In the
military, a person is liable to be sent for any type of duty at any place or
time, apart from the normal duties assigned to him. And the training given
makes him mentally and physically fit to undergo any hardship. Obey the orders
with out any questions. That is the dictum and that is the discipline required.
And it should be so, for a force to act.
One day, I,
along with another, was assigned to attend a patient admitted in the mental
ward in the military hospital. Our duty was only to sit in guard for him for a
day, lest he might escape or run away. After our turn, another two would take
our place on the day next. We were briefed that the patient is generally normal
but could turn violent at any time. His mental state was that he would either
be very calm and silent and that might change into violence if provoked. When
he wanted to go to toilets we should escort him to there and stay near the door
till he came out and then escort him back to his room. Two were detailed so
that we could also respond to the call of nature, in turn. Other than for such
exigencies, we both should be available at all times guarding him. Our duty
would end the next day when we would be replaced by another two.
Reaching at
the hospital, which was a few kilometers away from the camp, I made a physical
assessment of the person. I should know how best I would be able to handle him
in case required. He was taller than me and looked stouter too. I would
definitely be not able to handle him alone. I was sure that it would be the case
with my partner too. So, I told my partner that we would as far as possible
remain together, with out one leaving the other. And even when we were to go
for the call of nature, we should make sure that we come back at the earliest.
I had the feeling that we would not be able to handle him even together, in
case he turned violent. All that I could do was to hope that he remained calm
till our duty finished the next day.
My partner
did not heed well to my advice. He found some reason to skip off every now and
then. Okay, I thought. It was only for a day. I would somehow manage. I could
shout and call for help in case required. If any untoward incident happened, we
both would be held responsible. I thought my partner was willing to share the
consequence of that rather than bearing the bore of sitting there.
Sitting
alone, I looked at the man inside the room. I found that he was constantly
watching me. I shifted my eyes from him for a while and again looked at him
only to meet his stare again. Was he taking a physical assessment of me in
return? I doubted. I didn’t know whether I should talk to him or whether I
should remain silent. One thing I knew. I should not provoke him to anger in
any manner. I was unable to anticipate what his reaction would be in case I
talked. I tried to maintain a blank look on my face and remained silent. I was
only carrying out my duty. So, I decided to remain impersonal and indifferent.
But at the same time I had to be alert on his moves. I looked at him again. He
was still staring at me. This time he invited me to the room. “Come inside and
sit”, He said. Should I go inside? I did not know. I looked through the
corridor. There was none. “Come on man”, he again called out. This time it was
a little louder, like a command. I should not provoke him. “Don’t be afraid. I
am normal”, he assured. “Just come in and sit so that we can talk”. Yes, he
appeared normal. Come what may. I took the chair inside and sat before him.
He narrated
his story which led to his admission there. It was a dream for him to become a
commissioned officer. In the spare time he got, he studied well and prepared
for the test. Twice he failed in his attempt. But he took each defeat as a
challenge and continued his efforts. He was determined. And finally, he did succeed
and got selected. He felt as if he had conquered the whole world. His delight
was so high that while celebrating it with his friends, and in a moment of
frenzy, he jumped off from the roof of a two storey building from where he
conducted the party. He got his legs broken. With that fall, it was not his
legs alone that broke, but his dreams too. He was physically and mentally found
unfit to be a commissioned officer in the final round. “You may achieve any
thing, but never should you feel pride”, he advised. “Never get carried away by
the praises of others. That would only ruin you”, He continued. “Realise that
you are nothing if not for the grace of the Almighty”, He went on and on…. And
I listened without interrupting and without uttering a word. Not because I
was afraid of him, but because there was wisdom in what he talked. My tension
got relieved to a great extent. I felt that I need not worry about him any
more. He was quite normal. There was nothing to worry.
I had been
sitting with the patient for quite a long time, when my partner returned after
a long round around. I thought that it was my turn now to relax a little. He
agreed and I went out for a tea and a smoke. The patient would be served his
food timely, but we had to get it from outside.
As I went
out, I decided that I would also take a long time to return. I was by now confident of the patient
and therefore I thought I could afford to do that. I should teach my partner a
lesson. What did he think of me? Was I a fool to do the duty alone, when he was
also equally responsible? I took my time to come back.
Entering
the gate on return, I found my partner going out in a hurry. He was looking
worried. Why was he coming out when he was supposed to be with the patient? I
called out to him. He looked at me. There was tension written all over his
face. He said that while he went to the urinal for a moment, the patient had
slipped away. He was looking all around to see whether the patient was standing
any where. Oh, hell. Now, I had it. I was also equally responsible. It was
dereliction of duty and nothing short. More than that, I was worried on what he
would do and where he had gone. He could turn violent at any time and we would
only be held responsible for any violence he might do. Should we go back and
report that he escaped from the hospital? Wouldn’t it be our own admission of
our failure? What reason would we say? Sometimes, like us, he might also have
gone out for a smoke and then would return, I hoped. We decided not to report
the matter immediately. If at all he got caught before our reporting, we would
say that we were in search of him in the nearby areas. We would try to convince
that getting him was more important than reporting as he could turn violent at
any time. And we kept on searching in the nearby areas. Was he fooling me with
all those stories of his lost dreams? I wondered…
Resigning
from the search operations, we returned disappointed and dejected. It was
better to report the matter any way. We deserved what was to come. We should
see whether he carried his bag too, before deciding on the hope of his coming
back. The bag which contained his few dress was lying in a corner of the room.
If that was also taken, we could be sure that he had gone with no intention to
return.
Alas! As we
neared the door, we found the man calmly lying down on his cot. I heaved a sigh
of relief. I asked him where was he in the meantime. He said that after I left,
he remembered that it was the day for taking his payment. And he had to buy the
ration and give to his home. He said he went to the camp, collected his
payment, bought the ration, gave it to his family and then returned. He was
speaking all that very calmly, without any thrill of an adventure. He talked as
if it was just a natural and reasonable thing to do. I was mesmerized. Was he
speaking truth? Couldn’t any one at the Account Section or at the Ration shop
noticed that he was a mental patient? Perhaps, he could be true. Camp is a
place where plenty live and it was not necessary that all would know each
other.
As polite
as possible, I expressed my grievance to him for not taking us into confidence
before he proceeded. “You knew very well that we are responsible for you.
Didn’t you?” I asked. “Yes, Yes. I knew. But would you have allowed me, if I
asked?” He threw the
question with a laugh.
I was wide
awake that night. No more taking chances. I was not to decide whether he was
sane or insane. I handed over the charge to my relievers, on the next day.
Back at the
camp, I made an enquiry through my friends at the Account Section. Yes, he had
signed for and taken his pay. I paid a curtsey visit to his home. His wife
seemed to have no worries. She never knew that he was in the mental ward. All
she knew was that he had gone for the periodical medical review of his leg
injuries. I told her that I had seen him in the hospital the other day and that
he was recovering fast. “Yes, Yes. He is quite okay. He came yesterday and bought
the ration rice, vegetables and other items required till his discharge.” She
said.
I took
leave of her and walked off.
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