Ch27: Rules and Religions
Dutta straightened from her and gave a faint smile but she could see clouds in his eyes. Nakkusha asked him in a gentle voice,"kya hua? Aap kuch pareshan se hain." Dutta opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by his cellphone's ring. He looked sat her apologetically as he took the call. Nakkusha bent to retrieve his coat just as he bent to pick his bag but he stayed crouched down on his knee as his face darkened more listening to the caller. He launched into a torrent of questions and listened intently totally oblivious of Nakku who silently took his things inside.
Dutta changed and came to join his wife for the dinner in a subdued mood. But his eyes lit with pleasure at the fare laid out. He shook his head smiling at her,"Thai?" She blushed with pleasure and nodded towards the cake. He held her hand to cut the cake and fed her a piece lightly tracing her lips lovingly," I am sorry, Nakku. Maine kuch special sa plan kiya tha aaj ke liye..par kuch…bas hospital mein kuch aisa hua kiya sab dimaag se nikal gaya." Nakkusha shook her head,"koi baat nahi, Dutta. Main jaanti hoon aapka kaam kitna jaruri hai. aur mujhe kuch nahi chahiye…ab dekhiye na..aapka mujhe diya hua pahela gift hi mere liye special hai…aapko ye passand aaya yahi gift se kum nahi…aur waise bhi anniversary to har saal ayegi."
Dutta somberly eyed the food on his plate and looked back at her,"nahi har saal pahela anniversary nahi hogi…and its." Nakkusha placed a finger on his lips,"Shhh! Accha theek hai…jab mujhe kuch chahiye hoga..main maang lungi as gift OK?" Dutta smiled,"Ok." Nakkusha looked at him surprised,"arey bina sochey samjhey wadey nahi kartey doctorji…pata hai kya hua tha jab ek raja ne apni patni ko bina sochey vachan diya tha?" Dutta frowned,"Kya?" She lowered her head slanting it sideways playfully,"Mahayudh….Lanka mein aag lagi thi…Ramayan likha gaya tha." Dutta barked with laughter making Nakkusha frown at him,"hasiye mat. Sach mein." Dutta lowered his head grinning at her,"humara koi beta to hai nahi..tu kissey vanvaas pe bhejegi?" Nakkusha gave him a mysterious smile,"kya pata shayad aapko!"
Dutta led Nakkusha on the wide balcony overlooking the busy city roads after dinner. He stood close by the balustrade his hand touching hers. They stood in companionable silence but Nakkusha could feel the restlessness in him even without seeing it on his face. Just like she knew that the sea was there in the distance, waves crashing on the shore but in the dark of the night, with the cacophony of the ever rushing city she couldn't see or hear it.
"Mera charitable hospital wing ka proposal reject kar diya Polystar hospital ke board ne." Dutta turned sideways to her with pain glittering in the dark pools,"Do saal se lardh raha hoon Nakkusha…har tarha ki koshish kar chukka hoon. Proposals, presentations, petitions kuch nahi choda.150 crore ka profit turn out hai hospital ka sirf Mumabi ke branch se. iske alwa Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Vellore kitne shaher hai..London, Istanbul, Singapore, New Jersy kahan pahuch nahi hai inki. Par apne hi desh ke kuch garibo ke liye inke paas jagah nahi hai…na dil mein na isnke business mein. Bas 10 beds ka wing banwana chahta tha. Un logon ke liye jo heart treatment ya bypass surgery afford nahi kar sakte. Jayada se jayada ek ICCU banwana pardhta, kuch life support machines, instruments, medicines us wing ko allot karne pardhtey bas. Doctors khud bina kuch liye wahan kaam karne ko tayar hai…sab charitable labor dena chahtey hai…sab kuch socha samjha hua tha nakku…main Nanavati ka contract khatam karke full time Polystar join kar leta. Exclusive contract bhi sign kar leta joki maine aaj tak kissi hospital ke saath nahi kiya hai. par wo saale… " He bit his lips in frustration and punched the iron rail in impotent rage. Nakkusha instinctively reached out to hold his hand and caressed the pain as she looked in his eyes. She was surprised to see a telltale sign of moisture in them as they glistened," kya ab kuch nahi ho sakta? Hum dubara koshish kartey hai..aur kum jagah maangtey hai…ya kissi aur hospital mein jaake unse baat karte hai. kuch bhi koi to raasta.." Dutta sighed, "sab koshish kar chukka hoon,meetha. Polystar ka ek chariable trust hai..wo har saal kuch ginney chunney patients ko free treatment detey hai. par unfortunately normally ye help un logon tak nahi pahuchti jinhe iski sabse jayada jarurat hai. powerful log ye help unlogon ko available karatey hai..jo unse sifarish kartey hai." Nakkusha crinked her eyes in confusion,"matlab?" Dutta's lips twisted in wry smile,"kissi minister ke party ke sevak ko…ya filmstar ke maali ko…kissi Socialite ke NGO member ko…main ye nahi kehta ki these trusts don't help..par humare desh ki haalat aisi hai, meethu ki hum jitna kar sakey kum hai..we need more, so much more..kitne gaon hai…jahan ek proper checkup center bhi nahi hai. hospital to chord…arey gaon kya..is Mumbai shaher ke aaspaas hi kitne jagah hai, basti hai jahan we need proper medical set ups…kai baar patient ke liye sarkari hospitals mein LSD nahi mil pata…proper machine nahi hotey,medicine nahi hoti. Jarurat bahut jayada hai aur facility kum."
