Inertia

I was supposed to enumerate the causes of giddiness in a female of 85. I had managed a few, but the expectant look on the examiner's face told me he wanted more. I knew I wouldn't be able to come up with many. Even on thinking hard, the chances of any significant improvement in the number seemed slim. Besides, I was exhausted from the supremely hectic week that had gone by. But he wanted me to think. Argh! I glanced up at the teacher for a split second to detect any signs of a change of mind. But argh again! He seemed determined to extract more causes out of my empty head. If only he could see that nothing was going on in there! I wish I could just tell him that I didn't know more. But over the years I've learnt that teachers in a medical school are exceptionally easy to offend. From bright slippers to unkempt hair, anything can be misconstrued as arrogance. And in the final 10 months of my graduation, I accidentally have managed to offend far too ma

"Sir, what's the prognosis?" We all looked up from our notebooks. Some of us had finished taking notes, some stopped midway in their sentences.  As an intimation that it was time to end the morning clinic, our professor had asked if we had any questions.  Sir looked at the boy who had raised the question, then at the boy whose tummy was our area of concern this morning, at his own hands, and then back at our curious friend. A boy lay in front of us, scanning our faces as we listened, questioned, answered and made notes about him. Thankfully he couldn't understand our jargon. The boy had a tumour supposedly. Most of our surgery patients did. It wasn't a big deal. I was calm. But when Sir answered, my tummy gave an uncomfortable twirl. I hadn't finished writing the radiotherapy details this boy was to get. I shut my notebook. I didn't want to finish. It didn't matter anymore, anyway. "2 months." 60 days! Just 8 Sundays? Only la

17 ... that's how old I was when you asked me to decide. Back then I really had no clue, in you, I now confide. Architecture seemed fascinating... MBBS, the easier way. So I chose people over skyscrapers... and, with Ma and Pa I got to stay! Life in Sewagram was all I knew, I still went through orientation. Met 64 new kids from far and near, as they struggled with homesickness n starvation. In the class on day one, I sat just scribbling notes, when somebody yelled "Kalantri". I looked up at this new professor wondering, "how the hell does he know me?" And then on I got used to being called out, no matter how much I tried. Any row, any corner, wherever I sat, I simply could not hide! There are many things others mustn't know. So I am told not to gossip. But I am a girl with curious friends. Some things are bound to slip! When I win, it's because I am a daughter. When I don't, it's in spite of it. All others will agree when I sa