House of Cards: A Novel

by Sudha Murty

  Sanjay was overcome with emotion. He thought, ‘Mridula’s from a better family than mine. She’s good-looking and could have married anybody. By marrying me, she knew that she would lead a middle-class life, but she was still happy. Her cousin Sarla is financially much better off than us. But money has never been important to Mridula. If it was, then she wouldn’t have married me.’

  Yet, Sanjay was hesitant to start his own practice. He told Mridula, ‘Give me some time to decide.’

  15

  Disillusionment

  There were numerous changes in the hospital. Dr Saroja had become the new head of the department. She gave a speech when she came on board, in which she said, ‘I need to improve my department. This department should be vibrant with enthusiasm. Energetic and dynamic people will get priority.’ Sanjay was known to be loyal to Dr Kamala and Dr Saroja did not like her. Moreover, Dr Saroja thought that Sanjay was not dynamic. So he was sidelined at work.

  During Dr Kamala’s tenure, there had been a set of strict rules to be followed. Every assistant doctor had to take a night shift and no doctor would get the night shift more than once a week; everybody had at least one Sunday off every month; and nobody could take their consultation fees from the donation money reserved for the poor—that money was used only for procuring blood for the poor.

  During Dr Saroja’s tenure, things started changing. Sanjay got two night shifts per week and he was the only one on duty every Sunday. When he asked Dr Saroja about this, she smiled and said sweetly, ‘Oh Sanjay, you’re honest. I have great respect for you. If I give Sunday shifts to someone else, they may make money under the table since there’s no one to monitor them that day.’

  Sanjay knew that this was just an excuse but did not know how to respond or argue with her; he continued to perform his duties sincerely.

  One day, after his night shift, Sanjay was about to go home. Dr Saroja was on her rounds. She was talking to her assistant loudly about her connections. As soon as she saw Sanjay from a distance, she signalled him to come and talk to her. She said, ‘Two patients are in the labour rooms. They’re related to some VIPs and are important. They may have delivered by now. The junior doctors are attending to them. There’s no problem but I want you to check in on both of them. Let me know if you think there’s going to be an issue. You can go home later.’

  Dr Saroja knew that Sanjay was a sincere doctor and that she could depend on him. When Sanjay went to see the patients, he found that both of them had delivered. There were two junior doctors sitting there—a young boy and a young girl. They were sitting with their heads close together and talking softly. It was obvious that they were in a romantic relationship. As soon as they saw Sanjay, they leapt apart. Sanjay examined both the patients. They had both had normal deliveries with no complications. There was nothing to worry about.

  One patient’s name was Nanjamma and her husband was a gardener in a minister’s home. The other patient was called Kempunanjamma and her husband was a cook in another minister’s home. So they were both VIP-recommended. Kempunanjamma’s husband, the cook, arrogantly told Sanjay, ‘Please look after my wife well. Otherwise, I’ll complain to the minister. Then he himself will come and give you a piece of his mind.’

  Sanjay got upset. After all, he was a well-qualified and experienced doctor. He replied, ‘What do you mean? We look after all our patients here. Your wife has had a normal delivery and there’s no need for any medicine to be given to her. You can call anyone else in the hospital. The treatment will be the same.’

  The cook was offended. Sanjay ignored him and reported back to Dr Saroja. He told her that everything was fine. Then he left the hospital.

  After three days, Dr Saroja saw Sanjay passing in front of her room. She yelled, ‘Sanjay, come here. I thought that you were a responsible doctor. I’m terribly disappointed in you. You’ve spoilt a VIP case.’

  Sanjay did not understand. The hospital got VIP cases every day. ‘Which case are you referring to, madam?’ he asked politely.

  ‘Kempunanjamma’s case.’

  Sanjay thought, ‘That’s not my case. That’s her case.’ He said to Dr Saroja, ‘But both the patients were fine.’

  ‘They may be fine, but I’m unwell because of them.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘Didn’t you read today’s newspaper? Kempunanjamma’s husband told the media that their child got switched at birth. Even the Health minister phoned me.’

