आजारी पडण्याचा प्रयोग The Experiment of Falling Sick

मुलाच्या घरात नेहमी कुणीतरी आजारी असते - कधी आई, कधी बाबा, कधी दादा. आजारी पडलेल्या माणसाला संत्री, मोसंबी, शिरा असा चांगला खाऊ मिळतो, जो मुलगा 'औषध' समजतो. आपण मात्र कधीच आजारी पडलो नाही, याची त्याला मोठी लाज वाटते.

In the boy's house, someone or the other is always ill, so he has grown used to illness and the special treats that come with it. He thinks of the fruits and shira given to sick family members as 'medicine', though he himself is strictly forbidden from eating them. He feels deeply ashamed that he has never once fallen sick.

मुलाला वाटते की घरातली माणसेच स्वतः इतक्या वेळा आजारी पडतात, म्हणून आपल्या वाटणीला आजारपण येतच नाही. त्यांच्या या 'स्वार्थीपणाचा' मुलाला राग येतो. शेवटी तो ठरवतो की आपण स्वतःहून आजारी पडायचे आणि डॉक्टरांकडून औषध आणायचेच.

As the grown-ups at home keep falling ill turn after turn, the boy begins to feel that a share of illness will simply never come to him, and this troubles him a great deal. He finally makes up his firm resolve that from now on he will himself fall sick and rightfully earn medicine from the doctor, so along with the family's bottles he sneaks along one blank bottle of his own and heads for the clinic.

डॉक्टरांकडे गेल्यावर मुलाला गुलगुलीत खाटेवर झोपायला मिळते, जे त्याला यापूर्वी कधीच मिळाले नव्हते. डॉक्टर त्याला इकडे-तिकडे वळायला सांगतात, छातीवर नळी लावतात आणि जीभ बघतात. हे सगळे अनुभवताना मुलाला खूप आनंद होतो आणि त्याला 'धन्य धन्य' वाटू लागते.

On reaching the clinic, the doctor tells the boy to lie down on the soft bed, an experience he has never had before, and this fills him with special joy. The doctor makes him turn this way and that, places a tube on his chest and examines his tongue, and feeling that he is finally getting a genuine sick-person's check-up, the boy feels utterly blessed and delighted.

आपल्या धाडसाच्या भरात मुलगा डॉक्टरांना इंजेक्शन आणि ऑपरेशन करण्याचीही विनंती करतो, कारण त्याला वाटते की या मोठ्या गोष्टींनी घरी सगळ्यांना दाखवता येईल. पण डॉक्टर तपासून सांगतात की त्याची तब्येत अगदी ठणठणीत आहे आणि त्याला काहीही झालेले नाही, म्हणून औषध न देताच घरी पाठवून देतात. यामुळे मुलाची फार निराशा होते.

Carried away by his own naive boldness, the boy even asks the doctor for an injection and an operation, because he has seen grown-ups proudly show off the marks these leave. But the doctor examines him and states plainly that nothing is wrong with him and that he is perfectly fit, so he sends him home without any medicine at all, and the boy is left utterly disappointed as his whole plan collapses.