It is the morning time. Most of the shops on the ever busy Kasturba Gandhi road in Barahanpur are yet to open. It is the time when the city experiences dying silence as the caravan of the vehicles with their cacophonous sounds are slowly coming to perform on this road. It is the most favorite road for the people of Barahanpur as the most of the shops of luxuries and comforts are situated on this road and it is only road in the city which provides all sorts of needs of the people and thus no one returns home empty handed. For the food lovers, the Kasturba Gandhi road is a favorite place as it has all kinds of food stalls and hawkers who please the taste of their ever demanding tongue. At the evening time, the road takes the form of the fair as if the entire Barahanpur has come there for merry making. It is the most preferred place for clandestine meeting of isolated lovers. A good number of hospitals are situated on this road and most of them record tremendous rush of the patients as they have won the trust of the people with their caring and loving approach. Almost all the hospitals survive well except one which is named as Uday Hospital. There is ‘rise’ in its meaning but it seems that it has never seen its ‘Uday’. The hospital started five years before but since its foundation, it seldom experiences the presence of the patients. It might be the reason why the hospital building takes a murky look.
In other hospitals, the patients have to wait for the doctors but in Uday hospital it is the doctor who has to wait for the patients. Due to this poor response of the patients, all the things in the hospital put on a gloomy look. If anyone enters the hospital, he may get the impression that the hospital is yet to be touched by the human presence. Interiors and the beds of the patients are so unclean that it compels one to think that the doctor who runs this hospital may not be in a position to spend on the hygienic conditions of the hospital. A compounder is sitting on the chair. His physical appearance shows that he has been fed up with this job as if he has never got an opportunity to serve the patient. All the things from the color of the walls to the colors of the flowers in the flower vase seem to be colorless. There is an isolated cabin where the doctor sits. The cabin too has a dull look waiting long for renovation. It is the cabin of the doctor and the wooden name plate on the dusty table shows that it is of Dr. Shrinivasan. Suddenly the compounder sitting on the table stands at his place as a part of respect to his arriving master. Dr. Shrinivasan hurriedly enters his cabin as if he has been late and there is a long queue of patients waiting for him. The compounder instantly goes in and puts the news paper on the table so that he can engage himself with that. Dr. Shrinivasan says to his compounder, “Mahesh, has anyone come?” Mahesh instead of giving an oral response and hurting his master, he prefers to convey negation by nodding gesture. His nodding saying ‘No’ troubles the doctor a lot. He puts down the paper and gets engrossed in looking above as if a huge question is troubling him. Dr. Shrinivasan remains in the same posture for a very long time. The increasing hours of the day enhance his boredom and anxiety. His fresh face of morning turns pale and futureless. Till the late afternoon, he waits for the patients but no hope comes in his way and he gets sunk in despair. The compounder brings his tiffin box kept in his bike’s dickey. After serving his lunch, Mahesh retires for his daily ritual (taking lunch then a nap). The lunch taken by Doctor is so heavy that he starts snoring in the chair itself. When they get up they find that it is five o’ clock.
They refresh themselves and again sit on their thrones hopefully waiting for the patients. But none comes there. Dr. Shrinivasan irritatingly gets up and leaves the cabin asking Mahesh to wind up. This has been the routine of Dr. Shrinivasan and the compounder Mahesh. A patient or two rarely comes there which keeps the doctor and his compounder alive. Whenever a patient comes in his hospital, the doctor charges him very heavily and prescribes him unnecessary but harmless tablets which give him some commission. As a result of this, the patient does not revisit his hospital. Thus the things grow worse raising a big question mark on the survival of the doctor and the people depend on him.