  Dr Saroja’s phone rang. She did not want Sanjay to listen to her conversation and signalled him to leave. Sanjay came out of the room; he was confused. The labour room ayah Mariamma followed him. She said, ‘Doctor, it isn’t your fault. Dr Saroja wants to blame you for someone else’s error. The babies haven’t been switched. The truth is that one of the babies fell sick and died. The dead baby is a girl. The mother of the baby boy is Nanjamma. She had seen her son as soon as he was born and knew that she had given birth to a boy. However, Kempunanjamma’s chart is wrong—the young doctors on duty wrote the incorrect gender on her chart. She had given birth to a girl child but the chart incorrectly says that the baby was a boy. So she alleged that the boy baby was hers. That’s why there is a fight for the boy now. This is the mistake of the young doctors who spent most of the time looking at each other instead of correctly filling out the charts. It isn’t yours. Dr Saroja is their supervisor and she’s to blame.’

  Sanjay realized that Mariamma was telling the truth. He thought, ‘Nobody can switch babies easily. It’s a big offence and everybody knows it. As soon as a baby is born, it’s kept next to its mother. Forty years ago, every newborn was taken for a bath immediately after its birth. At that time, that baby’s hand was tagged with the mother’s name and the height and gender of the baby were noted. Today, that procedure has disappeared because of the shortage of water … Why am I being pulled into this controversy? I haven’t taken care of the two deliveries nor have I filled out the charts.’

  Dr Saroja called out to him again and asked him to step into her office. She said, ‘Sanjay, there may be an inquiry into the matter tomorrow. You must be careful.’

  ‘Madam, how am I connected to this?’

  ‘You were the senior doctor. You managed the deliveries.’

  ‘No, I didn’t manage them. I only checked their health once after you asked me to. The shift doctors were the ones who filled out the charts.’

  ‘But the shift doctors are juniors. Wasn’t it your responsibility to check what they had written?’

  Sanjay was really upset now. He quietly said, ‘No, madam. The duty doctors are postgraduate students. The standard rule is that the doctor who delivers should fill out the chart. Why would I not follow the standard rule? After all, I’m only an ordinary lecturer. I know my limitations.’

  Saroja became livid. ‘Dr Sanjay, don’t give me a lecture. Please remember that I’m your boss. You’ll face the inquiry tomorrow.’

  Dr Saroja’s phone rang again and Sanjay slipped away. He was worried. He wanted to see the charts but they were not available now. He knew that it was unjust to drag him into this. He couldn’t do anything because Dr Saroja was the head of the department. He felt helpless.

  As he was walking away, he met Govindanna, the office superintendent. Govindanna was a shrewd manager; he was cunning but had a soft corner for Sanjay. He could not stand Dr Saroja. Govindanna and Saroja were distant relatives but, more than that, they were bitter enemies. Govindanna told Sanjay, ‘I knew that you’d be the sacrificial lamb. This lady has connections everywhere.’

  Sanjay worriedly said, ‘Govindanna, I’m not connected to this case at all. She’s dragging me into this. May I see the charts?’

  Govindanna lowered his voice. ‘Dr Saroja is keeping them under lock and key because they are evidence. However, I have a copy.’

  Govindanna opened his steel cupboard and showed the copies to Sanjay. Sanjay recognized Dr Saroja’s handwriting. She had added his name to the charts. Sanjay was shocked. ‘Is this t
he reward for my sincerity?’ he said to himself. ‘Had I been making money practising in a government hospital and skipping my duties, I wouldn’t have been thrown under the bus like this. Dr Lata is insincere and skips work but she keeps talking about her connections so people are scared of her. She says, “Today my daddy and I had breakfast with the Health minister,” or “I was playing golf with Daddy and I met the CM there.” Because of this, nobody questions her even when she comes late. There’s no justice in the world.’

  He asked, ‘Govindanna, what will happen now?’

  Govindanna was seasoned. He had handled many offices in his time and could take care of any complicated situation, by hook or by crook. He did not believe in values such as truth, sincerity and honesty. But he was good to Sanjay. He said, ‘Doctor, don’t get scared. Dr Saroja is feeding on your fear. Tell her that your shift was over at 8 a.m. and since the time of delivery shows 8.30 a.m., you aren’t responsible since you weren’t even here. Don’t keep quiet. This lady can go to any extent. You can also drop big names like Dr Lata does.’

