September Rains

                                                 

     1997 September - I was a PG student at Annamalai University,

It was raining heavily. It had started the previous afternoon and was pouring continuously without a break.  As usual there was no power supply in the hostel.   It was about 3 AM and I couldn’t sleep and was turning on both sides.  The mosquitoes and Chidambaram trailer bugs were having a feast with my blood. I heard a soft knock at the door, but I didn’t respond because of a fear which everyone feels when they hear knocking at odd hours and that too when alone. As the knocking continued, I heard a voice calling Sirrr. That voice was very familiar. I opened the door and in the light of the candle I saw Selvaraj , fully drenched.

Selvaraj was our college bus cleaner. A thin guy with short built and a broad smile. He was always very friendly with the students and staff. The previous evening, as I was starting my scooter, Selvaraj came running and said that his pregnant wife has been hospitalised. His usual smile was missing and said that her pregnancy was only in the 7^th month and that she had pain and bleeding.

As he entered my room, Selvaraj, in a distraught manner said that he needs blood for his wife and showed a small wet paper in which was written AB -ve. A rare blood group present in less than 1% of the population. He said that the doctors have already given 3-4 pints of blood and there was no stock in the blood bank. I was at a loss and didn’t know what to do.  Although about 300 inmates were there in the hostel, we never had a blood group directory or help groups to donate blood.  In the early hours of that September night, Selvaraj and I started knocking at the doors. Our knocks went unanswered as most of them had gone home for the weekend and the doors that opened had no AB –ve blood.  Selvaraj started crying as we went from door to door.

In the next hostel block, one medical student said that his blood group was AB – ve . But he said that he has to ask his parents as his religion does not permit blood transfusions.  “How can God, the sustainer of life, known to be compassionate and gracious, abounding in loving kindness make rules like this?” I wondered. But   worldly laws of the humans consign God’s compassion only to scriptures. Nagaraj’s crying face and my attempt to convince that medical moron failed. I really doubted as to what good he could do in this world with the noble profession which he was mastering.

 All our attempts failed and I took Selvaraj back to the hospital in my scooter in that windy and wet early morning.  As we entered the corridor to the ICU, a medical intern called me aside and said that everything was over... I looked at Selvaraj and my eyes must have conveyed the news to him. I went to him and held Selvaraj towards my shoulder.

 I could feel the warmth of his tears……..