by Sudha Murty
The clock struck twelve.
Lakshmi remembered that she had not done any household chores since the morning. Her son, Anil, was still sleeping. Last night, all of them had gone for a late-night movie. She felt lazy and did not want to get up, clean the house and cook. She had an idea. She told her husband, ‘I’ve been getting backaches recently. It pains when I bend forward. Shall we go out to eat today? I want to rest until Anil and you get dressed to go out.’
Shankar had just finished reading his paper. He said, ‘Okay, you rest. I will wake you up once we’re ready to leave.’
Lakshmi smiled to herself. ‘Nobody should be able to read a woman’s mind, including her husband. If he gets to know that she is acting or is too lazy to cook, he might pass a sarcastic comment or compare her to his dead mother and say, “See, my mother was a great cook. She could cook for thirty people at a time.” A husband must feel that his wife is delicate and has a medical problem. These are techniques to control one’s husband. You should never instantly say yes to whatever your husband says. If he finds out that his wife is obedient and a workaholic, then he’ll give her more work. Then the wife will have to work in the office and at home. I’m not like Mridula, who can work all the time.’
Shankar told her repeatedly, ‘Lakshmi, you are a graduate. Why don’t you apply for a job in the bank? Then we’ll get additional income. We can take more loans and maybe build a house.’
Though Lakshmi got offended at this, she did not show it to Shankar: the husband must think that his wife is listening to him. Instead, she gently said, ‘I wish I could but Anil is too young for me to leave him alone at home. Had your mother been alive, she would’ve looked after our child and I would have happily found a job. Let Anil become independent. Then I’ll surely work.’
This way, she smartly praised her dead mother-in-law and also sent the message to Shankar that he did not have anyone in his family to help look after the baby.
12
Different Values
Minister Nagalingegowda had been in politics for a long time. But he was a quiet and gentle person and avoided giving public statements. Many people did not even know that he was a minister. His family had plenty of land near a town called Kunigal, which was also his constituency.
Nagalingegowda had three sons. The eldest son looked after the farms and the second one owned a business. They were both married and did not interfere in their father’s political work. Nagalingegowda’s wife, Ningamma, wanted her third son, Suresh, to become a doctor. So she told her husband, ‘Many ministers’ children study in a government college and then go abroad. You’ve been in your political party for a long time. Why don’t you get Suresh admission in a private college through the government?’
Even though Suresh did not want to become a doctor, he listened to his mother. He completed his MBBS, got a government scholarship, went abroad and returned to India with a foreign degree. He got married to Sushma and now, four years later, he was working as assistant surgeon in a Bangalore government hospital.
Ningamma had grandchildren from her first two sons within the first year of their marriages. But Suresh and Sushma were not so lucky. Sushma had become pregnant a few times but she miscarried every time. So Suresh took her to a lady gynaecologist Dr Kamala who worked in the same hospital.
Dr Kamala was a senior gynaecologist and the head of the department. She recommended a lot of tests. After the test results came in, the doctor carefully gave her opinion, ‘Sushma, your uterus is quite delicate. It doesn’t have the capacity to bear a child for nine months. So, when you become pregnant, you’ll need a special stitch called the Shirodkar stitch. Moreover, you should take complete bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy.’
Suresh was a colleague and Dr Kamala was hesitant to get involved. Sushma was a VIP patient. If things went well, a few words of appreciation may come her way but if something went wrong, nobody would care to find out the truth; instead, there may be an inquiry or a transfer. She was aware that the case itself was not complicated but the consequences were heavy and may affect her working relationships or her future at the hospital.
In her thirty years of experience, Dr Kamala had seen many cases where she had assumed that things would not go wrong, but they had. So she thought that it was better for such cases to go to a doctor with whom the patients felt comfortable. She paused and said, ‘If you want a second opinion, please feel free to consult another doctor.’