  ‘But Govindanna, I don’t know any ministers and Dr Saroja knows that.’

  ‘In that case, say that you know the chief editor of a big newspaper. One of my cousins is a chief editor. Doctor, please remember that you don’t have to be truthful in such circumstances. Nobody’s going to check whether you actually know a chief editor. When the other party lies and can harm you, you needn’t behave like the Buddha. Even Lord Krishna told a lie in the Mahabharata. You should know—you read much more than I do. But don’t tell anyone about my advice. Give me back the copies. I’ll keep them inside.’

  Suddenly, they heard footsteps. Govindanna turned his back to Sanjay and started talking about the weather. Soon, Sanjay left for home with a heavy heart.

  When he reached home, he found Mridula in the bedroom. She was preparing for the school’s Annual Day. She had bought a lot of crêpe paper and was busy cutting it into various shapes. Sishir was sitting right next to her and helping her. When Sanjay came into the room, she wanted to talk about her work. First, she brought him coffee and said, ‘Our school’s Annual Day is the day after tomorrow. But tomorrow is Debate Day. The judge is Sri Dasharati, the editor of a local Kannada newspaper. I’ve chosen a topic for the debate—“Should a person be idealistic or not?” Do you think the topic is good for children?’

  Sanjay was feeling disillusioned and said, ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I think that it’s important for children to be idealistic.’ Then Mridula looked at Sanjay’s face. She could see that he was disturbed. She asked, ‘What’s the problem, Sanjay? Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a headache?’

  Sanjay did not want to talk about his problem or face Mridula’s questions. So he said, ‘Yes, I have a headache.’

  ‘Then please rest. It’s hot outside and you must be tired. The noise and pollution may have aggravated the headache too. Sleep for an hour and you’ll be all right. I’ll take Sishir outside to play so that you don’t get disturbed.’

  She picked Sishir up, closed the bedroom door and gave Sanjay some time alone.

  When Sanjay went to the hospital the next day, he was asked to meet Dr Saroja immediately. When he entered her room, Dr Saroja smiled and said, ‘Sanjay, I’m glad you’re here. Kempunanjamma has realized her mistake and apologized to the hospital. The entire inquiry has been closed.’

  She did not apologize for her false accusations and rude behaviour the day before. She behaved as if nothing had happened.

  When the list of candidates to be transferred from Bangalore appeared on the hospital noticeboard, Sanjay was surprised to see that he was first on the list. He had been transferred to Bellary. There were other people who had been in Bangalore far longer than him but they were still assigned to Bangalore. His colleague Lata has been in Bangalore for a long time but she had never been transferred. He knew that he had been reassigned because he did not have connections like Lata.

  When he reached his desk, the transfer letter was lying on his table. The letter contained the sentence, ‘For the benefit of the people and service towards them, you’ve been transferred to Bellary.’

  As he was taking it all in, Dr Saroja walked into the room and said, ‘Sanjay, I’m so sad. You’re my right-hand man. I don’t know how I’ll run the department without you. But your services are needed more in Bellary. It’s a beautiful place. I wish you all the best. You’ll enjoy your stay there.’

  Dr Saroja knew that the transfer would not be cancelled unless a bribe was paid. She herself had got her transfer cancelled the last time by paying a bribe to someone through Lata. Lata was the one who had initiated Dr Saroja’s transfer to keep her in her place and had later pretended to help her by cancelling it. But Sanjay was not aware of these secrets. Before leaving, Dr Saroja said, ‘You’re relieved of your duties from today. Go home Sanjay, and prepare for Bellary.’

  Lata also showed her sympathy: ‘Sanjay, you’re an honest person. Had they transferred me to Bellary, I would have gone. But the government requires your services. A sincere person like you will serve the poor people with focus. You work there for a year. After that, I’ll tell my daddy to get you back to Bangalore and I’ll go there instead. Mutual exchange is allowed in government service.’

  Dejected, Sanjay headed home. What would they do about their apartment? Sishir was going to school in Bangalore. Mridula’s job was also here. He did not know what to do.