Nakkusha shook her head,"agar private hospitals nahi kar rahe to hum sarkari hospital ke liye kahe to? Wo bhi to aur hospitals khol saktey hai." Dutta nodded,"haan khol saktey hai…infact last year 500crore sanction huye the, latur, Kolhapur,akola in zillo mein hospital kholne ke liye..zameen di thi..aaj un zameeno pe illegal slums hai jo ki government officials ne rent pe di hai.unhi garibo ko…500crore raaton raat aise gayab huye hai jaise chitti cheni ka dheer gayab karti hai. Roti pakki nahi ki sab noch noch ke apna tukra le jaatey hai. aur jo thodey bahut hospital banne hai wahan doctors nahi hai..sharab aur juye ka aada banna hua hai." Nakkusha gasped,"hospital mein? Par doctors kyun nahi hai?" Dutta shook his head,"kyunki koi wahan jaana nahi chahta…aur jaye kyu? Ek sweeper ke salary se kum doctor ko salary denge pig stay ki tarah rehne ke quarter denge to koi bhi aadmi wahan kyun jayega. Infact mujhe khud ko himmat nahi huye thi wahan jaane ki." Nakkusha pressed a hand to his shoulder,"main samajh sakti hoon…aap khud ko itna dosh mat dijiye."
Dutta nodded,"jab wahan jaane ka offer aaya tha..maine maana kar diya tha. Mere paas nanawati, polystar aur GMT hospital chains ke offer the. Fir kuch 3 saal pahele sikkim gaya tha trek pe. Namthung ke paas ek gao hai..local map mein bhi nahi dikhta. Khayuum naam hai. ek monastery or kuch chottey ghar ke alwa kuch nahi. Hum wahan se nikalne wale the ki humare driver ne kaha ki gaon ki ek aurat ko labor ho raha hai, hum log doctor hai to kya thodi madat kar denge. Main aur Bose gaye the. The woman had a cardiac arrest during the labor. Normally aise cases mein hum log hospital mein ready hotey hai to revive the mother. Delivery ke pahele ke checkup mein sab pata chal jata hai to C-section karte hai. normal avoid kartey hai. It's a very normal thing now a days, pressure hike aur adrenaline rush ke karan hota hai labor mein..but it's a normal thing in cities, nakkusha…jahan well equipped medical team hoti hai..epidural hota hai…machine hota hai…wahan kuch nahi tha..humdono jaantey the kya ho raha hai..hum logon ko pata tha kya karne se hum usse baccha saktey the..humne aise cases kitni baar handle kiya tha..par phir bhi hum usse aurat ko baccha nahi paye. Aisa laga jaise exam mein ek bahut padha hua asaan sa question galat kar diya ho."
Nakkusha said softly," par iske bavjood aap gaon mein practice nahi karma chahte?" Dutta closed his eyes," hypocrite keh rahi hai?" Nakkusha shook her head,"nahi bas samjhne ki koshish kar rahi hoon. Agar doctors aisi jagah jayenge hi nahi to wahan ki halat sudhregi kaise?"
"Problem to yahi hai nakkusha, Doctor hona bhi har kissi aur kaam ki tarah hota hai..ek employment hoti hai. Log ek doctor se hamesha samajseva ki umeed rakhte hai. lekin ye nahi samjhte ki ek doctor bhi aapni field mein aagey bardhna chahta hai. jitna main in saalon mein yahan seekh paya hoon utna shayad wahan nahi seekh pata..sabse acchi jagah seekhne ki hoti hai general hospital jahan meine 3saal gujare hai. sabse intricate cases dekhe hai..phir mujhe jarurat thi progressive medical study aur experience ki jo sirf private hospital ki expensive infrastructure de sakta tha..to mien private mein shift kiya..research ke liye paisa liya. Ye gaon mein possible nahi…on the other hand, country ko aise research aur doctors ki bhi jarurat hai. choice aisi hai nakku..ya to samajh ke liye gaon mein jaake roz lardh ke kuch karo..ya aapne career mein aagey bardho which in turn will help the whole humanity."
Nakkusha looked at the moon in the sky," kitabon mein sachai, dharm,karam ki baatein kitni aasani se likhi hoti hai na? par jab un baton ko jeena pardey tab jaan patey hai ki Yudhishtir jaise dharmraj ne bhi adha sach kehne ka paap kyun kiya tha. Itna asaan nahi hai kuch faisale lena. Dharamsankat isse hi kehtey hai." She turned Dutta to face her,"aapne kaha thana Budapest mein…sab black ya white nahi hota..us tarah hi shayad har faisla sirf sahi ya galat nahi hota shayad. Kabhi kabhi paristhiti aisi hoti hai ki har disha sahi aur galat dono ek saath hoti hai..tab humein faisla karke Kanha pe chord dena chahiye. Bas!" She moved to hug him to her, closing her yes. Dutta stopped himself from saying again, that he didn't believe in her Kanha. But it was their anniversary and he didn't want to hurt her anymore. He closed his eyes trying to bear the burden of his decisions.
