seeking redemption - a preview

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Seeking

R edemption



Seeking

R edemption

Madhu Vajpayee



Notion Press

5 Muthu Kalathy Street, Triplicane,

Chennai - 600 005

First Published by Notion Press 2013

Copyright © Madhu Vajpayee 2013

All Right Reserved.

ISBN: 978-93-83416-32-5

This book has been published in good faith that the work of

the author is original. All efforts have been taken to make the

material error-free. However, the author and the publisher

disclaim the responsibility.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any man-

ner whatsoever without written permission from the author,

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical

articles and reviews.



diSclaimeRS

This is a work of ction. Names, characters, businesses,

places, events and incidents are either the products of the

author’s imagination or used in a ctitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual

events is purely coincidental.



ToMy elder Brother Vipin (1963–2012), a cerebral palsy

patient, who is no longer there to see this book in its fnal orm, but whose vitality and love or lie has always inspired me to never give up in lie. I owe my zest and resilience to

you. You continue to guide me even today. I miss you Dada.



a cknowledgementS

I am grateful to my parents, Mrs Ratna Tewary and Prof. I

N Tewary, for their unconditional love and support.

My thanks go to my husband Rasik Vajpayee for being an incredibly understanding life partner. His dedication

and commitment to his work has always inspired me. This

endeavour would not have actualized without his support.

Thanks, for being there for me always.

My heartfelt thanks goes to my dearest friend Namita

Dimri who painstakingly read my manuscript and gave me

the much needed morale boosting review and courage to goahead with my project. Thanks, for believing in me when I

was not able to believe myself.

The work would not have been possible if my dear friend

Savita Deorari would have not provided me the beginner’s

condence. She instilled in me the faith that I can go beyond

medicine. Thanks, for your love and encouragement.

Thanks to my sister Manisha Sharma for her constant

love and support.

Last but not least, my thanks to all staff and student at

AIIMS who have been there for me always.



chapteR i

Meera was getting ready for college; it was convocation day

rehearsal.

Meera’s father, G K Mishra, called her from the living

room, “When is your convocation?”

“Its tomorrow ... papa.” She answered from her room.“I would love to watch the grand occasion, my daughter

getting her MBBS degree. I am so proud of you.” His words

echoed through the house.

Meera was almost ready for the college. She walked to

him with a smile and chirped, “Whatever I am today is all

because of you. I love you papa.” GK Mishra’s face lit up

seeing his daughter. He was thinking that he made the best

decision of his life by allowing Meera to pursue medicine.

Ahalya Mishra, Meera’s mother walked in from the kitchen

where she was busy preparing breakfast and interrupted,

“No girl in our family is supposed to study till this age; girls

in our family are married off at an early age. You are the

rst girl who has been allowed to do a professional course.”

Meera, unable to ever express her true feelings in front of

her mother, said, “I understand mummy.” Ahalya Mishra

believed that girls should be timely married off by arranging

a good match. In her view, only boys should be allowed to

pursue a professional education. “Raghav is nishing his

year 12 and we have to admit him to an engineering course

this year. You should settle down by marrying someone ...a good boy, of our choice. Moreover, forget about post

graduation until you get married. After that, it would be your

husband’s or in-laws’ decision.” Meera had heard this many

times before and knew that there was no point reacting to

it. She simply nodded her head and proceeded towards the

door.



2 SEEKING REDEMPTION

Meera, elder of the two children, was an ethereal beauty,

with an oval face and a sensuous mouth. She had large,black eyes and an endearing smile. She had inherited a fair

complexion from her mother and sharp features from her

father. Her simplicity and innocence added to her charm and

the fact that she was not aware of her beauty made her look

even more enchanting.

Meera always had a feeling that her studies put an extra

strain on the family’s nancial situation. She used to inch whenever her mother mentioned the word ‘dowry’ and how

it was difcult to arrange such a large sum of money, with her

father being the sole earning member of the family. Meera’s

father was a teacher; he was earning just enough to manage

his family of four but there was no scope for any luxuries

of life. They had a small two-bedroom at, which her father

bought twenty years ago with the money he received fromhis father’s will after his death. The house desperately needed

repair as the plaster was chipping off from several places and

there was seepage from the cracked roof, each time it rained.

Though Mrs Mishra constantly complained about these

things, GK Mishra hardly seemed to notice anything. In his

eyes, education was best investment for creating a better

future, and he was following it religiously. He was giving thebest possible education to his two children. Meera’s brother,

Raghav, was planning to do engineering after completing

year twelve. He was an average student, and in spite of GK

Mishra’s constant encouragement as well as well-meaning

criticism, he could never score exceptionally. However, in

Ahalya Mishra’s eyes, he was the best ... as good as anyone

could possibly be.Somewhere deep down ever since her childhood

days, Meera wanted to be independent. She wanted to

have a comfortable life with small luxuries rather than be

constantly worrying about nances, like her mother. Meera

was not brilliant in academics, but she was an extremely hard

working student and her perseverance always paid off.