  Mridula consoled him, ‘Shall we go to the minister and meet him? He should know that other people who have been in Bangalore longer than you have haven’t been transferred. It’s unfair.’

  Sanjay had not forgotten his previous encounter at the Health Secretariat. He said, ‘No, Mridula. It doesn’t work that way. Moreover, we don’t even know the minister. There are hundreds of people like me who want the minister’s help with their problems. You have to be recommended by an MLA to meet a minister and we don’t know any MLA.’

  Mridula asked, ‘Do you remember if any MLAs or their relatives have come to you for medical help?’

  ‘When I deal with my patients, they are only patients to me. I don’t ask who they are. I know only Chikananjappa, a clerk in the Health department.’

  Mridula was good at converting every negative to a positive. That was her nature. She said, ‘That’s excellent. Sometimes, people in lower positions are more useful than bigger connections. Why don’t you ask Chikananjappa? He may tell us how we can get to talk to the minister.’

  Sanjay called up Chikananjappa and explained the situation to him. Chikananjappa said, ‘Doctor, it’s difficult to get an appointment with the minister at this busy time of the year. A small person like me can’t help you. It’s better that you go through an MLA. But don’t join your work at Bellary immediately. Give yourself at least one week.’

  Mridula suggested, ‘Sanjay, why don’t we go and visit Principal Muniyappa? I think he had told me once in passing that he knows an MLA from Kolar. He’ll definitely help us if he can.’

  Sanjay had had very little interaction lately with Principal Muniyappa and Kantamma. So he was hesitant, but Mridula insisted that they go.

  They visited the old couple on a Friday evening. Arun and Anuradha were not at home. Kantamma welcomed them and went to the kitchen to bring them some coffee. Sanjay explained his problem to Principal Muniyappa in two sentences and then fell silent. Mridula said, ‘Without an MLA’s recommendation, it’s difficult to get an appointment with the Health minister. We don’t know any MLA. It’ll be nice if you can introduce us to an MLA.’

  ‘Mridula, I’ve taught many children and today, a lot of them are in high positions. But when we ask them for help, people respond differently. Some people refuse to even recognize us. Some of them say that they’ll help us but they want a favour in return. Sanjay’s a doctor and everyone will think that he must have made money under the table. So they’ll want to extract money from you. Nobody will know that your husband is an honest doctor.’
<
br />   Sanjay knew that there was truth in Muniyappa’s words. Muniyappa continued, ‘Even if you meet the Health minister, there’s no guarantee that she’ll fulfil your request. All the ministers say “yes” in front of you but they may not actually do as you ask. This is exactly the reason my son has never wanted to join any government job. He is happy with a private company.’

  Kantamma brought the coffee out. Muniyappa said, ‘Anyway, I do know an MLA from Kolar. Her name is Thayamma and I’ve taught her son. He remembers me and always thanks me for teaching him. It’s quite rare for students to do that these days. I’ll talk to him.’

  Mridula said, ‘Sir, we won’t ask Thayamma to cancel the transfer; if she can only get us an appointment with the minister, it’ll really help.’

  After two days, Muniyappa called Mridula and confirmed an appointment with the Health minister at her house at 9 a.m. Since Sishir did not have school that day, Mridula and Sanjay left him at Muniyappa’s house for a few hours. Then the couple went for the appointment.

  When they reached the Health minister’s house, they saw that it was full of visitors and there was no place for them to sit. Somehow, they both managed to squeeze into a bench. There was an old man sitting next to them. He politely asked the peon, ‘Is Madam at home?’

  The peon said loudly and arrogantly, ‘No, Madam has gone to Tumkur. She’ll be back at any moment. You just sit there and wait.’

  Sanjay wondered, ‘Why did the Health minister give an appointment at 9 a.m. when she hasn’t returned from her trip? How can she help people when she doesn’t value their time?’

  Everybody kept waiting. Even at noon, there was no sign of the minister.

  The old man asked another peon, ‘When is Madam coming?’

  The peon took pity on the old man and answered, ‘Madam’s at home. There’s a phone call from the high command and so she is busy.’