During the monsoon of 1949, the disease of polio was raging in an epidemic form in and around Bombay. S. M. Banerjee from Calcutta shares an experience about his son who was one and half year old then. The kid was struck with polio and within two days both his legs were paralyzed up to the lumber region so he could neither sit up nor stand.
Polio was considered an epidemic and he was removed to the isolation ward of J J Hospital, Bombay, which was specially allotted for Polio patients by Bombay Municipality and patients were not allowed to be kept at home as it was considered extremely infectious.
After admitting him there, Dr. Cohello, a Child Specialist from Bombay who was the Doctor in charge of the ward sent for me. He too was affected by polio and was paralyzed of lower limbs due to which he walked with crutches. He called me and said “Young man, I have no treatment to offer for your son as I have no medicines for this disease”. Go and pray to God, who alone can do something for your son was his advice.
It was a situation were the mind stops working and every solution offered by others is followed blindly without any reasoning. People who get into trouble cast their eyes in about every direction in a quest for relief; is there no God? Is there no Saint? Is there no Mantra? When S. M. Banerjee grieved if there was not anything that will come to his rescue? He and his wife had a vivid experience.
At such a stage one person in their neighborhood connected with Sai Baba advises them to trust Sai Baba. S. M. Banerjee in distress runs up to Baba with the assurance given by the neighbor that Sai Baba is not only living and helpful but He is the only person that can help one in such junctures. The more vital the need the more strong is the faith. It is the need, as we already stated, that creates faith.
The scenario of the hospital ward was grim and tragic. It was full of children who were struck with Polio. The disease is called ascending polio as it starts from the legs and climbs up the body in quick stages. As soon as it reaches the chest, the child finds difficulty in breathing and starts frothing. At that stage, some of them are put in iron lungs for giving artificial breathing; but if the paralyses spread further to the neck, the child would die
The treatment used was rather painful. The doctors used to extract the spinal fluid from the spinal cord and give very hot fomentation on the spinal cords with the result that the patients used to shout and cry. Only children were provided with beds, but the mothers, most of who had to stay with the children, had either to sit on a stool or sleep on the floor for the whole day and night.
S. M. Banerjee recalls his experience with Baba. Those days he was working with the Central Railways and after completion of his training, he was posted as a leave reserve to gain experience. During this crisis of his son, he could not get leave as the Engineer in charge of Manmad had proceeded on leave, so he was ordered to go there. Hence, after leaving his son and wife at the hospital, he had to proceed to Manmad for work according to rules; he could not leave his Headquarters or Section without permission from the higher authorities. He was only permitted to return to Bombay on week-ends, i.e. Sunday to visit his son and wife.
Just after his arrival at Manmad, one of his Trolley man asked him about his problem and upon hearing the facts told him that there is a tomb of a great saint named Sai Baba, very near at Shirdi and if he prayed to Him, the child will be cured. He gave him a small picture of Sai Baba, which was kept at his bedside table in the Rest House. After this, he used to pray for a few minutes to Sai Baba before going to sleep at night and started visiting his family at Bombay every Sunday.
In the hospital, his wife had to practically sit by the side of her son’s bed on a stool for the whole night. In the morning, after the Doctor’s round was over by 10 am she used to go to a friend’s flat nearby to have bath, food and few hours sleep till 4 P.M. During this period, her mother used to be with the child. This routine continued for three weeks and there was no further improvement or deterioration, in the Childs condition.
On the 21st night, she felt extremely tired and after her son slept, the mother slept soundly on the floor beside his bed. Around midnight, the boy woke up; not seeing his mother he got up sat on the bed and got down on the floor. He stood on his legs and started walking towards his mother. Seeing this, all the nurses rushed and caught him up. But, thereafter, there was no looking back the child got well. He was the first child who came away ‘walking’ from the Polio ward six weeks after admission. It was a miracle as even Dr. Cohello admitted. The Benerjee’s visited Shirdi for thanks giving and since then they are deeply indebted to Sai Baba. The boy is now healthy and subsequently became the Captain of the Cricket team at IIT, Kharagpur in 1969. Today, he is a Chemical Engineer and a U. S. citizen. During their life time they have experienced innumerable miracles of Baba in all the crises life unfolds and are deeply indebted to Him forever.
By S M Benerjee
Source Shri Saileela Magazine
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