Prize A short story in Hati series.

Prize

A short story in Hati series.

It was a phone call from the human resources wing of the CDMO office with some instruction to Dr Hati that I asked him to reveal. He without his customary laughter ha ha ha, simply replied about his selection for the state prize for quality work in female sterilization operation as the third best.

I congratulated him for which he returned thanks in a depressing but thoughtful manner.

I stressed. What is the matter you do not look happy! This is not the first time he was getting the award; in the previous edition two years back when such an award giving chapter started for various categories on world population day. That time he was joyful with plenty of laughters. That year too he got it in quality section and was in second position.

Oh! Uhderstood, you are seeing it as a demotion from second to third position so feel frustrated!

Now he smiled.

Not that way Senapati, the CDMO office served a summon not an invitation. Actually they are just post offices and directing the summon rather warrant issued by the government. They insist to go without any fail. They are telling in this manner as if they are not sure whether the awardee would comply or not. There is reason behind it.

I did not like Dr Hati’s approach, why he sees the negatives too often. So I told him to go and receive the award as it was a pride issue for the block CHC as well as the district.

Ha ha ha laughed Hati and came to his original style.

“You know Senapati, how excited I got receiving the call in the last edition. I got the news only one day before and was imidiately ready without insisting official conveyance. I felt it to be recognition to long years of service. I learnt the real story in the next day.”

Yes he came to his original inflated megalomanic state to narrate his own experience and the way he analysed it.

Last time he asked the authority to provide vehicle which the office denied saying it to be a personal prize not that of the block CHC. He was so joyful that he took it as congratulatory words that the government wanted to glorify him personally. He had no objection to take his own vehicle burning a single ton INR as fuel and closing his official and private work for a day. His manager accompanied him who can listen to his non stop commentary about his own dedicated work in last eighteen years. He never hesitates to utter self praising words and makes sure someone listening it.

He was a few minutes delayed on the way and when he reached Jaydev Bhawan the program was starting with lightening of candles by dignitaries. The big auditorium was fully packed to make him sure it was a great occasion. He found a known face by whose side a chair was empty. The other one was a little senior who also had a prize for another category. He felt very happy to share comradory words with him.

“Many people have come”, Dr Hati casually told the other one. He in a slow voice replied all these are paramedical students from several such private institutions of the state capital. Their principals were insisted to bring all their students with their own cost. To remain in favour they obliged. Hati once again looked at different angles and found young students with mostly similar but a little different uniforms occupying the whole auditorium. This must have pleased the honourable Health minister and the department to show their chief minister the success of the celebration of population day. Hati also felt very happy that these students, three quarter of them being future mothers should be aware of increasing world population and take pledges right from this young age to control it in various ways.

There was prize for each of the methods and sub methods.

All the candles were lighted by as many as VIPs these could accommodate as per their own numbers. The chief minister seemed happy with a little annoyance for the long procedures. Some one was inventing new words to fill in the blank time arising with this delay. It was not that irritating as the person was a known actress of Odia Cinema and serial industry though was not the lead heroine.

In the era of professionalism, things have changed whispered Hati’s friend. They have hired an event management group that officially won the tender. They are doing all these management to decorate the program with full of success.

 Hati felt the other one had all the up dates and now believed whatever he told.

The program slowly gained its pace. The principal secretary started his well prepared informative speech loaded with all the achievements of the government and a few short falls. He congratulated the award winners.  Hati felt as if he personally was being praised. He also told about certain shortfalls that his department was going to sort out in future. His each sentence was provoking positive thought in Hati’s mind and he was resolving to newer ideas with more work.

The minister started his speech comparing with earlier unfortunate situation in government hospitals and how they made it so bright. He forgot to congratulate the awardees.

Hati and his friends were comparing the situation described by him and the reality they were facing in the field. He was not sure the reason of his irritation, because of the minister’s hypocratic statements or because he forgot to congratulate the winners. He had not a scope to laugh ha ha ha which he usually did in all such confusing situations. His facial expression changed to a situation of taking a piece of raw unprocessed tamarind.

Oh chief minister was so good; he finished within less than two minutes. He distributed the awards to the first category and left the place.

Hati thought the winners are a few but there were so many categories and three in each category. His friend’s turn came first. Hati clicked his close up photographs as he received the awards, in his own camera. Actually he was making the perfect setting so that the friend can do it when he himself received the prize.

When his friend returned Hati showed him the photographs. He was delighted as he had not done personal arrangements for this. Hati explained him the settings.

No body was serious after the Chief Minister left the place and proceeding continued just to finish a process that had started but was with no further interest. Hati felt like that as his turn was not coming. When his category award for the first prize was called he re explained his friend to take clicks and left the chair.

He climbed the steps with pride as he heard the organizer telling the photographer no need of taking any more photographs to avoid delay as people are posing. He smiled thinking; go to hale who cares yor photos in today’s era of gadgets.

He received the award and was looking to his friend who was taking the snaps.

He returned and tried to see the photographs. What happened, the friend could not explain but there was not a single successful click.

The program took another half an hour. Hati’s hunger made him remember that he had not taken his breakfast.

Someone was distributing packed lunch that Hati and his friend presumed to be for the prize winners and they rushed to that area. The distributer cleared away their begging hands telling those packets were not for them. They did not know who the beneficiaries were. The man told not being sure, pointing a direction where packets were available. The distributer sympathized seeing the Jariwork gamuchhas placed on their neck to state they got awrds.

They once again did a futile attempt to search a packet of lunch but with reservation and with embarrasement.

Some more known doctors were seen and after due interaction all including his friend left on there own way. Hati saw them looking odd with the prizes ie a boquet , a small plastic shield, a certificate and the Jariwork gamuchha ( not a shawl) all these without a carrybag was difficult to carry which they were doing.

Hati wanted to throw the boquet but did not find a dustbin. When he found one he changed his mind not to do that. He put everything on that gamuchha and tied it as a lot to carry with pride.

His enthusiasim was gone. For him now it was a calculation, profit and loss.

Another friend Rakesh appeared from behind, he was a school friend and happened to be the event manager of that ceremony.

Hati was very happy to see him and told, “What was the need of this award? I spent a thousand rupees as fuel, lost a day’s work of a wedness day the day I see about hundred pregnant mothers in govt hospital who come from areas as far as fifty kilometers only to record blood pressure, weight and for reassurance that the fetus is safe. Is it good? What is the benefit?”

Rakesh joked, “Should I stop my business?”

 It was a big sum, looks fair to the open but with big percentage … he stopped his mouth with his finger. Then added, many award ceremonies were invented for some hidden reason.

Enen en !

Hati remembered how he was invited for awards like, “ Best citizen award, Bharat Gourav and some more” which he did not attend as the organizers swiftly demanded a token amount as delegation fee  and he felt this is nonsense to call yourself best citizen without a reason. Moreever he had to go to New Delhi for all these hypocracy.

“So dear Senapati, I am not going to attend the function this year as this is again is planned on a wedness day and this being the antenatal day as well as immunization day there is a statutary rule that no other function should coincide this day. The law makers are breaking the law.”

But why should not you laugh, I reminded him to which he laughed at the loudest of a typical Hati, ha ha ha.