We were on our final day of the trip, Sunday. I was sitting with the Indian Express, examining the Kerala's edition. Few were busy with the Pazha bajji, few in the bathrooms after our long insists on 'get ready soon'.
All of sudden, uncle (Anand's dad) came out of his room with the mobile in his hand after answering a call, and shouted "Those who want to see a Cesarean operation can come along with me, but only three are allowed". There were lot of hisses all over the house. Only three were allowed, and we were thirteen, first of all how many of them will be interested to watch a Cesarean operation, who cares, Purush and me ran back to our rooms to put up a decent pant, since I was in a lungi.
Uncle is an Anaesthesian and working in different hospitals in the town for the past 22 years. Anand's both their parents are doctors and Anaesthesians too.
Unexpectedly, there was no big fight for the three seats. Only Archana was ready to come among the girls.
Uncle blowed the horn for the second time.
"What is Archana still doing?"queried I.
"She went to change up her dress" replied Purush.
"She was already in a pretty decent dress right?"
"No, she was wearing a 3/4th".
Archana came running out of the house, but still in a 3/4th, different one though. I stared at Purush.
"Though its a 3/4th, its made up of jean, unlike the previous one which was a night pant" argued Purush.
Oooof. Ya, Archana is now relatively decent.
We travelled in the car for half an hour, to reach the hospital. Between, uncle was patient enough to answer our questions. Right from his college days, his profession, Psychology, his other area of interest. Finally we were in the operation theatre, wearing that head mask and a cloth to cover our mouth(don't know how do you call that). There were already four nurses and a surgeon in the theatre who winked at us. Uncle took a thin needle and pierced into the patent's vertebrate. He waited for a while and then injected the local Anaesthesia. Uncle said "This process seem to be simple. But to do this with this ease,it has taken me 22 years of experience!".
The surgeon worked over the patent's skin and muscles. Purush went out of the theatre the moment he saw the bleeding. I really dint know what they were doing with that knife, technically. The surgeon, nurses were really cool and tense free, except Archana and me. Ten minutes later, there came the head of the baby. The surgeon slowly lifted its head out of the womb. There was a huge cry. The baby was lifted out of the womb completely. Too small, small enough to fit the surgeon's palms jointly. Now the umbilical cord was the only physical connection with its mom. They made a cut and clipped it.The baby was all alone to this world. The entire world belongs to him. And now its up to him to live it, grab it, love it, hate it..what ever, depending on its DNA, his brought up. Oh ya, its a he. No more its a 'it'.
One of the nurses wiped out the baby hard, looking at me and asking where I am from. I tend to say "be careful". The baby was covered with a white protective surface, formed during the gestation. The surgeon was busy stitching the mom. Uncle took the baby out of the theatre to check its health. The baby was still crying. Uncle lifted the baby with both its cute little arms. He put that down abruptly! The cry became louder. "This is to check the entire nervous system of the new born" said Uncle. He put stethoscope over my ears.
"Can you hear the 'lap tap'?".
"Oh yes".
"No cardiovascular problems as of now".
"Can your hear its breathing?" putting the scope over its lungs.
"yes yes"
"The baby is fine, lets leave" said Uncle.
Things went smooth, simple, without any exaggeration. Everything happened all of sudden, in no time.
We were out of the hospital now,
"One thing is for sure" said I.
"What?" asked Purush.
"LIFE IS SO SIMPLE". This is my cross interpretation.
