A Warning Written in Pain - Glimpses of a Dreaded Old age

Twelve days. Twelve days I have been lying immobilized on a hospital bed, excreting on the bed and waiting for someone to come and clear the urine and faeces, unable to turn sides, heating and dampening the bedsheet beneath, remaining confined to a single room, and living without any immediate purpose but waiting for the wounds to heal. The ordeal flashed images of an aged and ailing me bedridden and dependent on others for even something as elemental as disposing my own waste.

Dreading the prospect of living a life at the mercy of others in my old age, I now feel an intense urge to take care of my body as long as I can. A little bit of effort regularly can be the difference between an independent or dependent life at old age. The timeless wisdom of honoring and caring for our body assumes enormous significance. A dependent, confined, and purposeless life is an unwanted, forced, and painful existence.

I snapped my left leg into two (broke both tibia and fibula) 12 days ago in a bike accident. I am indebted to the strangers on the road who provided me with shade, water, and breeze. They held my broken limb carefully, so they did not inadvertently hurt it further while trying to lift me from the road onto a stretcher. I was then put into an ambulance and whisked away to a nearby hospital. I'm thankful to my older brother, Dr. Sudin Chaudhuri, for immediately tending to me, operating on me, and providing subsequent care for a quick recovery.

After a 12-day stay, I am going home tomorrow. The body remains broken, but the mind is filled with a renewed realization that my future physical autonomy depends on how much I move and nourish my body now.