Social Debt 

        One afternoon, Ashwin came to me to enroll in my tuition class. He was in the ninth grade, and his hand was in a cast. He had come alone to enquire. Ashwin was a well-mannered boy, so I allowed him to join from the next day.

         From the next day onwards, he started attending class. One day, his mother came to pick him up. We had a brief conversation about his studies in front of him. She took him outside and then returned alone. "Teacher, please pay special attention to Ashwin's studies. He often skips school," she said.

"Of course, I will," I assured her. She continued, "It’s not just that, teacher. Sometimes Ashwin gets extremely exhausted, and he is unable to do anything, not even study. That’s why he falls behind in academics. He has cancer."

         Hearing this, I was completely taken aback. "Oh my God! I had no idea," I responded.

      "Teacher, that’s why I came to meet you. Since he frequently misses school, he isn't able to keep up with his studies, so we enrolled him in your class. Please help him with his studies. His treatment is ongoing."

         Ashwin’s treatment was continuing, but there wasn't much improvement. Eventually, the doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant, which was beyond their financial capacity. Ashwin’s parents came from middle-class and couldn't afford such a huge expense. His mother started looking for help from various sources. Some organizations provided assistance, and my tuition students voluntarily raised funds. We all contributed and took the collected amount to Ashwin’s family. The surgery date was set, and my tuition students had played their part. I felt immensely proud of them.

       When we visited Ashwin, he was resting in the general ward. He was delighted to see us. The students talked to him warmly and wished him luck for his operation before we left.

      Until the surgery was completed, Ashwin’s mother was extremely anxious. When the operation was declared successful, his parents were overjoyed, and so were we. However, he needed to be taken care of meticulously. His immunity had been significantly weakened during the surgery, making him highly susceptible to infections. So, he was placed in an isolation ward, where only doctors and nurses were allowed. His parents waited outside, worrying about him. Inside the room, Ashwin was all alone, with no one to talk to. Those were the days before mobile phones, so he had nothing to distract him from his thoughts.

      One day, the patient in the isolation ward next to his passed away. Ashwin heard the commotion, the hurried footsteps of doctors and nurses, the patient’s struggle, and then the wailing of his family. This terrified him. He witnessed everything from his bed and was emotionally distressed. Trembling, he asked a nurse, "Does this happen to everyone?"

      The nurse tried her best to console him, but he was so lost in his thoughts that her words didn’t reach him.

      From that day onwards, his health began to deteriorate. He stopped responding to treatment, and the doctors couldn't understand the sudden change. The next day, his condition worsened, and he took his last breath.

      His parents were devastated. His lifeless body was brought home from Mumbai. They had taken their child to the big city with great hope, only to return with grief. When we visited his mother, we had no words to console her. The poor mother had lost her only son. We felt utterly helpless. His parents were broken, and in our class, he was remembered every single day.

       Many days passed. One day, while traveling by bus, I ran into Ashwin’s mother. She had regained some composure. When I asked how she was, she replied, "Teacher, I now work to help financially struggling patients and cancer victims. No one else should have to endure the pain I did."

     She handed me four or five stapled pages containing information about cancer hospitals, doctors' contact details, places where various tests were conducted, the purpose of these tests, and their estimated costs. Today, all this information is now available on Google, but back then, it wasn’t as easily accessible. Her only wish was that the information she had gathered should help someone in need.

      Setting aside her personal loss, she had taken up the responsibility of alleviating others' suffering. What an incredible woman with noble thoughts! Instinctively, I bowed before her in respect.

Mrs Manjusha Garkhedkar ©®