Before opening the envelope, Rangarajan tried to recall who they were. He would know who the people were, once he opened the envelope and read the details given in the invitation. However, the mind always showed an urge to guess the details, before receiving the input!
Even after opening the envelope and reading the English version of the invitation, Rangarajan couldn't recognize the bride or the groom. The name Anandhi rang a bell, but he couldn't remember how he had known her. During the ten years of his medical practice, he had come across a large number of people, including his patients and their relatives. She could be one of them.
When Rangarajan read 'Anandhi, daughter of Karagakkumbam Ramamurthy' in the Tamil version of the invitation, he cursed himself for his failure to immediately recall his connection with her.
It was the year 1965. After completing his medical education and getting a job in the government, Rangarajan was posted as the Medical Officer of the Primary Health Centre at Naththambakkam, a village situated in Thanjavur District (the village may now be in Tiruvarur District, after reorganization of districts.)
Since it was the only hospital accessible to the people in several villages surrounding that place, the hospital would always be crowded. Since Rangarajan was provided accommodation near the hospital, some times, people would even knock at the door of his house, even during the nights.
Anandhi, a fifteen year old girl, was one such person, who knocked at his door, one late night. She told him that she was coming from Karagakkumbam, a nearby village. A man was standing near her. Looking at the cycle parked outside his house, Rangarajan inferred that she had commuted to his place by riding on the bicycle driven by that man.
"Doctor! My father had fainted suddenly. He regained consciousness after a while, but his left hand and left leg has become immobile" said Anandhi, amidst sobs.
Rangarajan immediately went to her house on his bicycle, following Anandhi and her escort.
Anandhi's father was struck by paralysis, due to high blood pressure. Rangarajan gave some tablets he had with him, for bringing down Ramamurthy's blood pressure.
He asked the person who accompanied Anandhi, "Are there any elders in the house?"
Before the person could answer, Anandhi said, "Doctor! My mother is there. Other people in my family are my younger brother and me. I am studying in the eleventh standard. You can tell me the details, doctor."
Rangarajan admired Anandhi's equanimity of mind, even under such trying circumstances.
He told her:
"Your father had this paralytic attack because of high blood pressure. The paralysis may be cured, if the blood pressure is brought down. It will be better to get him treated at the Government hospital, Thanjavur. But, it is not advisable for him to travel, in his present condition. I will prescribe some tablets. Get these tablets from Tiruvarur tomorrow and start giving the tablets to him. I will talk to a specialist known to me, who is in Madras. There is no phone in the hospital. I have to go to the post office, book a trunk call and speak to him. I can't go to the post office, during the day time, since I have to be at the hospital. The post office won't be open in the night. Therefore, I will write a detailed letter to the specialist in Madras and send it by post. I will get a reply from him in two days. I will come and see him tomorrow."
When Rangarajan began to leave, Anandhi told him, 'Sir, just a minute" and ran inside. She returned with a five rupee note in her hand. She handed it to him reluctantly, saying, "Doctor! Your fees..."
Rangarajan smiled and said, "No. I am a Government doctor. I should not accept any fee," gently tapping on her shoulder.
"But you came to our house in the night and treated my father!"
"I am expected to treat the patients only at the hospital. I should not do home visits. Citing my visiting your house for an emergency, someone may even complain that I have been doing private practice! I came to see your father, because when he was in a critical state, I could not have refused to come with you and see him. Until the time your father gets better, I will visit him periodically. When he gets better, I will give a letter to the Government Hospital, Thanjavur. You can take him there. With the treatment he will get there, he will be cured completely."
After that, Rangarajan visited Ramamurthy several times, daily for the first few days and once in three days, subsequently. Based on the advice he received from the specialist in Madras, he prescribed medicines for the patient.
At the end of three months, there was considerable improvement in Ramamurthy's health
He was taken to the Government Hospital, Thanjavur, as per Rangarajan's advice. The doctors at that hospital endorsed the treatment given by Rangarajan and advised that the patient continue to take the same medicines.
While almost the entire village had been under the impression that Ramamurthy won't survive his illness, his recovering from his illness and returning to normalcy as a result of Rangarajan's treatment was an unbelievable feat for most of the villagers.
During the time Ramamurthy was bed-ridden, Anandhi, despite being a girl of fifteen years, acted like an adult, displaying an exceptional sense of maturity and responsibility. She was the one who would go to Tiruvarur to buy the medicines for her father and visit the hospital periodically, to consult Rangarajan on what was to be done at every stage. In the midst of these activities, she also paid attention to her studies and passed the school final examination, scoring good marks.
After one year, Rangarajan decided to quit his job, since he got a good offer from a private hospital in Madras.
By that time, Ramamurthy had fully recovered. He came to the hospital with Anandhi to thank Rangarajan in person and bid farewell to him.
"You saved my father. To us, you are like God" said Anandhi, feeling genuinely grateful.
"You seem to have been watching a lot of films at the touring talkies in your village!" said Rangarajan, laughing.
Now, after ten years, the family remembered him and sent him the invitation for Anandhi's wedding. He recalled that Ramamurthy got his Madras address, when he met him at the hospital.
The telephone rang, when Rangarajan was in the hospital.
"Sir! Trunk call for you" said the Telephone Operator of the hospital.
"Hello!"
"Doctor! This is Anandhi from Karagakkumbam."
"Hi, bride! Congratulations. How is your father?"
"Sir! You remembered us immediately! I am thrilled. My father is with me. I will give the receiver to him...Hello, doctor! This is Ramamurthy!"
"How are you, sir?" asked Rangarajan. He felt both happy and proud that a person, successfully treated by him for a serious condition like a paralytic attack, called him over phone after ten years and spoke to him.
"I am fine. Till today, people of our village keep saying that you saved me from death, just as Lord Siva saved his devotee Markandeya from Yama, the God of death!*" said Ramamurthy.
"Sir! I only did my duty as a doctor."
"No, sir. You went beyond your duty, by coming to my house at the request of my daughter when I was in a critical state of illness and several times subsequently, treating me and bringing me back to normalcy. The help you had done to me and my family is not an ordinary one. It was a new life for me. My family members won't forget you, even in our future births."
Rangarajan sensed that Ramamurthy became emotional and his voice choked.
"I am unable to come in person to invite you to my daughter's marriage. I thought I should invite you at least over phone."
"I will definitely attend the marriage, sir" said Rangarajan. He observed that his voice also became choked, as a result of becoming emotional.
'When they show so much love towards me, I should definitely attend the marriage' he resolved to himself.
* a mythological story
Section 1
The Path of Virtue
Chapter 11
Gratitude
Verse 107 (In Tamil)
ezhumai ezhu piRappum uLLuvar tham kaN
vizhumam thudaiththavar natpu.
Meaning:
The good remember with gratitude, all through seven births, the friendship of those who wiped out their suffering.