When the Truth strikes

As Ram Sastri watched through the round window of the emergency critical

patient’s ICU, his most loving grandson Yoges’s figure started dimming from his

sight. He wiped his overflowing tears from his eyes with his wrinkled hands and

looked again. Just yesterday evening this boy hugged him tight and went out to get

his favourite sweets on his motorbike. Now his almost lifeless body lay there on

the bed, connected to a mesh of monitors around. His life was now only the sound

of the beeping of the ventilators.

A nurse came from the back side and said in a soft voice,” Please Uncle go and sit,

you had been standing for hours near the window. God will save your grandson.

Please go and sit”. Reluctantly he walked back to his chair near the wall. The eerie

silence of the long deserted corridor seemed to echo the approaching dark shadows

of death.

He saw his son Mayur and doctor coming out of a room on the other end of the

corridor. They were far away for Sasthri to hear any of their whispered

conversation. But the silhouette of both of them, the doctor’s sort of shrugging his

shoulders, and his son’s stooping, shivering shoulders explained everything to him.

The doctor walked away and Mayur sat down there itself on a chair. Sasthri knew

he was too afraid of coming near him to report what the doctor told him just now.

As the uncontrolled tears, once again welled in his eyes it was not only just the

pain of the accident victim of his grandson but more of a guilt which was

swallowing him alive. Exactly three month’s back he was in the same hospital in

front of the same ICU where his wife Sudha was on ventilators, brain dead after a

stroke. His son Mayur was pleading with him for his permission. There was a ten-

year-old boy who urgently needed a heart transplant in the ICU. Mayur was

begging Sasthri to allow Sudha’s heart be donated to that boy. He repeatedly

begged his father explaining that his mother was dead except for the ventilator.

But all her organs were fine and the donation of her organ could save eight lives.

Two blind people could get their eyes, two can get a kidney, her heart and liver can

save two more and her skin can save four or five burn victims fighting on the

deathbed.

He said, “Papa this is the greatest gift we can give to the society. Mother’s soul

will also be so pleased if we donate her organs which are now just going to be

sacrificed in the last pyre” Sasthri who was a Guru of Sath-Sang angrily retorted,

“I had lived with her for 65 years. It is my duty to give her an honourable farewell

by cremating her with all religious rites. How can I agree that a part of her body

still to be left in this world of Maya? Are you not ashamed of asking me that your

dead mother’s body be cut into pieces and parts taken away? You lived inside that

body for ten months and you want to shame that body of your loving mother?”

A million times begging, from his son and the doctors, failed to make an impact on

him to change his decision. Just when they were taking charge of Sudha’s body the

young mother of the ten-year- old boy was also collecting their son’s body, and

even that did not affect Sasthri at that time

Now his hardly fifteen-year- old Grandson is in need of an urgent liver transplant,

The road accident has totally punctured his liver. Sastri was 85 years old and was

still living. But he cannot give his liver to the boy. If someone is not stubborn like

him and is generous than his grandson can get the donation of lungs for him. If he

was not stupid the other day he could have saved 8 lives when Sudha died. Maybe

God is punishing him for his insensitivity and today he is the one who is begging

for a donation.

His attention was diverted by a commotion as a new was patient was wheeled

from the casualty room. As the attendants rushed in pushing the stretcher, he saw

vaguely a blood-soaked image of a person. Behind the stretcher came a handful of

relations, may be that of the victim. They all stopped at the operation theatre door

closed on them.

Slowly one by one they all moved to the chairs around him. Forgetting

momentarily his own sorrow he looked at them. There were some elderly people,

and an older lady crying uncontrollably while others tried to pacify her. But one

very young lady sat among them totally silent, just staring at the wall.

Mayur came to him and took him aside. He gave him a cup of Tea and said,” Papa,

just drink this. You cannot starve yourself for a long time. Doctors are trying,

telephoning all over India. We may get a donor” Sasthri took the tea and looked at

the face of his son. Mayur turned his face away from his father to avoid his eyes.

Sasthri understood. There was absolutely no hope now. Maybe they have to wait

now only to collect the body.

Sasthri went to the washroom. After five minutes when he came out Mayur was

waiting for him at the entrance. Expecting the worst he looked at him. But Mayur

face was bright now and he was breathless as he said, “Papa, God has helped us.

We got a donation of the liver. I am going to sign the papers for the operation. I

came here only just to inform. You please wait here” As Sasthri stood

unbelievably he ran through the long corridor in a hurry.

Sasthri could not still believe his ears. How did his grandson get a liver so fast?

Who was the kindest person in the world who donated it? Is this a miracle? He

closed his eyes and started praying. Suddenly a group of about ten doctors came

rushing into the operation theatre where a patient was taken in some twenty

minutes back. The old lady waiting there now fainted and others started reviving

her.

Sasthri noticed that the young lady who was sitting there till now was not there

Who was she and why did she disappear? From the old lady’s reaction, it was

clear that the patient who was taken inside is no more. But, that young lady?

After about five minutes that young lady came out of the operation theatre and sat

quietly again. The elderly went to her and hugging her started crying again. The

young lady hugged the old lady but her eyes were still dry.

The large group of doctors now came out carrying many rectangular ice boxes

with them. One by one they all stood near the young lady and whispered

something softly to her and then left in a hurry. Sasthri waited quietly and so did

the group in front of him. No one talked a and a dead silence enveloped all of

them. Only the senior lady kept wiping her tears still. Two hours passed.

Mayur came running his face relaxed. Sasthri could understand from his face that

the operation was successful. He just nodded his head to Sasthri but without

stopping near him he crossed him and walked over to the group seated there. As

Sasthri got up half guessing Mayur walked to the young lady. He stood there for a

fraction of a second. As the lady lifted her eyes with a question mark he suddenly

dropped himself full length near her feet as a “ Sashtanka Namaskar. He held both

her feet with his hands and cried repeatedly saying “ How will I ever thank you,

Madam. How will I ever.......:”

As Sasthri looked stunted, the other male members waiting with her got up and

gently pulled Mayur up. As Mayur got up and stood, his hands still folded, the

lady who was so quiet for so much time whispered,” It is OK, I can at least live

the rest of my life thinking a part of my husband is alive somewhere” For the first

time her eyes welled with tears. Sasthri now walked to her and folded his hand

and said” Beta I am too old to touch your feet. Let God bless you with peace of

mind for your greatest gesture”

Both Mayur and his father now walked to the other operation theatre and sat

waiting for doctor’s permission to see their child. Mayur spoke in trembling voice,

“Papa, Doctors told me that the lady is married just six months back and her

husband met with an accident. He was declared brain dead. This lady had donated

all his organs and by this time they are transported to different parts of India for

the needy ones. That lady is a Goddess.”

One month latter Sastri was doing his Upanyas as usual. Once he finished his usual

preaching he said, “Before you people come forward to the donation box I want to

tell you that the greatest donation you can give to God is your organ donation.

Pledge your organs and after death also you will be giving life to the living once.

Who knows one of us may be tomorrow the person, begging for a donation. So

instead of putting money in the donation box fill up the organ donation form and

that will be a million rupee worth and surely you will get all the God’s blessings.”

The entire group of people started forming a queue in front of the organ donation

forms piled on a table.