by Sudha Murty
‘Sarla isn’t like you. She’s practical. She works hard and makes money and understands the ways of the world.’
This upset Mridula even more. Sanjay appreciated everyone except her. She snapped back, ‘I think I should have been more like your sister and spent all of my husband’s money and brought him to the streets.’
Sanjay did not bother replying. He had wanted to push Mridula’s buttons, and he had. He started whistling. Mridula continued, ‘Lakshmi puts all her money in chits. Her friend told me. I saw her at a marriage last week. She was wearing at least ten lakh’s worth of jewellery and she told me that it was artificial.’
Calmly, Sanjay said, ‘Mridula, you must meet Dr Ramaiah.’
Mridula was taken aback at the change of subject. She asked, ‘Are you talking about the famous psychiatrist? Why should I meet him? I don’t have a health problem.’
‘Yes, you do. That’s why you should get yourself checked. Just because someone told you that Lakshmi is involved in chits, you believed that person. I have known my sister longer than I’ve known you. She doesn’t care about money. In fact, she wants to help people and loses money in the process. Why will she lie to you? Had she had your inclination to save money, she would’ve been wealthy today.’
Mridula felt bad that her husband had more faith in his sister than in his wife. He was not ready to think for a second that his sister could have also done something wrong. On top of everything else, he taunted Mridula for saving money. Lakshmi was known to spend all the money on herself without a thought for her family. Mridula cried, ‘What a reward I get for saving for our future! I should’ve been a spendthrift instead.’
Sanjay did not want to deal with a sobbing wife and left the room. Suddenly, Mridula felt that there was an intense vacuum in her life. The huge nursing home, this big house and its servants were of no consequence to her. Money had taken away her happiness. She could not even raise her son the way she wanted to. Her husband did not understand her. What was the use of this life?
Later that night, Sanjay was unable to sleep despite the cool air-conditioning. He thought to himself, ‘Mridula disagrees with me about everything. She has a good house, servants, plenty of money, a great son and a famous husband. Both the men in her life are intelligent and we don’t have bad habits. People must envy her.’
He thought about Lakshmi and felt sad for his sister. Her husband was not in a top position and their son, Anil, was not academically inclined. Sishir had told him confidentially that Anil was a chain-smoker and frequented bars. But still, Lakshmi was happy. She was enthusiastic even when she made a small gold purchase or bought a silk sari.
He recalled the last time he went to Chennai for work. He had brought back two silk saris and given one to Mridula. She had told him, ‘I don’t feel like wearing silk saris these days. When I think of how the silk is made, I feel sorry for the silkworms. Such a waste.’
So Sanjay had hidden the other sari and given it to Lakshmi, whose happiness knew no bounds. She had thanked him many times and talked about its excellent colour and texture. She had promised to wear it during the next festival.
Sanjay thought, ‘Mridula must learn how to live life from Lakshmi.’
22
Sweet Revenge
Sanjay’s phone rang. He thought that it may be an emergency and reached for his phone. But it was not a call from the nursing home. It was Prakash Kamat, the sales director of a pharmaceutical company. He was not unknown to Sanjay. When Sanjay was working in the government hospital, Prakash was a medical representative and used to frequent the hospital to give literature and samples to Dr Saroja. Prakash had never paid attention to Sanjay then. Over a period of time, Prakash had reached a senior position and he was calling Sanjay to discuss the next contract.
Sanjay knew that big deals and contracts must be a win-win situation for both sides. He thought, ‘By recommending Prakash’s products, I must also gain something. If two similar products from two different companies are equally good, then I should think of what’s advantageous for me. In any business, a win-lose situation equals exploitation. And if it is a lose-win, it’s plain foolishness. Mridula won’t understand these complicated issues.’
Prakash said, ‘Sir, today’s the last day. Please let us know your final decision.’
‘Let me think about it.’
‘Sir, our product is good and the field results are favourable. You don’t have to worry.’
‘That’s easy for you to say. If something goes wrong tomorrow, the patient will catch hold of me and not you.’
