Daily Human – Good Doctor – 19/9/21

Just started watching the Good Doctor on Netflix. Lots of deaths are bound to happen in a series where most of the action happens in the operating theatre. But some are different.

In today’s episode a young boy died. He faced his death bravely. It made me think about someone I knew who died very young.

I met Rajesh Pandey in class 11 and he quickly became my best friend in class. We spent a lot of time together, inside and outside class.

We both wanted to crack IIT JEE but were poorly prepared for it. We even made plans to take another attempt at it and study for it together.

His father had three sons and he was the brightest of the lot. Rajesh was the one who would do something in life and make him proud.

By same quirk of fate, our roll nos for the 12th class CBSE board exams were after each other. I think it happened because we bunked too many classes and were not allowed to fill the form initially with all the others. But we were pleased with that. We would help each other we thought.

He didn’t turn up for the mock exams. A common friend told me he had some viral fever.

He didn’t turn up for the board exam either. Someone who stayed close to his house told me he had Elephantasis. I was sad for him that he would miss the exams and waste a year. But that was it. I had no contact number and I had the board exams to deal with.

A few days after the board exams were over, the common friend called me and told me that Rajesh was dead. Of blood cancer. They had taken him to Delhi for treatment but it the cancer was in its final stages and the doctors couldn’t do anything. Back in Ranchi, his desperate mother had turned to God to save her son. And to all other kinds of magic workers. It didn’t work obviously. And Rajesh Pandey was dead.

He also happened to be an excellent left arm fast bowler. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the star of our school team. Rajesh went for the school trials and impressed the coach after just two deliveries. I have seen him bowl to MSD with a tennis ball. Dhoni hit everyone else for a couple of sixes each over. But he handled Rajesh Pandey with caution.

I think of Rajesh Pandey very often.

Every time I have success in life, I think of him.

Every time I think or see MSD, I think of him.

Every time I make my parents happy or proud, I think of him.

Every time I see a young person die, I think of him.