Saturday, 16 May 2015

A different tour

Tour of a different kind
               
                The advantage of a conducted tour is that you don’t waste time and much money. The guide deftly draws your attention to specific and interesting details and subtly skips some other things which warrant more time and effort. If you are lucky you get the right guide and thankfully carry some memorable visions and keepsakes. Well, this is a tour of a different kind. I was guided by a senior matron along with half a dozen would be mothers through the clean and sanitized corridors of a hospital. One may wonder what could be the appropriate occasion for a tourist to be in a hospital unless  some sheer misfortune came by his or her way. I was happily accompanying Britto and Pearl on the latter’s obstetrical tour. The object of such tours for which appointments are precisely made was to acquaint would be mothers and their kins to face the hour with equanimity so that those involved could shelve their panic and trepidation at least for a while. This is being practiced in this country, giving meticulous care and concern for expectant mothers so that they are reassured about the safety of both the babies and themselves. Regardless of the calling hour, you are advised where to park your car, where to report, where to wait, where to pass through the labour, where to be convalescing for a day or two etc. At the end of an hour, the tourists sport looks of composure and remarkable sangfroid. They bank on the caretakers with implicit faith and indubitable trustworthiness. I wish such tours were arranged back home too! I doubt whether our already narrow corridors could withstand this new crowd and it is possible that some of the tourists might change their mind about their destined hospitals. Less said is better.



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