The ball ricochetted off the boundary line and found its way
right into the room of a dilapidated hospital quarter, smashing the glass window into pieces, where a robust banyan tree stood, sprawling over a busy lane that led up to the NH 34, as I hit a sixer. A small group of crowd, consisting mostly of urchins, that sat contiguous to the boundary line zapped gleefully in the direction of the ball.To fetch the ball. My eyes followed them. As I cast a quick glance over there, I saw something queer : in stead of running after the ball, those small children swerved away and stood pressed to a swelling crowd of people under the banyan tree. People in the crowd looked anxiously at each other's face, talking amongst themselves in a low voice. Inquisitive passers-by, passing by the way, all made for the crowd. What's up there ____ I pondered as I put away the bat. I hurried my way there like a shot, my eyes fixed on the burgeoning crush.

I pushed my way through the crowd ____ and to my utter consternation, saw a woman aged somewhere between 25 and 30, lying on her back on the sordid lane,wailing and writhing in agony, her stomach swollen inordinately as if it were about to burst open. A middle aged woman sat beside her, frantically trying to comfort and console her, frequently mopping the beads of sweat from her forehead, while looking around, completely dazzled. Perhaps, she would be her mother ___ I surmised.

On enquiring into the present fiasco, I got to know that the wailing woman was being walked to the hospital for delivery as there was no vehicle in sight. But, the woman's labour pain set in before they made it to the hospital.Finding no other option, her mother gave up midway!

While all the curious faces in the crowd were gazing at one another's face, I waved desperately at one of my friends on the play ground to fetch a stretcher from the emergency room of the hospital, which was a few yards away from the site. My friend and I got the stretcher and set it down on the dusty lane ; placing the woman quickly on it, we scrambled across the play ground into the delivery unit.

We waited with bated breath as the doctor went inside the delivery room. Hardly a couple of minutes fled by when a nurse came enthusiastically and broke the news ____ " she gave birth to a lusty, baby boy!"

At this, I felt relieved.

I got back to the playground and resumed playing. Within minutes, a man aged 30 ____ perhaps the husband of the woman ____ came over to me, as I was on the crease, waiting for my ball.

" Brother, my wife has wanted to see you in the hospital, " the man said, his voice brimming over with gratitude.

At this, I felt embarrassed . Ashamed!! Displaced!!

I was a little nervous to meet a woman who has just delivered a baby a few minutes back ; I was literally scared

The man left after a while as I pretended to play. My friend, Deepak, chuckled at the situation I was in as I averted his gaze and began to wait for the next delivery.

_______ D. S.