The Dentist and Rat Trap

“Only 30 rupees, only 30 rupees, other places you get it for 35 or 40 rupees”

He spoke in the microphone and the announcement weakly resonated from a concealed speaker. The worn out mike, the wire tapped at several places, did its work of pulling the crowd, the pedestrians. Several mouse traps with glue pad lay jumbled on a ‘falling to pieces’ plastic table.

“Don’t touch the centre of the pad where the glue is” instructed the street vendor to the curious onlookers.

“No poison, no cakes or biscuits, the rat would not go into a hiding to die, it dies just on the pad” the benefits and features were unfolded to the passer-byes.

Even before one could observe further, few of his wares were already sold.

Just beside, on a smaller table lay an opened suitcase; it contained several miniature bottles, cotton, inspection mirror, pick and tartar, sickle scalar, plaque scarper. It was a dentist instrument kit for he was a dentist too.

Sunil Saha, which is what his name is, had always been a road side dentist.

“I have been practising for the last 28 years in the same place” muttered the dentist while poking his fingers and instruments into the mouth of a man in agony.

“Sit still, if you fall and break your head, I cannot repair it” quipped Sunil to the man struggling to sit on the crumbling plastic stool.

“I have a miraculous ointment which would mysteriously fly the ache” he announced in the mike while applying the wonder oil with cotton in the troubled tooth. The man in agony now looked cheerful; was it the wonder oil or the prying eyes of the onlookers or both that did the magic remained unknown.

“Business has been dwindling ever since the Writers shifted from here, so to make up the loss I sell such stuff like rat trap” revealed the dentist.

“Bigger the Ilish(fish) bigger the price” he answered when asked about his fee. He didn’t have a fixed rate; it is according to the pocket of the patient.

“There was a time when my brother use to make the announcements and I use to service patients, such was the rush and the money was good” reminisced Sunil.

53 years old Sunil Saha travels daily from Sodhpur, one hour journey, to make his living. He has a daughter and an old father at home to look after.

The pavement beside St Stephens building in Dalhousie swarms with people, road side shops selling their wares on either side of the narrow path but Sunil Saha’s humble makeshift shop with a worn out banner and few ancient furniture stands apart.

The dismal setup may not attract people who can afford. But, he is a doctor not quack for the poor in pain.