The next day when he returns to the hospital, he finds an envelope placed on his table. Curiously he opens it but gets shocked to see it to be a notice of the building owner in which he runs his hospital. He reads out the letter with a furrowed face which states that the rent of the last three months has been unpaid. If not paid within two months, he will have to leave the building. The message in the letter not only horrifies him but steals his sleep. It steals his enthusiasm and makes him frustrated with the question how to overcome the concern. Whole day he spends sitting in the concerned chair and hopelessly staring at the ceiling of the cabin. But no solution could strike to his mind. With great irritation, he leaves the cabin asking the compounder to shut down. The concerns of survival not only rule in the hospital but also they begin to knock door of his house. Coincidentally, it is on the same day, his wife receives a letter from the school where his son is studying. Dr. Shrinivasan’s wife hands over the letter to her husband. He opens it and begins to read. As he begins to read the letter, the furrows on his face get dark and darker and his face turn watery. He takes out handkerchief to wipe out the sweat on his face. His wife understands and wants to speak but seeing his tense mood, she silences her tongue and waits for him to begin. Looking at her with a somewhat concerned and frustrated face he addresses his wife, “Sareeta, the days are growing hostile to me. Business at the hospital is almost dead. Expenses are ceaselessly growing with no income. I do nothing but hopelessly wait for the patients who ultimately deceive me. I want to do some business to survive but my qualification and my dignity come in the way. I am want of other skills which can empower me in these weakening circumstances. I am really fed up with these never ending things of concern. Survival has become really a great problem. I am fed up with my dead business and the hospital building owner with me. I don’t understand how to solve the riddle of this troubled life. If possible suggest me. I am really ready to accept anyone’s suggestion if it takes me out of these troubled conditions.”
He speaks, speaks and suddenly turns silent. Sareeta understands his worries and his state of mind. In a soft and humble tone she asks him, “Won’t you get hurt, if I dare to suggest you?” Hopefully looking at her he says, “No dear! Not in any way. You have been a well wisher of mine and won’t mind if you suggest me.” Sareeta suggests him, “Why don’t you visit nearby villages around the city and get patients instead of wasting your time sitting idly in the hospital in waiting for patients. If you do so, I think you will get the patients and the patients won’t need to travel to the city for medical services. It will also help you from the trouble of thinking on never ending concerns.” With a big smile on his face, he exclaims, “Not a bad idea! Sareeta. I think why I didn’t I think of it previously. Your suggestion is absolutely worth welcoming. I will implement it by tomorrow itself.”
The next day he goes to the hospital waits for the patients to come. But till noon, no patient comes to please his pocket. He gets up from his chair and leaves the cabin putting the message with the compounder Mahesh that he is on a visit to near by village. He tells him if any one comes register his name call him in the evening till then I will be back. It benefits him not much but at least he gets the chance to see the face of the patients. He continues it for a month or two. During which he meets not more but some patients whose fees solve the problems of his son’s fees. After doing it for some months, the doctor gets bored and fed up with this everyday monotonous activity and finally retires to his hopeless chair. Sitting in his thinking hut, he tries to solve the equations of life. For the sake of some amount of rent, he cannot afford to shut down his hospital. The time to pay the rent is about to end. He is sure that his village visits won’t do magic. When he finds no way through this, he gets sunk in despair. When he returns home, he shares this problem with his wife, Sareeta. She feels pity for his unfortunate and miserable husband. She takes out her golden bangles and hands over to him. The doctor feels ashamed of himself and says “What are you doing? Stop it. I won’t take it. It makes me look down.” Supporting him Sareeta says, “Real happiness does not come from wearing ornaments. It comes from happy minds and hearts. If they are not happy, no ornaments can make them happy. Why do we wear ornaments not for look but it is a kind of investment which can help in the period of hard times.” He reluctantly takes them and sells them out and pays the rent of the building and continues his profession with new spirit and enthusiasm. It hurts him a lot but with a heavy heart he takes the golden bangles of Sareeta and sells them out to the local goldsmith and thus manages the money to pay the pending rent of the owner. This day is the worst day in his life as it has raised a question mark on his ability as an earning husband. It is the noon’s time; he is engaging himself with a newspaper, all of a sudden, his eyes catch news of a business conference for the doctors in Mumbai. He gets troubled with the concluding line of the news that the conference attending doctors won’t be given accommodation. It troubles him but soon he comes out of it and determines to attend it.