Suresh had a high opinion of Dr Kamala. He knew that she was not corrupt and was excellent at her job. He had done a year of residency under her guidance. He said, ‘No, madam, we don’t want a second opinion. I have complete confidence in you. I want you to handle this case.’
When Sushma became pregnant, she came to see Dr Kamala every month. At the right time, Dr Kamala stitched Sushma’s uterus and told her, ‘Don’t lift heavy things. Take complete bed rest. You must come and get admitted in the hospital one month before your due date.’
Sushma was nervous and asked, ‘Doctor, do you think that I will need a C-section?’
‘That’s difficult to predict. Things like that are usually decided at the time of delivery. But don’t worry. You will be fine.’
Dr Kamala had two assistants—Lata and Sanjay. Dr Lata’s father was a senior IAS officer. She had grown up in Bangalore, came from a rich family and had never been to a village. She was good in studies, spoke good English and could impress anybody. She had done her MBBS in Bangalore, then gone to England for work and come back a few years later. She had joined the hospital as a lecturer. Dr Lata usually did not take any responsibility but pretended to work hard. Her husband was an income tax officer. Her father had given them a big bungalow in Sadashivanagar as a gift and she came to the hospital in a car.
Dr Kamala preferred Sanjay over Lata. When Dr Kamala went out of town, she made Sanjay the person in charge. Though he did not talk much, Sanjay was good at his work. Even the hospital staff liked Sanjay over Lata.
Today, it was Dr Lata’s shift at the hospital. At 8 p.m., there was a call from the minister’s house that Sushma was on her way to the hospital and that she was in labour. Unfortunately, Dr Kamala was in Chennai. Dr Lata was scared because Sushma was a VIP patient and there was no senior doctor around. She went to Sanjay and caught him just as he was about to leave. She said, ‘Sanjay, this is an important case. Madam is out of station. Please don’t go.’
‘I’m sorry. They must want a lady doctor. So I may not be of any use to you.’
Almost immediately, Sushma came in. She was in a lot of pain. Dr Suresh told Dr Lata, ‘Madam had told me to admit Sushma one month before her due date. I’m sorry that I didn’t do it. There was a by-election in our constituency and we got busy. We remembered only after Sushma had the labour pain. She can’t feel the baby move.’
Sanjay thought, ‘What kind of a husband is Suresh? His wife had such a difficult pregnancy and being a doctor himself, he knows the importance of the Shirodkar stitch. How can he be so busy that he forgot about his wife’s medical needs?’
Dr Lata wanted to escape. She said, ‘Madam is out of town. You can take your wife to any other private nursing home. We don’t have any objection.’
Suresh insisted, ‘No, we don’t want to go anywhere else. Her case history is here. You’re also well trained.’
Lata did not know what to do. She took Sanjay aside and requested him, ‘Sanjay, you have much more experience than me. I can’t manage this VIP case by myself. Will you please help me?’
This was not a difficult case for Sanjay. He had handled similar cases in Bombay. Dr Jog was a great teacher and Sanjay had been exposed to different types of cases while working for him. He thought, ‘Lata is well qualified. Why is she so scared? I wonder what she learnt in England.’
Then he thought of the patient and forgot about everything else. He nodded his head and agreed to help Lata. Sanjay realized that Sushma needed a C-section quickly because the cord was around the baby’s neck. S
o he prepared to operate on Sushma; Lata assisted him. They performed a C-section. When the baby was taken out safely, he felt happy seeing the newborn. A few minutes later, he went to wash his hands and change his clothes.
Dr Lata took the newborn and went outside to show the baby boy to the father and grandmother. Ningamma was very happy to see her first grandson and became emotional. A short while later, the minister also reached the hospital. Ningamma turned to her husband and said, ‘Lord Shiva has been kind to us. This lady doctor worked really hard and has taken good care of Sushma and the baby.’
Lata took advantage of the opportunity and replied, ‘Yes, sir. This was a very difficult case. In the end, I had to do a C-section.’
