That Girl

The 25^th Anniversary Alumni Meet of the undergraduate college program was finally happening in the 26^th year almost late to the date by a year.

After the usual hiccups and differences of opinions on the program flow, set up, location, lighting, music, food menu, financials, operations and everything else under the sun it was finally happening today evening.

It was really nice that many out of station and some out of country batch mates had travelled especially for this. The core team was assembling at college at 11am to cover the last mile. I was on my way.

It was a Saturday and the college was not having regular classes. There were some students hanging around for their special workshops or projects.

Once everybody arrived, we all started arranging the small half open auditorium, right in the middle of the college. I was moving the benches around to arrange them properly and create space in the hall when a group of students passed by and we looked at each other and smiled.

A tall lanky boy with specs and beard walking along with a girl stopped by me and the girl very sweetly said “can we help you?” In my own zone, without giving much attention, I just smiled back at them both and said “no thank you, it’s all done.”

Ignoring my ‘no’ completely, the girl once again very sweetly said “we would really love to help you.”

I stopped and looked up at the girl. For the first time saw her properly. Simple and very pretty, she had one of the best smiles I had seen. She would definitely make the top 5 list of the best smiles people in my books.

Her twinkling honest eyes were advocating her genuine gesture to help. There was something really special about her. At that moment there was nothing more beautiful than her smile. I just couldn’t have said no that smile, even if no help was required.

I immediately shook hands with them and asked “do you know who we are?” The boy immediately said “Sir, I think you are alumni of this college and have a function today.” I smiled and said “yes, you are absolutely right, we are your super super seniors, celebrating our 25^th passing year anniversary, and that makes you our super super juniors, well almost 25 years junior.”

By this time their entire gang had returned looking for them and I noticed a few of them carrying guitars. My other batch mates also joined in wondering at all the action. We did a quick hand shake with everyone and recalled memories of the college, us the old ones, them the new ones.

Though not sure about it happening, I asked them “would you do us a favour, something special for your super seniors.”

A few of them murmured “sure!”

“Would you play guitar and sing a few songs with us” I asked pointing to the 2 guys carrying guitars.

In unison they all said a loud “YES!”

Within seconds some of the benches were rearranged and the both the guitarists were surrounded by the students in a semi circle. By now we had almost 50 boys and girls to the party. I and my batch mates stood right in front of them and the party started. For the next hour or so we forgot we had to finish work for the evening party. Together we were all singing and having a great time. That girl was smiling all the time. There was something special about her!

Suddenly somebody shouted “the bus is leaving” and all of them started leaving in a jiffy. Realising we had not even exchanged numbers I ran out to see if anyone was still around and to my happy surprise found one boy still around.

He was Aditya. Took his name and number and gave mine. Thanked Aditya and requested him to convey our heartfelt thanks to the entire gang for such a memorable afternoon. We actually got two celebrations in a day because of them and made some nice new friends!

Our alumni get together went off well in the evening. Many made to it and many couldn’t but in the end whoever could make it had a great time. From admiring the now mammoth building to the long walk in the familiar corridors to seeing the old classrooms to catching up with teachers to remembering all the lessons learned in canteen to the finale, it was lot of fun and excitement. More importantly, the 25^th anniversary celebrations were finally organised and over. Everyone loved it too!

A large coffee mug with 25^th year branding was made as the memento for the occasion. After distributing it to the batch mates we had a few spare and I suggested if few could give some to the students who we befriended this afternoon. Everyone agreed and it was decided that when we go to college on Monday to honour a few teachers who couldn’t make it this evening, we would also meet up those students and personally handover them the mementos.

I called up Aditya next day and informed him about the plan. He assured to get the team gathered when we land at college. He was quite pleased by the idea.

As planned on Monday noon, after finishing honouring the remaining teachers, we met Aditya. Unfortunately, despite him informing all the students, only a few could make it. We met our new friends Sam, Piyush, Vidit, Sukeshi and Shruti. We personally thanked them and handed over the mementos. The idea of creating a facebook page to embed this day in history books was immediately liked and accepted. Just didn’t want to lose these lovely kids!

But that girl with that awesome smile was missing. It had all started with her, she had to be there. Apparently she had a more important task to attend to else she would have joined. I requested Aditya to make sure one memento reaches her along with our huge gratitude and also asked him to ask her to call me whenever convenient.

“Sir I will ask her to call you and you can also find her on facebook once the group is created and she gets added” Piyush said with definitive assurance. Piyush was the boy who met first with that girl and offered help.

Thanking them again we took leave and got into our car. I was feeling a little disappointed not able to meet that girl. These kids were so amazing, all of them that we met today. They were so thrilled to get the mementos. They felt quite nice about the whole gesture. I was still wishing if that girl was around, this day would have been perfect. I still could hear her say “we would really love to help you.”

~*~

It was past midnight by the time I finished my work. I was really tired. Stretching a bit and gulping some water I opened the facebook page tab. On my laptop, while working, the google, facebook, twitter and latest news tabs are always open. Whenever bored or running out of ideas I use them as ‘commercial breaks’.

