Some twenty-three surgeries on my mangled leg later, all I remember from those years is the pain, the constant unending pain.
And those cute nurses.
I was massively built those days and my legs were very weak.
I was in bed for three years after the accident, exercising and working out with the therapist. I won’t take any painkillers even when my mom makes fool that it is only B-complex tablets. I was afraid of the painkiller because it may weaken my strength and so I used to act normal when I have severe pain also.
The only things that kept my sanity were the cure nurses and the very cute patients and the cute girls who came to visit them and …..
Okay! So I am exaggerating a little.
But I was in bed for three years- three painful and agonizing years. There were days when I felt that it would have been so much better if they had just chopped off that leg. Each operation on the leg brought more pain, more therapy. I would try to get on my feet but fall. The leg felt like a lump of soft cotton-or is it soft wool?
But honestly, I have great memories from the hospital. With the major pain one side, without this I became the hero in the hospital I was. From many colleges like WCC, Stella marys and Ethiraj students used to come to act So, we all joined to make a group ands used to go to the British Council to perform a skit. This indeed cultivated good friendship among us.
Everybody used to come to the hospital in the evenings including Principal, Headmistress and all students. So, Vijaya hospital seemed to be like an evening college. Dr. Mohan das said no more to visitors since it would spread infection. But my friends used to come when the doctor has left the place.
I was like an exhibition piece. I guess I was always cracking jokes and laughing and the doctors were so pleased with my behaviour! Even in the room I used to practice “Upper body exercise” with lunch table. Other patients will always peep into my room. Dr. Mohandas used to bring other people who are so much afraid of little sprain. I was help up as a model patient and other patients were wheeled down to my bed and asked to ‘copy’ my good attitude!
Those nurses…. The pretty, pretty nurses and therapists who apparently bent over backwards to ‘service’ poor ol’ me… I was accused of making all those girls fall head over heels in love with me…. I wish! Reality was they were either my akkas(elder sisters) or kid sisters to me. Even in those times I will be very enthusiastic. I will rag the nurses by calling them sister and everyone became friends.
Every single morning the sisters would come to work and make a beeline for my bed, wish me first and only then go back and sign the daily roaster! And the very same sisters would act all stiff and severe when they came for the daily rounds with the doctors! I was so pampered by all of them! For my birthday they filled my room with cards and presents and one of them gave me a gift box which opened up to reveal another box inside and then another and then another. Finally, there was a tiny box on the inside, which revealed a pacifier! Apparently I was their little kid who needed taking care of!
I remember the pain but somehow don’t remember the pain, know what I mean? I had so much fun! And in many ways it was also a good training ground for me as an actor.
To digress a little…. All actors in the world, whether they admit it or not, always exploit real-life situations (especially tragedies) in their films. We actors go to some funeral and actually watch others and see how they react to the passing away of a near and dear one and store it away in some part of our brain. Only to draw on our resources and use that experience at some point in our acting. It is pathetic. I know. But really, that’s how it is.I guess I was having way too much fun despite all that happened.
It was around this very time that my distant relative showed up again at the hospital. The same guy with who I had
shared my dreams and aspirations of making it as a hero in films. The docs were there. My mum was there. The doctors had just finished explaining to us that despite all the operation that had been performed and all the therapy, they cut the leg. And even then they only gave me a 40 percent chance of recovery.
He knew that I probably would never walk again. Despite that he made the impassioned statement and walked out of the room.
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