प्रार्थना | prarthana | prayer

Arriving early on a Wednesday. I had caught wind of a daily morning prayer that was conducted by the nurses before beginning the day at SCEH, and after waiting for a while, thought maybe I had missed it. I lingered outside the OT in which the machines were humming away already. The hospital staff engaged in their morning routines around me. Submitting to the notion that the prayer had been and gone, I headed to start my work when, suddenly, I heard low and gentle voices singing in unison.

In the corridor, a meditative scene accompanied the delicately reverberating song. The participants had formed a circle with eyes closed, some frowning in thought or concentration, and some smiling. A shared moment of solidarity, peace and commitment before seeing hundreds of patients. Some unseeing. Once the prayer concluded, the participants disbanded without trace as though swept away by routine. Though, some feeling remained where they had been.

The prayer was for the best outcome for the patients who would be in their care that day.

In the OT I reflect on something that was presented during a meeting with one of SCEH’s international charity partners – a story of an infant patient with a young mother, who was not reminded to attend follow-up appointments for treatment following an operation. This resulted in a decline in the patient’s sight despite the surgery. Later on, a patient was brought into the OT who was allergic in some way to anaesthetics, and had to be awake and conscious for their operation.

My Wednesday tiffin is still regularly empty by 11:30 or so. In the corridors, members of SCEH’s staff not all that known to me are now giving me nods. Some have approached with ideas for Art of Sevā and some have even submitted their own content. You can’t help but to feel a buzz projected by so many individuals which does so much to reinforce the mission which every person here is striving for.