It was a sultry day in Rapar, a small taluka in far off Kuchch where I had been sent as an Ophthalmologist about fourteen years ago. A small town with a population of over 40,000 already had one ophthalmologist before I moved in as per my contract with my new employers in north Gujarat. I must have operated upon quite a few people there for cataract or glaucoma when this old chap consulted me. After an elaborate examination, I passed on my advise, “You have an operable cataract, & you better don’t delay the surgery, otherwise you may have a raised intraocular pressure. An old man of over fifty with more wrinkles over his forehead than those on his “kuchhi turban”, was immediately taken aback. It took me another ten minutes to cajole him into giving his consent for a cataract surgery that was eventually scheduled three days later.
I was a nervous beginner on the dee day. The guy was so fussy- any complication & he would be behind me, I thought. Careful I was & as Almighty might have wished it, we, patient & I landed safely. The surgery was followed up by regular visits as I had instructed him. Finally the day came when I was supposed to prescribe him glasses. I was delighted to procure a 6/6 vision- something akin to a score of 10 on gymnast’s bar.
I proudly explained it to him, “Kaka tamari nazar saari thai gai”
(You have had a great surgery, good enough to restore a perfect vision!).
Kaka gave a mystic smile, took out a peacock’s feather hidden somewhere in his turban & said “aa hatu naa, mare dhore saheb, etle”.
(It’s because of this peacock feather that I had been wearing all these days, sir!).
He happily pocketed a free sample of an eye drop, kept aside for him & left my consultation room. I was left aghast & enlightened that it was neither my surgical skill, nor the Almighty’s grace but the feather of national bird that restored his vision!
I was a nervous beginner on the dee day. The guy was so fussy- any complication & he would be behind me, I thought. Careful I was & as Almighty might have wished it, we, patient & I landed safely. The surgery was followed up by regular visits as I had instructed him. Finally the day came when I was supposed to prescribe him glasses. I was delighted to procure a 6/6 vision- something akin to a score of 10 on gymnast’s bar.
I proudly explained it to him, “Kaka tamari nazar saari thai gai”
(You have had a great surgery, good enough to restore a perfect vision!).
Kaka gave a mystic smile, took out a peacock’s feather hidden somewhere in his turban & said “aa hatu naa, mare dhore saheb, etle”.
(It’s because of this peacock feather that I had been wearing all these days, sir!).
He happily pocketed a free sample of an eye drop, kept aside for him & left my consultation room. I was left aghast & enlightened that it was neither my surgical skill, nor the Almighty’s grace but the feather of national bird that restored his vision!
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