He comes home and tells his wife Sareeta that he is going to Mumbai tomorrow morning to attend a business conference for the doctors. He reaches to Mumbai and takes a room in a lodge located in a slum area as it is cheap and close from the conference venue. He attends the meeting gets frustrated at ideas of the business shared and discussed in the conference as the ideas are not effective enough to end his concerns. He turns unhappy not over attending meeting but spending on such a useless meeting. He returns to the lodge at about 6: oopm. After getting fresh, he retires on the bed watching programs on the television. Unknowingly, he keeps the door of his room open which gives him glimpses of the room which is quite in front of his room. He gets shocked to see that a tall but willowy man is sitting in a chair and table before on which he has kept some bags and syringes. When he observes consistently and seriously, he gets further shocked to see that the doctor is receiving a huge amount of money for giving an injection. He thinks that for an injection this much money, he doubts that something is wrong happening there. What surprises him is that when one goes in other is ready to enter. The never ending visitors make him curious to know about the fellow and the magic he does which prospers him. The question which strikes him is how much this doctor would be earning for an injection only.
Seeing the number of notes the fellow earns, Dr. Shrinivasan thinks to meet him and know the secret of his earning. He enters the room and sits on the vacant chair. It is late hour of the evening and the doctor fellow is about to wind up his business. Dr. Shrinivasan occupies the vacant chair for the patient and begins to introduce himself, “Good evening Sir, myself Dr. Shrinivasan from Barahanpur. I have been here to attend the business conference for the doctors. May I know your name please?” Giving him smile, the doctor fellow introduces himself, “I am Dr. Bhatnagar. I am the native of Mumbai. I have been serving as a visiting doctor for last so many years. I have a clinic in Andheri where I rarely go. Most of the times, I am outside serving the patients.” He stops in the middle and asks Dr. Shrinivasan about his practice. On receiving this question from Dr. Bhatnagar, the feeling of frustration eclipses his face. But this question on behalf of Dr. Bhatnagar is capable enough to take him in confidence and develops an intimacy with him. Dr. Shrinivasan considering Dr. Bhatnagar to be his well wisher voices his feel of frustration. He says, “I have been practicing in Barahanpur from last five years. But I could not establish myself as a doctor. Very seldom, the patients come to my hospital. This has put me in great financial worries. If it continues for some more time, then it will be very difficult for me to survive and my whole family will be in trouble. Only to get the solution to this corroding concern, I have been here to attend the business conference with the hope that it would offer me a way to survive. But it helped in no way. I am absolutely frustrated with this visit. My worries are really enhancing with every unearned day. I am really helpless and waiting for a savior who would take me out of this situation.”
Taking pity on him and to lessen the burden of his worries Dr. Bhatnagar says, “You should not think that this happens to you only. In the initial days of my practice, I had been the victim of all these circumstances. There was a time in my life when it was very difficult for me to manage two times meal since no patient had visited my clinic. But when I found that my medicine practice was not capable to feed me and being unable to do any other business, I decided to live by hook or crook. Luckily I met a doctor friend who taught me how to survive when you fail. He taught me the principle ‘If you can’t do well then do bad but don’t stop living.’ Like a true disciple of my savior friend, I have been working on his principle. He taught me that practice which had made him rich. It is the same practice which I have been doing since last several years and see the miracle that I have become sufficiently prosperous person. I have everything now which I had aspired for when began my practice. If you want, I will teach you the way which made me affluent.”
Already troubled Dr. Shrinivasan with concerns of survival easily falls prey to his treacherous idea. Dr. Bhatnagar takes a small pouch of powder and mixes it in his injection. He tells him that this is the injection which will give him all that he wants. If he injects it to the patient, the patient will come to him again and pay as much as he demands. Dr. Shrinivasan is mature and wise enough to understand what the powder is about. But pretending to be innocent about the powder, he questions him, “What kind of powder is this? And from where do you get it?” Considering that Dr. Shrinivasan would agree to his saying, he discloses that it is cocaine and in Mumbai you may find a lot of people and doctors doing the business of selling it. There is no harm in doing this business. After all, everyone has a right to lead a happy life. If you want, I can help you. I assure you that this business will take you wherever you wish. It is you to decide the limit. The more you do it, the more you wish to do it as there is no end to one’s earning. The more you get the more you wish to earn. This is how the business and life goes on.”
