Room No: 27 of the Children's Ward

I was thinking about a hospital room.

Room 27 of the children’s ward. It was the last room in the corridor. There was a window just outside the door from where I could see the sea, the sunset, the moonlit sky…In the room, there was a bed, a bench, a cupboard and a body, which had tubes on it.

The body was mine and I was alive. There were people who came and went. There was pain that was constantly there. There were friends who supported me. They knew I wouldn’t die.

I fell sick one day; I was put in a general ladies ward. Achan didn’t like it. He said he wanted to shift me to a room. I was. Room 27 of the children’s ward. I read The Godfather there. I re-read Mid Summer Night’s Dream there. I listened to my favorite songs there. I was just there…

There were syringes going in and out of my body. There were multi scans taken for my head. There was blood that oozed out when they tried finding a vein in between my groans. There were pills to sedate me. There were nursing students who came to see the seriousness of the patient. There were new, old, naive and experienced doctors who talked at length about my disease.

Doctors diagnosed my disease. They said I had migraine. I knew it was a hole in my heart. For my friends it was the sudden emptiness in my heart. I decided to keep quiet and so did my friends.

I left the room, still a patient. I decided to start filling up the hole with books and music. I spent hours in the college library. I had lost interest in dance and the innumerable forums I was an active member of. I hated myself for being so tired of having tried.

I got out of it all…and now, I don’t want to go back to Room 27 of the children’s ward.

I am still alive...!