House of Cards (18 page)

Mridula loved peace and did not have the capacity to bear conflicts. She believed everybody. If someone said a few nice words to her, she thought that they were genuine. As soon as she heard the minister’s decision, she made up her mind to live without Sanjay for a year.

A few hours passed; Thayamma phoned the Health minister. She said, ‘Madam, I’ve sent a candidate to you because of pressure from my son’s teacher. The candidate’s name is Sanjay. You can decide whatever you want to do in his case. The decision is completely yours. I don’t have a personal interest in the case.’

This was politics. All MLAs gave recommendation letters but that did not mean that they actually cared. Sometimes, they themselves called and told the minister not to do the work. If the work was done successfully, then they got the credit. If it was not done, they would simply say, ‘I tried my best. But nobody listens these days. Even God needs pujas and bells to remind him to do our work. A minister’s job isn’t easy. She
gets pressure from party workers and the local and central government. That’s why she has high blood pressure.’

And the drama went on. In today’s politics, everything was an act but no actor was permanent. The only constants in politics were money and power. You needed money to be in power and you had to be in power to make more money. Why would anyone help Sanjay, who was never going to be in a position to return the favour?

Sanjay decided to go to Bellary for a year. The maternity hospital was in Satyanarayana Pet in Bellary. Sanjay rented a small room nearby with a kitchenette and an attached bathroom. Since he intended to stay just for a year, he did not buy many household items. Mridula continued to stay in Bangalore with Sishir. Rukuma and Bheemanna came and stayed with Mridula for fifteen days, but then they got bored. The pollution in the city did not suit them either. So they went back to Aladahalli.

On most weekends, Sanjay would come to Bangalore by the Hampi Express and go back after two days. During school holidays, Mridula and Sishir visited him in Bellary. People there were friendly and nice. Sanjay’s honesty was noticed and he became popular. Sometimes, Sanjay thought, ‘Why should I ask to be transferred back to Bangalore? If I tell Mridula that I want to stay here, she’ll agree. But Bangalore has its own attractions. It has good colleges. People like to send their children there for education. I shouldn’t make Sishir shift to Bellary. Education is much better in Bangalore.’

A few months later, the Health minister was named in a corruption case and criticized by the media, so she was replaced. The new Health minister was different—he wasn’t corrupt and had entered politics with the sole intention of giving back to the country. He was in his mid-sixties and had a lot of experience. He delivered what he promised. But people still criticized him saying, ‘He isn’t a dynamic person.’

Meanwhile, Anita and Alex had bought an expensive penthouse near the Cantonment railway station in Bangalore.
Anita had shared the details of the transaction with Mridula but she hadn’t bothered to remember them. It was a large four-bedroom apartment. Though they had relatives in Bangalore, Alex did not want to rent the place out to them. He said, ‘If you rent a flat to your relatives, you lose the house as well as the relationship.’ So the apartment lay vacant. Mridula went with her maid and got it cleaned every month. Despite Mridula’s reluctance, Anita insisted on paying her for the cleaning expenses.

A year passed by quickly and it was time for transfers again. Sanjay went to visit the new Health minister at his residence. This time, there were fewer people in the house. Sanjay met the minister and explained his situation. The minister carefully listened to him and said, ‘Doctor, I can’t transfer you back to Bangalore after one year without a specific reason. People will tell you what you want to hear. But the truth is that you’ll have to stay in Bellary for at least three more years. If someone has promised you a transfer to Bangalore in exchange for money, then they are lying.’

Sanjay understood. He felt like a baby who has come out of his mother’s womb and cannot go back there again. He longed to be back in Bangalore. But he thanked the minister and left. By the time he reached home, his head was spinning. He remembered Chikananjappa’s words: ‘Unless you pay money, you won’t be transferred back to Bangalore.’

Sanjay realized that it was time for him to make a decision. He thought, ‘I’m not like Dr Lata or Dr Saroja. I’ll never be sponsored for any programmes even if I’m eligible. I’ll eternally be the department scapegoat and the first person to be thrown out of Bangalore. What have I achieved after all these years? My students themselves don’t recognize me once they are out of college. My colleagues in Bombay have opened their own nursing homes. Santosh left his job in the Middle East and went to the USA after doing a computer course. Arun was a teenager when I first met him and he is now building a house in
JP Nagar. What have I done? My wife is a government servant and both of us work hard. Despite that, we had to take a loan to buy a small apartment. I’m sending money to my mother every month too. I haven’t saved any money.’

Then he thought of Shankar. ‘Shankar is courageous. He’s bought a site in Mysore and is running a company in his wife’s name. Most of my family looks down on me because I haven’t earned enough money.’

When Dr Kamala was about to retire, she had told him, ‘Sanjay, times have changed. Now, we have to keep the consumer act in mind. Gone are the days when we used to take decisions on behalf of the patient. Today, the patients can sue us to get money. Even students have changed. They’re more interested in knowing how to get more marks with minimal studying. I can’t adjust to this new environment. You can either take voluntary retirement or you can adapt yourself to the new system.’

Now, Sanjay could relate to her words. He thought, ‘Mridula is no problem. She’ll support me in any decision I make. This time, the decision is completely mine.’

Then, he recollected what Alex had said: ‘It’s better to get out of the system and fight than stay in the system and struggle.’

He called Alex.

16

The Decision

Alex came to visit from the Middle East that week. He had decided to settle in India. Anita was moving back first and Alex would join her later. At dinner, Alex said, ‘Mridula, you should take the initiative this time. Convince your husband to do something on his own.’

For the first time, Sanjay interrupted him, ‘Alex, it’s our decision and not just mine. I’m ready to quit government service but I want to understand the struggles of starting a private practice.’