The initial response of Dr. Shrinivasan is ‘no’. The word ‘cocaine’ troubles him. But his survival concerns trouble him a lot. Eventually, he tells Dr. Bhatnagar that it is bad but I can’t stop living. He tells him, give me a week’s time, if I found no fair way to end to my concerns, I will come to you.” Dr. Bhatnagar bids him farewell saying, “Take your own time. I am not in hurry. You come to Mumbai whenever you want.” Eventually warns to shut his mouth on this issue. Dr. Shrinivasan takes his leave promising him that the he will maintain the secrecy over the meeting and the things discussed. That night goes sleepless as the doctor gets unknowingly engaged in the option of survival offered by his doctor fellow. He returns to Barahanpur.
The next day he goes to his hospital hoping that Mahesh might have received a good number of enquiries from the patients. But his hope turns to be hopeless as Mahesh reports that no one visited the hospital in his absence. His concerns to survive rebegin. The whole day goes in hopeless waiting. Finally he returns home. He takes his silent dinner and retires to his bed. He begins to think over the words of Dr. Bhatnagar, if you can’t do good, then do bad but don’t stop living. The pendulum of his life vacillates like that of a confused Hamlet of “to be or not to be” in Hamlet and between the two contrary philosophies of Macbeth ‘Fair is foul and foul is fair.’ After a long troublesome brooding, he comes out of the indecisive world of Hamlet and acts like that of Macbeth. The world of Macbeth provokes him to hurry up and take decision as Macbeth in him doubts that soon Hamlet will overpower him. Dr. Shrinivasan hurriedly picks up his phone at the midnight hour knowing that it would be odd to call Dr. Bhatnagar at this hour of night, to convey his affirmation of his philosophical stand. The next day he leaves Barahanpur for Mumbai. He meets Dr. Bhatnagar in his clinic in Andheri and takes material with assurance to him that he will add his heart and soul in expanding his business. He takes plastic covered cocaine and returns to make his life by spoiling the lives of the others.
He starts practicing it by taking Mahesh in confidence to whom he gives assurance of good hike in his salary. Out of greed for money, Mahesh joins hands with the doctor and manages patients from in and around city. In short period of time, the business of the doctor flourishes. The once time deserted mansion of the hospital turns to be crowdy. Both are happy with never ending entries and exits of the patients coming from various parts of the cities and other villages as well. The doctor’s strong conviction in Macbethan philosophy makes his fortune smile upon him. In short span of time Dr. Shrinivasan grows affluent making his compounder Mahesh as well. Dr. Shrinivasan and his loyal compounder Mahesh carry this evil practice for years. Alluring the youths and throwing them into an intoxicating world of cocaine. Day by day the number of addicted youths and people increase and almost half of Barahanpur gets cocaine addicted. Almost half of the population of Barahanpur, from teen agers to the old people, all become his customers. Dr. Shrinivasan, the man who once could not afford to pay for petrol of his bike now comes to his hospital in a new car every day. He purchases the building of his hospital from his owner paying him the desired amount. He renovates the building making it bigger and taller than other doctors. This growth in short span in life raises the eye brows of the surrounding doctors. Most of them come to see him, appreciate his success and to know how he has done it. But Shrinivasan is cunning and practical enough to understand if he tells them, very soon he will be behind the bar so he philosophically answers them only true faith in hard work made him successful. Thus he takes all possible precautions that none should get wind of what he is doing.
After renovating his hospital, he reconstructs his house and turns it into a new bungalow. His wife is excited but truly worried at heart over the sudden change in their lives. She suspects that her husband might have involved in some malpractice as no sincere and honest means give such riches in so short time. Once she doubts her husband. She questions him, “Shrinivasan, don’t you think that your progress is miracle as you have climbed the ladder of success so quickly? Look back at those years when you honestly did your service and waited for your patients. What happened overnight that patients have started coming to you in crowd. I doubt that you are doing some magic. Is it not a black magic?” Realizing that his wife is suspecting his sudden advancement, he tries to suppress his wife with somewhat angry tone, “I think you are growing doubtful about me. But see I am doing nothing doubtful. I am just honestly performing my practice and rest is the part of the fortune. If possible hence forth stop doubting and taking interest in what I do and what I don’t.” She gets silenced with these words and realizes that now he does not like poking nose in his business. But she gets sure that he is doing something wrong.
