Daksha the Medicine Girl
Page 2
`*`*`*`
The mystery was solved two days later when Subedar Hamid came to the village. He said, "The army has a welfare association, run by the army wives. They want to help Daksha by giving her an education. They will look after all her expenses. Our entire unit is very impressed with Daksha's skill. We feel she should have the best opportunities. Daksha can stay in the hostel or with my family. My daughters are about her age. They are eager to meet her."
Daksha did not want to go. She was a shy girl and did not mingle easily with people. She was closer to the mountains and the deodar trees and spent hours sitting among them. The thought of leaving her familiar surroundings and going to live among strangers frightened her.
Panditji and Subedar Hamid gently convinced her. When she told Panditji she wanted to stay back and help him, he said, “You have done so much work during the winter that I do not need to prepare anymore medicines for some time. I will wait for you to come home during the holidays and help me.”
She finally agreed when Subedar Hamid said, "Daksha, any time you want to come back, tell me. I'll bring you back myself. Don't think that you will be among strangers. Everyone in the army unit knows about you and is looking forward to having you there. You will be part of a big loving family.”
Chapter 7
Daksha found it difficult to leave her animals, especially the lambs. Sarsati promised to look after them like her own children, yet when Daksha left the animals in Mahadeo's enclosure, she was tearful.
There were many more farewells to be taken. There was the old tree, with its trunk wide and broad branches. The tree had withstood the flash floods in which Daksha's parents had been carried away. Mahadeo had climbed the tree and pulled up his daughter and Daksha. Her parents had been away from home.
To Daksha the tree was almost human. She could speak to him about her brother, Raja. Raja had climbed the tree but had got down to bring Daksha her small rag doll. He didn't get far. The waters suddenly rushed into the village, carrying away people, animals, cots, trees, in fact anything that was weaker than their force. The tree had been stronger. It had saved twenty lives.
Another favorite haunt was a kund. It was a small pool, at the centre of which water gently bubbled out of an underground spring. The water was clear, sweet and, even during mid- summer, ice- cold. Apples and strawberries grew beside it. Daksha would tie the fruit in her scarf and lower it into the kund. Within minutes, the fruit would be deliciously chilled.
There was also the temple to visit. It was in a small natural cave. Daksha and the other children, and women from the village, visited it on Mondays and on festivals, and placed fresh flowers at the feet of the idol. When they rang the big brass bell, its peals echoed in the mountains.
Daksha loved the spot for another reason. She liked to come here and think.
Everyone told Daksha that she was very lucky and would have a great future but Daksha left her home with a heavy heart.
`*`*`*`
Two days later, Daksha and Subedar Hamid reached the army base at ten o’clock in the night. A bewildering number of people were waiting to welcome Daksha. Daksha smiled only when Arjun came to her and told her his arm was fine.
The next day, a group of women, who were her sponsors, visited her. They spoke kindly and praised her. They told her she would be going to school and staying in the hostel. At her look of panic, Hamid’s wife, Niloufer, intervened. “Daksha will be living with us.”
The women asked Daksha, “Are you sure? You will have a room to yourself in the hostel. You may have to share here.”
Shabana and Farzana were in the room. Shabana said, “We want Daksha to live with us. She can have our room.” They had heard a lot about Daksha from their father and Arjun and were eager to befriend her.
“No. I’ll share,” Daksha said softly. Hamid had told her so many incidents about his daughters that she felt she knew them already.
The next days were busy ones. Mrs. Andrews and Mrs. Sen, of the Army Wives Association, took Daksha to the tailor for her school uniform and other clothes. They got her shoes, and books. She was admitted into school. She met many new people. Everyone knew about her and wanted to speak to her.
Chapter 8
Two months later.
Subedar Hamid was upset. Daksha had told him she wanted to return home.
“Why?” he asked Niloufer. “She seems happy when she is with Shabana and Farzana. They have become good friends. She is not shy with Arjun either.”
Niloufer also was not happy with Daksha’s decision but she understood. She knew Daksha was finding it difficult to adjust. The change was drastic. The stream of well- meaning visitors still alarmed her. When they praised her, she lowered her eyes and grew tongue- tied. She was not used to such attention. Actually, it would be too much for most children.
“She told Farzana that school scares her. She does not like the big stone building and the noise during recess,” Niloufer said.
“She isn’t used to crowds and noise. Her small village is surrounded by towering mountains. There is space and silence. I promised I’ll take her back but I wish I could convince her to stay. She will not get another opportunity for studying.”
“Why don’t you take her to see Dr. Hemalatha?”
Major Dr. Hemalatha was one of the doctors at the army hospital. Niloufer thought very highly of her.
`*`*`*`
Daksha knew she was making everyone unhappy. Shabana would speak of nothing else except to ask her to stay and Farzana had stopped talking to her. Hamid, Niloufer, and Arjun were also upset.
She wished, for all their sakes, she could stay.
