Hospitality !!!

That day I attended a wedding reception. Both the bride and the groom are my juniors. At the time of my departure, the bride's younger sister, who is also a medical student and my junior, told me with a gracious smile,

"Dada, I am so glad that you are here... Thanks a lot for coming!!!"

I answered with a smile, "I had to!!"

May be that I am the only person whom she had thanked in that way or it may be that she had told each and every guest the same lines.. But you know, this is the hospitality we crave for.. By this single act of gesture this junior of mine had unexpectedly and unknowingly taught me some important things in life... And I'm gonna remember those my whole life !!

Pleasure in a proper gift!!!

Yesterday I bought a gift for a little kid.. Actually rather than a gift, it was a necessity for her. Some of you might remember that 9 yrs old child from my previous post who was the lonely attendant to her ill father. Later I came to know her whereabouts from one of my juniors. When I went to meet them yesterday, I was really grateful to the core of my heart by their hospitality both by the child and her father. She was still wearing that cute white frock, the only difference being its colour somewhat faded than before..

I asked her, "Where is your sweater?"

When I was wearing both my sweater and jacket for my comfort, she was wearing only a sleeve less little frock, which was invariably insufficient to protect her from this chilly cold.

Her reply was, "It has become dirty, so I've put it in the bucket to wash it."

I lovingly enquired, "Then what will you do in the evening? It'll be too cold!!!"

She replied with a shy smile, "I'll sleep under the blanket.."

Can you imagine the gravity of the  situation?  I could not think about anything else but to take her father's permission to buy her a sweater and a pair of socks..

I've bought gifts for so many till now.. But the happiness that was expressed in her face after getting my gift was unique and precisely priceless.. And that increased my pleasure by leaps and bounds..

I've done nothing big.. Apparently there is nothing new to share this post.. Probably most of you would have done the same.. But its for the first time in my life that I've known the meaning and the pleasure of a proper gift, which is not just a 'present', but a basic necessity for somebody... And thus I feel, its worthy sharing!!!

Just can't tell anything more !!!

Yesterday one child came to me with her mother. She reminded me of one kid with whom I had developed quite an emotional bonding.. That child was merely 9 yrs old.. Can you imagine? She was the only attendant to her ill father who was admitted in some other departments in our hospital repeatedly within a short span of time in a 'not so good' condition. Her mother expired long back. At that very young age, with some help from our hospital staffs, she single handedly managed everything for her father, which sometimes even becomes tiresome for us, the grown up adults.

You won't be able to notice a single sign of distress or anything in her face.. For the first time when she came to me seeking two units of blood for her father, one of my kind staff informed me everything about her and her father. I had done whatever was possible from my side. Even though I didn't show anything, I felt something heavy at my heart to see this little kid with so much of responsibilities!!! 

After that, I had met her for so many times and did my level best to help her out whenever she came to me... Me and most of my staffs were quite caring while dealing with her.. A number of times, when I could be free for sometime, she even narrated me stories from her school !!!

Around one month back, when I was at my cabin with one of my patients, I felt one tiny hand at my shoulder followed by someone calling me 'Sir'.. The voice was familiar.. I looked back and she was there with a pleasant smile looking too cute and adorable in her white frock..

She said, "Sir, last time at the time of discharge, I along with my father came to meet and thank you.. But you were not here at that moment, so we enquired at the reception, waited for sometime and then left.."

You know.. Such kind of gratefulness is never expected from a 9 year old.. I don't know how to express my feelings, but right at that moment I felt like hugging her and assuring her of the well being of her father, even if it might be a false one, just to make her smile brighter.. But I didn't do anything such.. My heart stopped me from giving her a wrong impression about her father's health.. I just smiled, lightly pecked her both cheeks and said, "Thank you Maa!!"

"My father will get well soon !! That was her confidence and I even couldn't afford to make her lose it in any way...

I've not met her for more than a month.. I don't know when and in which condition her father was discharged from GMCH last time..Wherever she is, I can only hope that both of them are doing well.. I just can't tell anything more!!!

