Magical Venom of Doctor Asthana

Dr. Asthana was renowned and only doctor of our village. There was no such disease he was unaware of and didn’t cure us. Typhoid, Malaria, Jaundice, Diarrhea, name it and Doctor Saab is ready with his medicine and an injection. Whenever he inserted that magical pin in us, we felt safe. Not only that, he almost knew all the members of the village personally. I was sometimes bold over by his amazing memory because he enumerated all the symptoms of a disease almost instantly with the prescribed medicines and the proper prevention of such disease. He is in our village for almost 15 years now and I don’t even remember the first time I visited him. He was the god of our village. He was famous among the people, for his magical venom. Once in your body, it will work the same as the snake bite for the Bheema, one of the five Pandavas. He is one of our family. Everyone used to share his or her life with him. Dr Asthana, a patient listener and also a good philosophist used to give his important advice for life also.
Ramesh Babu often tells the story behind the Magical Venom. Dr Asthana was a kid when he visited this village. Soon after he came, an epidemic followed the village. There used to be no hospital around our village, the nearest being 40 kilometres from here. Dr Asthana single handedly saved the whole village with his injections. There were times when he travelled in his Bajaj Chetak all the way to Saransh Hospital to bring his supplies. Within a fortnight, the disease was a myth. After that, every single villager is fan and owes him a part of their life.
Me also was obliged to him. I used to suffer from stomach troubles in my early ages. But Dr Asthana cured me. I was treated for almost 12 months for the complete cure of my stomach. Not only this, he even helped me to complete my higher education from the city. When he asked my parents to send me to the city, they were reluctant but knowing that Dr. Asthana will take a complete care of my well-being there, they couldn’t refuse. But Dr. Asthana told me, that I should come back to my village as serve it, because there is no other good deed than helping people. As promised, I came back after completing my course and taught the future generation in the school. My mother as well as Doctor Saab himself were very happy.

6.45pm. Seven hours already. No sign of Dr. Asthana.
My mother suffered from an heart attack this morning. I was about to leave the house when my mother collapsed. I called him and he rushed to our home. Then he made a call and asked me to drive the car. We took my mother to the Saransh hospital, no, not 50 kilometres from here but 5 kilometres away. Thank the God it was shifted very near and us with proper travelling connection. We reached in 7 minutes and my mother was rushed in the operation theatre. From then till now, Dr. Asthana was in there. I didn’t, specifically I couldn’t sit for a second on the chair but moved to and fro around the OT. I knew my mother was getting old, but not once in my life, I saw her getting sick. She used to laugh at my rate of getting ill. Never took a medicine, she looked perfectly fine for her age. I lost my father early in my life, so my mother was my everything. She was my companion, my preacher, my teacher, and my friend. There was not a single stuff of me she was unaware of. Even after I grew up, she listened to all my talks patiently. I felt alone in the city so much that I used to call her twice almost every day.
During the last seven hours, I didn’t stop praying to the God for once. I was hoping for a good news from Dr. Asthana.
The OT door opened finally after eight long hours. Dr. Asthana walked out towards me.
“Your doctor’s magical venom has worked again, Your mother is safe and sound. You can meet her as soon as we transfer her to the ICU.