*Guru*

*Guru* _Dr. Subhash Munje, surgeon's experience-based book: *Behind the Mask* A stunning and immersive experience. Worth reading in one breath from beginning to end... " *When and in what form the GURU appears is very difficult to say.*" I started my first job at a hospital in Alibaug. Each case provides me new knowledge more than my books. Every patient teaches me something... One afternoon an injured woman came who was pregnant after 11 years of marriage. A bull roaming around the streets of Alibaug had knocked her tummy with its horn. It was a scary sight with part of the woman''s stomach injured and a baby's hand peeping out of the crack of the uterine wall. My mind was in a turmoil. The mother's life could be saved because the stomach wound was not serious. But to sew up the wall of the uterus was unthinkable as it was impossible to place the child's hand back inside. The family's mandate was clear. Save the mother's life. But how could I ignore the call of that little hand which appeared to be asking for help. The operation theatre had a skeletal staff. Apart from me there were two nurses, a compounder and a helper whose job was to sterilize tools. He was middle-aged and an alcoholic but extremely sincere 'n efficient in his work for which the entire staff tolerated him. In the OT, I observed that he was standing quietly behind observing the proceedings. After healing the stomach wound, how do I get that little hand inside was beyond bookish knowledge. It required an innovative approach. The creator has made the Uterine wall so strong that it caeasily, and even if he opened it, then the possibility of the birth and survival of the child from seven month pregnancy, while the mother seemed difficult to come to consciousness, was remote? No option came to mind other than performing surgery. At this point the helper, who was silently watching, all of a sudden came up to me and whispered in my ear, "saheb, there is a way that the hand will automatically move back. I stared at him... Time was precious. Don't know why, but my instinct made me ask him what he had in mind. He asked me to heat the injection needle and touch the hand, and it would immediately retract. Having no other option, I agreed to his suggestion. Praying to God I asked for a hundred apologies from that little one and gathered courage and warmed the needle and pricked it lightly. The miracle happened and the hand immediately withdrew in with a jerk. Rest of the work was easy. I immediately put on the strap by dressing the uterine wall. For two months, I prayed that the child would be safe... and God did not disappoint me either. Two months later, the woman safely delivered in the same hospital. And that little baby was smiling right in my arms..! I consider that helper as my guru. His name was *Sande*. I believe that when there's no cure in the books, God shows the path as a guru in any form as Sande showed me. You won't find his tip in any medical book. In the end, I will say, *This is the will of God.*