Child and the truth!!!

Few days back while at my native place, I was browsing Facebook in the evening. One kid from my neighbourhood, around 8 yrs old, came and looked at my profile picture.

He exclaimed, "Wow... You look handsome in this photo!!!"

I asked, "Otherwise?"

He replied, "Thikei ase aru !!" (so so!!)

I just smiled... Only a child can be this much true!! :-):-)

Best Friends !!!

**""Best friends!!""**

That day my 9 year old niece introduced me to her "best friend".. I talked to both of them taking utmost care to make her friend feel "important", after all she is her best friend.. At that moment this feeling came to my mind.. What is this "best" friend actually?

When I was a little school kid, I was so close with a friend that provided we were aware of the term "best friend" at that moment, we would have used the same for our relationship. But right now I can just remember the name of that childhood friend. We have not met each other for more than 2 decades.. Its not that we had some "childish fights" or anything, but we along with our parents had moved to some other place and we lost our contact... and yet I am eagerly waiting to meet that friend someday and share and recall our beautiful moments!!

During my upper school and college life,  I again befriended so many, out of which I still feel the presence of most of them in my life. During my MBBS, PG and my day to day life also I've met a number friends. With some I can share everything, with some I just prefer to stay too formal.. Its the necessity... I know, some would be there for me at any cost whenever I need any help and some won't.. some would try their level best, but the situation might deter them from doing so.. Some of them might even unexpectedly bite me too hard, yet I can't deny their importance...

Age difference has never been a hindrance for me in friendship.. Look at my younger brother.. He is approx 5 years younger to me. As the big brother I care for him too much, but we are like quite good friends actually.. and he has already played a great role in most of the major decisions in my life..

Coming to Facebook, there are so many in my friend list whom I've never met personally, but you would be surprised to know that by the interactions we have, some of them are even closer to me than some of those whom I know personally!!! Just because of Facebook I have known lots of friends all across India.. precisely all across world.. and I feel happy to have them as my friends..

To be true, I don't know who my best friend is!! I'm unable to choose anyone specifically... Each and everyone has distinct space in my heart.. and most probably you'll also agree that no matter what happens, at the end of the day, our friends will always remain our friends.. We need them all and nobody can deny it !!

Humanity lost..

Today morning while I was on my way to GMCH, I witnessed a post-accident scene in front of GMCH auditorium.. 2 bikes were lying on the main road with some broken parts scattered around and a crowd of 15 to 20 people were surrounding a semiconscious person. I didn't know anything about the happenings!! I stopped my car and on seeing that person, I asked the crowd to help me shift him to GMCH. Within minutes I was in my car with the injured person alone!! At last on my persuasion, one person from the crowd, a relative of the injured, came forward to accompany me. After the emergency duty doctors started their work up on the patient, I left for my own duty.

What I'm trying to say is.. around 15 to 20 people were there, but nobody cared to shift the patient to GMCH emergency, which was hardly 300 metres away from the site.

While I came forward to help that person, most of them acted promptly to shift him from the road into my car and then happily ended their job just by closing all the doors of the car, but nobody was willing to accompany..

A no. of cars were passing by the road, but nobody bothered to stop even to enquire. Only one car with a doctors' tag stopped, from which one young girl, may be a junior doctor from our college whom I didn't recognize, came out for help.

We always talk about humanity when we need it.. But when others need it, we almost always become too busy to help!!

Not because I'm a doctor, but because I'm a human being, it was my duty of the moment, duty of everyone present there to help that person.

I'm telling all these to express my agony.. But another important point is.. quite often it is seen that a person who comes forward to help these needy gets harassment of the authority and the police for no reason!!! So whom to blame? But yet still it is also true that if you need excuses, there are plenty.. Even people get excuses for murder and all other crimes!!

Humanity doesn't cost anything.. All it needs is a helping hand, nothing else !! and when there is a will, there is a way !!