The Weight of 8 cm
Circa 2002. After parking his car in a distant field, a 33-year-old man stands at the gate of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur OPD , scanning the road. He waits for his wife and daughter, who soon arrive on a packed DTC bus, sweat clinging to their foreheads from the relentless heat. Without a word, the three hold hands and make their way through the crammed hospital corridor, stepping past patients sitting or lying on the floor, waiting for their turn. The air smells of antiseptic. Moving past the weary crowd, they go through the never-ending corridors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) , the country’s largest hospital. Hours pass in the suffocating waiting area before their number is finally called. They step into a small examination room—just a table, a chair, and a stack of papers scattered on the desk. The doctor enters, readjusting his coat. "Sorry, I was stuck in surgery," he says, in a neutral tone. Another case of...