My Good Samaritan Mom
... Friends, this is a real incident, which involves my Mother and her two colleagues. My mom is a secondary school teacher of a school from Bhandup, a central Mumbai suburb. This incident is about saving a person's life. Only a few months back, after the school watchmen cum peon had retired, a new watchmen had joined the school to take over his position. This new joinee, basically a Muslim North Indian, is a poor Bread and tea vendor in the morning and watchmen by the night. The school has a small accomodation for the night watchmen and peon within the school premises. He moved in, along with his family - a wife and four kids. All kids are young and small, playing around the small shoddy home, that school provided them. Only once, my mother had a glimpse of their mother. But since past few days my mom did not see her around the house. Only the kids would play around here and there.
My curious Mom, went to the house and summoned one of the eldest of the kid to ask where there mom is? The kid said, she is sick since past few days, she has some problem in her stomach which seems serious. The kid certainly doesn't know that her mom was pregnant. My mom asked, "Can you call out your mom, please?" The kid went inside, and her mom came out.
NOTE: - The converstation took place on Friday and has been translated from hindi to english for people who know only english!
My mom studied the lady and asked "You look unwell ...any problem ? ... also ur pregnant!"
Lady: - "...yes...this is our sixth child!"
Mom: - "sixth??? ....But i see only four here!"
Lady: - "yes...the eldest one is back at our native place in Bihar, she works there!"
Mom: - "..but what is the need, with the present economic condition how are you going to support such a huge family?"
Lady: - "...now what can i say, Madam ?...we wanted another son!!!"
Mom: - "But physically and economically you don't look sound, ...and who is looking after you now...did u go to doctor?"
Lady: - "..yes, Madam!"
Mom: - "...so ??? ...what did the doctor say?...any medication ?"
Lady: - "...On monday we went for check up to municipality hospital, the doctor checked with the machine and declared that the baby is DEAD!!!"
Mom: - (in her mind!) "What?!?! ...", totally shocked, feat trembling and heart beating fast. How..how on earth a person be so cool, about her own child being dead, and that too carrying in her womb.
Mom: - (shocked) "When did you check up?"
Lady: - "Monday!"
Mom: - "What???....that is bad today is friday....how can you carry a dead baby for so many days?"
There was silence, Mom asked "where is your husband?"
Lady: - "...he will be coming now in few minutes...he comes to home by this time!"
My mom waited at the door of that small house. And after few minutes her husband came, my mom asked him to get ready as they need to take her to hospital immediately.
Meanwhile, my mom asked him why they did not take any action after they learnt that the baby was dead?
Peon: - "...after monday, ...an expert in deliveries from our native place visited us, he just moved his hands over the stomach and said, the baby could still be alive, your wife should start eating, which she is not doing."
Mom: - "...and you believed him?"
Peon: - "he is an expert in all this...and as he said, my wife also said now she feels better as she has started eating more now!"
Mom: - "...for you information she is still not well, and she is not eating, she says so only so that you feel better, you seriously think the SONOGRAPHY reports and the learned doctors can be wrong and your village expert will be correct?"
...to this the Peon had no answer, he looked at his wife's pale face and looked down.
Mom: - "Now, take all the papers and recent check up reports you have, lets go to Navy hospital which is close by!"
The simple man, went inside, the lady got dressed up in burkha, meanwhile, my mom informed about this to her two Colleagues, Mrs. Kalapana Pataskar and Mrs. Bina Pandit. Both were terrified when they learnt this. They readily offered help. All of them moved to the closest Navy Hospital as the school was present in the Navy premises. The lady doctor was terrified too, as carrying a dead baby in womb, could be poisonous to the mother leading to her death also. This is serious as the dead body decays and the umbilical cord connecting the mother and the baby could infuse poison into the mother. Without any further delay, she asked her to move to a hospital and get the dead baby removed. She asked them to go to Mulund Hospital ...Mulund a suburb...which is close to Bhandup.
And all moved to Mulund Hospital. The Gynaecologist checked and was shocked too. He and the head nurse started scolding the couple for being so ignorant. My mom intervened and ask now what is to be done? The staff at the mulund hospital suggested them to go to Sion hospital immediately, but asked if the couple was given any recommendations by the Bhandup Muncipalty hospital. To this, the peon produced a small chit given to him by the Municipality Doctor, suggesting them to go to, Rajawadi hospital. The gynaec then asked them to rush her to Rajwadi hospital at Ghatkopar without any further delay.
All rushed, to Rajwadi hospital, and got her admitted. Mom asked the doctor if any money is required now. The doctor said, yes money will be needed for the medicines to be brought from outside as of now. The peon did not have any money in hand, my mom and her colleagues chipped in money and gave it to him. The following morning, the lady got operated and the dead baby was removed. It was also learnt that the lady insisted for the doctor to know whether the dead baby was a girl or boy. When the doctor said, the dead baby was a girl, the lady was relieved or happy that she did not lose a son!!!
...after couple of weeks later, when Mom's other friends at school came to know about this, they all felcitated, my Mom, Mrs. Pataskar and Mrs. Pandit, giving each one of them a chocolate bar.
Now, after reading this true story, what do you understand or infer?
