Ram Naam Satya hai,
Ton ton ton,
With these voices, a corpse was being taken to crematorium for cremation. And this uproar had made the atmosphere gloomy and restless.
Radha’s child was ill for a long time. She treated him as much as possible, took him for treatment to many doctors, and also went to the government hospital but he could not recover.
She was sitting next to her son looking at him in despair when she heard the sad voices of ‘Ram Naam satya hai’, she peeked out of the window and saw people taking someone’s body to the crematorium for the last rites. Her heart beat faster remembering that it had hardly been a year since her husband had left her alone in this heartless world in the midst of such a hoarse voice of ‘Ram Naam satya hai’. And now her son was left with her as the last sign of her husband and he too was ill. She took her son in her arms and hugged him as hard as if she wanted to snatch him from the paws of death. Her eyes were full of tears and she was kissing him again and again. Her husband’s face emerged in her mind as if he was taking a promise from her. After his death, she would take care of his son and make him a good and successful man.
Radha was unsuccessful in spite of her best efforts to rescue her son from his illness. His condition was getting worse day by day. And as his condition worsened she was losing hope. In such a scattering, now the cursed voice of ‘Ram Naam Satya hai’ had terrified her even more.’
She had sold her jewelry, mortgaged the house, worked as a housemaid in a neighbor’s houses, and spent all her money on the child’s treatment.
She was thinking what to do next, when she did not have money that someone knocked on her door. She put her son on the cot and opened the door, seeing the guest came out of her mouth, ‘You, Kusum’.
Kusum entered the room and sat on the cot beside Radha’s ailing son and placing her hand on his forehead, said, ‘He has high fever.’
Radha looked at Kusum with depressed eyes, said, ‘yes, he had high fever for many days, no medicine had any effect on him, I am afraid of him that I might lose my son. He is losing weight every day and his face is turning pale.’
“I advised you to take the child to Vaidya Ji’s dispensary, but you did not do so till yet” Kusum said in irritating tone.
“I had intended several times to take the child to Vaidya Ji Dispensary, but I did not have the courage, and I do not have the money to pay his fees.” said Radha and lowered her eyes.
‘I told you that Vaidya Ji does not charge fees from the poor, he is a very kind and pious person, treats the poor for free.’ Kusum praised Vaidya.
‘What is the time to open his dispensary,’ asked Radha curiously.
‘He treats 6 to 10 patients in his dispensary. Go to him this evening along with your son to get him treated.’ By God’s grace your son will get well soon.’ Kusum suggested.
‘But today is Sunday, does he open his dispensary on Sunday,’ queried Radha after a thoughtful pause.
‘He treats patients daily from 6 Pm to 10 Pm without gap. . Delay is not in your son’s favour, take him for treatment this evening, as soon as the dispensary opens.’ kusum said putting her hand on the shoulder of Radha.
Radha nodded and said, “Okay, I will take my son to Vaidya Ji today. Pray to God for his speedy recovery.”
‘I will pray for your son, now allow me to depart.’ Kusum said.
Radha said, ‘please keep coming back, your presence encourages me.’
Kusum consoled Radha and left.
<><>
The sun was about to set in the west, the evening shadow had darkened the sky, Radha looked at the wall clock, it was 5.45 pm, got up, took her son in her arms come out from her house and proceeded towards the Vaidyaji’s dispensary.
It was not far from her house, she had just walked some distance that she saw VaidyaJi’’s dispensary, outside of the dispensary there was a board, written, ‘no fee is charged form poor for the treatment—- Pandit Ram Kumar Sahay.’
Prayers for Vaidyaji came out of her heart; she thought that even today this world is inhabited by such kind and holy people who care for the poor. God bless Vaidyaji.
She thought that perhaps Vaidyaji might not have charged the consultation fee from the poor, but she doesn’t even have money for the medicine, if he charges for the medicine how she will pay it.
