A particular tooth of mine has been giving me trouble for the past few days. Owing to this, I found myself in a dream where I went for a dental check up with my parents... However, the check-up turned out to be of something else in my mind. I dread visiting dentists and usually avoid paying them a visit, no matter how urgent the need might be. But in the dream I was quite excited about the entire procedure.
I saw I was being taken to a dentist who sits in an old building that had a structure very much similar to Kolkata’s Writer’s Building; with the red bricks and all. The system of check-up in this place was akin to PG or any other Government hospital, where you need to buy a ticket with a nominal fare and wait for your turn. I was pleasantly sitting inside a huge hall with no patients around but patiently waiting for my turn to arrive. (God knows why!) Finally, I was called and accompanied by my mother, I went inside. During check-up, the doctor found cavity in my tooth. In a bid to explain details about what can be done about that tooth, he made a dent on one of the tooth walls. Though, it was supposed to be painful, I didn’t feel a thing. The dent didn’t seem enough for the doctor and he jotted down few tests I had to do that day from that clinic only, to help him suggest proper treatment. Suddenly, out of nowhere my father stepped into the scenario asking for tests to be conducted at a cheaper rate as we enjoy health benefits from Central Government Health Scheme. After a stiff conversation between the dentist and my father, and a lot of shouting on my father’s part as well, we came to the conclusion that tests had to be done that day from that place only. Asking my mother to wait in that hall, my father took me upstairs where the tests would be conducted. I don’t know since when blood tests became a parameter for analysing tooth condition, but I was asked to get it done. Fuming, I went upstairs with my father and found a huge room full of people waiting for the same purpose; various sorts of testing. The section where payments were made had a long queue and when our turn came, we were given a slip with one of the songs by Rabindranath Tagore written on it. Bewildered I asked the man at the counter, “what am I supposed to do with it?” Casually he replied, “Sing of course”. More confusion on my part. I clarified that I went for a blood test and not for vocals. Then he explained the scenario to me that everyone present in that room had to sing their way out of that room to the next room where they would be given the actual test. As if this was not weird enough, my father took the slip and asked me to start practicing so that I can sing well. Utterly puzzled, I said to my father that I don’t know lyrics or tune of that song and can’t sing it. To this, he became all excited and said, “Don’t worry, I will teach it and you can learn”. Frantically, I told my father that I am not going to learn a new song for this purpose. Just then, to save the day, the man at the counter emerged in front of us and informed that they have Gitabitan (repository of Tagore’s songs) with them as well to help people who struggle with song lyrics. If I wanted I could take a look at it and decide on a song I know. Still wondering why I was going through this, I made my way to the section where Gitabitan was resting proudly. There I met a friend of mine from college who was also there for the same purpose. She was happily humming lines of a song she had chosen and asked me to join her. After all, why take the trouble of searching another song when you can sing along. I asked, “Are we allowed to do that?” A man sitting beside confirmed that indeed, duets were most welcome. Relieved that I didn’t have to learn a new song or search lyrics of the one I knew a little bit my friend and I starting singing, “Pagla Hawa Badol Dine…”and made our way to the next room. Now, as expected this should have been the room where the real test was being done on patients. But, as I stepped into this room, I saw I am at the gateway of an ancient temple. Although, the entire temple and its surroundings were quaint, it was nicely maintained and exuded a peaceful aura. A woman clad in hospital uniform came to us and said, “Well, sit down! You have arrived at the right time for Bhog. We will be serving it shortly.” Happily I sat and was thinking if my parents could have accompanied me to this temple, they would have felt elated. But a tiny feeling that worked in the back of my mind even in the dream was how I can go back. And pain? My tooth pain??!!! The reason I landed in this dream in the first place, I can’t remember I had it at all…: P I was completely at a loss when I woke up. An appointment with the dentist… how can it lead to the following events that I became a part of, in my dream? No matter how much I have become adjusted to the fact that I see bizarre dreams, each dream reinforces the fact more strongly. In true sense of the Bengali phrase, “Golper goru gache chore”; cows of my dreams not only can climb trees, but know how to successfully make their way for the universe. :) |
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