WHEN KINDNESS PLAYS
Ritu Siddharth
Ahmed was father of two children, a girl 5yrs, a boy 3 yrs. That day he brought his wife ,her face and arms bruised, for treatment. Fatima looked helplessly at the doctor, “ It happens sometime, he drinks and doesn’t know what he does then”.
Two months later Ahmed brought his children to the dispensary. Yusuf had respiratory infection.
“Give him injection ,doctor, I wont be available to give him tablets”, he said. He worked as a laborer in a yarn mill, covered under ESI Scheme.
Dr.Lalita , a fresh graduate, watched the boy wail aloud when the nurse pricked him. His father smacked the boy. “Sh,Sh, no voice”, he spoke in undertone, slapping him hard once again.
“Ah!” gasped the lady doctor from her seat.
2 months later Yusuf was brought again for respiratory trouble. His frame was weaker. His eyes had an empty stare. Lalita knew something was wrong with the child.
“Where’s his mother ?”she asked
“She’s not here”, came the blunt reply.
Lalita did not attach much importance to the father’s attitude.
The nurse came to the doctor and said, “Madam, you know… this man you just now talked to, used to beat his wife mercilessly; he used to drink evry evening and torment her…6 months ago she hanged herself ”. Lalita froze ; she had not expected this story.
A year later Ahmed came to the dispensary; he sat among other patients. His daughter brought him a glass of water from a pitcher, kept in the hall for the purpose; he drank; Farida replaced the glass , returned to her father. He smiled and spoke softly to her, stroking her hair .
Yusuf began to cry at the sight of the nurse. Ahmed thumped his son down, slapped on both cheeks, snatched his hair and tugged him back and forth such that the little boy’s head and body moved violently in a rotary motion. “Sh,sh,”, Ahmed was saying. The boy shut his mouth.
The next day he brought a woman with him. “My wife”, he told the doctor beaming. She looked very young and pretty. He doted over her, much to everyone’s disgust. Lalita read the OP slip..Shabana,18 yrs. He was 30.
Yusuf was unwell again. This time, pneumonia.
“He needs to be hospitalized. He is running temperature and is short of breath. He can get worse’, Lalita explained.
“I h’ve no time to visit him in the hospital”.
“Your wife can be with him”.
“No , she’s nt well, she’s pregnant and vomiting”, he said instantly.
Lalita gave the best injection they had in their stock and expensive tablets to go with it.
“He needs injection for 15 days, regularly”, her instruction.
“Ok”, his response.
The boy did not wince when the nurse gave his jab. He walked upto his sister, sat on the bench. No tears, no moan, no apprehension. He passed his tiny hand just once over the pricked area in his buttock. Ahmed then pulled his son, Farida soon following behind, cycled them away.
5 days later the boy was much better, save his lost look. Yusuf tripped over an extended leg of a patient, he dropped the bag he was holding. His father slapped him so hard that it was heard at the end of the hall; Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. The boy picked up the bag and stood still.
Lalita was greatly disturbed by this.
Farida was quieter than before. The boy had turned almost into a stone; his face was still, without expression, his look, empty, his movements, minimal. Yusuf had none to get affection from. The new stepmother was too busy serving her husband; Farida had to attend to both, one being pregnant,other an impatient father; she had no time for her brother. Yusuf had begun to grow to accept his solitude and rough handling by others.
Sunday, holiday for mill workers. Ahmed came to the dispensary for an injection for his body pain and vigor. He left the boy in the dispensary, off he went to get wine.
1pm. No Ahmed. The nurse and attender went for their lunch.
Yusuf began to yawn. Lalita extended some biscuits . Yusuf remained still, looking at the floor.
“Don’t want?..Not hungry?”
No reply.
Lalita got up; she extended her index finger hoping he would hold it, he remained still.
“Will you come with me?”
No answer.
“Come”, she said holding his small hand. He walked behind her like a lamb behind his new owner.
The next day Farida came panting into the hall.
“Did you see my small brother ,Yusuf?”she asked the nurse.
“No dear”.
She came to the doctor.
“Did you…”
Before she finished, Lalita asked, “Where’s your father?”
“He’s gone to work”.
“Didn’t he look for your brother?”
“He’s forgotten him….”She began to cry.
“Don’t baby , don ‘t cry, he must be alright… now go home..don’t worry about him..he’s a good boy, no harm can come to him..he’ll come to your house soon, now go home”., she consoled her. Farida looked back twice to check if the doctor spoke the truth .
Lalita had difficulty feeding Yusuf. He ate very little. He weighed just 9.4kg, the wt of 1 yr old. He also had difficulty in using toilet. Most of the day he spent sitting glued to a place, the same place everyday. Lalita bought toys and eatables but he showed no interest.
Lalita knew very well she could be booked for kidnapping. She told her mother not to take him out on any grounds. She tried for a transfer and got a posting in a city with a population where one can easily be lost in the crowd and identity could be confused just as easily. Lalita took Yusuf to parks, zoo, museum. She was not sure whether he liked the change. One day she got him an ice cream…He smiled!
“Would you like to go to school, baby?”
He looked at her with apprehension.
“There will be many boys and girls like you, to play with! You can have your own bag, own pencil, color box!”
“Ok, then you must leave me in school and get me from there”, he spoke!
“Ok dear, your condition!”
He snuggled close to her.
“Yes ma, I’ll go”, he agreed.
“Your name will be Amar…Amar Sridhar…not Yusuf,Ok?”
“Ok ma”. He came closer, cuddled and smiled wide, showing his white tiny teeth…he was happy and fear-free …atlast!
Many years later he will come to know Lalita is not his mother and Sridhar not her husband, …that his name was changed for his security.
….Concluded