MADHU VAJPAYEE 3

Meera caught the bus to her college after hurriedly

walking out of her home. Sanjeev Singh and TapanChatterjee, her batch mates, also boarded the bus at the

next stop. As she saw them board the bus, it bought to

her mind the exuberant days of MBBS. Everyday used to

be a new experience, which made even such an intensive

course so interesting. She loved every minute of the course,

her passion for medicine was the primary reason but the

comradeship amongst the batch mate made it an enjoyableexperience.

Buoyant atmosphere at the university auditorium was

reverberating with students; all of them busy cheering their

friends and exchanging pleasantries. Optimism was at its

peak. Meera always loved this energy and undying spirit. An

announcement was going on for today’s nal dress rehearsal

program. Students were advised to segregate according tothe degree they were receiving: MBBS, MD, MS and Nursing.

Meera proceeded to join the MBBS batch with her friends

Priya and Kiran Mala.

MBBS graduates were asked to stand alphabetically.

Meera was taking her position in the ‘M’ section of the

queue when she sensed from the corner of her eye that

someone was intensely watching her. Before she knew it, atall and handsome man, with a whitish complexion, sharp

chiselled features and deep dark brown eyes, wearing jeans

and sky blue tees was approaching her.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” He asked her. Meera

was perturbed by this sudden intrusion.

“I am Aman ... Dr Aman Sharma, MD Medicine. And

I guess, you are....”

“I am Meera Mishra; I’ve just nished my MBBS,”

Meera nished the sentence.

“It would be great if I can meet you sometime,” Aman

said. There were no preliminary talks, not much introduction,

it was simply a command. Meera, still unable to get a grip




over the situation, replied, “I will see.” And he vanished in

the crowd as quickly as he had appeared.Meera’s eyes tried to follow him in the auditorium while

rehearsal was going on. Aman Sharma had a demeanour,

which reected a kind of aloofness. His face had an arrogant

look about it and there was an aura of aristocratic upbringing.

Priya, as usual, could sense that something was

unsettling Meera and she decided to investigate. Meera, who

was always like an open book, instantly narrated the wholeincident to her. Kiran Mala also joined her friends when

she realized that some interesting exchanges were going on

between them, “About whom are you talking about? Is there

someone special?”

“No one in particular, I just happened to collide with

one of our seniors.” Priya tried to be evasive. “He is sitting

in the fth row where students who are getting their MDand MS are seated.”

It seemed that Kiran knew quite a lot about him.

“Aman’s father was a Supreme Court judge who had to resign

from his job at the peak of his career. His grandfather was

a well-known economist who served at various prestigious

government posts. He has been one of the brilliant students

of the college. In fact he is a gold medallist.”

Meera was trying to gain the normalcy that existed

before Aman’s arrival in her heart and mind. She wasn’t able

to manage to erase his intense eyes from her thoughts. She

was trying hard to let it go but it seemed as if nothing was

the same again.

The day’s rehearsal ended at ve in the evening. All thestudents left the auditorium in an upbeat mood, chatting and

joking amongst themselves, in anticipation of the big day

tomorrow.

Convocation was a grand affair. Meera was delighted

that her parents could attend the ceremony.



MADHU VAJPAYEE 5

Aman Sharma was also present, looking regal in his

convocation dress. His eyes were searching for Meera. Hejust wanted to see her once, to assure himself that she

indeed existed, not in his dreams but in reality.

Kiran was there with her boyfriend Sanjay Hari who

was getting his post graduation degree with Aman Sharma.

She looked as cheerful and contended as always. Sameer

Saxena was also attending the ceremony as he was receiving

a postgraduate degree in Medicine. He was trying hard toavoid any eye contact with Meera. However, Priya Agarwal,

Sanjeev Singh and Tapan Chatterjee, who were nishing

their MBBS degrees as well, were having a great time.

The commencement address was delivered by the

chief guest, the Prime Minister of India “Medical School

and Universities is a temple of learning, a place of highest

reverence where future generations are built and every student is provided with armamentarium to achieve the

highest potential of their existence. Every student should

have equal opportunities and should be treated equally

irrespective of race, colour, caste, religion or any other bias.”