‘Sir, we have tested it thoroughly.’
‘Then I want to see the field trial results.’
Prakash Kamat realized that things were not going to be easy with Sanjay. He began his sales pitch: ‘Sir, how many drugs from our company do you use every year? We’ll work to get you the best discount. We can’t give discounts directly but we can arrange to get you four international trips or something like that.’
‘Your company isn’t the only one that can send me abroad. Other companies are willing to give me a direct discount. I want to know the final discounted amount. Please send it to the nursing home.’
Without waiting for a reply, Sanjay kept the phone down. He recollected his past, ‘Once, I was desperate to get a sponsorship and my case was a genuine one. I had approached many people—Chikananjappa, the Health minister’s PA and others. I remember waiting helplessly in the corridor of the government office. But ultimately, Dr Suresh got it because of his father’s ministerial connections. I could have resigned immediately and started a private practice. Why didn’t I have the courage to do so earlier? Wasn’t I aware of my own potential?’
Sanjay felt ashamed of himself. He realized that the real courage of a person lay within himself or herself. ‘I’m my best friend and my worst enemy. I know that the courage I have today didn’t come overnight. As I started getting successful, I became more and more confident. Alex gave me my first break but the ultimate success is mine. Yet, my wife doesn’t respect me. Had she been a doctor, she would’ve been proud to have a husband like me.’
Sanjay sighed and went back to his routine.
The next morning, while he was shaving, the maid told him, ‘Dr Saroja is waiting to meet you downstairs.’
He recognized the name. She was the same Dr Saroja who had humiliated him in front of everyone. She had added his name in Kempunanjamma’s case even though he was not responsible for it. She had been ruthless about his transfer. The incidents flashed before his eyes. He thought, ‘A sensitive person in my position might have committed suicide at the time. How dare she shamelessly come to my house?’
He knew that she wanted a favour. He told his maid calmly, ‘Tell her to wait in the veranda. I’ll have my bath and then meet her.’
He took his time shaving, bathed unusually slowly and finally came out of the bathroom. Mridula came in and said, ‘Why are you taking such a long time to get dressed today? An elderly lady has been waiting for you for a while now.’
Sanjay did not answer her. He knew that she would not understand. Mridula’s world existed only in books. In textbooks, idealism occupied one line and took a minute to preach. But real life consisted of different kinds of selfish people. An intelligent person was one who managed all of them and got his work done with minimal conflict.
He finished his breakfast in his room and came out and found Dr Saroja eating at their dining table. She stood up when she saw him. Mridula explained, ‘She was waiting for you in the veranda. I called her inside and gave her breakfast even though she was reluctant to eat.’
Sanjay felt sick of Mridula’s foolish hospitality. He thought, ‘If Dr Saroja had come to the nursing home, I wouldn’t have offered her a drop of water. There’s no place for hospitality with her. But if Dr Kamala ever comes to see me, I’ll never make her wait.’
He did not show his true feelings, however. He smiled and said, ‘Mridula, you did the right thing.’
Th
en he looked at Dr Saroja and said quietly, ‘Please feel free. I was your assistant once.’
Mridula excused herself and went to the kitchen. Dr Saroja started talking to Sanjay. She said, ‘Sanjay, I’m proud of you. You were in my unit once and it’s my honour to have had you in my team.’
Both of them knew that it was not a heartfelt statement. Sanjay did not waste any time. He asked her, ‘Doctor, why did you think of me now?’
Sanjay did not call her ‘Madam’ and Dr Saroja noticed it. She said, ‘My niece has delivered in your nursing home.’
‘What’s your niece’s name?’
‘Kamalakshi.’
‘Then I’ll go and see her. I must give her more attention now that I know that she’s related to you. Doctor, names and people play an important role in life. I haven’t forgotten Kempunanjamma’s name.’
Dr Saroja had either forgotten or pretended to have forgotten. She asked, ‘Who is Kempunanjamma?’
