The Doctor of Sevil

By Animesh Chowdhury

“One bed is there and get her admitted…” uttering those words Divakar again plunged into unbearable silence. All of you must be surprised or thinking what those meaningless words must be! And if you are actually thinking that, you cannot be blamed for. 

Mumbai Rajdhani Express was running in full speed in the open field of saffron twilight in the approaching dusk, towards New Delhi and those words were heard from inside the AC-Second class coach. I am really sorry for not unveiling the curtain of suspense and even placing another curtain over the first one.  

Well, let me unveil the curtain. It was an evening of June of the year 2024. Myself Nikhil Sen working in a multinational in New Delhi was coming from Mumbai accompanied by two of my old classmates of school days.  My friend Ramesh had an official work there and we all agreed to go with him just for a change and were coming back. We boarded in one of the AC-II coach of Mumbai Rajdhani from Borivali and found two persons were already there, coming from Mumbai Central. After placing our belongings under the berth, we three sat comfortably and saw one of our co-passengers were an European young charming lady while the other one was a very feeble and poor looking sad man whose age was difficult to guess. 

Suddenly my other classmates Pankaj called out, “Nikhil is not that the person looking like our Divakar?”

Ramesh said, “Impossible. It can’t be our Diwakar. Divakar had a dynamic and handsome personality.  Did you watch this man?” 

I was looking at the man keenly.  On the very first look one can undoubtedly say that recently a storm of sorrow has swept away upon his life. But before I could say anything, the shabby and sad looking man himself called out “Pankaj is right, Nikhil, I am your old classmate Divakar.”

We all startled hearing this and then watching him from top to bottom I told him, “What an unbelievable change you have made yourself, Divakar? And what are you doing here? I mean where from you coming? We heard you that had gone to Madrid and married there! But what is this brother?” I threw out a cluster of questions towards him. 

Divakar took a bottle of water from the European lady and after pouring some water on his throat, said, “This is Lucia Mertinez, now Lucia Mathur. My wife.

We all put our glance upon the blonde and said good evening. She in turn surprising us, said in broken Hindi, ‘Namaskar’. Then Divakar said, “I am unable to forget the words uttered by dear Aman ‘One bed is there and get her admitted…’.” And then plunged into long silence.

When we three simultaneously told him that still we were not getting anything what he intended to say, he breaking the silence said that he was returning from the native place and house of Aman Srivastav from Mumbai. Then he himself also understood that we still could not get anything from those broken threads of events but remained still. The train once crossed a small brightly lighted station swiftly in electric speed and then as again it plunged into dark open field where darkness was embracing the Earth and sky, all of a sudden, Divakar reopened his mouth and started saying that strange heart-rending tale.

“You all know guys, that after coming out from the ‘Dale View Public School’ of New Delhi, we all scattered. And me, after doing BBA, went to Madrid in Spain in the year 2016 to study MBA there and after completing MBA in the year 2018, I got a job in a reputed Spanish company called ‘Benzol’ in Madrid. During that time, I met Lucia Mertinez and within a year we decided to live together and then at the end of the year in an enchanting February evening we got married and settled in Madrid. Our happy days were passing on happily. Lucia was a teacher in a Spanish school in Madrid. Then came the year 2020. The whole world was in the grip of Covid 19 pandemic. Along with Europe, the condition of Spain was also pathetic, but by the grace of God, within two three months, the life came to normalcy and the disease did not touch us. And within another six months we almost forgot that there was anything called Covid. Every spring is graceful and brings lots of grace to this Earth. But the spring that paid her friendly visit to Europe and specially in the whole Spain in the year 2021 was just peerless and uncomparable. In all the parks of Madrid, blooming Cherries, Lavenders and Almonds were seen rejoicing in the mild cool Mediterranean breeze.     