The group of students and teachers clapped cheerfully. “It’s

very hard to rise in life, very easy to fall, so be aware of every

step you chose to take in life. You should always aim highand try to excel in whichever area you choose to specialize

in. Congratulations for acquiring coveted degrees and my

best wishes for your future endeavours.”

The dean, Dr Rajaram’s speech was focussed on

commitment of doctors to patient care and for the equal

opportunities in the medical eld ... afrmative action in

medical education. “The injustice done to past generations

should be reversed and everyone should get a chance to

prove their potential and talent.”

Convocation was over with all the graduates and

postgraduates getting their degrees from the chief guest.

Everyone was invited to attend high tea that followed the




ceremony. Meera and her friends gathered in one corner to

celebrate. They talked nostalgically about their early days at

college. Priya said, “I can’t believe we nally got our degrees

today. Remember the rst day when we joined the course? I

can’t forget those days of ragging when we were forced to

wear those awful cloths and apply copious amounts of oil

in our hair.”

All three of them laughed in unison. Kiran said, “It washorrible. Remember we were cursing our fate and wondering

why we decided to join medical college, at all.”

Meera added, “And do you remember why exactly we

were regretting? And amidst laughter, she answered herself,

“It was the rst day of the anatomy practical and we had to

attend dissection hall where cadavers... dead human bodies

were laid on tables. And we were asked to sit in front of them to get acclimatized to them.”

Priya continued, “We were so scared.... and to make

matters worse, seniors were shouting. They were actually

trying to rag us.

Kiran Mala said, “And in the evening at the hostel, all of

us were thinking of quitting the course!”

Meera holding the degree in her hand, happily shouted,

“But nally, we did managed to ace it!”

Priya also cheered in unison.

Meera was mostly at home after her convocation day, as

she had to prepare for her exam. She was due to appear

for her postgraduate medical entrance exam. She wanted to

pursue her career in paediatrics. After having breakfast in

the morning, she was studying in her room when her mother

came in and announced, “Dr Pandey would be coming with

his family to meet us this evening. He owns a private medical

practice in Kanpur. His son is a surgeon”



MADHU VAJPAYEE 7

“Alright mummy,” she replied.

“I want you to get married and settle down rst andafter that you can plan your post graduation.” Her mother

added and left the room without waiting to hear Meera’s

response.

She was still in deep thought about her unnished

dream and her uncertain future when her cell phone rang.

“May I talk to Meera Mishra?” Meera could hear a deep

mail voice on the phone. She instantly knew who he was. It was Aman. He got her phone number through Kiran.

“Yes Meera speaking.” Meera was feeling as if her

private world was suddenly being invaded by a stranger.

“Do you remember me? I am Aman Sharma,” he said in

his imposing voice.

“I remember meeting you,” Meera replied hesitatingly.

“And your promise...?” Aman asked.

“Actually I have my entrance exams due in a couple of

months and I have to prepare for that. Is there anything

urgent that you want to talk about?”

“But you did say that you will try...,” Aman persisted.

“I did, but I didn’t realize that I would get busy with

exams.”“It’s okay, but it would be great if we could meet

sometime.” Aman was not going to insist any more. He

would have never called her, if he could help it.

“I will try,” Meera could have simply ignored him and

not entertained his call but there was some invisible force

that didn’t let her do that.

However, she knew that her priorities were different atthis time. And she decided that though she liked Aman, she

could not afford any aberration at this juncture.

The evening date with Dr Pandey and his family was

an anticlimax, as Ahalya Mishra did not like the family and

the prospective groom herself. Meera silently thanked god




for his small mercies. She and her father exchanged a quick

glance of relief as soon as the guests departed.

Sameer Saxena had an appointment with Prof. Rajaram at

the dean’s ofce. He reached at 11 o’ clock sharp in the

morning for the appointment. However, Prof. Rajaram was

busy with group of delegates from Europe who were visiting

the college for discussing future research collaboration ontuberculosis, always a good chance for Prof. Rajaram to

show his contribution towards the cause of humanity and

the alleviation of suffering.

Sameer Saxena had to wait for the meeting to be over.

He was called once the visitors left the ofce.

“How are things with you Dr Saxena?” Prof. Rajaram

inquired.“Sir, I am good. I have a request for you. I am applying

for senior residency at the department of medicine. I am

sure that with your blessings, I would also be able to become

a faculty in the same department.”

Sameer Saxena did his dissertation under Prof. Rajaram

during his post graduation. Their association was not

only limited to professional areas but it also extended toother areas as well. Being most trusted by Prof. Rajaram, Dr Saxena was the designated person for the dealings where

Prof. Rajaram did not want to be seen; Dr Saxena acted on

his behalf.

“I believe you are using the heart stents for the

angioplasty from the company that I suggested to you last

time?” the dean asked.

