BEING HUMAN

Doctor ,what are you doing inside! Come outside soon! She cried. This was her daily routine, when doctor used to went in dining room for dinner. Doctor was the only son, who was living with her, eldest of all his 4 brothers.

He was a bright student from childhood. He used to top all his classes. He was the first boy of that village , who came first devision in all his board exams. He had two shiney big eyes on a small face and had a wheatish complexion. His younger brothers used to tease him , but he always smiled at them with lot of compassion in his eyes. It was his passion for helping others that he became assistant of the doctor of his village’s small 1 room government hospital ,on a very less salary. From then, he became popular as doctor saab. Wherever he went in his village on his bicycle, people used to stop him, and start describing their pains.

My daughter is not eating anything from last 2 days, please doctor check her. A women said with tears in her eyes. He listened patiently and ask the small girl to show her tongue. Then from his small bag, he fetched some medicines. Take this, give her 1 tablet 3 times a day, she will be fine . He told the mother and left for his other patients. He reached home at around 9’O clock.

Amma, please don’t become angry, he told his frowning mother.

You have a young bride now ,you should come early. Your brothers are playing whole day, please help them to complete their homework at least. She told in anger.

Please keep your cool, otherwise you will be sick again Amma, he said. It happened everyday.

His wife Uma was the simplest woman. She used to wake up very early in the morning , after cleaning the house and completing her prayers, she used to cook food for all family alone. Her mother in law was a strict women and always guarding her like a father. Uma loved her husband very much. She loved to watch her husband eating food silently. But she eventually came to know that her husband is more shy than her, as he did not even looks her directly in front of any other member of his family. They used to talk very less. In night they got some time to talk but mostly they slept due to tiredness of whole day’s work.

After two years of their marriage, they came to know that Uma cannot become a mother her all life. She became more silent than ever. She wept silently in nights in her husband’s arms but strongly beared comments of her mother in law and other women of village in daytime. Doctor then got a permanent job in a government school. He spent all his income in his brothers education, then marriage and to fulfill all their wishes. They got settled in different cities with good position in society. They all used to come to village in festivals and functions and sometimes just to meet Doctor ,Uma and their Mother. All brothers and their family shared great love with Doctor and Uma .All kids used to visit village’s market and chukles, Doctor papa ,Please buy me this candy, papa please buy me that ball, and Doctor brought everything they requests with a broad smile on his face and his usual warmth.

Doctor used to lent money to the needy people of village without any interest and time limit. Doctor ,please give me 100 Rs, there is no flour in my house today, said Dinu. Doctor took his hand and put 200 Rs., take this and get the flour. God Bless Doctor, said Dinu’s mother when Dinu reached home with food. This operation will require almost 5000 rs, how can we arrange this much amount , Ram Singh said to his son. Don’t worry father, I have saved around 2500 Rs., rest we will take from Doctor babuji, and will pay him afterward. Not only human being ,but animals of the village were in love with doctor. He used to serve them chapatis and leftover food. In all these deeds Uma was always with her. She never stopped him for any thing.

Then oneday he retired from his job. Along with his colleagues, many students of his school came to drop him home that day. They were young enough ,that he could see his children in them, but they all were his friends. From then he started to take care of his crop fields with more dedication.

One evening , after returning from market, he handed a bag full of vegetables to Uma and said, please make onlu two chapaties for me today. I am going to temple and will return soon. There was only four houses between temple and his home. He performed his daily prayer in temple before the deity of Lord Krishna, and then went to the priest. The priest blessed him when he touched his feet, and given him some sweets. While returning home, he met Dinu and asked him if every thing was alright. Dinu toched his feet and said that every thing is good.After reaching home, he said,

Uma, I don’t feel like eating something , give me a glass of milk only.

Eat one chapati at least, Uma said.

I will tell you later, if I want to, he replied.

In the midnight ,he shaked Uma and said,I am feeling like fire inside me, please call Dinu. Uma did as she told. Bhaiya you will be fine soon ,Dinu said to him while helping him to drink water.Bhabhi please give me the car keys, we will reach hospital in twenty minutes, then everything will be alright. He was consoling himself more than anyone there. In hospital, they took Doctor saab in emergency ward. And after 15 minutes they declared him dead.

Next day, before the body arrived at home, whole village was gathered there. There was tears in everyone’s eye. Doctor was a rich man with great personality and talents ,but everybody was talking only about the stories of his kindness. How he had helped someone to send his son to big city for education, how he made the marriage of the daughter of a handicapped possible, how he solved the issue between two brothers and made them realize their love. In that crowd, there were people of each age group and they all had been touched by Doctor’s love someway.

He left enough property for Uma, to live rest of her life without anyone’s help. Along with this, he left something for all the human beings, whom he met directly or indirectly in this world, and that was the virtue of ‘Being Kind’, ‘Being Human’. These are the simple words, who made a simple person like Doctor ‘Immortal’.

Two days after all the rituals, his youngest brother handed Uma a list of people, whom doctor had lent money. He told,

Bhabhi, I have created this list with the help of Dinu, as he was close with Bhaiya .This will help you a lot, please take this.

Uma took the paper in her hands. Two drops of tear rolled over her cheeks. She became silent. After five minutes , she tored the paper into pieces and said, ‘when my husband never kept such record, how could I’.