Love Beyond Borders by Surjitsingh Sikh

Author:Surjitsingh Sikh [Sikh, Surjitsingh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mobilism
Published: 2014-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

“Dr. Benjamin, the director of health is in the secretary’s office. Would you care to join him there?”

“No, thank you, I am fine here.”

The dean’s gesture in refusing to leave their side touched the hearts of Vikram and his associates.

They were kept waiting for forty minutes, without a word of regret. This irked Gohil and Zeb.

“This is the stick for you. The carrot may come later,” Vikram explained.

When they were eventually ushered into the Chief Minister’s air-conditioned office, they saw an array of dignitaries sitting at the far side of a long table. The C.M, Mr. Bipin Varia, sat in the centre, dressed in a spotless white khadi kurta and dhoti, the trademark of the ruling party. He was flanked by the health minister on his right and a suave man in a suit and necktie on his left, probably the chief secretary. Dr. M.V. Patel, the director of health services, occupied the seat next to him. A man, similarly clad in suit and tie sat next to the health minister. Vikram assumed he was the health secretary. A young woman in a sari occupied the chair at the right end. Vikram failed to guess her position in the hierarchy. On the left end, there was an empty chair next to the director’s, obviously for the dean.

When they approached the long table, the director motioned them to take seats facing the officials across the table. He gestured to the dean to come and occupy the empty seat next to him. The dean pretended not to have noticed his gesture and took a seat on the left of the students. The director grimaced at the dean’s action, while the health minister gave an approving, but barely visible smile. The rest sat with stony faces. As they were taking their seats, Gohil whispered to Vikram,

“Why the full army?”

“It’s for the effect,” Vikram whispered back, “Aren’t you intimidated?”

Nobody bothered about introductions. The chief minister took off his khadi cap, proceeded to fold it very elaborately, and laid it on the table. Then he removed his glasses with equal elaboration, polished them with his spotless white kerchief, and put them beside the cap. Having finished these seemingly crucial tasks, he started speaking in a typical public speech style,

“It gives me pleasure to be addressing young people like you, young people who are the future of our country, young people who are engaged in studies to become doctors, the noblest of the noble professions, which heals the pain and sufferings of the fellow men.”

He paused for breath, and then continued,

“At the same time it pains me to see you frittering away your valuable time in unworthy and unproductive activities like agitations and strikes. I appeal to you to go back, call off this futile agitation, and get on with your studies.”

He picked up his glasses and the cap one by one, and put them on as if he had finished with them and was preparing to leave. Gohil and Zeb were perplexed at such abrupt ending without giving them an opportunity to utter a single word.

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