Sarojini Nagar is a city in Delhi. We used to live there. It was a hard time! I used to work in an office and the office had provided me a living quarters. My wife worked in a school in Faridabad side as Teacher. I used to take her in the morning shiver, on my two wheeler scooter (a two wheeler scooter was a big thing in those days, for the simple folks it was more than a car) to a bus stop in front of 'Medical' (the people in Delhi did not say All India Institute of Medical Sciences for AIIMS, they only said Medical).
A bus used to come from Punjabi Bagh which she caught. That day, when I was dropping her, I was feeling the stomach pain. On the return journey I told my wife that I will, perhaps, drop in to the Safdarjang Hospital and see if they could be of any help. My wife left in the bus and I returned on my scooter, but the stomach pain was increasing..When I reached the gate of Safdarjang, a thought occurred to me. I just can't stand and if I get down from the scooter I may fall down or may even crawl into the casualty of the hospital. But there would be a number of other employees whom I would have to bypass to reach a doctor. I may not be stand as much and may finish before a doctor saw me.
I decided against entering the hospital. I know the hospital. It is a good hospital. But in an emergency, the other staff whom I will have to bypass frightened me....No. it is better to continue on my scooter in this extreme cold morning and if possible reach home. I changed gear and moved on.. At the Kamal cross which is a furlong up I had to turn right. If I get a red light there, I am gone! I was just lucky. The light was green, and I took advantage and turned right straight on.. And that was the end of it. Now I have to lie down. The pain has become imbearable.
I remembered my friend Gopalakrishnan living in the third row of houses among the Government quarters. I automatically turned left to the quarters row. I thought I can just lie down on the verandah of the flat next to me. I was able to put the scooter on the stand and lock it in a jiffy and turned to the verandah. As I said it was early morning and cold. When I was trying to lie down I found the lady of the house was washing the verandah as her morning ablution. I just lied down on the wet floor which surprised the woman washing the place!
Her eyes bulged out seeing somebody just lying on the floor but she understood I was in pain. She enquired if I wanted some water! I said, she can call Gopalakrishnan of upstair flat who is my friend. My friend who was getting ready for the morning walk came running down and took me upstairs to his house where it was very warm. His old father and mother was there and they insisted that I lie down in their bed. The room was warm and cosy which made me relax and I fell into a short sleep. In a while I got up and when I awoke, my friends old mother was sitting near me watching me. His father very lovingly told me : "Please you only slowly get up. And have some break fast with these warm dosas." I slowly got up and washed my face and came back. I sat down as if I am a small child and my friends on either side was watching me slowly eating the dosas which they had so lovingly served. Again, I was asked to relax in bed after the dosas and I did so. I would have slept for half an hour. When I got up the stomach pain was gone!
I profusely thanked them...remembered my father and mother. I wondered if my father and mother, who were reappearing as his father and mother to help me in this occasion of stress and pain and make me whole. I thanked my friend and took my scooter and rode home. Even years after, I remember all of them with great gratitude and still wonder at the course of events that unfurled that morning. I still see my friend at times, but the saintly father and mother of my friend has moved to their heavenly abode in later years! Very loving blessed people, indeed!
A bus used to come from Punjabi Bagh which she caught. That day, when I was dropping her, I was feeling the stomach pain. On the return journey I told my wife that I will, perhaps, drop in to the Safdarjang Hospital and see if they could be of any help. My wife left in the bus and I returned on my scooter, but the stomach pain was increasing..When I reached the gate of Safdarjang, a thought occurred to me. I just can't stand and if I get down from the scooter I may fall down or may even crawl into the casualty of the hospital. But there would be a number of other employees whom I would have to bypass to reach a doctor. I may not be stand as much and may finish before a doctor saw me.
I decided against entering the hospital. I know the hospital. It is a good hospital. But in an emergency, the other staff whom I will have to bypass frightened me....No. it is better to continue on my scooter in this extreme cold morning and if possible reach home. I changed gear and moved on.. At the Kamal cross which is a furlong up I had to turn right. If I get a red light there, I am gone! I was just lucky. The light was green, and I took advantage and turned right straight on.. And that was the end of it. Now I have to lie down. The pain has become imbearable.
I remembered my friend Gopalakrishnan living in the third row of houses among the Government quarters. I automatically turned left to the quarters row. I thought I can just lie down on the verandah of the flat next to me. I was able to put the scooter on the stand and lock it in a jiffy and turned to the verandah. As I said it was early morning and cold. When I was trying to lie down I found the lady of the house was washing the verandah as her morning ablution. I just lied down on the wet floor which surprised the woman washing the place!
Her eyes bulged out seeing somebody just lying on the floor but she understood I was in pain. She enquired if I wanted some water! I said, she can call Gopalakrishnan of upstair flat who is my friend. My friend who was getting ready for the morning walk came running down and took me upstairs to his house where it was very warm. His old father and mother was there and they insisted that I lie down in their bed. The room was warm and cosy which made me relax and I fell into a short sleep. In a while I got up and when I awoke, my friends old mother was sitting near me watching me. His father very lovingly told me : "Please you only slowly get up. And have some break fast with these warm dosas." I slowly got up and washed my face and came back. I sat down as if I am a small child and my friends on either side was watching me slowly eating the dosas which they had so lovingly served. Again, I was asked to relax in bed after the dosas and I did so. I would have slept for half an hour. When I got up the stomach pain was gone!
I profusely thanked them...remembered my father and mother. I wondered if my father and mother, who were reappearing as his father and mother to help me in this occasion of stress and pain and make me whole. I thanked my friend and took my scooter and rode home. Even years after, I remember all of them with great gratitude and still wonder at the course of events that unfurled that morning. I still see my friend at times, but the saintly father and mother of my friend has moved to their heavenly abode in later years! Very loving blessed people, indeed!
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