The Hollow Applause (528 words)

( I have utmost regard for the medical professionals for the noble service they render true to their conscience and the Hippocratic oath they take. As in every profession, there may be a rare crook. No disrespect is meant to anyone. This is a story.)

The renowned surgeon, Dr Chandra, looked at Sunder, about his age, in his late 30s, with a poker face and spoke slowly. His father accompanied him.

” I have had all the tests done. I believe only an intervention by surgery would help, though there is a small amount of risk. If it is not done, there is a greater risk to your life. If both of you agree, I can prepare for it,” said the surgeon.

“What would we know about this? We would be solely guided by your advice, “said Sunder.

“Don’t worry. I will ensure everything is taken care of,” replied the doctor.

After they left, the surgeon’s second man, Dr Gupta, who was also a reputed surgeon with a deft hand, asked him, “Chandra, I am not sure whether the case calls for surgery. It is very risky, and very likely that the man may not survive. This is done only as a last resort when everything else has failed, and the patient is on the verge of death. I am really at my wits’ end. Are you not troubled by your conscience and the oath you took? Why are you resorting to this course? Don’t take me amiss. As a long-time colleague and friend, I spoke out”

Dr Chandra kept quiet for some time and then slowly started talking, “I am aware that surgery is premature in this case. But let me confide in you. I have a private score to settle. This man snatched away my sweet heart with his money and good looks. She was in deep love with me and very intimate till this fellow came into the scene.”

“Is it not murder that you are contemplating?” interjected Gupta

“No, it can at best be a wrong judgment. I am going to perform surgery professionally, and if he still succumbs due to the complications common in this process, can I be held responsible?’ said Chandra. He added, “I am a divorcee, and she is still charming.Who knows what can happen?”

“Sorry, I would not like to be associated with you in this operation”, said Dr Gupta as he left in disgust.

As a true professional, the surgery was carried out with utmost precision. Despite Dr Chandra silently waiting for some adverse development, luckily for the patient, none arose. The young man recovered steadily, making the operation a remarkable first-time achievement for both the hospital and the surgeon.

At the press meet after a few days, the Chairman congratulated Dr Chandra warmly while reporters flashed cameras without pause.

Sunder and his wife thanked the surgeon profusely before leaving the hall. Yet Dr Chandra did not fail to note the smirk on her face.

Standing a little apart, Dr Gupta watched the celebrations in silence. Then he walked up to Chandra and said quietly,

“Strange, isn’t it? You wanted him dead. Instead, you have made him live longer, happier, and more grateful to you than ever before.”

Dr Chandra forced a smile but said nothing.

Gupta looked at him steadily and said, “You still lose, Chandra.”

For the first time that evening, the roaring applause, Dr Chandra got, sounded hollow to him.

 

​​A Mother's Courage, A Child's Voice (732 words)

An old story for Mother's Day

Saranya invariably brought Anil, her seven-year-old boy, to the park in the evenings. He would play on the slides and swings for some time, and after that, on some days, they would settle down on the bench adjoining the busy road outside the park. She would show him the various passing vehicles and things and name them. Sadly, the boy Anil could not speak since birth, though he could hear well.

 She put him in a normal school, hoping he would blend with other children over time and regain his speech. But Anil, after a few days, refused to go as the other children made fun of him. Her complaints to the teacher were of little avail. As the boy was adamant, her husband felt they should wait for a year and coach him at home in the meantime. They visited all temples and donated to noble causes, hoping for God’s grace.

 As Saranya and Anil watched one day from the bench on the roadside, the buses and trucks whizzing by, a boy of six years came towards Anil and stood by his side. Saranya turned to see if anyone related to the boy was around and found none. She surmised his mother must be begging somewhere in the park. How careless of her, she thought, to leave the young child alone on the pavement of a busy road,

 Anil gave a toffee from his pocket to the boy who had nestled by his side.  Saranya was restless, seeing the boy left alone to fend for himself with his mother nowhere in sight. She repeatedly glanced in vain on all sides to locate her. Saranya wanted to go home, but did not have the heart to leave the little boy just like that.

 As she was thus engrossed in tracing the beggar woman, she heard a piercing scream​, ‘Amma, amma.’ As she turned around in great panic, she saw, to her great shock, the little urchin running towards the middle of the road with a big bus speeding towards the boy a few moments away. Without a second thought and unmindful of the imminent danger, she jumped on the road and pulled the boy in the nick of ​​time before what would have certainly been a ghastly accident and instant death of the urchin.

Only after she brought the boy​ in her arms to the safety of the pavement did she see Anil, all smiles. Her heart skipped a beat when she realised that her son had uttered the word ‘Amma’ for the first time. Filled with tears in boundless joy at the unexpected recovery of his voice, she hugged Anil and smothered him with kisses​.

She firmly believed that merciful God had restored his speech, while the doctors felt that it could be the shock from the very likely accident that Anil saw ​that did the wonder.  

Then she heard it​ again.

​“Amma…”

Saranya froze. For seven long years​, she had waited to hear that one precious word from her son. She had imagined it in her dreams, prayed for it in temples, and wept silently for it through countless lonely nights.

And now, at the very moment she had risked her life to save another child, her own child had found his voice.

“Amma…” Anil repeated, this time more clearly, stretching his tiny hands toward her. Her tears streaming down her face, Saranya gathered him into her arms and held him close, when the broken and halting words slowly followed, each one more beautiful to her than music.

People around them who watched in stunned silence found a beggar woman dragging her son and Ani’s newfound friend away from the crowd. But for Saranya​, the whole world had faded away. There was only her son, calling out to her at last.

Later, the doctors confirmed that the shock and emotion of the near tragedy might have unlocked something deep within Anil’s mind. Saranya, however, believed differently.

