watched him change from a play mate of mine to a professional as he ordered the tests to be done to an awaiting nurse. We cancelled our plans for the evening and waited for Akshaya’s test results. Adarsh diagnosed Akshaya with a hole in her heart. That night I found him more pensive than ever, in between our usual late into night conversation he told me that Akshaya’s condition cannot be rectified immediately. They had to perform a surgery and it could be done only after she turned 5.
Akshaya’s father was an engineer in the UK and had come down to see what could be done to his little daughter. The guy had a month’s leave before his return and wanted Adarsh to perform the surgery immediately which Adarsh was not willing to do.
A week later Adarsh received a call from Akshaya’s father. He was calling from a private hospital in Delhi. He was proud, telling Adarsh that the doctors had agreed to operate on Akshaya. Adarsh left the game of cards we had been playing and talked animatedly over the phone about the risks involved in the process. I saw the doctor in him leaving as he pleaded to the man for taking a second opinion. But he was adamant and went ahead with his decision.
Result??? Akshaya is 8 months dead now!!!!!!
Adarsh had been heart broken on the day when his friend working in the same hospital called him up to convey the news of Akshaya’s death. Adarsh could speak only about how the father came all the way down to kill his daughter and about the pathetic condition of modern medicine whose saviors the modern doctors who do anything to get money.
After a few months Adarsh had realized the condition of Indian hospitals where he had to do everything according to what his chief demands him of and decided to migrate to Ireland in search of job satisfaction.
For whom did I write this blog? Adarsh who did not succeed in finding a hospital of his dreams to work for? Askhaya’s father who wanted an immediate treatment for his daughter that money could buy?? Or the devils in the white coat who failed to see the smile of innocence on that little angel’s face in spite of her breathlessness?Or for the crying mother about whom I mentioned not a word in this blog??????????????????
ANSWER : FOR ALL OF US..WHO CARE!!!!!!
AKSHAYA... I CAN SEE YOU SMILING MA SWEETIE.. YOU KNOW ALL OF US CARE!!! DON'T YOU!!!
ANITHA KAVERI
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