She stood outside the clinic in deep thought for a while, and then dared to enter the clinic with her son. Her legs were shaking and her heart was pounding.
Seeing her Vaidyaji stopped treating other patients and said, ‘come first, you look very disappointed and poor too, since when is your child sick.’
Radha said, ‘he has been ill for almost a year right after his father’s death, and came to Vaidyaji with her ailing son in her arms and sat on a stool beside him.’ Then drawing a deep breath, she let out a sigh.
Vaidyaji murmured, ‘He has been ill for almost a year.’ He popped a betel leaf in his mouth and took the child’s wrist in his hand and observed his pulse, and examined him thoroughly. Looked in to his eyes, his eyes were pale. After a thoughtful pause, he turned to Radha and said, “has he been losing weight?”
‘Yes, he has been losing weight fast for some time now.’ Radha replied; there were lines of concern on her forehead.
“Symptoms indicate he is suffering from polio, ‘Vaidya ji said.
‘Will his life be safe, Radha asked,’ looking at Vaidya’s face in despair.
‘The child is very sick, but there is nothing to worry, he will get well but for that you will have to keep on getting treatment for a long time.’ Vaidya suggested Radha.
Then he called his compounder and while giving the prescription said give the medicine written in it to madam, but don’t take its price. After this he again started treating the remaining patient sitting on the benches in the clinic.
Radha got up from the stool and went to the counter, from where she took the prescribed medicine from the compounder and walked towards the door of the dispensary.
As she wanted to step out of the dispensary, Vaidya called her and said, ‘this medicine is for three days, you have to come again with your son after three days, and then I will see his condition, for further I will prescribe medicine.’
Radha said, well, sir, I will come, please have your sympathy for my son—and then she left the dispensary for her home with her ailing son.
Thereafter with an interval of every three days, Radha started visiting Vaidya’s dispensary and Vaidya’s behavior became more sympathetic and kind to her. Despite the regular treatment and special attention of Vaidya, there was no significant relief in the child’s illness. Sometimes the child’s health would get better, the fever would subside but then again the child’s health would deteriorate.
One day, it was 8 o’clock in the night, Radha’s son’s condition worsened; she immediately took him to Vaidya’s dispensary. Vaidya was busy in consulting patients, seeing Radha he called her and examined her son; but when she got up to leave the dispensary, Vaidya said to her very adoptively and politely, ‘Radha, you see how busy I am at this time, bring the child at a time when I am free. Your child is very ill; he is suffering from a deadly disease like polio. He needs a lot of time to get well examined. In the time of dispensary, I do not have enough time to treat him.’
Radha asked, ‘when are you free? Tell me, I will bring the baby at the time you tell me.’
Vaidya’s eyes lit up for a moment, he said, ‘come after my dispensary is closed.’
Radha said innocently, can’t I come before your dispensary opens?
Vaidya got irritated and said ” I spend day time with my family. If you want to cure your son, you have to come after my dispensary is closed.”
Radha said, “It will be night.”
“So what?” Vaidya said and started seeing other patients. His behavior was very rude.
Radha came back from his dispensary, heartbroken that night.
<><>
She had medicine for three days and three days passed as if they he had never come. It was the fourth day she had to go to Vedia Dispensary with her sick child. But Vaidya had said to come to him with the child when his clinic is closed.
His dispensary is open until 11 p.m. That means she would have to go late at night. She could not dare to go to the dispensary alone at night with her sick son. She was young and poor. Her husband had died. Throughout the day she was engrossed in thoughts. And finally she decided to go to her friend Kulsum’s house for advice on what she should do.
On reaching Kusum, she told her that the Vaidya has restricted her to come during dispensary hours, and that he has called her alone after dispensary hours are over.
Kusum laughed, and said, ‘why you are afraid to go alone; He will be able to examine your child properly when alone. That is why he must have asked you to come after the clinic is closed. If you are hesitant, give him to me. I will take your child to Vaidya Ji and bring medicine.’