‘How long have you been working here?’ the minister asked with concern.
‘For the past five years. Sir, you may know my father, Mr Balasubramaniam.’
‘Oh! So, are you Chief Secretary Balasubramaniam’s daughter?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Suddenly, the baby started crying and Lata took him inside. Sanjay was not back yet. He was still changing out of the doctors’ hospital uniform. Sushma was under the influence of anaesthesia. Lata was excited that she had hit the iron while it was hot.
Soon, it was the naming ceremony of Minister Nagalingegowda’s grandchild. It was a joyous event. The minister had also won the by-election and he wanted to thank everyone who had helped. So a big party was planned to celebrate both the occasions. The minister sent invitation cards to Dr Lata and told her to invite everyone who helped during Sushma’s operation. Lata gave the nurses and ayahs the invitation but did not give a card to Sanjay. She was worried that if the minister came to know that it was Sanjay who had performed the operation, then she would not look good.
The day of the function came and went and Sanjay remained unaware that he had also been invited to the party.
A few days later, Sanjay was sitting in his room preparing for a conference. He was feeling low and wondered how his paper would matter in the long run. He loved his work but appreciation was important because it brought a lot of enthusiasm. Dr Kamala entered his room. She was on the verge of retirement and had seen many ups and downs in her life. In her long career, she had helped many people and was happy about it. Seeing Dr Kamala, Sanjay stopped what he was doing and stood up to show his respect. Dr Kamala smiled and said, ‘Please, Sanjay, sit down. When do you think you’ll complete your paper?’
Dr Kamala was interested in academics. She encouraged hard-working youngsters like Sanjay because there were few people working in government hospitals who wanted to achieve academic excellence. She knew that Lata’s knowledge was hollow—she was more interested in publicity than in being a good doctor. The reason Lata was here was because of her father’s influence. Otherwise, she would not have been hired by the hospital. Dr Kamala was aware of who had performed the operation and why Sanjay had not got an invite.
‘How was the function, madam?’ Sanjay asked.
‘It was an obligation and a formality. Simple people like you and me can’t understand all the reasons behind such parties.’
Sanjay kept quiet. Kamala showed him the sari the minister’s family had given her and said, ‘You know that I didn’t perform the operation, Sanjay. Maybe they gave it to me because I had examined Sushma during her pregnancy. But I was surprised at one thing …’
‘What’s that, madam?’
‘I was surprised at the way everyone was praising Lata and the way she was lying through her teeth. She was saying that she has handled many such cases in London. I know it is a lie. But who will take the effort to actually find out the truth? Lata must have got a better gift than me. Sanjay, one thing is true—in government hospitals, it is not only important that you do a good job but also that you showcase it to others.’
Sanjay started thinking about Dr Kamala’s wise words and did not reply.
13
The Fall of Idealism
After Sishir’s birth, Mridula’s life changed completely. She wanted someone to look after the child during the day so that she could return to work. Rukuma and Bheemanna told her, ‘You can leave the child with us at Aladahalli. We’ll take care of him.’
But Mridula did not agree. Though she herself had been born and brought up in Aladahalli and loved the village, leaving her child there was difficult for her. Sanjay also agreed. Bheemanna or Rukuma could not leave the village and come to stay with Mridula for a long period either.
By now, Mridula knew very well that her mother-in-law wouldn’t help her. Sanjay had indirectly told his mother, ‘Amma, Mridula is worried about where she’ll leave the baby when she returns to work.’
Ratnamma had kept quiet. She was not willing to come and take care of the baby. Still, Mridula was grateful to her mother-in-law. At least, she did not trouble her like other mothers-in-law. She did not taunt her with sarcastic comments or take her daughter’s side or discriminate against Mridula. Ratnamma lived in a completely different world.
