भारतीय जनसंचार संस्थान के छात्र रहे ऋत्विक कुकरेजा ने कलम की दुनिया में प्रवेश अपनी पहली किताब 'बियोंड हिट एंड मिस' से किया है। उनकी किताब मेडिकल साइंस की दुनिया और डॉक्टरों के जीवन की गहराइयों से आम पाठक का परिचय करवाता है। कहानी में पुराने पड़ चुके मेडिकल पाठ्यक्रम, अंग-दान के महत्व और डॉक्टरी के पेशे में ब्रेन-ड्रेन जैसे मुद्दों को उठाया गया है।
इसकी कहानी चार मेडिकल स्टूडेंट्स(आर्यन, रोहन, तरुण और यश) के इर्द-गिर्द घूमती है जो बडे-बड़े सपनों के साथ अपनी डॉक्टरी जीवन की शुरूआत करते हैं। मेडिकल कॉलेज में दाखिले के बाद वे चारों इस दुनिया की हकीक़तों से दो-चार होते हैं। वे देखते हैं कि जो पाठ्यक्रम उन्हे पढ़ाया जा रहा है वो करीब एक सदी पुराना है और पूरा ज़ोर पाठ्यक्रम को तोते की तरह रटाने पर है। वे इसके खिलाफ आवाज भी उठाते है लेकिन कोई फायदा नहीं होता। इस तरह कहानी आगे बढ़ती है और डॉक्टरों के निजी और व्यवसायिक जीवन की परेशानियों से हमें बावस्ता कराती है।
डॉक्टरों के परिवार से ताल्लुक रखने वाले 24 वर्षीय ऋत्विक कहते है कि वे बचपन से ही अपने पिता और उनके डॉक्टर मित्रों को अपने अनुभव साझा करते हुए सुनते रहे हैं। ऐसे माहौल में रहने के कारण ही वे मेडिकल साइंस की दुनिया और इस पेशे की बारीकियों से अवगत होते रहे, जिसे उन्होनें एक कहानी के रूप में पेश किया है।
ऋत्विक कहते हैं कि लोगों को शिक्षित करने का एक माध्यम मनोरंजन भी है। इसलिए उन्होनें ऐसी मनोरंजक कहानी लिखी है जो मेडिकल दुनिया के मुद्दों को उठाती है और आम लोगों को उसकी वास्तविकताओं से परिचित कराती है। वे कहते हैं कि ये उपन्यास लिख कर उन्होनें पत्रकारिता के तीन मूल लक्ष्यों, लोगों को सूचित करना, लोगों को शिक्षित करना और लोगों का मनोरंजन करना, को भी पूरा किया है।
'बियोंड हिट एंड मिस' की एक झलकः
It was an ashen Monday afternoon in Paharganj. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of perhaps the busiest place in the Indian capital was this lodge. It had a big neon sign banner that read ‘All Luxuries Villa’ – quite an ironic name for a rundown motel though. It neither had any luxuries nor was it a villa.
Samir, a young man emerged out of the motel. He was a clean-shaven, 30-something man. He was dressed casually in blue tee and jeans and carried a green duffel bag. He summoned a taxi. “Delhi Central Hospital,” he instructed in a hoarse voice and the taxi driver nodded.
It was a 20-minute drive to the hospital. As soon as he began his journey, he vigorously started scribbling on a notepad and he was busy taking pictures with his mobile phone. He was obviously acting all touristy. But do tourists write? Duh!…of course, they write travelogues. But why was he going to a hospital? Hospitals are not always part of city tours. He appeared visibly healthy; maybe he was visiting a relative in the hospital. That also explains the grimness on his face.
“Sir, kaha se ho? Shehar mein naye lagte ho?” taxi driver tried striking a conversation during the short journey but Samir did not deign to reply.
A short while later, Taxi dropped him off in front of a plush overwhelming building; it was Delhi Central Hospital, perhaps the best medical institution in the country. It was a 400-bed super specialty hospital with the best doctors in the country. If a political neta or some bollywood bigwig were to go under the knife, they would blindly pick this hospital. Try asking one? Such was the reputation it carried. It was spread on a few acres of land and had well kept gardens around it. As soon as he got off the cab, he resumed what he had been doing, taking pictures of the surroundings. Shouldn’t he visit his relative first or finish whatever he had come to do and take the pictures later?
While he wandered aimlessly around the hospital taking random pictures, he came to a sudden notice of Aryan, a doctor who was casually peering through the window from the fifth floor of the hospital. Aryan, crept up to the window and locked his eyes on Samir to have a better look at the man. And when he did, it literally sent shivers down his spine. He was flooded with fear.
“Oh my God! Yeh Samir yahaan pe kya kar raha hai?” Aryan mumbled to himself, his voice was completely choked with fright. “How did he get to know that I was here?” Memories of an indelible episode that took place more than a decade ago, started flashing in front of him. Haunting him, scaring the living daylights out of him. This was the same man who had brutally beaten him and put a gun to his head. Samir had threatened to kill Aryan.
Meanwhile, Samir went into the parking lot, which was adjacent to the garden, he leaned against an SUV and started stroking his pen on the notepad. The SUV belonged to Aryan.
Aryan rushed back to the desk, where the intercom phone was kept. He punched in the extension number of the PRO. He gave a brief description of Samir and asked the PR officer to check on him. Aryan ran back to the window only to find that Samir was nowhere to be seen. Aryan ran his eyes rapidly across the front side. Still nothing. The hair on the back of his neck bristled.
His face and body were soaking with sweat. Suddenly, Samir emerged from the back of Aryan’s SUV shifting his duffel bag on his shoulders.
Oh my God…what was he doing behind my car? Aryan wondered as his heart slammed into his mouth.
Samir closed the notepad, placed the pen into his front pocket and started walking towards the reception’s entrance.
“How can I help you, Sir” the PRO greeted Samir as he entered the reception. The officer specially reaching him to inquire about his visit had discomforted Samir. “I am doing fine, thank you” Samir tried to shirk away.
“Could I know what brings you here, Sir?” The PRO relented. Samir had no answer.
“Are you here to see anybody, any relative?”
“Relllaatttive, Yes Relative; I’ve come to see a relative”
“What room is it, Sir”?
“Room no. 691. I’ve got to go see him.” Samir dodged his questions and hurried towards the elevator.
“Sir, it is on the 6th floor, take first left from the lobby.”
Samir nodded and willed his mouth into an artificial smile. PRO reverted to Aryan and told him about the purpose of man’s visit. Aryan was befuddled. Aryan quickly called up the Reception and blurted as soon as the receptionist picked up the phone,
“Sister, who is admitted in Room 691?”
“Just a moment, Doc” Receptionist said. After a pause, she replied “Sir! The room 691 is under renovation, it’s been out of operation for a week now.”………
