her spleen, but no medication by any doctor has helped so far. The fever has worsened, in fact.”
“Did they conduct an x-ray of her spleen?”
Shalini’s mother marched up. “Why are you asking all this?” she demanded rudely. “Do you think we’d have missed obvious investigations? Do you suppose we were waiting for your arrival to tell us what to do?”
“Hold it, Charu,” her husband said tiredly, and turned back to me. “We’re at our wits end, son. We don’t know where to go next.”
“Where’s she?” I asked.
“In the bedroom,” he replied.
I got up hesitantly. “Can I see her?”
“Sure,” he said. “She’d be only too happy to meet someone from outside the house.”
I fervently hoped I could suggest some homeopathy medicine that would help in her cure. It might move me up several notches in Shalini’s esteem.
Ragini flashed a big smile as I entered her room. “Shell’s traveling,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She referred to Shalini as ‘Shell’, while Shalini called her ‘Rags’.
“I know,” I replied. “How’re you feeling?”
“I think I’m dying,” she said in a low voice.
Her father’s troubled face creased further at her words.
“Rubbish! Don’t be silly,” I said, trying to sound hearty. “Tell me a few things. Do you have constant fever all the time or does it vary?”
“Mornings I’m mostly normal. The fever starts building towards evening, peaking to 101 or 102F around 8:30 or 9PM, before gradually falling to normal by dawn again.”
My mind was busy trying to match her symptoms with the homeopathic remedies I knew, but I didn’t have everything on my fingertips. I’d have to go home and study some of the medicines in details to match her symptoms with them, before arriving at the appropriate homeopathic remedy for her.
“Uncle, if I bring her some homeopathic medicines, would you let her have them?”
“Do you know a good doctor?” he asked hopefully.
“He’s a doctor himself,” Ragini said with a wan smile, aware of my interest in homeopathy, but her father took it as a playful jest from her side and continued looking at me.
I nodded. “Maybe. Let me see if I can help.”
I returned to their house the next day with a tiny bottle of China 200 pills.
“Give her four or five pills tonight, followed by another dose in the morning. After that wait to see if there’s any decline or change in the pattern of fever over the next couple of days.”
“What’s this medicine for?” her father asked.
“It’s homeopathic medicine and is supposed to treat symptomatically,” I said vaguely before vanishing.
Over the next two days her fever started falling, coming down to normal by the night of the second day. It was exciting to be able to control the course of long drawn illnesses with small, sweetened pills. I was in Delhi for a couple more days after that and her temperature continued to stay normal. Her father was elated and shared his joy with me. Her fever had subsided after over six months of wait and anguish. I was glad too, but felt a little dismayed on another account. There was no news of Shalini’s return yet.
I’d been hopeful of seeing her at close quarters after all this time. Her sister’s illness would have given us an opportunity to draw closer to each other, but her absence hosed my enthusiasm, washing the joy out of my entire vacation. I desperately waited each day with bated breath but she didn't return while I was there.
Dejected I returned to Bangalore, back to be my boss's bored, blue-eyed boy. It had been a wasted trip to Delhi, though I hoped Ragini and her father would recount my heroics in curing the younger sibling and Shalini would take note and get in touch with me.
CHAPTER SIX
One day Dwapayanan overheard me humming some tunes I’d composed and promptly showed his appreciation.
“How do you manage it, RK?” he asked with genuine admiration. “Must say you're a genius. It’s not
“Did they conduct an x-ray of her spleen?”
Shalini’s mother marched up. “Why are you asking all this?” she demanded rudely. “Do you think we’d have missed obvious investigations? Do you suppose we were waiting for your arrival to tell us what to do?”
“Hold it, Charu,” her husband said tiredly, and turned back to me. “We’re at our wits end, son. We don’t know where to go next.”
“Where’s she?” I asked.
“In the bedroom,” he replied.
I got up hesitantly. “Can I see her?”
“Sure,” he said. “She’d be only too happy to meet someone from outside the house.”
I fervently hoped I could suggest some homeopathy medicine that would help in her cure. It might move me up several notches in Shalini’s esteem.
Ragini flashed a big smile as I entered her room. “Shell’s traveling,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She referred to Shalini as ‘Shell’, while Shalini called her ‘Rags’.
“I know,” I replied. “How’re you feeling?”
“I think I’m dying,” she said in a low voice.
Her father’s troubled face creased further at her words.
“Rubbish! Don’t be silly,” I said, trying to sound hearty. “Tell me a few things. Do you have constant fever all the time or does it vary?”
“Mornings I’m mostly normal. The fever starts building towards evening, peaking to 101 or 102F around 8:30 or 9PM, before gradually falling to normal by dawn again.”
My mind was busy trying to match her symptoms with the homeopathic remedies I knew, but I didn’t have everything on my fingertips. I’d have to go home and study some of the medicines in details to match her symptoms with them, before arriving at the appropriate homeopathic remedy for her.
“Uncle, if I bring her some homeopathic medicines, would you let her have them?”
“Do you know a good doctor?” he asked hopefully.
“He’s a doctor himself,” Ragini said with a wan smile, aware of my interest in homeopathy, but her father took it as a playful jest from her side and continued looking at me.
I nodded. “Maybe. Let me see if I can help.”
I returned to their house the next day with a tiny bottle of China 200 pills.
“Give her four or five pills tonight, followed by another dose in the morning. After that wait to see if there’s any decline or change in the pattern of fever over the next couple of days.”
“What’s this medicine for?” her father asked.
“It’s homeopathic medicine and is supposed to treat symptomatically,” I said vaguely before vanishing.
Over the next two days her fever started falling, coming down to normal by the night of the second day. It was exciting to be able to control the course of long drawn illnesses with small, sweetened pills. I was in Delhi for a couple more days after that and her temperature continued to stay normal. Her father was elated and shared his joy with me. Her fever had subsided after over six months of wait and anguish. I was glad too, but felt a little dismayed on another account. There was no news of Shalini’s return yet.
I’d been hopeful of seeing her at close quarters after all this time. Her sister’s illness would have given us an opportunity to draw closer to each other, but her absence hosed my enthusiasm, washing the joy out of my entire vacation. I desperately waited each day with bated breath but she didn't return while I was there.
Dejected I returned to Bangalore, back to be my boss's bored, blue-eyed boy. It had been a wasted trip to Delhi, though I hoped Ragini and her father would recount my heroics in curing the younger sibling and Shalini would take note and get in touch with me.
CHAPTER SIX
One day Dwapayanan overheard me humming some tunes I’d composed and promptly showed his appreciation.
“How do you manage it, RK?” he asked with genuine admiration. “Must say you're a genius. It’s not
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