Browsing through facebook I saw the page of the new super junior friends of my alma matter. It had been a week now. Quite a few were added. Impressed, I kept scrolling, checking names, my batch and their batch. Then I saw the picture of a familiar girl, the picture of that girl.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Her profile picture hit me so strong I can’t describe in words. As if in trance I opened her page and headed straight to all the pictures uploaded. The more pictures I saw the more restless I got. This was completely spooky at one level.

It was 2am. This was no emergency. Yet I had to drop a message. My mind was advising to hold on till morning but my heart was all gunning for it.

“Hi. Sorry to drop a message this late but couldn’t help. Please give this name to your father as soon as you see this message. My number is xyz123sow6, please ask him to call” I wrote and gave a name.

There was so much more I wanted to tell her, write to her but all that had to wait. God forbid I didn’t have her number else I would have called her and woken up at that hour. It would have been crazy!

Sleep was miles away. This was one of those rare moments where a smoke was a great help. Digging into the emergency stock, stacked for such moments, I lighted one and kept going through her facebook page again and again and again and kept wondering at life’s magical ways of bringing people together.

~*~

The phone was ringing as I got out of the wash room. Had finally managed to doze off at 5am and it was 8.30am right now. I was still very sleepy. The number was unknown. I usually avoid unknown numbers and decided not to pick up. In a flash last night’s action replayed in my mind and I immediately picked up the phone and answered.

“acegikm?” asked a male voice, calling my pet name of early childhood. That name was all forgotten, dead and buried many many centuries ago. But that name was the only code word that could solve this mystery.

Soon the flood gates opened and for the next half an hour or so we caught up on the last 40 years if not less. It was magic, pure magic. We connected from where we left. We promised to meet up soon. The excitement was exploding!

Finally I managed to speak to that girl too and what a pleasure it was for both of us. I told her how I missed her in college while meeting her gang and how bewildered I felt when I saw her facebook profile picture with her father.

I kept telling her the stories of her father and she kept listening in pure joy and amazement. She couldn’t believe all the small little things I remembered about her father and the fact that I was probably half her age when I last met him and yet remembered them so vividly, including the old house, his iconic bike Yezdi, trade mark heavy bushy moustaches and that warm, affectionate smile. 

At that age, I told her, I had 2 heroes. One was my maternal uncle and the other was her father, both best friends! I used to call them both ‘maamaa’.

Now I know where she gets her awesome smile from. Now I know why some people at unexpected places and even in large crowds connect for no reason. Now I know, maybe, there is a reason. Now I know how some stories unfold so beautifully to bring people together out of the blues. Now I know that girl.

That Girl turned out to be my niece! That Girl’s name is Priya.

~*~

[for Priya, Aditya, Sam, Piyush, Vidit, Sukeshi, Shruti & all others we met that noon]

Pain In The Back

48 hours had gone and the back pain was not subsiding. The time tested pain killers were not working. The worry was that in 4 days I was leaving for a week to ten days trip, all by train, bus and car. At the same time, some mason work was going on at home which needed all my time, attention and energy. I desperately needed to get well but there was no time to rest.

It had all started on a Thursday. While shifting and lifting some stuff at home the back got sprained and slowly and gradually the pain spread in the entire right leg. A muscle got pulled or some nerve was getting pressed wrong, whatever, the pain was unbearable and not going away. Right from the backbone epicentre down to the right leg calf, the pain would strike as a lightning in short intervals without any predicative pattern. Funnily enough I could stand, walk and work without much pain but the moment I sat or lied down, the pain returned with a vengeance. Lying down, getting up, turning on my sides were painful acts. By the Friday evening the right side ribs had also joined the pain party. Any small jerk and the pain would shoot up like crazy.

By the time I realised my time tested pain killers were not going to help, another day had gone living life painfully. It was already Saturday evening, most doctors wouldn’t be available on Sunday and I needed professional help desperately. Some quick thinking and I made a call to a neighbourhood pharmacist friend and explained my situation. He suggested some tablets and advised me to see a specialist soon. Assuring him to see a specialist doctor soon I started the medicine. Within 12 hours the medicine worked like magic. By Sunday evening, though not fully recovered, I was feeling better. Considering the healing I shun the thought of meeting the doctor and bought another day’s medicine suggested by my pharmacist friend.

All things ‘too good to be true’ have a rather unpleasant ending. So did this one. Despite 2 days of self medication and 2 days of friendly medication, the pain continued. Sleeping at night was very tough. On Monday night, Tuesday early morning at 4am, the ‘Brahma Muhurat’ time, I got ‘Baudh Gyaan’ and decided to visit an Orthopaedist as soon as possible in the morning.

True to self promise I landed at one of the leading, reputed and recently renovated Orthopaedic Hospital of the city. The young middle aged doctor was a trusted one from a long time both for the family and close friends as well. Quite a nice jovial guy he also happened to be the school alumni. Managing a last minute appointment, I waited for my turn. 