Mridula could leave her job and stay at home, but that would not work. Sanjay and Mridula had taken a loan for their flat. Unless both of them worked, they would not be able to repay the loan. Mridula was saving every paisa. She did not take an autorickshaw or spend money on stitching blouse pieces to match with her saris. She wanted the loan to be repaid at the earliest. But Lakshmi made fun of her. Behind her back, she said, ‘What’s the use of all the salary and education when Mridula can’t even dress properly?’
Mridula tried to get somebody from Aladahalli to stay and work in her house but after they stayed in her Vijayanagar apartment, they quickly got bored. They left within three months because they missed the village.
One day, Mridula was thinking about this problem while she was buying some vegetables when she ran into Muniyappa and Kantamma. She was happy to see them. Kantamma told her, ‘Mridula, we didn’t go back to Kolar. We’re staying in a rented house in Vijayanagar too.’
They gave her the address and told her to visit them soon. Since Mridula was attached to them, she took Sishir and went to their house the next Sunday. She told them about her difficulties in getting a good daytime babysitter and said, ‘I don’t think that I can continue to work if I don’t find someone reliable.’
The husband and wife looked at each other and excused themselves. They went inside their bedroom and came back in five minutes. Kantamma told Mridula affectionately, ‘Look, if you and your husband agree, you can leave your child with us. I’ll look after him like my own grandson. Please don’t leave him alone with some unknown help.’
Mridula could not contain her joy. Tears flowed down her cheeks in gratitude. Later, she talked to Sanjay and he did not have any objection either.
Despite the baby and the lecturer’s job, Sanjay spent most of his time in the library. One day, the hospital informed the doctors about a three-week AIDS training programme in the USA arranged by the World Health Organization (WHO). All doctors working in government hospitals were eligible for this training but preference was to be given to the gynaecologists who were also teaching there. Sanjay thought that it was a good opportunity for him since he did not have the kind of money to personally go and attend the training on his own. So he filled out the application and went to Dr Kamala’s room.
Dr Kamala was busy reading a medical journal. When Sanjay came and sat in front of her, she asked him, ‘What’s the matter, Sanjay?’
‘Madam, I need a favour. I’m applying for the training programme in New York. Will you recommend me?’ Sanjay asked hesitantly. He found it hard to ask for favours.
‘Sanjay, I attended the training last year. You’ll meet many people there. The library may help you acquire knowledge, but attending a seminar or training is much more useful. This is a good idea.’
‘Madam, do you think I have a good chance of being chosen? You know my work style and my nature.’
Dr Kamala was quiet for a minute and then replied, ‘I’m aware of the situation. I’ve worked with yo
u for years now, but I don’t know whether you’ll be able to go.’
‘Why not, madam?’
‘Even after so long, I don’t understand the basis on which the hospital panel selects a person. Every year, the criteria are different. They modify the selection process based on the candidate they want to send. I really don’t know the rules for this year.’
Sanjay turned pale. Dr Kamala consoled him, ‘Sanjay, I’m not discouraging you. The truth is that I don’t want to give you false hope. A best friend is one who tells you the bitter truth. It is not necessary that you go through the government. There are some medical companies which can also sponsor this training.’
Sanjay smiled gently and said, ‘I heard that Dr Lata went on such a drug company sponsorship to Malaysia. Is there any way that I can also get that sponsorship?’
Dr Kamala kept quiet. Sanjay could not get that sponsorship. Lata worked part-time for a private nursing home. The drug company sponsored private-hospital doctors and not government ones. Lata had another advantage. Her husband was in the Income Tax department. She ensured that people who didn’t help her had their income tax audited and their house raided. Everybody was scared of her. Dr Kamala remembered that a few years ago, Lata had wanted to go to Singapore and asked for a six-week vacation. Dr Kamala had refused because the department was short-staffed. The next week, the income tax department had audited her. There was nothing wrong with her income tax filing, but the multiple visits, verifications and waiting had caused a lot of irritation.