'Night time. Kishore, this sweet chap, wakes up with a high fever. As he gasps for breath, his parents try and console him, his father rushes in, comes out in a minute with a wet cloth and places it on the 13-tear old's forehead, hoping it would absorb the heat. All this while they fervently think of some way to stall the fever till morning, when they can go and meet some doctor-hospitals are way too expensive.
As time relentlessly ticks away and Kishore seems to get worse what with his whole body shivering, they have no option. They gather what money they have got, borrow some from their neighbours, haul Kishore's frail frame into an auto and rush to the nearest hospital. The doctors sensing something very wrong, order a blood test. As soon as the needle pricks the skin, the blood starts flowing-not only from his hand. But also from his ears, and nose!
As his face contorts with pain, the doctors run around frantically, all the while the agonised parents watch with horror not knowing what to do and what will happen-to their only son.
It is all over within 20 minutes. The fever killed the boy that fateful night! His mother turned into a lunatic and had to be sent away to her village. The father is still wondering what went wrong and blaming everything around (including himself) for his son's untimely death.'
This is a real story! We, in DreamIndia2020, considered him a younger brother. Sprightly and always spitting on the roads, this teen regularly attended our classes with enthusiasm. The way he calls out 'Nataraj Sir' and 'Eswar Sir' still rings in my ear. Easwar and I gifted him a chessboard for winning the Sports day competitions we conducted for the children. I remember sitting with him in his house and patiently (quite patiently) teaching him how to play the game. Though he was not much interested, he was so excited that i had actually come to his house, sat with him, and taught him to play. I used to chastise him always for spitting on the roads, and he cared a damn. (How I wish he were still here - i dont care whether he cared a damn or not)
We failed! Rather I failed!
- Many a time Nata had asked me to conduct a medical camp at the slum (where Kishore lived). Maybe if i had done that, better care would have been taken and the kid would have lived.
- Many a time Lakshmi Iyer had told me to involve the community when i do social work. I did not. Maybe if i had, the parents would have told me and we could have gone to a better hospital and.... things might have been different!
- Most importantly, there had already been such a death in the same area five months ago. And i dismissed it that time.
Despite so many portends if a person does not act, I would not exactly call him an animal, but he is somewhere close to that. And you know, dear reader, what the best part is? I will remain so! I still run behind the ephemeral and superficial pleasures of life while i could soend that time saving lives. I still would keep being ME even after a thousand Kishores.
But this article is not all about self-bashing! I just wanted to pour out my heart and what better place than this blog.
To give a silver lining to the otherwise dark cloud that i have metaphorised myself into, I confidently say that someday, I would stop being that (something close to an animal that is) and start saving the Kishore's of our country. I just hope that that day is not too far in the future.
P S :
- I'm not sure whether iam doing justice by putting his photo here...but hell, i have no bad intentions!
- For people who dont understand what we are talkin here... visit www.dreamindia2020.org to know about our organisation.
9 comments:
It was very dishearening to know Varun. We kept on planning about Medical camop and one child died. Not that we killed him, but we could have saved.
Let us not make sure that this eye-opener doesn't go waste. We will have a medical wing in our group. and that too very soon.
indeed its sad that such a thing happened but rather than blamimg yourself you could as well make it a point to tell the parents to get their kids checked periodically or as you wish try to arrange for one.god bless his soul in peace.
Felt really bad while reading this sad incident Varun. Do not know what else to say.
Hi,
We are really sorry for Kishore.
Its really a disheartening incident to hear and so sad to know about the ignorance of so many people about health awareness (including the educated and literate ones). To delve onself in something to be of use, you need to know about that truly, if not try to get the ones who know the truth, we need to arrange for this medical check up (routinely) for these unfortunate people to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future.
And on your self-bashing, please do not create a complex in yourself about this, i know you are giving what you can give and that too with the whole of your heart.
I'm really saddened at heart at this unfortunate incident. In my opinion,the parents need to educated in matters such as health, hygiene etc.as well and that their kids need immediate medical attention at any sign of illness, because any delay in such matters could prove fatal as in the case of kishore.
There's no point in post repentence, just need to make sure that we try our best at spreading awareness and hope that we can be of help to prevent such incidents.
Varun,
Dont be disheartened and do not blame yourself, we need Medical wing desperately and sort the matter soon..
When a child died under the car of a drunken driver, the mother was mad. But instead of using this energy in destructive format, she formed MADD(Mothers against drunken driving) one of the most successful campaigns in America. Let us also start something that will help us bring an end to this in Kishore's Memory.
This is a Very unfortunate Event. I do agree that There were lots of things that could have been done which MAY have averted this happening.
It not too late to help the other Kishores.
Has the Medical Diagnosis been done on what exactly happened in this case, this may be an epidemic to be which also need to be looked at. This will haelp the community at large.
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