Scapegoated….

That evening i felt like being cheated, like fooled, i was dumbstruck and was full of anger, however, strangely i was laughing all along. How anger blended with laughter that evening i really did not know. Just to make already hassled life little easier for my readers, here’s what had happened that made me look like a dumb duck.

Some days ago while travelling through by the Killer Trains of Mumbai, i got my left shoulder injured. When i alighted, it pained mildly and i just rubbed my arm and kept going, thinking that it was a minor injury. It turned out to be a minor injury too, but, for about a fortnight. Pain started becoming more and more unbearable as days passed by, i tried all the ointment, sprays but the pain would not relent. So finally, i saw my family doctor, who gave some painkillers, But while giving the painkiller the doctor nearly scared me and told me that pain in the left shoulder can be symptom of impending heart attack. He advised me to go for ECG and Blood Tests. I was scared and by the time i reached my home, i already had started to feel like a heart patient. The next thing i day the other morning was to get the ECG & Blood tests. The reports were normal, thankfully. But the pain was not relenting, the painkillers given by doctors resulted in reduction of pain for two or three days, only to increase once the doses stopped. I visited the doctor twice or thrice and he would give me the pain killers again and again saying that it was minor muscular pain. But, i was facing sleepless nights and was unable to sit in front of the computer in office or at home. I went to the doctor and in utter desperation told him that the pain was not stopping. It was now around 10-12 days that my shoulder was paining and no solution worked. The doctor suggested me to opt for physiotherapy, and the sessions began, it began with some strange equipment tied around my arms with electromagnetic current being passed. The sessions lasted for another ten days. But there was no substantial gain in the condition. I decided to visit my Office Authorized Medical Attendant. The lady doctor immediately recommended me to get the xrays and other tests conducted. The reports were normal.

One person who was most affected by my writhing pain was my mother, she has her own unique old ways of thinking. A God fearing lady that she is, do believe in Ghosts and Evil Spirits and the evil spells they throw. Rubbish is what i think they are though. I strongly believed myself as a Rationalist. But my rationale meant nothing for my mom. She somehow managed to consult one of my relative and informed about my pain. The ingenuous one, the relative consulted a ‘god-man’ who came up with some interesting theory of myself being possessed with some evil spirit which was troubling me. The reason they all threw was that no medicines, no physiotherapy nothing had worked for so many weeks now. Surprisingly enough, every move was kept secret from me (may be my mom did not forget the kind of tantrums i had thrown up when i was a kid and was confronted with a god-woman read the post here). Secrecy was utterly maintained and somehow my mom ensured that i stayed at home that day. In the evening the relative of mine called up to confirm that i was at home. I said i was, poor me, i thought that he was coming to see me and inquire about my health. At around 6.00 pm he did come, he came straight to me and asked when i was visiting the doctor for physiotherapy, i said i would be going by 9.00 pm. He said no need to visit doctor henceforth. You will become ok now, his voice was authoritative type as if he was having some magical cure with him. i was stunned by his assertiveness that day. He brought something out from the bag and sprinkled some holy water over me and uttered something, may be some spell to quell the evil spell i guess, and just went out of the house and told me to stay indoors. I was sitting on my computer chair with red vermilion mark on my forehead. Everything happened so quickly and so quickly and so unexpectedly that i was unable to understand what exactly had happened. By the time i was back in my composure, i was laughing, i tried to call the relative to ask what kind of stupidity it was, but the guy did not pick up phone, i was angry and fuming and laughing at me, and my mom, for the kind of stupid belief these people carry in this age. I could not say much, not to my mom nor to my relative, for they had only good intentions, only that their ways were not right.

The pains were there for many more days, in the middle i even consulted my boss who was a homeopath, he told that the injury was because of rupture to ligament and the pain would be there for around two three months and the more rest you give to the hand the easier it would heal. He too gave some medicines.

Meanwhile, The relative called up my mom the very next evening to confirm whether the pain had stopped. My mom replied in negative, but the poor guy a tough believer in his ‘god-man’ said that his pain would reduce gradually now. But then, even the doctors said so !!! Was his god-man a doctor in disguise 😀

As all prophesied the pain reduced and went after around 15 days of this incident, there was a mad rush to garner the credit, the doctors said their medicines did it, the physiotherapist claiming it was his success, the god man not to be left behind too wanted a piece of the cake. Truly, success has many fathers.

I was a rational person, i still think i am, but the kind of transgression on my belief, and my helplessness to oppose what was done might have resulted in my fuming and feeling cheated.

All is well, finally, the doctors, the godmans and my shoulder as well. And my relative, he faces me now with a renewed confidence that his method (or lack of it) cured me finally.

(PS : Sorry for wrongly posting the image, was trying something that i could not fathom)