The new unit looked super swanky. Big reception, large waiting area, neatly lined up consultation rooms, well lit and ventilated floor with a good fusion of natural and LED light, insurance claim help chamber next to reception, more than sufficient and nice comfortable waiting chairs, effective air-conditioning, good aesthetics and spick and span ambience; overall a very impressive and professional looking unit. The ground to ceiling open area right in the centre of the building, cutting across all upper stories, gave a nice airy and transparent look. Even the staff was looking smart and behaving cordially and professionally, in tune with overall environment of the unit.

I was suddenly feeling a little guilty that I should have brought a bouquet. Not that I knew the doctor too closely or that I was invited at the inauguration, still, it would have been a nice gesture to acknowledge such an impressive unit in my city. After all, we have been connected for a long time now.

Hearing my name getting announced from reception brought me back to my pain. I entered the doctor’s chamber and instantly noticed the apple computer placed on his desk. ‘They sure have covered all the right bases of creating the right impressions’ I thought to myself. A paradigm shift in the presentation from the old unit to the new, premium was being conveyed loud and clear. This was a brand refresh ensuring enhanced premium imagery by quite a few notches. The 50% increase in the consultation fee, collected in advance at the time of booking appointment, was also in sync with changed premium imagery and definitely towards covering some cost!

After hearing me out, end to end, the doctor made me do a few stretch and bend exercises which I did with ease. He then made me lie down on the patient table and asked to do some more leg movements which again I did with ease. He asked me to get up and as I moved and sat relaxed in the chair opposite his desk he got busy writing the prescription. I was relieved that all looked good. Suddenly he stopped, looked at me and said in a matter of fact tone ‘get an X Ray done’.

Not expecting it, I took a moment to respond. Looking in his eyes I asked ‘is it really needed, all the exercise you made me do looked good’. ‘Let’s be double sure’ he said, ‘it’s a matter of spine’. How I wanted to refuse and how I agreed is the perfect example of how you have to cheat on your gut to trust someone you don’t want to. I had a very strong gut feeling that everything was good, an X Ray was not required and that he was just getting it done to increasing his billing.

I remembered how once my kid had fallen from his bicycle and bruised his hand and how the doctor insisted on an X Ray despite all his arm, shoulder and finger movements being fine. Both I and my kid and even some of the waiting patients could clearly see that the X Ray was being ‘pushed’.  In the end, we had to get it done and as expected the result was all clean.

Similarly a relative was pushed for an ear operation in Mumbai, by a visiting Mumbai ENT Surgeon, when he said ‘the patient is on a time bomb, if not treated immediately, he may have to face worse consequences’. The effect of his statement was that all women in the family succumbed to the threat and lo and behold the family went to Mumbai for the surgery. The same operation could have been done locally or at best even at the neighbourhood big town at 25% the cost.

Like religion, scare tactics work quite well in matters of health. ‘it is your call and responsibility if you don’t want to do this’ is a standard statement that you hear whenever you provide a counter opinion in these two matters.

So despite not liking it, I ‘pushed’ myself to the X Ray room which was also impressively and professionally designed and located. The technician saw the doctor’s prescription, guided me to the room and issued instructions cordially and professionally. As soon as he took the X Ray, I started to get up but he asked me to keep lying down and change posture as, apparently, the doctor had prescribed for 2 X Rays for 2 different positions. I didn’t like the breaking news at all but couldn’t do anything about it so got the other one done also.

After waiting for some more time the doctor called me again and having already seen the X Rays told me ‘not very sure as no nerves are pressing anywhere but you seem to have a slip disc’. Now I know a bit about slip discs. A person cannot get up, forget moving around. A large support waist belt has to be worn. A patient of slip disc is on the bed for almost 3 to 4 weeks. His ‘not sure’, ‘seem to have’ language honestly stumped me. Isn’t he supposed to be sure, at least after multiple X Rays?

He also completely forgot the fact that to meet him I drove down on my own and would be returning home driving all by myself. Can anyone with slip disc drive a car? Though he advised against travel initially but subsequently allowed with a few precautions and caveats. Quite dejected already and knowing he was now simply justifying the X Rays, I left the room after checking all other precautions as well.

On the way out bought my medicines from the store housed within the hospital. A minor fiasco happened there too on the prescribed v/s available v/s alternate medicine and their quantities and prices, but that is a story for another day. Medicine shops housed within the hospital and even attached to clinics are now an accepted format of a doctor’s business model.

It’s been more than a fortnight and touchwood I am all good. I went for my trip as per schedule, travelling in trains and buses and cars and returned safe and sound; had to even climb the top berth in the train.

The help from pharmacist was simply great but definitely not advisable as a norm or at the expense of consulting a doctor. The doctor fleecing and scaring a patient on the pretext of being safe is neither healthy nor in tune with the Hippocratic Oath

The gut said ‘sprain’ and sprain it was. The gut said ‘medicine will heal’ and it sure did. The gut said ‘go to a doctor’ and I did. The gut said ‘X Rays were unnecessary’ and sure they were. The gut says ‘doctors are going to get upset by this write up’, well, let them be. At least I am not writing a ‘loaded’ prescription.

In hindsight, good I didn’t carry a bouquet, I anyway got charged for that!