‘Do you remember the case where two babies were switched and my name was suddenly added in the case without reason?’
‘Oh, sometimes these things happen in government hospitals.’
‘But I learnt a great lesson from it—the name of the doctor who takes care of the patient before, during and after delivery must always be written down.’
‘That’s an excellent practice.’
‘Okay, Doctor, see you.’
He cut off the conversation because he did not want to talk to her any more. As she watched, he drove off in his Mercedes-Benz. Hearing the car leave, Mridula came out with a gift and a coconut for Dr Saroja and helped her get an autorickshaw. She thought it was rude of Sanjay not to offer to drop Dr Saroja to an auto stand at least.
When Sanjay reached the nursing home, Rosemary was arguing with a patient about money; he called her to his room. He did not discuss money matters in front of patients. Rosemary explained, ‘This patient called Kamalakshi says that her aunt met you and you agreed to give her a discount. I told her that I couldn’t give any discount until I saw a slip. So she’s arguing with me.’
‘That’s smart, Rosemary. The case was complicated. Please charge them more than the usual.’ This was the best way that he could vent his anger and make Dr Saroja pay for her breakfast.
Rosemary nodded and left his room.
When he returned home that evening, Mridula said, ‘Prakash Kamat has called three times for you. He says that it’s important and you must return his call.’
Sanjay pretended not to hear. So Mridula said loudly, ‘Why don’t you respond? He’ll think that I haven’t told you about the call. What’s happened to you?’
Without getting upset, Sanjay replied, ‘Nothing’s happened to me. You just don’t have any sense. I don’t know how you got an academic rank.’
‘What did I do?’
‘Please know that neither Prakash Kamat nor Dr Saroja are personal acquaintances. They had business with me. Prakash wants business from me and for that, he’ll call me thirty times; you, on the other hand, serve them breakfast and lunch as if they’re your relatives.’
Mridula kept quiet, went into the kitchen and brought coffee for Sanjay. She said, ‘They may be your acquaintances outside this house but when they come here, they’re our guests and I have to do my duty. I overheard your conversation with Prakash yesterday. Isn’t it wrong on your part to take financial benefit from a drug company as an incentive to prescribe their medicine?’
Sanjay slowly sipped the hot coffee. He said, ‘Nothing is black or white in this world. The cow gives milk for its calf. But we drink that same milk. Isn’t that wrong? Trees have life. But we cut them down and use their wood. Isn’t that wrong too? Mosquitoes and bugs are also living creatures. Don’t we kill them because they trouble us? A big fish always eats the small fish. Is that right?’
‘I can’t argue with you. I just know that it’s wrong to prescribe medicines like this.’
‘Prakash Kamat doesn’t help me out of the goodness of his heart. If he gives me a discount of one rupee, he still makes a profit of thirty rupees. Once the business is over, Prakash won’t look at me until the next deal comes along. If you’re an idealist, emotional and sensitive, then you can become a schoolteacher and nothing more. You need toughness to succeed in the real world.’
Sishir came down the stairs. He said, ‘Dad, my friends and I have decided to go to Kodaikanal in our car. Is that okay with you?’
‘Of course, you must enjoy yourself. But don’t take our car.’
Mridula added, ‘I don’t like the thought of you boys driving the car for that long to Kodaikanal.’
Sishir did not bother to answer her. He looked at his father for approval. Sanjay said, ‘Sishir, I’m not refusing to give you money for the trip. I’m not stopping you from driving a car either. But your friends shouldn’t think that they can get everything from you. Never allow them to take you for granted. You should pool in money, take a train to Kodai Road and hire a taxi from there and share the expenses. That’s the practical thing to do. However, the decision is yours.’
Sanjay knew that whenever he left a decision to Sishir, he did what his father told him to do. But if Sanjay forced him, then Sishir did the opposite.
Sishir thought for a second and said, ‘Dad, you’re right as usual!’
