Heart Ache Story Board-1

When I meet Dr.Kamalendu on leisure afternoons, I get to know a lot about his life. This is the content of one such afternoon.

On a winter night when I was sitting alone in my room suddenly there was a loud knocking at my door. On opening I found a feeble poor woman carrying her child. The child was crying very badly and I could not understand what to do to pacify them. The woman asked for food, but there was only my dinner for the night lying covered on the table. I invited them inside. The woman was from the near by slum. She was badly beaten up by her husband as she failed to give him money after the whole day of begging. I felt helpless, so I offered my food. The lady had deep wounds from her husband during the inhumane rummage for money. After eating she suckled her child for sometime and dozed off in a while. When she was dozing off, I saw a different world in her. Her face was calm. I sat for some more time, waiting for her to wake up. But when sleep has fallen over me I could not under stand.  

I woke up with the child's crying. She suckled her again. It was 4:00 am by the wall clock. I asked, "How can I help you?" She nodded a "No". I sat on the bed and leaned back on the wall. She came near me after the child fell asleep. In colloquial Bengali she said, "Doctor Babu , can you treat me? I have no money to pay you. But I can give you my whole day's begging, just treat me, and give me a chapati at night".  

I treated her for many months, she managed a job of domestic help in a near by house. After many years I saw her near the railway station. She wore a good Saree. Her daughter has grown up now. When she saw me, she ran to me, fell over my feet in gratitude. Her daughter took  my blessings.

"This is that Doctor Babu who rescued us, treated us free for many days", she narrated the old story. They left in a while and I went my way. I felt proud of my profession.

From the desk of Dr.Kamalendu Charabarti