I feel annoyed by the unwanted comments of the old man sitting next to me. I am not interested in hand waving. I'm dying of my burning. Today is the seventh day, my wife was admitted to this hospital. I have retired. I was a clerk. I married the only daughter. I have to go to the hospital or spend the day playing cards and chatting with my hands and feet.
Look, sir, we are a people of tinsel town, we don't have so much showy love. Simply, I can't take it anymore. But what is there to do? I can't throw away my wife. The girl lives in another state; suddenly she will not be able to come. This is the best hospital of ours. At least the medical claim was done. Otherwise, the cost is here!
Honestly, Saroma has looked after me with great care throughout my career. He had a keen eye on my food and drink, and my clothes. I was used to getting his service. But after retirement, I suddenly felt like spending most of the day with him. Her snoring while she sleeps, her saree falling on her knees, everything makes me feel so disgusted. Then when she got sick, giving her medicine on time, washing her saree-petticoat - it's not that I didn't do all these things.
But I was so tired. So love is just a habit now. I got back to the words of the old man sitting next to me - don't worry, everything will be fine. The mood suddenly soured. - Tell me, I am thinking. Let me be me…don't disturb me please – the words were said in a flash and I realized they were told very harshly. I am 60 years old. But in a moment I thought that the old man sitting next to me must be about seventy. Then! No, it shouldn't. So I'm ready to say 'sorry'. But as I turned to him, he busily put his finger on his lips and beckoned me to shut up – listen, listen…
The usual dengue-awareness announcement is then played over the hospital announcement mic – don't keep standing water around the house…this increases dengue mosquito breeding…etc.
Isn't it beautiful? - The old man's eyes sparkled.
I don't find anything new. My nephew works as a peon in a reputed hospital in Kolkata. I heard the story from him that the announcement system of all modern hospitals is automated. With 'speech recognition' controlled by artificial intelligence, what is written can be announced. Such technology is not yet available to us.
There are still announcers. Just as it is in that railway station. Sometimes they say - don't crowd in front of the counter, and sometimes they say - So-and-so Mr, wherever you are, visit the doctor at ward number 102. Only this type of dengue or general awareness announcement is automated. Means recorded. Those artificial intelligences don't matter. Only the same announcement is pre-recorded by a male or female voice. Just like in the bazaar, the advertisement of rat poison is played on the hawker's microphone, or in the auto, the announcement of the meeting of the political leader or the new traveller, is the same.
So I don't understand what the old man saw as 'beautiful' in it. But my intention to say 'sorry' fell apart. I apologize for it. I went to get up from the chair when the old man said – hey, are you getting up, sit down, sit down…the doctor who is seeing your wife is still at least half an hour away. And now it's visiting hours, not that you can see your wife. Instead, sit down, let's talk a little. Another beautiful announcement will be made in exactly ten minutes. Listen, what a beautiful voice.
I think to myself that the man has a bad head! But even though I didn't notice him before, he noticed me enough. Otherwise, how do you know which doctor is seeing my wife, when that doctor usually comes, etc? And at this age, he is coming to the hospital for someone. And no younger person has to come to his house.
I ask – what are you here for?
He smiled and said - for my wife.
I'm going to ask what happened, at that time some nurses from the hospital were passing by, and they saw the old man and said – Grandpa are you ok?
The old man waved and smiled – first class.
Another man from the pharmacy division was coming from the opposite direction. He looked at the nurses and said – Really, Grandpa has not missed a single day.
I then thought that this old man came here so regularly that the hospital staff all knew him. However, it does not seem to be the owner of the hospital. The old man seemed to understand my thinking.
-I come here every day. In the last five years, I have never really been absent unless I had trouble in my body.
-Five years! Never mind, if your wife is in a long-term coma… – I do marmar.
- Oh no, no, my wife passed away, it's been almost seven years.
-Oh… you said you came here for your wife, so I thought…
I hesitate. I thought his wife must have died in this hospital. Since then the old man has come here every day. It's amazing to think. But the old man's next words broke the mistake.
- Sudden heart attack, you understand. I did not get the time to bring it to the hospital. Ten years younger than me. Only fifty-seven years old then. Is it any age to leave, say? He had a heavy beautiful voice. What a good song he used to sing.