Sanjay paused and continued, ‘Sishir, I know that in a few months you’ll be going to England for higher education. There, you’ll have to manage everything on your own for the first time in your life. You should be simple, but not a simpleton. In a sacrifice, it is a goat that is always chosen—not a tiger. That’s because the goat is a small and meek animal. Nobody dares to touch the tiger because it’s powerful. In this world, every relationship depends on its usefulness. If a person is useful to others, people will mourn the death of that person. Getting an academic rank is good but it doesn’t ensure success. If you don’t have common sense and aren’t shrewd, people will walk all over you.’
Mridula did not like Sanjay’s advice to their son. When a child leaves home for the first time, it is important to give him love, teach him compassion and the value of good habits. She could not hold herself back. ‘Sishir, when it comes to family, you need to give and receive love to have peace in your life. In any relationship, compassion binds people together. A successful person dominates others and people obey him only to keep the peace. That’s the reason great emperors were headstrong. They were powerful and people were scared of them. But the Buddha stood out from the rest because of his selfless and compassionate nature.’
Sishir was confused and irritated. He said, ‘Amma, I can’t understand your lectures. I don’t care for a history lesson, so please don’t try to teach me. Dad, will you drive me to Neeta’s house? She’ll drop me back later.’
Sanjay and Sishir left like two friends and Mridula was left standing all alone on the porch.
23
A House of Cards
A few months passed. Anita had stopped visiting Mridula. She had become depressed, quiet and moody. Mridula was worried for her and tried her best to reach out to her. But she failed to bring her back to normal. Anita spent most of her time reading the Bible or going to church. She had turned vegetarian and lost all interest in the upkeep of her home. Julie had finished her twelfth grade and got admission in LSR College in Delhi. So Anita moved to Julie’s room and did her prayers there. Alex and Anita hardly talked any more. Conveniently, Alex spent more time on his new company and travelled a lot. Even when he met Sanjay, they did not talk about their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lakshmi and her family continued to live in Bangalore. But Lakshmi hardly ever met Mridula. Mridula did not know if this was on purpose. But whenever they did meet, Lakshmi did not wear any jewellery at all. Frequently, Mridula would tell Sanjay, ‘Lakshmi and Shankar are getting old. They may have their shortcomings but they must own a house in Bangalore. Or maybe an apartment. Sanjay, you may not give them the entire amount for buying a home. But let’s give them at lea
st 75 per cent. Anil and Shankar can take a loan for the remainder so that they’ll be forced to save and pay it back. They can’t continue spending all their income on vacations and gold. God alone knows how much is real and how much is fake!’
But Sanjay never showed any interest. He would say, ‘Anil has a good job and they must learn to help themselves. We mustn’t make them too dependent.’
One day, Shankar came on a scooter to take Sanjay’s signatures on some official documents for the nursing home. Mridula felt bad and said, ‘Sanjay, I don’t know when they’ll be able to buy their own house. Why don’t you buy Shankar a car? The hospital is quite a distance away from his current residence.’
‘Well, why don’t you buy him a car and gift it to the family? They’ll be delighted.’
Mridula did what Sanjay told her and it made Lakshmi ecstatic. She said, ‘Mridula, you’re more than a mother to me. My mother doesn’t care about me this much. I don’t know how to thank you. Now, Anil can use the old scooter.’
It is human nature that when you help someone, a few kind words in return make you very happy. Mridula was easy to please and she was overjoyed at Lakshmi’s response.
One day, Mridula was waiting for her driver at the Jayanagar 4th Block shopping complex. Unexpectedly, she saw Anil driving a car that she did not recognize. Anil had not seen her. When she came back, she told Sanjay, ‘I saw Anil in a different car today. I didn’t know that he had a car. Lakshmi didn’t tell me.’
‘It must be the company car. That’s between Alex and him. I asked Alex to hire and keep Anil if he works well. I don’t want Alex to feel any pressure to retain him just because Anil is my nephew. You know how I am in business. But Lakshmi may not know about it.’
Mridula thought that this must be true and dropped the topic.