Mamta Kalia

Institute building with me, she said —
”I have never seen such quiet crowd,
one just can’t ignore it. Perhaps that’s
why I’m looking so excited and troubled.”
I felt she’s giving an excuse. Perhaps
my comment hit her. I wanted to see
her face but couldn’t due to the sudden
increase in her pace. I thought it better
to keep silent. And we were silent all
the way.
When I entered I.C.C.U., Sister Elvin
had fitted the I.V. line to the patient.
She wished ‘good evening’ with a smile.
But it was an effortless professional smile,
I was used to it, so I didn’t notice it
much and took the chart from her to
see the details.
In the chart his name was recorded
Vijay Mitra, age-51 years. His blood
pressure was alarmingly high. His E.C.G.
report was showing dangerous signs. I
glanced at the patient. He was under
oxygen mask and breathing with problem.
The rising –dropping waves on the
E.C.G. monitor showed he was coping
with death.
“Sir what do you thing… Is it a case
of Myocardial Infarction?” I couldn’t
understand the meaning of Dr. Sujata
Roy’s question, I was surprised at such
innocent question, then stared and asked
“what do you mean?”
“Actually….!” Dr. Sujata Roy hesitated.
Her hesitation was beyond my
understanding. I felt she’s a little bit
extra conscious about the patient, so
I asked— “Dr. Roy, something wrong
116 :: April-June 2010
with you?”
“No…no…Sir!” Sujata became
embarrassed as if I had caught her. She
tried to recollect herself and said —
”Sir, I think this man can’t have
Myocardial Infarction.”
“Why, how can you say so?” I wavered.
I looked at the screen to assure myself.
“Sir, a man like this who believes
in bloodshed…who can easily kill
anybody….whose name is synonymous
with massacres, can he have a thing
such as heart?”
The words of Dr. Sujata Roy were
so very agitated that I couldn’t remain
indifferent I saw her with surprise, is
she a doctor or an ordinary girl.
I tried to find something in her
eyes…innocence…. Melancholy, but
couldn’t conceal my surprise, “I didn’t
understand, Dr. Roy?”
“Sir, this man is a naxal leader. You
know, Naxalites do believe in
bloodshed!,” her voice was faltering.
Dr. C.K. Bhagat stopped at this point
while giving his statement, because he
remembered what his mind had thought
when Dr. Sujata Roy had said —”Naxalites
do believe in bloodshed.”
That time his forehead had creased
as if trying to remember something. The
recorded name Vijay Mitra jumped to
his memory and something whispered
in his mind—Naxal leader Vijay Mitra!
Suddenly he got up and went to the
patient. He hadn’t seen him closely due