Comment from

D V R Rao (Nani)
Pune      

       Jogi babu has written a very relevant story.  everybody wants to live long without realizing that they themselves cannot really enjoy life as they grow much older and also they become a burden on the younger people who necessarily need to feed and support them.

        There is a little known genetic reason too.  gene mutation to incorporate better qualities and capabilities can only happen if more and more new births take place.  if people live to be 200 years on an average, then the mutations will be that much less frequent and human development will be that much slower.

EUREKA!

           Dr. Jogendranath, Retired Professor of Pharmacology, was working late night at his Pharmacy Laboratory in his flat on a Sunday. Out of sheer joy, he yelled, ‘Eureka!’ and happily started singing his favourite song, ‘Zindegi Ek Safar Hai Suhana’. For the last twenty-five years he has devoted all his time and energy on his favourite experiment to find out a drug which could prolong the span of human life to two hundred years. As a matter of fact he successfully found out the formula for this drug fifteen years ago. But it took him ten years to make experimental trials on rabbits and monkeys. He himself has been taking this drug for the last ten years and for all these years he never suffered from even common cold. He made this drug in tablet form which is to be taken once a week. As long as a person takes this tablet, he will be free from all types of diseases including cancer. But this drug can not stop ageing process i.e. senility changes in a person. That night he was extremely happy because he could come out with a better and correct formula for the drug so that it will be within the reach of common man.  

      Confidentially he has discussed about this drug with a Multinational Pharmaceutical Company. The company is ready to pay a huge amount of money for the formula apart from ten percent of the profits as his Patent Rights. Soon he is going to become one of the richest persons in the world. With these pleasant thoughts he went to sleep.

         The next day the head lines of the newspaper caught his attention. The headline was printed in bold letters- ‘Population of Senior Citizens above the Age of Ninety Constitute Fifty Percent of the Total World Population.’ In the next two years it is expected to cross seventy percent. Then he read another news item- ‘The UNO Expresses its Concern over Acute Water and Food Shortage in the World.’ The views expressed by the UNO representatives of different countries were almost same. They felt that the root cause of this acute shortage is due to growing population of old people. The UNO has set up a high level panel consisting of representatives from all the countries to discuss about this acute problem and to come out with a practical solution for it.

        Suddenly he woke up from his sleep in a cold sweat. After a few minutes he realized that it was only a dream. He again went to sleep only to see the wildest dream of his life.

   

A huge black coloured bus arrived at his housing complex to take him. After bidding good bye to his near and dear ones, he boarded the bus. The bus was already filled with old people who had just celebrated their hundredth birthday like him. They were all looking calm. The bus took them to the outskirts of the city and stopped at a huge dome shaped building. As soon as they came out of the bus, the security guards wearing black helmets with gas protective masks accompanied them to the building. They requested the women to assemble at Hall No-1 and men at Hall No-2.

      As soon as they entered the hall, in no time the lights were off. It was pitch dark. Then he heard a pleasant voice from loud speakers- ‘ladies and gentlemen, do not get panicky. In a few seconds we are going to release the gas. All you have to do is to take deep breaths. It will make your final journey easy.’ In a few seconds jets of gas coming from different outlets filled the hall. There was pin drop silence in the hall. No sobbing or crying. He started taking deep inhalation. He felt breathless and choked. He became suffocated.

     Dr. Jogendranath woke up from sleep. He was very much frightened and sweating all over his body. He got up from his bed and drank a glass of cold water. Then he went into his laboratory and sat on his favourite rocking chair. After ten minutes, he came to a decision and looked very much relaxed.

      He gathered all his research work papers which contained all the formulas of his Wonder Drug. He put them all into porcelain jar, poured ethyl alcohol over it and switched on his lighter. In no time there were big flames in the room. He did not feel sorry to see all his twenty-five years of research work on Wonder Drug turning into ashes.

      He came back to his bed room. He was feeling very much tired. As soon as he lay down on the bed, he was in sound sleep with no more horror dreams.

                                          Dr.D.J.J. Swamy

                                                      (Jogibabu)

                                                    Berhampur