Duty

Translation of Odiya story 'Duty'

Sukanta was extremely tired after completing 8 hours duty in hospital ward. He had to run from one patient to other, one room to other room continuously, as the situation in India is really bad now. Everyday 2000 cases are being detected positive, it is competing with other flourishing developed countries like USA, Italy, France, Spain, United kingdom, Russia, Australia and Germany. Now Dr. Sukanta can realize the seriousness of the hospitals, equipments like ventilators, oxygen masks and ICU facilities. India has crossed the target of one lakh infected cases out of them 5000 have died. Italy, France, Spain, UK and USA number of deaths hiked to more than 30 thousand. Now Sukanta is feeling hungry he could realize about food, the ward boy distributed pizza from canteen.

Dr. Sukanta ate the pizza with a lot of difficulty. He was feeling very tired. He went to second floor to lie down on the corridor's floor for little rest. He had to wear special uniform of corona covering all parts PPE kits from China they had to borrow, which are torn off easily, even India lacks all equipment like testing kits and uniforms. India borrowed one lakh ventilators from China, 10 lakh testing kits which are not working properly, Wuhan is the creator, carrier cause of corona virus spreading all over the world. Now this country is providing all medical equipment to other countries.

Now Sukanta felt sleepy, while he was sleeping, the phone rang with a message that prime minister has declared for 50 lakhs rupees to the doctor family who died in corona. Dr. Sukanta realized how his junior doctor has been infected along with the nurse in the ventilator, he laughed that how funny it is to give temptation for service in lieu of 50 lakhs of money, the doctors will be declared as martyrs respectfully would be saluted by the police as one worrier dies in the border during war time, fight against the war corona virus, doctors are the real worriers, he laughed that while doctors are alive, people hate them, beat them in their apartments if they return back from Corona hospitals from ICU. Many nurses are abused and beaten. After death they are respected as martyrs worriers.

Dr. Sukanta was reminding about his father's words how contented he was while he was taking the oath of written document like 'I took oath, I would serve to human society, service to man is service to God'.

It was his father who inspired him to be a perfect doctor. He wanted him always to the one worrier who should serve to the mother land either as one military officer or one doctor. His idealism, moralism inspired him to be a doctor. He checked the WhatsApp messages of his father that his mother is crying, she is panicking that her son is servicing all Corona patients in government hospital day and night. She is crying and praying to God to save or protect his life.

Suddenly dr Sukanta rang to his father, he said hello, papa prime minister has taken decision to honor or salute the doctors as martyrs and worriers showing down the salute of 20 bullets who die in Corona services. 50 lakh rupees will be given to their families.' Dr. Sukanta could not hear the voice of his father, he could hear the bursting in to tears, his father's cry profoundly whose idealism of taking oath to be the warrier, martyred in service of the mother land but he could not compromise the words of 50 lakhs money, the security of a doctor's service in lieu of his son's life. Something he could not accept. Suddenly the nurses called Dr. Sukanta to attend immediately the patients who had been admitted now, the numbers increased to 1000 in that hospital then total number increased to more than one lakh in India. The recent news declared.

Indira Mishra