To her, it was not science alone. It was the boundless power of a mother’s ​instinctive love and concern​, that too a love for a stranger's child, that propelled her to save the child from an almost certain death, that had finally found its answer in a single word:

“Amma.​, Why are you crying?"​he asked in a clear tone.

And that ​word “Amma' became the most unforgettable Mother’s Day gift she would ever receive.

 

 

The test at 4.30 PM (1142 words)

Usha was a young divorcee. Her marriage, a short-lived one, was a failure. It was her mistake to fall headlong in love with a stranger and hurry into a marriage without verifying his antecedents. It soon came out that the man had a criminal past of various misdeeds, financial and moral and had cases against him. The wise thing she did was to obtain a divorce promptly. She had no parents except a brother living abroad, with practically no contact except an occasional email. But she had a very good friend in her college mate Ranjitha, who was happily married to a nice husband with two kids. She was Usha’s friend, philosopher and guide and whose advice the latter took on all important matters.

Ranjitha has been pressing her friend to move on with life by getting married to a suitable person. Once bitten, Usha was doubly cautious and was putting off the talk of marriage. She would not just listen. Two years had passed since she got separated. She was already 29. The previous Sunday, when she had gone to Ranjitha’s house for lunch, both her friend and her husband persuaded her successfully in her agreeing to marry if the right person came along

It was a month or two later that Ranjitha had telephoned on a Sunday to say that she would be sending her brother’s friend at 4 pm to her house. She would discuss details later. Meanwhile, she could just meet him and size him up. If her first impression of him was favourable, they could proceed further in the matter. It was not a date but just an occasion to meet and get to know each other. She also added that he did not want to meet her at a restaurant and was particular about the homely atmosphere. Usha was not very enthusiastic, but dressed herself well in a good salwar suit.

. It was nearing 4.30 pm, and the man had not shown up. Fastidious about punctuality, she was put out at the delay. It was then she heard the loud knock on the door by a stick instead of the bell. Annoyed a bit, she opened the door to find a tall man with dark glasses holding a white stick.

For a moment, she assumed he had the wrong address.

“Is this Miss Usha’s residence?” he asked gently, his gaze unfocused.

“Yes.”

“I’m Vinod, a friend of Ranjitha and her brother.”

She wondered how Ranjitha could send a blind man to her. Surely, there must be some mistake somewhere, she thought, but decided to let him in. She held his hand when he tapped the ground with his cane and led him to a sofa in the drawing hall.

Once seated, he kept the cane slowly by his side and asked, “Did not Ranjitha tell you about me? Are you shocked?”

“Not like that, she had spoken about you and your friendship with her brother, but had not referred to your disability. Pray, do not worry about that. My dad went blind due to glaucoma in his sixties. What would you like to have?” she asked.

Seeing him up close, he looked charming, dusky, with strong sinews and broad shoulders. But for the dark glasses and the stick, he would have been an attractive proposition, she thought.

 Her thoughts were broken when he said, “I would like a cup of strong coffee if it is not inconvenient.”

Before stepping away, she switched on soft flute music, thinking it might be more pleasant for him than silence. In the kitchen, however, irritation bubbled up. Ranjitha had put her in an awkward position; this was not what she had expected. As she was making coffee, she was very upset with Ranjitha for embarrassing her by sending a blind man as a prospective match. She wanted to give her a bit of her mind after this man left.

When she returned with coffee and biscuits, he was facing the wall, still and quiet. She guided his hand to the cup, but he fumbled, tipping it and spilling hot coffee onto his clothes. Usha hurriedly brought a towel and wiped his hands and the dress. She felt pity for him. She said, “I am sorry. I should have been careful and given you a mug.”

He smiled, almost teasingly. “On the contrary, I quite enjoy being fussed over.”

Despite herself, she smiled back. They spoke for a while. He told her he was a musician, adept at playing several musical instruments, part of a well-known troupe, financially secure, and living in a spacious apartment in a posh locality.

Vinod finally asked her, “Did you know the purpose of my visit?”

“Yes,” she said. “Ranjitha thought we could meet and see if… things go further.”

She thought he might not probe further. But he persisted with a question, ““And what do you think?” he pressed gently. “I have no idea what you look like, though I’m told you’re charming. I’m not very optimistic, and I doubt if I’ve made a good impression. I might even be a burden. “

She replied, “Please do not talk on those lines. I need time to think and cannot tell you anything now.” He replied, “I understand and can wait.”

As he rose to leave, she held his hand and led him carefully to the gate. Just as they reached it, he stopped abruptly and burst into laughter.

In one swift motion, he removed his glasses, tossed aside the cane, and turned to face her directly.

Usha stared in utter bewilderment.

“You passed,” Vinod said, eyes twinkling. “I wanted to see how you’d treat someone you thought was disabled. You were kind, patient, and never once let your irritation show, even when I was watching you very closely.”

“You, what?” she managed.

“I like you,” he continued, “Very much. And for the record, music is just a hobby. I’m a Senior Vice President at an international finance firm. I hope you won’t hold the little drama against me.”

“I am glad to hear you are a senior professional. As for your test, it was quite a performance. For a moment, I wondered if you were an intruder. But I also knew Ranjitha wouldn’t do something like this… which made it even more confusing.”

Vinod grinned. “So… can we start again without the props? And perhaps with another cup of coffee, you owe me?”

She held his gaze for a moment and then let a smile spread across her face, giving him a subtle hint of her falling for him. As she led him into the drawing hall, she quipped,” I am glad I passed your test. Make no hurried assumptions. We have just begun to get to know each other. After all, I might have to run a few tests on you as well.”