She came. She sat. She watched. She was in a hospital again. Surrounded by stark walls, the overpowering antiseptic smell assaulting her, the starched white nurses, ward boys bustling about, the doctors moving about doing their daily bit, relatives looking sad and weary and patients waiting their turn to be back on their feet again. This was nothing new to her actually; if she counted, she ended up spending anything like a fortnight or a month in an year at a hospital. She was sick of the hospital atmosphere really, sick to her bones of the hopelessness pervading every nook and corner. She was not very old but worn out; more mentally than physically. None of her kith and kin were in hospital; so what was she doing here?
***
There was something that drove her to the hospital. A burning desire to offer help to those who needed an attendant in hospital. She would offer to sit for three to four hours every day for a few days or as required and keep an eye on a lonely patient while offering kind words and hope to him/her. Her friends and neighbours knew they could rely on her, should they fall short of help. She would be the first one to offer help, giving selflessly not even thinking about how the word ‘hospital’ made her feel. In return she never expected anything, not even gratitude. She was probably doing it for herself. Not to assuage any guilt, no not that at all, or to be noticed as a social do-gooder or anything like that; maybe she was just God’s angel and He had dispatched her to earth to perform a special task.
***
She had gone through a lot of pain, spent days watching over her near and dear ones when they were in suffering over the years and even lost a beloved one to destiny. Like anyone who advances with age, today, she feels tense about smallest of things (like even filling a form or traveling on her own); she is emotional about most things and scared about others. But she is a brave heart and when it comes to healing and taking care of the ailing, she is the first one to offer help.
***
A gentle lady with a pretty ordinary life, she always has a kind word for everyone, a calming voice full of hope. The moment you spot a gentle, diminutive lady in a cotton salwar kameez or a sari, sporting grey short hair in a hospital room in the attendant’s chair with glasses on her nose and a book in hand, you know you have met an extraordinary human being.
***
A gentle, silent healer who fills empty rooms and vacant hearts with light and hope.
Sonali Karande Brahma is a Strategist, Creative Consultant and a Writer with 12 years of experience in creating powerful stories for advertising, brand building and communication. She has worked in mainstream advertising for major MNC and Indian brands. She writes on subjects that interest her and teaches Creativity and Writing to young student managers at B-Schools. She can be reached on writersonalibrahmat@gmail.com