Kusum took the child from Radha’s lap and left for Vaidya dispensary.
After some time she came back from the dispensary with the child in her arms, carrying the medicine. She gave Radha back to her son, gave some instructions about medicines, and then said, Vaidya ji looked unhappy with you, saying that Radha doesn’t believe me otherwise she would have come herself.
Radha said, ‘I am grateful to you,’ then she got up and wanted to go to her house with her sick son in her arms that Kusum said with a mischievous smile on her face, ‘Vaidya ji was saying that further you will not bring Radha’s son to me. If she has to continue with her son’s treatment, she has to come herself.
Radha returned home with the child and gave him medicine. The drug slightly affected the child’s illness. He felt better. But as the three days passed, his condition worsened as before.
Although she had in mind that Vedia had stopped her from coming during his dispensary hours, she took her son in her arms and went to Vaidya’s dispensary in the hope that Vaidya might see him, but the Vaidya did not pay any attention on her and kept seeing other patients.
She was looking sadly at Vaidya sitting on the bench among the patients. Suddenly the Vaidya called her and said, ‘I have told you, if you want to continue the treatment of your child, come when there is no patient here, so that I can examine your son properly. Today I will see your child and give him medicine but if you come again in dispensary time I will not see your son.’
After taking the medicine, she returned home disappointed once again from Vaidya’s dispensary. All sorts of doubts were coming into her heart.
<><>
With the noise and uproar of ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’, a procession carrying a dead body was going towards the crematorium, from there a new life begins and this life ends. Some people were going to talk among themselves, some were silent and some were crying and moaning.
Radha was standing near the window and was watching the procession passing very attentively through the open window of her room with the cursed voices of Ram Naam Satya Hai. Her child, her only son, the last sign of her husband was ill, he had a deadly disease like polio and he could leave her alone at any time in this cruel and selfish world like her husband. She realized that her son did not fall ill with polio, but that her motherhood had succumbed to polio. She took her son in her arms and held him close to her chest with all her might. A few drops of tears fell from her eyes and rolled down her cheek.
<><>
The three days again passed so fast that they never came; there was no medicine residue, so she was required to go to Vaidya’s dispensary alone during the night with her son.
She was lost in thought, slowly walking towards the Vaidya’s dispensary with her baby on her chest. Her heart was beating, her feet were trembling, she looked up at the sky, the sky was getting dark, not a single star was twinkling in the sky, it was probably cloudy, she thought the last date of the lunar month, on the new moon night; the moon does not rise in the new moon night.
She murmured, ‘This night is as dark as my fate, Vaidya is not angry with me, but my destiny is against me and is annoyed with me.’
She was walking alone on the barren and deserted road with her child in her arms, and the trees standing on both sides of the road were watching her helplessness.
Once, she thought that perhaps she is wrongly suspecting Vaidya’s intentions. He is an elderly man, having grandson and granddaughter, he must have asked her to come alone after the dispensary so that in his spare time he can examine her child properly.
She repented in her heart but still her heart was scared.
She could not known, when she reached Vaidya’s dispensary. She entered the dispensary. Vaidya was still awake at that time, though it was 12 o’clock in the night. Seeing Radha, Vaidya ji went to her and held her in his arms and kissed on her cheek. Radha pushed him away from her and ran away from his dispensary towards the road with her ailing son in her arms.
Vaidya chased her till the door, but she came to the open road and tried to cross the road when a truck came and hit her and her son.
Vaidya closed the door of the dispensary, Radha and her son were lying injured on the wide open road and the truck had left. Apart from the darkness of night and sky, no one could know how and when both died in the darkness of night.
<><>
Ton, ton, ton,
Ram Naam Satya Hai, with these damned voices and uproar, two bodies were being taken to the crematorium for cremation. One of them belonged to Radha and the other to her son. Vaidya was walking with the procession, bowing his head and looking at the picture of sadness.
People were saying, how great and kind Vaidyaji is, this earth is supported by such pious people.
