Complications

-
Acutely aware of my age when I see something written nearly a decade ago.
But the operating principle is: Have blog. Will archive.

Complications

He thought about that day back then.

She had lain there sedated. Her lithe frame propped at an angle in the hospital bed. Her head dropped on one side as she slept with her mouth open.She didn't look particularly attractive with her hair forcibly bunched together and with the ugly polka dot hospital gown losing her gentle curves.The angled bed caused an unnatural lump near the tummy that was unlike her. I.V.s were running into her left arm making a show of the greenish veins in her pale white hand.

In her right arm there was gauze strapped over the wrist she had slit.

He sat to her right looking fixedly at the bandaged wrist. The gauze was a turning a faint yellow near the veins. That is where she wore the face of her watches: on her right hand and facing inwards. He thought she was an intelligent girl.

"I can't live without you" she had cried. He was disgusted with himself for thinking she was only professing her affection.He didn't expect this. He had also felt the brutal pain but could think of nothing. It was all for their best, he had been telling himself as he took those unnecessarily long walks home to trick himself into a weary sleep.

He wept. Not in a loud dramatic manner, but just letting the tears flow.He slipped his right hand into the huge right sleeve of her loose gown and gently pressed her biceps.He knew without looking that even with such a gentle press she was turning red leaving his finger marks.

The doctor walked up behind him and patted him on his shoulder. He didn't quickly take his hand off her arm but kept it there and wiped his face with the other palm. He was still looking at her weak face.

" She will be just fine. Don't worry....Just sign here" the doctor said handing over a pad with some papers.
" Sure.....?" he asked half-croaking, tearing his eyes off her and looking into the doctor's glasses.
" Sure. There'll be no complications. I promise. .........just sign here"

Years later he was able to recall that vividly as he signed the form, below her signature, and returned it to the divorce clerk.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2012 at 10:25 PM

    //But the operating principle is: Have blog. Will archive.

    +1 to that :D

    Good to know you wrote ten years ago in the same style you do today!

    ReplyDelete
  2. dagaltiFebruary 29, 2012 at 9:19 PM

    Thank You.
    The glass is half-empty version is: "ten years, nary progress" :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. arjunApril 19, 2012 at 2:17 PM

    Che ..

    ReplyDelete
  4. divyashriFebruary 24, 2013 at 8:40 PM

    Very well written, however, at your age, i didn't expect you to write such stories, boy.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Will KamalHassan apologise for Mahanadhi ?

-
Image
Background For long, KamalHaasan’s classic Thevar Magan has been subjected to criticism that it was insufficiently aware of how the film - despite its patronising and pontifical tone - would be received with a warm glow of pride by the Thevars. Indeed, there is no contesting that ‘potri paadadi ponne’ - a Thevar paen - has come to become a peerless anthem of sorts.  While the extent of ‘out-of-context’ celebration may have been surprising, one cannot lose sight of the fact that song itself realised a specific purpose within and for the film first: within the film’s narrative and for, one reasonably assumes, the film's commercial prospects then. To imbue the makers in the business of mainstream films with virtues of thorough naivete is unnecessary. That said, over the years, the criticism has gradually escalated to the absurd heights of accusing him of gross social irresponsibility for not anticipating everything that the song has come to stand for. This type of reductive engagemen
Read more

Judex Ergo Sum

-
Image
Akeel Bilgrami             Akeel Bilgrami, in his recent essay  attempting to unpack Gandhi's views on caste, frames the approach as one grounded in a view of the pre-modern, pre-capitalist society as distinctly different from viewing the members of society as merely constituents of an economy. This, he argues  is the key to understanding the evolution of Gandhi's stance on caste.             This instructive essay is, in some ways, an elaboration of his  interview to Frontline in 2018 , where he mused on the tension inherent in the slogan:   Liberté, égalité and fraternité, and the points at which the Marxian and Gandhian outlook towards this tension,  overlap and distinctly depart from one another.              The crux of Gandhi's conundrum that folks across the political spectrum can relate to is what Bilgrami succinctly states thus: to retain caste was to resist the market ideal that undermined traditional social relations by setting up the freely saleable labour of at
Read more

Kamal - the writer/director

-
Image
A few days back I managed to catch Thevar Magan and, as is my wont whenever I watch it, started raving about it. This time I also managed to have a conversation about it with @kalyanasc on twitter. Following the principle of 'Have Blog. Will Archive", I thought I'd post it here. Oh, the things I do for posterity! @ dagalti How much credit would like to give the late Bharathan? It is also beautifully photographed, especially Gowthami #ThevarMagan — Kalyan Raman (@kalyanasc) June 10, 2012 @ kalyansc I know nothing of Bharathan's works actually.I don't think his only other Tamil film (Avarampoo, (cont) tl.gd/hpiuov — dagalti (@dagalti) June 10, 2012 Credit Sharing - local-flavour I know nothing of Bharathan's works actually.I don't think his only other Tamil film (Avarampoo, which is a remake of his Malayalam film based on Padmarajan's script) reflective all the nice things I hear about him. Moreover, I am very partial to writers. Par
Read more