Lucia and me were the happiest spirits in the whole Spain. Then one day Lucia got a call from one of her relatives, an old aunt and uncle from the city of Seville. The childless old couple invited Lucia and me to the beautiful city of Seville. We also did not go anywhere after marriage, so we took no time to decide to visit the beautiful Seville in the bank of beautiful river Guadalquivir and under the shade of mountain Sierra Morena. On another beautiful day on the last Saturday of March 2021, we reached Seville. Lucia’s uncle was staying at the south side of the city in a big beautiful house surrounded by Oak, Olive and Adler trees, called ‘Villa Oak View’. Her aunt and uncle Mrs. and Mrs. Mertinez greeted us warmheartedly. The house was enormous and only in one portion, the old couple lived. We occupied two rooms in another portion of that beautiful house. Our plan was to stay there for two weeks or a little more. 

Next to next day, as we were sitting in a bench in the famous Maria Luisa Park of Seville watching the beauty of flower beds and nature, suddenly I felt someone putting his hand upon my shoulder. Startling I turned around and was even more surprised to see Aman was smiling at me. You guys must remember that I was in Arts while Aman was in science stream in the school and both of us disliked each other with our whole hearts. But in the foreign land, we forgot every hostility of school days and shook hands. As I told him that we were new comer in Seville, he gave his card bearing his mobile number and profession. I also gave him mine and then I was surprised to see his name as Dr. Aman Srivastav, Senior Physician, Hospital La Placid, Seville. He seemed to be busy and as suddenly as he appeared, he hurriedly went out behind the oaks and blooming lavenders.

After that incident, five days passed on happily moving about in the city and living in the beautiful ‘Villa Oak View’. But the God had something in his mind and something new, something harrowing for us. It was a Friday. After breakfast, Lucia was feeling fatigue and, in the evening, slight fever was felt. At night she also developed mild cold. We never knew by then what was waiting for us.  For the few days we were enjoying for the whole day and in the night, after taking dinner used to have a peaceful sleep and did not feel to watch the TV. That night as we switched on the TV, we came to know that all of a sudden, the cases of Covid were increasing rapidly in every city of Spain and there was no bed available in any hospital. However, we did not take it seriously at all. 

The next day, there was an announcement of complete lockdown in the city of Seville, Madrid, Barcelona and in a few more.  Nobody dared to came out and were in house arrest. Every railway station, airport, mall, theatre, market etc. was closed. The whole city was in the grip of an ominous shadow of death. The news of outcry and suffering, disease and death were coming from everywhere. It seemed that an enormous primitive eagle had come out from the nearby Alps Mountain and covered up the beautiful city with it’s black deathly wings. The blue, Guadalquivir River, the majestic Sierra Monera Mountain, the Del Serrano Lake also seemed to have been affected with the pathos of humans and stood fearful.  

In the middle of the next week, on Wednesday in the morning, Lucia developed plus 100 temperature and was feeling difficult to breathe. Her aunt and uncle said, we must had brought the disease from Mardrid and callously went out of the room. By the evening Lucia’s condition deteriorated. My condition was also pathetic as a feeling of helplessness came upon me. Firstly, it was a new city and secondly, that new dangerously disease! You can well imagine what my condition could have been. I gave her hot water to drink and on seeing the temperature, my heart got frozen. The temperature was showing in the digital thermometer as 103 Fahrenheit.  What should I do, I was just thinking, then suddenly like an electric flash, Aman’s face was remembered. Searching the card, as I was planning to dial his number just then my mobile itself rang out. On the screen I saw none but Aman’s name. I was overjoyed but my joy did not last long.           

 Telling this much, Divakar again took the water bottle from his Spanish wife and drank a little water to moisten his throat. We three sat motionless. Divakar’s eyes were sparkling from behind the spectacles in excitement as he was to start again.  After a few seconds he again started. 

From the other side the voice of Aman came floating.

‘Hello, It’s me, Aman.’

‘Yes Aman, it’s me Divakar.’ 

‘Yes Divakar. I am just telling you to please take care of yourselves. Suddenly, the Covid cases are on rise. Many doctors are also affected in the city. Are you all right?’