Once it happens that he goes to Mumbai to bring cocaine. He takes huge stock of cocaine from Dr. Bhatnagar promising him that he would send the amount at the earliest possible. But this time quantity of cocaine is big and its amount is better not to think. He returns home and continues his practice with more vigor. Months passes, but Dr. Shrinivasan does not pay the pending bill of Dr. Bhatnagar which irritates him. Mr. Bhatnagar is constantly in touch with him demanding money. Once they telephonically quarrel like that of a cat and dog. Their contention over pending money concludes with a threat from Dr. Bhatnagar that he will have to pay a huge price, if he does not clear his debts. Dr. Shrinivasan takes it very lightly and there after he never receives the phone of Dr. Bhatnagar mistaking that he would forget him and the money also.
Meanwhile Dr. Bhatnagar sends his agent to Barahanpur to collect the information about Dr. Shrinivasan. The agent brings the information which he desires. Dr. Bhatnagar gets the information that Dr. Shrinivasan has only son, Rohit who is studying in a local college. His evil mind sets on fire. He resends the agent to Barahanpur to catch doctor’s son in his trap. The agent comes and hires a flat in Barahanpur and gradually spreads his business. Slowly the college students start coming to his room. Through one of them he succeeds in inviting doctor’s son, Rohit on his room where he is forcefully injected. The intoxication of cocaine is such that he becomes the frequent visitor of his room. One day the agent reveals the fact to Rohit that his father has been in this business and works under his leader in Mumbai. Confirming that the doctor’s son has been fully trapped in the world of cocaine, the agent leaves Barahanpur. The next day when his body demands intoxication, he leaves the college in the middle and reaches to the agents’ room but gets shocked to see that he is not there. On getting enquired, he comes to know that the agent has returned to Mumbai and won’t come back. It makes him restless.
Mrs. Shinivasan is keen observer of the movements of her son Rohit and his deteriorating health conditions. She tries to bring it to the notice of her husband but he avoids speaking on this saying that it might be the result of academic pressure. But Mrs. Shrinivasan is quite sure that her son is going astray and maintaining secrecy about his activities. Once, Dr. Shirnivasan is out of his hospital in connection with his work, taking the advantage of his father’s absence, Rohit enters the hospital steal packets of pouch and syringe. He hides them under the bed and he consumes them whenever his body demands especially he takes a heavy doses of the intoxicated material at the time of going to bed so that none in the family can get wind of it. Once it happens that Mrs. Shrinvasan is sweeping his room when she finds the empty pouch of cocaine and a syringe which Rohit had forgotten to hide. She gets shocked to see such thing in the bedroom of her son. Her doubt gets confirmed. Without wasting a single moment, she calls her husband home who is in the hospital. Considering the urgency of the visit, Dr. Shrinvasan reaches home. Mrs. Shrinivasan reports him about the things found in the bedroom. She says, “This is the thing I found in the bedroom of Rohit. I had warned you that our son was not looking normal. But you ignored that time. Now see what is happening?” He takes the empty pouch of having some particles of powder and smells it and get it confirmed that it is cocaine. He exclaims, “Oh! My God. It is drugs. Where did he get it? How long has he been consuming. It will put his life in trouble. We are all perished. I need to do something. Where is Rohit? When will he return? Call him wherever he is.” Seeing this perished state of her husband, Mrs. Shrinivasan gets broken at heart.
Mrs. Shrinivasan is about to make a phone call to Rohit, suddenly she receives a landline call from her son’s college reporting her that their son Rohit is hospitalized and his condition is critical. Hurriedly they reach to the hospital. The examining doctors report the couple that their son’s drugs addict and consumption of excessive doses of drugs is responsible for his condition. In a somewhat serious and worried tone he says that his chances of living are very less as the case is gone out of hand. Drugs have totally corroded his body. They don’t think that he would recover from this. Asking them to wait for some hours, the doctor goes in the examining hall. The half dead couple anxiously awaits there with the hope that the doctor will come with a smile shortly. Meanwhile the doctor is supporting his almost collapsed wife is willing to make a confession of his clandestine deeds. He is about to open his heart to his wife but suddenly he holds his tongue back as his conscience tells him that this is not the time to make confession otherwise the things will grow worse and it would be very difficult to overpower them. A long unbearable waiting comes to a miserable end as the doctor comes but without smile. Looking at almost half dead couple, the examining doctor conveys the message that they did all that they could to save the life of their son but efforts went in-vain. With heavy tone, the doctor makes the final remark, “I am sorry to say that Rohit is no more.”
