Happy Birthday ,Chinu !!

15th August 2006 ,exactly a year before, I experienced sanctity.Today Chinu must have turned One.Last year during this time ,I was posted as an Intern in a small serene village called Khadavli for my rural experience for a month.Set amongst the lush green backgrounds of the Sahyadri's along the banks of the river Ulhas is this sleepy town located not far away from the city but ages away from it.
It was just my second day at this place when I experienced one of the most beautiful moment of my life.The primary health centre was by definition just a small dilapidated place to provide basic or primary treatment for all and more of a referral place.With just a handful of para-medical people for help and the medical officer in-charge on leave,its entire responsibility lay on two young men - me and my co-intern.
It was early in the morning with a slight drizzle around when the local people of the village gathered at the dispensary premises for the flag hoisting formalities.The village sarpanch was to perform the same.As we stood around the flag post with our heads held high, the beautiful tricolour was unfurled and it fluttered royally in the air.We began to sing the national anthem with a gust of pride and then it happened.
With the entire village in the midst of singing the anthem ,from no where came the shouts of a woman in agony. A woman came running towards the dispensary with pallor all over the face in the midst of some violent abdominal contractions.As I stepped aside ,she was taken inside by the nursing staff.As i examined her,she was due and it was literally a matter of minutes that she started delivering with the head popping out already.I hastily put on the gloves and tore open the supposedly sterile delivery kit as the nurse put the lady into position.The next few minutes were as traumatizing to me as to the lady of course but at the end of it i guess we both experienced sanctity.The lady had just delivered her first child and it was first time I had "independently" conducted a delivery !
Thus came in a new year of independence for the country and for me.The child was named Chinu ,which I got to know when he was brought for vaccinations later.I later independently sang the national anthem which I had left in the middle with added sense of pride from bringing another Indian citizen to this world.Today Chinu must have turned one.Happy Birthday,Chinu !!