‘Aman, I am fine but my wife’s condition is poor.’ I almost cried as I spoke.

 ‘What? That means a case of Covid.’ Aman’s voice was heard.

‘Yes Aman. The temperature rose to 103 Fahrenheit and….’ I could not tell more. My voice choked.

‘What?... OK, … Just wait, ….do one thing…’ Aman also started stammering like me.

‘Aman, are you well?’

‘Yes brother, absolutely well. You do one thing. Just come to ‘Hospital La Placid’ and meet Dr. Morfield. One bed is there and get her admitted.’ Saying those words Divakar plunged into deep unbearable silence. 

After some moments of silence, he suddenly called out, ‘And it was the last sentence uttered by Aman.’

We all three simultaneously cried out, ‘Then?’

‘Yes, then. Then Lucia was admitted in the ‘Hospital La Placid’ and her condition was improving day by day.’ Said Divakar. 

Then suddenly the Spanish lady called Lucia started sobbing and a few drops of tears came out from her blue Mediterranean eyes and started rolling down her cheeks. We once after putting a glance of surprise on her started listening to our friend Divakar again.

In those days when Lucia was admitted in Hospital La Placid’, neither Lucia, nor I saw Aman. When Lucia got well and before leaving the hospital, we met Dr. Morifield and what he told us, hearing him there was no Earth under my feet and the sky broke over my head. Aman told me lie that he was well. In fact, Aman was already affected with Covid and was in a critical condition. Being a senior doctor there, one seat was reserved in the Hospital La Placid’ on his name. But he readily gave his bed and gladly sacrificed his life. Only two days after when Lucia was admitted, the great doctor of Sevil and the greater human being, leaving us proceeded to his final destination.  Thus, to pay the price of immortal friendship in foreign land, that arrogant, angry and unique boy of ‘Dale View Public School’, showed the supreme sacrifice of a human being and selfless deed of a doctor by giving his bed and his own life to an unknown.  

Divakar stopped in fatigue, in sorrow and in tearful eyes. The tears were also overflowing in our eyes. Everybody was trying to hide it from the other but in the bright light it was not even possible. After hearing the pathetic tale, and from it’s effect on us, we almost forgot where we were. Then in the Pindrop absolute silence when the train’s movement and shaking were heard and felt we came to ourselves, but were not in a position to ask any further question. Many times, passed on in that grief-stricken position in soothing silence. 

Then pointing to an earthen pot wrapped with a red cloth carefully placed on the upper berth, Divakar in an unclear, shaken and hazy voice somehow said, “I carried the remains of Aman from Seville to his home, in Mumbai. Now carrying them back to Haridwar to pour out on the holly Ganges.”  

No one was in a mood to utter any word, but out of extreme curiosity, I asked Divakar pointing out the second pot, “And what is it by the way?”

Just then at that moment a train on the adjacent track started passing us with a cacophonous sound, coming from the opposite direction. And when it was totally over, Divakar’s clear but calm voice was heard, “It’s also the last remain to be poured on the Ganges together.”

“But of whose remain, by the way?” Forgetting the place we all cried out.

“The remains of aunt Tina.”

“Now who is this Aunt Tina? we were about to call in reflex action but soon I remembered all. R.K. Puram, aunt Tina, Idly-Dosa, Aman’s house and much more…..  

My thought was interrupted by the voice of Divakar. “Aunt Tina was the mother of Aman, you people must remember her R.K. Puram Government Quarter, the days of 2010-11, our class XIth- XIIth. After hearing the news of her only son, Tina Srivastav could not bear the shock and last to last night died of heart attack.” 

We hazily heard the voice of Divakar as if speaking from very distant place. The speaker as well as the listeners, sat on motionless like that of stoned statues hearing the heart-rending tale, while the prestigious train kept on moving penetrating the darkness in electric speed, heading towards its destination. 

By Animesh Chowdhury