Mrs. Shrinivasan gets fainted on hearing this cacophonous and heart breaking news. Controlling himself and his uncontrolled wife Dr. Shrinivasan receives the dead body of Rohit and they come back home. The cremation ritual is performed. Grave silence starts ruling their house. Mrs. Shrinivasan has taken her son’s death so much to her heart that she grows silent and lies on the bed like that of a corpse. Dr. Shrinivasan wants to talk to her as he has not talked to her for many days but prefers to be silent as he receives no response from her. The compounder Mahesh consistently troubles him with phone calls. One day the doctor receives the phone call from Mahesh who informs him that patients are troubling him a lot and there is never ending line of the patients outside asking for the doctor. Hearing this, he tells him to handle the business for some more days. The condition of Mrs. Shrinivasan grows worse as she has stopped taking food for many days. Dr. Shrinivasan wants to take her to the hospital but her silent negation stops him. One day it is at the time of dusk Mrs. Shrinivasan closes her eyes. Mr. Shrinivasan gets totally collapsed with two consecutive deaths of his dear ones.
The house of the doctor is replete with near and dear ones and enquiring visitors. After some days, when the relatives and the enquiring visitors free the house, he visits the hospital at the time of evening. He tells Mahesh, “Mahesh, my dear you have helped me a lot in all my good and worst times. It is because of your honesty and adherence to me, we could run this illegal business. This business gave you a lot and to me also but it made me pay very heavily. Now I am totally collapsed and cannot afford to run this anymore and spoil the lives of the people as I have realized the value of one’s life. Tomorrow I am going to surrender myself to the police for my ill-deeds. I don’t want that you should be punished as I think that you don’t deserve it because it was I who spoiled your hands. I would like to advise you to leave this place at the earliest before the police reach up to you and live your life away from this city.” Mahesh emotionally replies, “Doctor Saheb, you have done a lot for me. I don’t want to leave you alone in these worst circumstances but I will follow your advice as I have two kids to be looked after.” Mahesh touches the feet of his master and disappears.
Dr. Shivnivasan sits in his vacant chair and takes a final look at the things around. For some moments he enters his past and remembers all those days of struggle and thinks that how happy he was with those days of hardship. Suddenly his mobile rings and he comes back from the flash back world. After answering the call, he gets up from his chair and comes out and takes a last look at the splendid building of the hospital. He feels broken at heart as he cannot bear to see it. With a heavy heart, he shuts down the hospital. He returns home takes out the albums and stares at the family photographs. Seeing his wife and son’s photo, he begins to cry loudly. Before going to bed he makes a phone call to nearby police station and confesses his deeds. After sometimes, the police van reaches at the bungalow of the doctor giving cacophonous and ominous sound with the hope that Dr. Shrinivasan would be waiting for them.
When they reach there they find that the main door of the bungalow is open. They enter the bungalow but find none there. Then they move towards the bedroom of Dr. Shrinivasan and finds that it is locked from inside. They call him by his name but no response comes from inside. They suspect of happening of some ominous thing and eventually they break the door and enter the bedroom and get shocked to see that Dr. Shrinivasan has committed suicide by cutting the blood vein of his left hand. The police find a piece of paper kept on the table which speaks like this. “As one sows, so one reaps. I sowed the seeds of poison in the society and the same seeds poisoned me and my family in return. I had become mad in the race of earning money and while doing so I had forgotten that I had been finishing myself. I paid very heavily for what I did. I always thought of myself and my family and never society figured in my life. I was growing at the cost of the others. The patients whom I injected suffered a lot and it is time for me to do penance for what I have done. The deaths of my innocent wife and son have taught me what is worth of one’s life. I have preferred this way of confession of my sins to save the life all those who would be trapped by another Dr. Shrinivasan like me and Dr. Bhatnagar. On the back side of the paper the police find the name of Dr. Bhatnagar and other doctors in and around Mumbai involved in this malpractice of abolishing the race of humanity.