“Yes sir! And I have conveyed your wish to others in the

department as well. I have told them that these are the best

ones as demonstrated in your research publication,” Sameer

replied.



MADHU VAJPAYEE 9

“Good, the company is arranging air tickets and hotel

stay for me and my family in Mauritius, at the end of themonth. Please ensure that they get maximum business.”

“No problems sir! Your wish is my command.” Sameer

never left any opportunity of adulation.

“One thing more, I forgot to mention it to you. Please

instruct all the staff on my behalf that quality of patient

management should not be compromised. The faulty

medical equipments should be replaced with the new onesand not to be sent for the repairs. We have enough funds

for buying new equipments.” Prof. Rajaram told Sameer,

without mentioning that kickbacks received from purchasing

new equipments is far more lucrative option for him than to

save the government resources by getting repair work done

on these equipments.

“I understand sir, I will convey to everyone concerned,”He replied, feeling happy that he won’t miss on making

money, even if he had decided to join the government

hospital instead of private hospital.

“So, what’s happening at the resident doctor’s association

front?” Prof. Rajaram probed.

“Nothing important sir.... nothing that should bother

us.” Sameer reassured the dean.

“All the best for your senior residency application. I will

ensure that you get this post.”

“Thank you sir,” Sameer said.

“Hello Meera, can we meet in the afternoon today?” Aman

called again in the morning when she was engrossed in her

studies.

“I don’t think it would be possible for me. I have to

nish all my practice questions today,” Meera said.

“How is your application for senior residency coming

along?” She tried to divert the conversation. Aman was




applying for the position of senior residency in the

department of medicine, a pre-requisite for a faculty positionat the college. It was a three-year fellowship program which

followed post graduation degree.

“It’s okay, nothing very special,” Aman replied, in no

mood to get diverted.

“Can I come to meet you?” he asked.

“Why...I mean, for what?” she asked, instead of

answering his question.“I just wanted to see you,” he said earnestly.

“Then you have to wait till nish my exams,” she said

laughingly.

“All the best for your exams!”Aman had to give up but

he couldn’t forget her enchanting laugh.

Another day, the three girls decided to meet up in college.

Priya and Kiran were waiting for Meera at the local college

canteen, which served the most delectable samosas with

delicious chutney. The feast used to be complete with

hot chai. Everyone from rst year students to nal year

postgraduates frequented the place and jostled with each

other to nd a seat in that very cramped space. And mostof the time, that seat used to be a broken chair with its arm

missing or its leg being loose. Even then, it was a coveted

place and no one was willing to compromise. It held

a special place in the heart of all the students and junior

doctors and that sense of belonging was cemented by the

ever-smiling face of the owner of the place, Raju Chacha.

He knew most of them by their rst names and was privy to

most jokes cracked there amongst the students. “Why don’t

you sit and order something doctor sahib?” Raju Chacha

asked two of them. “We are waiting for our friend to join

us,” Priya said smilingly. “And then you have to treat us.” As soon as she nished, Meera was on the door of the canteen.



MADHU VAJPAYEE 11

She joined the two friends and all three smiled and cheered.

“Raju Chacha, I am famished, can you quickly serve us hotsamosas?” Meera quipped.

“Of course doctor sahib, in just few minutes,” Raju

Chacha replied.

“Dear friends, what are the plans for the future as

we have nished our graduation?” Priya addressed others

mockingly.

“I wish we could just relax now but do we have achoice?” Kiran Mala was at her usual chirpy self.

“I will certainly try and give it my best shot, my

mother’s pressure notwithstanding.” Meera had a look of

determination on her face. Priya instinctively knew that

Meera was not going to give up. Though Meera didn’t look

so resolute from her appearance but she used to nd her

way slowly through the problems by working around them.

Sanjeev Singh and Tapan Chatterjee also joined them

when they saw them at the canteen. They were nding it

hard to start studying again for postgraduate entrance exams

as they were just done with their MBBS.

Sanjeev laughed and said, “Hey guys! When these

studies are going to leave us? Haven’t we already spent the

best years of our lives doing this?”

Tapan joined and reminded him of his best years, “Don’t

you remember how we managed to pass our professional

exams when it simply seemed impossible?”

Priya laughed and continued, “When Sanjeev and I

were allotted the ENT case in our clinical posting, neither

of us had faintest idea about the ear examination and couldnever understand, what was going inside the ear. And when

it was time to present our case, we were standing in front

of Professor Verma with dumb faces. And suddenly I

started giggling when Tapan looked at me with the weirdest

expression I had ever imagined, from the front row.”



Seeking

R edemption

seeking redemption - a preview

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