Kidney

Uttar kept crying as his foot got swollen fast. Inder looked around and found one long rob like rag in the waste. He pulled it from the heap. He went to the water tap and washed it in the scrap tub to remove the dirt and dust. He then squeezed the wet rag to wrap it around Uttar’s swollen foot. “Now you just sit down and don’t’ jump here and there” Inder instructed Uttar. His hand went up in the air. Perhaps he wanted to scold Uttar so that he should be careful in future. He knew that physical violence on the kids was prohibited where he visited. He again brought his hand down. He was inspired to bring the same flavor in the culture here. “Jain sahab talked about the simplicity of the work. He forgot the risks involved in that work.” Inder murmured. He lifted Uttar’s foot to look around if the rag was properly wrapped. “Kya hua Inder bhaiya?” Mahabi asked Inder. She heard his murmurs. “Kuchh nahin” Inder said. “Why I have not learnt to tolerate the reptiles and insects. They are important part of our life in this work full of dust, dirt, damp, and stinking smell. Why girls are so week in tolerating reptiles and insects. Why I am girl” Mahabi lamented as Inder’s fury didn’t come down. “Bahut dard ho raha hei?” she asked as if she experienced Uttar’s wincing. Inder started helping Maithili and Mahabi in sorting out the reusable items from the scrap and wastes collected by these kids and others. “Inder bhaiya you just do your work. We will pick right items” said Maithili and Mahabi who collected their energy to resume. Inder went to the chemical processing area where Ishwar Jain himself supervised the workers. “Sir, Uttar has got hurt in his foot, he needs dressing” Inder informed Ishwar Jain. “What have they done now?” Jain asked. “First aid box must be here. You do the dressing” he instructed Inder. “There is nothing in the first aid box other than Burnol.” Inder said as he already checked the First Aid box. He looked for something to relieve the swollen foot. “Many times I told them to mind their work when at work. They should not play with the items they find in scraps. This kind of injuries happen because they want to play when they need to work” Ishwar Jain started cursing the kids. “Sir they are just kids of eight or ten years. They would have been playing and studying if they were not from the families where they have nothing but shortage of food, shelter, and education.” Inder described their situation. “Kahin amiri mein pale hote to khel hi rahe hote” he added to emphasize the need to play and study. “In that case I am giving them employment otherwise they have been starving. I am helping them in their survival” Jain declared. He wanted to pat on his shoulders in acknowledging himself for bailing out the families of these children from miseries. “Thank you sir, right now Uttar needs some other medicines.” Inder requested his boss to have mercy on the kid. “Munim ji! Give him some rupees to take the kid to the doctor for dressing” Ishwar Jain understood the situation. Cashier opened the drawer and took out a hundred rupees note for Inder. After all he knew that Inder had come back from the Canada where living and wellbeing were well taken care. Ishwar Jain looked at the Cashier. “Pachaas ka note nahin hein Sahab” cashier showed his helplessness in giving hundred rupees note to Inder as he could not find lesser denomination like fifty. Cashier took the message from Ishwar Jain’s eyes and replied, “Aaj kal doctor pachaas rupaye mein hath nahin lagate” to justify the scale of costliness of medical treatment. He grinned to hide his folly. Inder took hundred rupees note from the cashier and held Uttar’s hand to support him to the reach the rickshaw. Uttar had difficulty to walk. He took both of his arms over shoulders and lifted Uttar to the rickshaw in which these kids came for their work from Ghazipur. He released the break as he slid the steel wire band wrapped over handle and breaks lever of the rickshaw. The kids also tightened that steel ring to park the rickshaw after they reached with the burden of the wastes collected from the landfill area. On weekly basis these kids collected waste from the households also. Inder took that rickshaw which he was feeling shy when he came back from Canada. That day Inder had got back to be a waste picker. He started pushing it manually. Uttar sat in the squared depression mend for waste. He pedaled it to the doctor. “What happened to this boy?” Doctor enquired seeing the rag wrapped around Uttar’s right foot. “Nothing doctor, he got hurt by wheel fallen on his foot. The wheel is from a junk rickshaw for small kids. He took that wheel to the rack but got that fallen on his foot.” Inder explained to the doctor at once. Doctor looked at him and smiled at Inder’s hastened narration. He bent down to examine the foot. “Why you people bring kids like him to work?” Doctor asked unwrapping Uttar’s swollen foot. “Foot is intact, nothing much serious has happened. It needs edema treatment” doctor applied a gel and gave the tube to Inder. “Keep this with you and apply it two times till foot gets ok” he advised Inder. “Doctor Sahab, how much shall I pay?” Inder asked. “Nothing, this gel is from samples. I also have not paid for this” doctor said. “Sir your fee” Inder said. “No, you just take care of this kid” doctor said. “Thank you sir, otherwise also this kid doesn’t have any money to spare for you” Inder showed his gratitude to the doctor’s generosity. With Uttar he left the clinic.