‘Sanjay, you can’t become rich overnight. Most people start fighting when the money starts rolling in. So we must be careful if we become partners—we must keep an account of every rupee. That’s the secret of a long-lasting partnership and friendship.’

‘Where do you think we should open the nursing home?’

‘It should be in a crowded area. We must keep it neat and clean. And we’ll need to invest twenty-five lakh each to start.’

‘That’s a lot of money!’ Mridula got scared.

‘Don’t worry, Mridula. You can get a loan for fifteen lakh. That way, you’ll need to put in only ten. We can divide the work into two streams—technical and administrative. I’ll look after the administrative side and Sanjay can take care of the clinical part. Both of us will draw a salary of ten thousand in the beginning. I have a building in mind.’

‘Where?’

‘On Bannerghatta Main Road. We can see it tomorrow. The area is good. The building has two floors and we can rent it.’ Alex looked at Sanjay and continued, ‘Sanjay, you’ll have to buy a car. Even if it means that you have to take a loan. If you come on your scooter, people will think that you have less knowledge and experience. I want to tell you something more but I’m a little hesitant.’

Sanjay said, ‘Tell me, Alex. What is it?’

‘With your immense knowledge, you don’t have much to learn. Still, you should go to England for at least six months and then work in the Middle East for another six. If people know that you’ve studied and worked abroad, then you’ll get more respect.’

‘But I don’t have the money to go to England.’

‘That’s why I suggested the Middle East. I can arrange everything for you. Male gynaecologists are not allowed there. So I’ll arrange for you to work as a general practitioner. Please don’t feel bad. These moves are essential.’

Alex stood up and was about to leave. Then he turned around and said, ‘I can help you financially, Sanjay, but that won’t be right if we’re going to become partners. It can lead to misunderstandings later. I know that you’ll understand.’

After Alex left, Sanjay started getting worried about the pace at which his life was changing. Mridula was also concerned. Life was about to become stressful. Till now, it had been flowing smoothly like a quiet river. But now, there would be waterfalls and whirlpools that they would have to weather.

Mridula was confident. She said, ‘Sanjay, don’t worry. It’s better to be out of the frying pan. Alex is with you and I support you. Even if you don’t earn anything, I can manage. We have our house and I have a steady government salary. It’ll be enough for the three of us.’

‘Mridula, there are still a lot of loans to be repaid.’

‘Sanjay, I have gold jewellery that my parents gave me during our wedding. I don’t wear much gold anyway. I can sell it. I’ll ask Appa for some money too. We can borrow the remaining amount from a bank. But we won’t take any money from Alex.’

‘But Mridula, all this will be really inconvenient for you.’

‘I don’t mind. As long as you earn money legally and ethically, I’m with you. I’ll help you in your struggle. You can earn money illegally too, but I’ll never approve of that.’

‘Mridula, should we ask Amma?’

‘Please don’t.’

Mridula did not say why, but Sanjay knew. Ratnamma liked Mridula but she did not give them any money even for festivals or occasions. She sent her blessings but not money. They could not ask Shankar either because Lakshmi and he were spendthrifts. Ratnamma regularly complained to Mridula about Lakshmi’s spending habits.

Mridula had never asked her father for anything since she got married. Every year, her parents gave her a gift and she was happy with that. Now, she had no choice. She thought that it was better to ask for money from her father than from Sanjay’s family. So she decided to visit her parents.

When she phoned her father to inform him that she was coming alone, Bheemanna found it a little strange. But he did not ask any questions. Usually, whenever Mridula visited her family, she went with Sishir and Sanjay. Sanjay spent most of his time in Aladahalli reading or sleeping. He hardly talked to anyone. Now, she was going to Aladahalli alone for the first time after ten years of marriage.

When Mridula entered the house, she realized that the family home had gradually changed a lot in the last decade. When Mridula was a young girl, they had an embroidered tablecloth, a painting that she had made, an old radio and other things. Today, the old things had disappeared. The dining table had a glass top and the gadgets in the house included a Siemens phone, a fifty-one-centimetre television and the latest Sony music system. The garden had also changed. There were no jasmine creepers any more. Instead, there were wood roses and croton flowers. However, the kitchen remained almost the same and Rukuma was still in charge of it.

Everybody welcomed Mridula lovingly. Only Vatsala did not greet her or smile at her. Mridula thought of Lakshmi. Lakshmi always smiled at her and invited her in pleasantly. After lunch, Mridula decided to talk to everybody, including Vatsala. She said, ‘Can all of you please come and sit down? I want to discuss something important.’

Vatsala replied sarcastically, ‘I don’t have any authority in this house. After all, I’m an outsider. You can discuss whatever you want with your brother and parents.’

Mridula was hurt. How could she ask for money if someone was unhappy with her before she had even initiated the
discussion? She said calmly, ‘To be honest, I’m the outsider now. You’re the one who takes care of my parents. Please come.’

Vatsala shook her head and walked away to her bedroom. But she stood by the door to listen to the conversation.

Mridula turned to her parents and her brother and said, ‘Sanjay wants to start a private nursing home and we have to chip in twenty-five lakh. We’re already taking a loan of fifteen lakh from the bank. But we don’t have enough savings. If you give us a loan of five lakh, we’ll return it within three or four years with interest. I don’t know anyone else whom I can ask. Please know that even if you don’t give us the money, I won’t be upset. I understand that you may have problems too. My relationship with you won’t change.’

Vatsala was livid when she heard Mridula.

Meanwhile, Krishna was silent. Rukuma looked at Bheemanna and said, ‘Five lakh is a lot of money. These days, things aren’t going smoothly for us. Sometimes, there’s no rainfall and then there’s no profit. Our tractor is old and has to be replaced. Besides, Vatsala wants us to buy a house in Hubli.’