Niloufer thought she did not want to stay because she did not like meeting so many people. Actually, she had got used to them. She did not know what to say to them but when they stopped her and asked her questions about her village, or told her about themselves, she knew they were only being kind and friendly.
Farzana thought she was leaving because she did not like the clothes. She had confided to Farzana, in the beginning, that her new clothes and shoes were not very comfortable. Especially the shoes. Her old hand-stitched shoes were good for walking and climbing mountains but her new shoes pinched. That was then. She had got used to them now.
It wasn’t even the mountains or her hamlet that made her want to return. She missed the mountain air and her home but she missed something else more.
`*`*`*`
Like everyone else on the army base, Dr. Hemalatha knew Daksha. She was sorry to hear Daksha wanted to go back. Hamid explained, “"She's homesick. She misses her village and the mountains. Nothing seems to interest her here. She likes my daughters but doesn’t join them in their games. She doesn’t speak much to the other children.”
“She’s a shy child. She wants to be left alone. Tell me, how did she set Arjun's arm? Did she just bandage it?"
"She applied something for the swelling to come down. She examined his shoulder and arm. She also studied a child’s arm, to understand how the bones were placed. She took quite some time. She was almost like a doctor, very professional. She is an exceptional child. She gave me the names and applications of more than a hundred medicines in Panditji’s house. She should not miss out on this opportunity! Education will change her life!” Subedar Hamid said, getting agitated.
“We cannot convince her to stay by telling her that education will change her life. She does not know how education will change her life. Moreover, she does not want it to change. She likes her old life. She was happy helping the village doctor and learning about herbs. Hm…" Dr. Hemalatha paused, thinking hard. “I have a plan. Bring Daksha to the hospital tomorrow and take her to the bird house in the garden.”
Chapter 9
Daksha was enchanted with the birds. Some of the birds were the same as the ones in the valley near her village.
She did not hear Dr. Hemalatha come in. Dr. Hemalatha opened one of the cages and took out a pigeon. Its foot was bandaged and o
ne of its wings hung awkwardly; it was taped.
Subedar Hamid asked, "What's wrong with the bird?"
"The gardener brought it in yesterday. He found it under a tree. I think it got entangled in a sharp wire somewhere."
"What are you doing?"
"Checking it. The keeper told me the bird had an uneasy night. I hope it does not have a relapse. Of late, many birds are falling ill and dying. I want to give this one some preventive medicine.”
Just then a nurse came running in. "Doctor, please come. There's an emergency." Dr. Hemalatha placed the pigeon into Subedar Hamid's hand and hurried away. Daksha took the bird and soothed it. She cradled it for a while and examined it. She told Subedar Hamid, "This bird will get better. There's no fever. Its feathers are not dull and look at the eye, see how bright it is."
Subedar Hamid said, "Daksha, I have some work. You can stay here. I’ll be back for you in an hour.”
Daksha nodded. She continued examining the bird. She was very gentle with it. The bird tried to flutter its injured wing. “You’ll be fine,” Daksha murmured. She knew about the fevers the doctor spoke. They spread quickly and killed the creatures within hours. Where was the doctor?
Another ten minutes passed. Daksha waited no longer. Cradling the bird, she entered the hospital building. A nurse, stationed in the corridor by the doctor, came forward. “Do you want to see Dr. Hemalatha?” she asked.
Daksha followed the nurse through corridors, getting a glimpse of what was in the rooms. Daksha was so busy looking around she did not realize that the nurse had given her a tour of the hospital. She did not know that some of the doors had been left open only to interest her.
Dr. Hemalatha was at the bedside of a woman who had undergone surgery a week ago.
Daksha listened as Dr. Hemalatha asked the woman questions. She forgot the strangeness of her surroundings. It seemed familiar, like Panditji talking to a patient.
The nurse took the bird from Daksha (which did not need any medicine) and Daksha stayed by Dr. Hemalatha’s side as she visited three more patients.
Dr. Hemalatha asked Daksha, “Do you want to come again?”
Daksha nodded happily. Dr. Hemalatha arranged for her to come to the hospital for a week. She assigned her to a senior nurse.
`*`*`*`
Daksha came every morning and, the nurse reported, worked like a pro. At the end of the week, Dr. Hemalatha spoke to Daksha, and explained to her how she could train to become a doctor. She waited for Daksha’s answer, hoping that she would agree to continue her studies.
She found Daksha was now eager to study.
Dr. Hemalatha smiled. She had guessed correctly. Daksha had missed assisting Panditji. She had wanted to return to learn more about the herbs and the roots. She would continue her studies for the same reason.
It was not easy for Daksha; everything was new. She had to learn English but she worked hard and everyone helped. As she got to know more and more people, she liked living on the base. Now and then, Hamid and his family took her to visit her village.
Not surprisingly, she grew up to become an orthopedic surgeon. Over the years, she earned fame for her skill on the operating table and for her research on Himalayan medicinal plants.
Daksha the Medicine Girl is also available in paperback.
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