Children's Picnic

A picnic is a common phenomenon of winter in Kolkata. The early morning dew drops slowly evaporates from the blades of the grass leaves. Slowly the lazy sun creeps in through your window sill. I used to be a child when my mother took me to various Picnic spots. But I am going to talk about a different picnic.

Children’s Picnic is a noteworthy event that used to take place few years back somewhere in Barasat. But due to some upheavels it was stopped. The event used to be organized by Dr.Kamalendu Chakrabarti and his team offew close friends. It started in the year of 2003 and happened till 2013. This prolong 10 years of the event had its special charm in the innumerable number of children; and these children were once treated by Dr. Chakrabarti sometime in their their life. Not just a picnic. It had an underlining social awareness program as its basic aim. During the Picnic, Dr.Chakrabarti used to speak on the requirement of breastfeeding and gave lifetime solutions to various child care problems. Ailing children’s mothers used to narrate their real-life stories, and how their children had recovered. In between all these serious matters, an enjoyable picnic went on…food used to be served, games used to be played, children and their parents used to win prizes too.

But I have never been in this picnic ever. All I have heard about it and seen in photographs. Past two years, Dr. Chakrabarti has stopped the program due to lack of heads and loss of funds.

It's January again. Few followers of Dr. Chakrabarti might be still wondering about the reason behind no calls from the Children’s picnic Team.

But on a sad note, if it happens again, I am gonna miss it again.

*** 

Story of the Roaring Throat

This was on a November afternoon, when the winter was tiptoeing into the suburbs of Bengal, I went to meet Dr.Chakrabarti. When I visited his place his lunch was over, he was sitting on his arm chair, and gazing into the sky. I went from behind and clasped his eyes. 'You girl, you are again back for a story?'

I giggled in reply.

 I sat on the old matt on the terrace floor, and he started. 

"I was working as a senior pediatrician at Barasat District Hospital then when I happen to treat Jayati's child. One day she informed me that her maternal uncle was blessed with a second daughter. But on a sad note, the baby was sick. So she had referred him to consult me. This case ended up being very interesting.

Mansi and Sumit were residents of Liluah, they made a middle class business man's family, quite well of to meet basic needs. They were blessed with one daughter in the beginning. After two or three years their second daughter took birth.

This baby was born sick. So, naturally she was referred to better hospital for treatment. There she was diagnosed with heart ailment and the prescription showed Transposition of great vessels.

The child remained in hospital, under treatment. Until one mid night when Sumit received a phone from the hospital, "Your child needs to undergo operation urgently or else the baby will die". The father was taken aback. He was also instructed to deposit two lakhs rupees in the billing counter and bring the slip for operation. He was worried and doubtful. So, he consulted and got my reference from Jayati. Then, he came to me with the ECO report and a CD. He sat, showed me the report, CD and left. But I was skeptical about the diagnosis.

Transposition of great vessels is associated with gross cyanosis (the body turns blue) and the child dies quickly. I doubted if it was a wrong diagnosis. What made me more thoughtful about the report was its structure. The report was written in such a way as if was wishfully concocted into a diagnosis of the fatal disease.

I suggested him to visit R N Tagore Heart Research Centre, it’s a trusted hospital for heart faculty in the city. They took the baby and went there. R.N Tagore Heart Research Centre, Kolkata kept the baby for two more days, for reinvestigation. In the end the baby came out with a clean chit for any heart ailment.

But to the dismay, the baby was sick and growing worse. The parents called me for suggestion. I asked them to admit her in hospital. For next few days the baby was again hospitalized where she further deteriorated. Next day afternoon at around 3 pm when I was fast asleep after the whole day’s work my phone rang. A husky wet and tired voice of the broken father spoke, "I think my baby will die on my lap".

Relentlessly, I asked few questions and came to know that not a single hospital was admitting the baby. They all declared to give up all hope of her life.

"If your baby is to die on your lap bring her to me, let her die at my place!"

He came to me in no time. The mother Mansi was about to have a nervous breakdown. So, I called Jayati. Jayati's kid was still breastfeeding. So, I asked her to breast feed the baby. Miraculously after breastfeeding the baby started opening her eyes slowly. Hope larked in every corner of our heart.

I sheltered them in my balcony. Mansi and the baby was made to stay there. 

At first I gave a glucose drip with my own hands. Later treated with some antibiotics. For many days it went on like this.

My basic work was to counsel the mother, and keep an eye on the baby. She was improving every single day. 

On the eleventh day, I told Sumit, "Mr. Father our baby is out of danger, so you may take her back to home". But the problem which prevailed was a weird sound. She made a weird sound. The sound came from her throat.

Perhaps this noise mislead the other doctors to diagnose her with heart disorder.

But I understood the noise was coming from throat, and not from heart. It is called Congenital Laryngeal Stridor. If you call it a disease then it’s a disease, or else it’s not. This does not cause much difference in the baby's life. It does not require any treatment nor any medicine. As the baby ages this disorder subsides. Since the Food pipe and the larynx is small and tender in case of babies so, when they breathe in and out, the movement of air through the pipes causes the noise. The larynx flaps and the sound is made.

But what amazed me was the loudness of the sound. It was a rare case.

The whole treatment cost was not more than Rs.500, now she is 11-12 years and healthy. 

I felt happy to give back the parents a living new born.

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