My youngest Didi would call our 'Baba' (father), BNGS behind him.'Chotodidi' was of course the most favourite child of our Baba or BNGS that stood for" Bilet Na Giye Saheb".Baba was a Microbiologist,
had worked most of his life with European researcher, had picked up their habits--so no work for us on sundays, no study either; only we had to wash our school uniforms in the morning and then jump into
father's little Morris car and proceed to some destination out side, the city for picnic.

When I settled in Agartala in the sixties, mother would insist that we go somewhere on Sundays. .A rich landlord of Harina, near Sabroom was our host on a hot june Sunday.It was my new fiat car that I drove across 3 river ferries including Gomti, (the bridge was under construction then). We reached Harina, about 80 miles from Agartala, around the midday.It was hot and sweaty,our daughter, then 4 months old, went into a nonstop screaming act. The big house of our host had no electricity,and of course no fan. I jumped in the large pond (locally called a dighi), to cool down.
Just then I heard a commotion outside,  they were  about half a dozen tribal villagers (later we knew they were representing an important Mog Chief). The Sardar's only child, a son, was seriously ill and was dying.They knew the big doctor from Agartala had come and they wanted him to go with them to treat the child. They had not arranged any vehicle-that being a sunday. The road was jeepable ,but they pointed at my Fiat car (ai garita jaite parbo).My host informed that the place was at least 20 miles inside South Tripura forest and only a 'kuchha' road connected it through miles of dense forest and hills.
I tried to avoid by telling them that I was a surgeon and not a physician,  could not treat a fever case. But they had their allies, my wife ( a doctor herself and a surgeon's daughter) and my mother (a doctor's wife and of course a surgeon's mother) were pleading….I must go.
To save my neck I agreed to go,my host would accompany. We went ,crossing the main road,entered the dense forest, miles and miles through the hill up and down, endless unpaved road, my new Fiat car was badly bruised. After an hour we reached a spectacular ,large house built over massive tree trunks (in Assam and Arunachal such houses are called Chang bunglows with a pig latrine below.) The compound was blood smeared with large number of headless chickens spluttering
around with tribal priests chanting obscure 'Mantras'.
As being doctors for generations ,we were-  as we still are- used to such scenario. I carefully looked at the child, had only a Stethoscope as my armamentarium, no thermometer either. In front of me was a child who had fever for nearly 2 weeks,hardly ten year old, thin, emaciated, in delirium and was deeply unconscious, picking at the bed sheet. The fair skinned child had multiple rosy spots all over his abdomen and chest.I tried to recall our Prof of Medicine: he used to put lot of importance on the rosy spots in  diagnosing  typhoid fever and the pulse rate and the odour .He would take us to the end of the ward, and let us sniff the odour, which would be unmistakable  once smelt. That was many years back in our undergraduate classes in the mid-fifties, but the smell had stuck to my nose. The Mog child was incontinent--stool was green pea soup like, with the unforgettable stench. His pulse was very slow (brady cardia),abdomen distended. He was very very hot,the fever would be near 105 *  F.I had a strip of
Paracitamol,crushed a tablet and gave ,he swallowed.We waited cold sponging repeatedly.

The odour and the look was familiar,it was the same odour when my Nontadidi died in 1942 of typhoid fever. Nontadidi died when she was 14 years old ,I was then 9. It was second world war days,General Eisenhour the supreme commander of the Allied forces, had occupied Shillong.Among the civilians only able bodied male adults could stay back,but it was' out' for the women and children. The war hungry Allied forces' men in lakhs were swarming the streets of Shillong- it was unsafe. Agartala was unsafe too.- it had the 79th Brigade hospital (hence the 79-Tilla name) and the Singarbil airport which was the British air force base.Comilla had the British army settlement and the Americans in the Mainamoti cantonment. 

Father chosen the nearest town ofBrahmanbaria for the family stay till the war ended. We were called
evacuees ,more evacuees came from Agartala and Comilla,
Brahmanbaria  became suddenly an overcrowded town.Drinking water was scarce, was contaminated and majority caught Typhoid and other communicable diseases ,a large number died.In our family my Nontadidi died.
Nonta was not her name, she was Shyamolima , she was exceptionally beautiful, the prettiest among the Datta girls. She was very fair with Rosy cheeks (which at my age of three I had found 'Salty') and hence
the name nonta meaning salty. My Mejdi i.e. nontadidi was extraordinary--- she was exceptionally good in studies, a class topper,she also stood first in the scholarship exam that used to be held as part of the East Zone scholarship exam of undivided Bengal and Assam,won the gold in the regional music competition in Classical song and Esraj, was brilliant in Drawing and embroidery work and knitting. Her drawings,embroidery and knittings were till recently preserved in our Shillong house. At home she would teach the juniors ( Chordi and me ) with the result that our grades sky rocketed.

Nonta didi died untreated for antibiotics had not made their appearance in early 40s though 3 of the best doctors of the region were treating her. Two among them later moved to Agartala and did well. Typhoid fever also called Enteric fever is caused by a bacteria called Salmonella Typhi,which spread through contaminated food or water,travel into the intestine and then into the blood and then to the lymph node,gall bladder,liver,spleen and rest of the body. It is common in the third world where hygiene and sanitaton are poor. This being a water borne disease,30% die untreated., a small per cent become carriers of the disease. Antibiotics such as Chloramphenicol fluoroquinolones e.g. ciprofloxacine are effective and can fully can cure the disease now a days.
In the Mog house I had no medicine with me except a strip of Paracitamol. After half an hour of waiting, body temperature started to come down,the child was now quiet,opened his eyes.(the paracitamol effect).The crowd smiled.But I knew it was not enough as antibiotic was necessary, crocin effect was only temporary .My host whispered "chalen palai" ( let's run away).

But  I could not run away. Could not let the child die like the way, my Nonta Didi died, must do whatever possible,my didi would not like me to run away.I know she was always with me,guiding,like she used to when she was alive'. The kid must be saved !

Took three of the men with me and drove fast to the Harina bazar in search of a medicine shop, there was none. Only a quack was sitting in a small hut. Ray of hope was a large leather bag left by a M. R. of Park Davis who had gone across the river to Sabroom.I had known the gentleman so , took the liberty of opening the bag .The Parke Davis bag contained enough supply of Chloromycetine, just the drug for
Typhoid infection. Helped myself with 10 days supply of the capsules left a note of apology and sent a request note to the SDMO, Dr.Das who had worked with me in GB Hospital to look after the child, He did.

And my little new Fiat car ? It was a total mess.
It was after nearly 2 months,on a rainy August afternoon that ,there was a knock on my door. Opening the door I found a smiling face. It was the Mog Chief ,behind him was another smiling face,that of the boy,
now carrying a big earthen pot with Six large lobstars still alive and trying to get out of the pot.Two large baskets contained enough vegetables and fruits to last a month.

A little ceremony and the Mog chief chanted:
“oporey Brahma Visnu Maheswar
Nichey Maa basundhara
Madhya khane tumi Nara Narayan”

Dr. Rathin Datta, FRCS (England, Edinburgh & Glasgow).FFIMS (Athens) 

Surgeon & Sports Medicine Specialist

Padmashree Awardee, winner of the Bangladesh liberation war honour 

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