I'm confused. That means his wife did not die in this hospital. As I am thinking of trying to understand the matter in detail, he stops me again - that listen, listen, announcement again. Listen carefully.
Again the traditional awareness-raising announcement. I wonder what kind of hobby it is ? No work, so come to the hospital and chat with strangers or listen to the announcements and compliment them. There is a doubt in the mind. Otherwise, he has given a big donation to this hospital. I read such a news in the newspaper a few days ago. A poor old lady couldn't raise money for her son's hospitalization. His son could not be saved. Later, he built a hospital for free treatment for the poor by saving money. The person next to me is also a donor or owner of this hospital. How about asking directly? So I decided to go to the reception and ask. I said - Well, I am coming from the bathroom.
The old man told me again – go to the right side. Plumbing work is going on, go on the left side.
My idea is becoming more and more entrenched. I got up and went to the bathroom first. I went out with a little water in my eyes and went straight to the reception.
- Excuse me, the gentleman in the white bush shirt and gray loose pants, is he one of the officials of this hospital?
- Who are you talking about – Mr. Binoy?
- I don't know the name, I mean...
- He is the one who comes to the hospital every day and sits in the non-visiting hours. Oh no, no, he's not an authority figure.
- Come every day? It will be If you notice, I have been watching him for the last seven days. Tell me what's the matter? He did not seem to have any patients. He once said that he came for his wife, and again he said that his wife died seven years ago. And if there is no patient, do you let anyone in or not? – I express warmth. I must have become a little irritable while going to the hospital and home for the last couple of days.
-Oh, you don't know. How do you know? Well, wait a minute. I manage the crowd at the counter a little, and then I say.
I moved a little and avoided the crowd. I see that Mr. Binay is moving towards the main gate by raising his hand and saying 'I'm coming'. It means he is leaving the hospital. He thought maybe I came to complain. I pretend not to see.
After a while, when the reception was empty, the boy from the counter came out. Says to me – let's go out.
As soon as he comes out, the boy grits his teeth and says – do you have a cigarette.
I say - about that Mr. Binoy.
- I mean, you want to light a cigarette - the man keeps poking his teeth.
I say.
- Grandpa is a journalist or not? – Question again.
- Oh no, Sir - now I show resentment. - Do you allow any person like that person to enter the hospital at any time? Or he also regularly fed tea, and cigarettes to the staff?
What the boy says, is modesty is different. Listen though. Indeed, his wife died seven years ago. His wife worked at the reception in this hospital. His retirement was within two or three years. But he died before retirement. Two years after his death, the hospital authorities decided to install an automated voice message system. I mean the kind of computerization these days, what else?
Everything was almost right when Vinay Babu came one day. He also heard about it outside. The thing is - a few years ago a community camp was organized by the hospital for the nearby slums. What about that basic health awareness thing? Naturally, his wife also attended. The whole thing was recorded. From there, Vinay Babu edited some parts of his wife's announcements and made a collage of general awareness announcements. Application with Rather than a fully automated voice system, at least play that recorded for general awareness-raising announcements. It was not approved at first. But he is not a quitter either. The requests and prayers continued. His wife used to sing very well. Heavy sweet voice. He could hear the announcement of that voice every day, that was his only wish. He will feel that his wife is still by his side. Still talking to him. What else is this? In the end, love won. His record, thoroughly scrubbed, and remastered, is being played today for five years between ten and eleven in the morning during non-visiting hours. And he listened to it almost every day for five years. As if you are getting an absolute pleasure.
I was speechless after hearing everything. What love, what love! How small I felt at the same time. A woman who has worked tirelessly to love me all her life, and served me, how heartless am I behaving today when she is sick, getting upset, seeking release? Shh - I hate myself.
I carry sadness in my head all day. Go to Saorma's bed during visiting hours. He tries to sit up, but can't. She looks at me with tired eyes and says – for me, you are not eating and drinking on time, your body is broken. Tell the milkman to add half the milk. The collar of the shirt is dirty. No time to go to the laundromat, right?
How many tears were close to my throat? I removed the untidy hair from Saroma's forehead with my hand and said with utmost compassion - Saroma, get well soon, go home. I don't feel good without you.
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