Firoz Khan

Suffering from ninety-five percent liver damage, he was lying powerless on one of the bed in gastrointestinal ward in AIIMS. He kept looking and smiling at me. I felt uncomfortable. I knew the row was full of patients suffering from chronic liver ailments. And somehow, I wanted to escape that place.

Suddenly, he asked me to sit beside him and hold his hand. I kept wondering about his age, his legs were leaner than the thinnest stick i could ever see in life, his eyes as yellow as the yolk contrasting the egg white... his hands were shaking..

I had to go and sit beside him. I asked his name. He suddenly smiled and said" Firoz Khan. The one who was in 'NAAGIN', your eyes are like naagin, your eyes...". I immediately let myself drown into my memory and try to bring out if I ever knew anything about this movie. Unfortunately, i just knew the name and nothing more.

He smiled. He was fourteen years old but he looked like a seven year old child, wanting to go out to play. When I held his hand I realized there was tiny drops of bloods frozen in his fingernails. I was frightened. But I didn't lose my grip.

I left him after he went to sleep.

I learn t from my mother that he was going to have a liver transplant in a few days. His parents hailed from a small village in U.P. but they promised to pay 20 lakh for the surgery.

I had met him on 11th January. He closed his eyes forever on 30th January.

I still remember how he smiled.