House of Cards: A Novel Read online

  Mridula had continued, ‘I want to be open with you. If you liked any girl before me, please say so. I will be a good sport. But tell me the truth.’

  Sanjay had paused for a few seconds and said, ‘Nobody. You’re the first and the last girl to whom I have been attracted.’ Somewhere in his mind, he had thought about Vasudha but then had immediately dismissed her image from his mind.

  There was a storm in the Bay of Bengal due to which there were furious rains in Bangalore. There was a strong wind and a few dried coconuts flew up from the ground; one of them broke the light bulb in their small garden. Sanjay came out of his reverie and opened a window. The cool breeze gushed inside. Though it was pleasant, Sanjay was not at peace. He knew what Alex would tell him the next day: ‘Sanjay, think. How much will you earn working at a government hospital all your life? You can earn that much money within a year of private practice. After retiring from the government hospital, you’ll work as a professor and probably get minimal old-age pension. The greatest headache in government service is transfers. It just isn’t worth it.’

  Though Sanjay’s mind agreed with Alex, his heart did not want to accept it. If he continued in the government hospital, he could teach the next generation and easily keep himself updated with the latest information about surgery, drugs and other medical breakthroughs. He recollected his father’s words: ‘Sanjay, the foremost duty of a doctor is to take care of his patients. As a doctor, you should understand a patient’s suffering and serve him the same way that you serve God. God doesn’t stay in just T. Narasipura’s temple. He also comes in the form of a patient.’

  Sanjay would ask, ‘Appa, how should the patient behave?’

  ‘Child, patients also have their own code. They must see God in their doctor. Only then can they have faith in him. If the patient believes in the doctor, then a good relationship is built. Our ancestors say that even if you give water to the patient, his faith will transform it into medicine.’

  Sanjay thought, ‘I wonder what my father would have to say if he was alive today.’

  As expected, when Sanjay met Alex the next day at dinner, Alex laughed at him. ‘Come on, Sanjay, times have changed. Once upon a time, the priest in the church was considered a doctor. Before that, even barbers were doctors. But today, there’s no way that a barber can be considered remotely close to a doctor. I see our priest’s face only on Sundays if I go to church. The medical profession is no longer a service. It has become a commercial business. And in any commercial organization, you require administration, systems, payment methods and the need to be professional. Our society has changed over a period of time in every aspect, whether it is in terms of dress, lifestyle or language. Then why don’t you expect a change in attitude in the field of medicine? Just observe the things around you. We can’t be like your father any more. If a person has cancer, no amount of goodwill or faith in the doctor can cure the patient. It requires surgery. That kind of an emotional society doesn’t exist any more. So I don’t agree with your father at all.’

  Sanjay was quiet.

  Alex was an aggressive and powerful speaker. He continued, ‘I’ll tell you a story from Goa. You know that there are many streams in Goa that flow towards the sea. In the old days, small boats were used to cross them. There were no bridges and no government doctors then. A village doctor visited many villages using these boats. The doctor’s source of income was the money given to him in the boat by the patient’s relatives on his way back after treating a patient. Once, a patient was ill and his family came to fetch the doctor. After treating the patient, the doctor was coming back in the boat along with the patient’s relatives. There was a big storm. The boatman asked the passengers to reduce the weight of the boat by throwing one person into the river. Immediately, the patient’s relatives chose the doctor. By doing this, they killed two birds with one stone. They didn’t have to pay the doctor and his work of treating their relative was also over. So Sanjay, the point is that there is nothing called “gratitude”. You are an idealist—you are intelligent and caring and you take complete responsibility for your patients. Listen to me. Let’s start a nursing home. Bangalore is growing and software companies are starting offices here. We’ll do well.’

  Sanjay did not answer him. His mind was still having trouble accepting Alex’s words.

  14

  Family Visits

  Sishir continued to go to Muniyappa’s house whenever Mridula was not at home. Meanwhile, Muniyappa and Kantamma’s son, Arun, joined a software company and married his colleague Anuradha, who was from Bihar. At first, his parents refused the alliance, particularly Muniyappa. But Kantamma knew that they could lose their son if they objected too much. So she took the lead and convinced Muniyappa to give his consent.

  Now, both the son and the daughter-in-law were working. They were happy that the house was being taken care of by the elders at home. That was the reason they were staying with their parents. Though Muniyappa wanted to go back to Kolar, Kantamma did not. She said, ‘We’ve been away from Kolar for the last thirty years. What’ll we do there at this age? There is a shortage of water there and the weather is hot. On top of that, we have a lot of relatives there and will unnecessarily get into obligations and money issues. It is better to be in Bangalore with our son and daughter-in-law.’

  Arun also wanted them to stay with him. Anuradha was indifferent; she was always busy listening to songs on her MP3 player or playing games on the computer. She did not know Kannada, nor did she try to learn the language. Arun had learnt Hindi and the conversation between the couple was either in Hindi or English. Anuradha thought, ‘It’s better to stay with my in-laws because then I needn’t worry about a baby-care centre later.’

  Sishir was used to staying in Muniyappa’s house for a few hours every day. They had become his surrogate grandparents. He called Muniyappa ‘Tata’ and Kantamma ‘Ajji’. After school, the school van dropped him at Muniyappa’s house. He ate his lunch there, did his homework and came back home only at night. Arun and Anuradha were also fond of him. Sometimes, Anuradha would take Sishir to Brigade Road or MG Road in their new car and buy him toys. He loved eating ragi just like them. He would tell Mridula, ‘Amma, you can’t cook like Ajji. She makes excellent food with ragi.’

  Meanwhile, things had changed drastically at Aladahalli. Krishna and his wife, Vatsala, had a baby boy. But Vatsala and Mridula were not good friends. Surprisingly, Vatsala was street-smart despite being from a village and considered Mridula her competitor. Once, Champakka had softly told Rukuma, ‘Vatsala is neither good at work nor friendly like Mridula. She is selfish and calculating.’

  Vatsala was short-tempered and discontent with her life. She preferred the city to the village. She would say, ‘What’s there to do in this village? It’s the same agricultural activity over and over again—sow the seeds, reap the harvest, store the grains and get the fertilizers. At other times, there’s a religious occasion like Hanuman Jayanti. There’s no change at all! If it were Hubli, there would’ve been so many things to do. I’m tired of this place.’

  She constantly complained to Krishna. Krishna was quiet and less aggressive and at most times, he did not answer her. But sometimes, he would tell her, ‘Why do you grumble all day? You were aware of what the village was like when you married me. Mridula never felt bored here. She was busier than all of us. You can learn a lot of things from Champakka. She knows various kinds of cooking and rangoli. You can tend to her garden like Mridula used to do.’

  During such times, Vatsala’s anger would know no bounds. ‘Don’t talk about your sister!’ she would say. ‘She didn’t know anything else so she learnt all this useless work. She knew that some day she would get married and go away to the city. That’s the reason she enjoyed Aladahalli—it was a short stay for her. Your sister hardly comes to Aladahalli any more because she likes Bangalore. And don’t talk to me about Champakka. She always compares me to Mridula and talks too much.’

  Vatsala just needed a reason to