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He was a tall man, thin with his shoulders hunched forward as if carrying a weight. His salt and pepper beard was unkempt and covered most of his face. Sparkling white teeth peeked from between the facial hair below a long nose which must have broken at sometime in his youth. He looked about fifty years of age. His smiled told that no matter his body's age his heart still was young and cheerful. Deep creases of crowfeet at the corner of dark brown eyes were deep proving that he smiled lot. He was dressed in a checked grey white shirt which needed a wash and brown trousers which were a bit short on his frame ending above his ankles. His hands were joined in formal Namaste with an old creased Westside polybag clutched between them packed with dog-eared papers.
Nakkusha bit her lip as she shook her head again,"jee wo to abhi ghar par nahi hai.""aaj to Sunday hai…koi emergency thi." She shook her head again,"nahi..aisa nahi hai." "ok..actulaly mujhe ek bahut jaruri kaam tha…Dutta se. kab tak ayega koi idea hai?" "jee aise to kuch bata ke nahi gaye…ho sakta hai waqt lagey." He frowned a bit and then his face creased in smile again,"Oh ho ho! Aaj to wo apne club gaya hoga na golf practice ke liye?" He swept back his sleeve frowning at the watch,"subha 10baje gaya hoga to ab adhey ghantey mein aata hoga." Nakkusha's mouth fell open in surprise,"aapko..kaise.." "main bhi us club ka member tha." He flashed his teeth at her,"main uska purana dost hoon…par aapse parichay nahi hua..aap.."
Nakkusha's hand griped the door knob a bit tighter as her left toe unconsciously dug on her shoe-sole,"main..main unki patni hoon." The smile vanished on the stranger's lips as he looked at her stunned his mouth forming a O. He recovered quickly smiling a bit,"Dutta ki patni..usne shaadi kar li..kab?" Nakkusha licked her lips and tried to straighten her spine facing him,"jee mere pati ghar pe nahi hai..security ne neechey kaise nahi bataya pata nahi…par aapko koi kaam ho to aap pahele inhe phone karke appointment le lijiye." "arey arey…beta tum to naraaz ho gayi lagta hai. nai security mujhe pehchanta hai isliye nahi roka..aur dutta ko main phone nahi kar sakta. Dekho mera kaam thoda urgent hai..bahut durr se aaya hoon. Wo aata hi hoga. Tumhe aitraaz na ho to wait kar loon?"
"Jee? Par…" "please… budha hoon.Ab tum mujhe dhoop mein khada rakhogi kya?" he grinned at her. Nakkusha uncertainly looked at him for a minute and then opened the door wider to let him in and pointed at a couch,"inhe call kar deti hoon. Aap baithiye." The man noted with amusement as the little lady nervously left the main door wide open as if it provided some safety and picked up the cordless all the time trying not to meet his eyes. She was mousy little girl, young and skittish like a new foul. She was not a strikingly beautiful woman as dutta's other 'friends' but she had a charming innocent air about her. Her shy without being coy yet intelligence flashed in her eyes. "aapka naam kya bataya?" she asked covering the mouthpiece of the cordless. "nahi bataya, ab tak. Kamesh Raut." She repeated the name and listened a frown creasing her forehead,"haan maine kaha to..par inhone..to main kya inhe nikal deti." She lowered her voice and turned away,"accha theek hai..gusa baad mein hona..abhi aap jaldi aao na! jee! Hmm!"
She turned back to face Kamesh and sat gingerly opposite him,"aarahe hai. chai bolon..Mary!" Kamesh shook his head,"coffee..black..1 sugar." Nakkusha nodded and repeated the order to mary.
Kamesh looked at her kindly,"kya naam hai tumhara beta?" "Nakusha" His eyes narrowed,"nakkusha..aisa naam kyun rakha tumhare mata-pita ne?" Nakkusha shifted uneasily,"maa ko passand tha." Kamesh sighed,"mujhse ghabrao mat..main tumhare pati ka dost hoon…main yahan aaya hoon kai baar." "pichle ek saal mein to nahi aye." Nakkusha bit her lip realizing her faux pass. Kamesh laughed good naturedly,"to tum ek saal se yahan ho? Ek saal ho gaya tum logon ke shaadi ko?" Nakkusha nodded. Mary brought the coffee and scowled at the guest leaving the coffee.
Dutta walked into his room 30minutes later his face dark like thundered. Kamesh stood up with a smile on his face while dutta raised a warning hand at him and turned to Nakkusha. "Tera dimaag kharab hai kya? Kissi ko bhi hark e andar gussa leti hai, tu jaanti hai isko? To ghar ke aandar aaney kaise diya. Have you completely lost your mind? This is not ur damn rajnandgaon,Nakku. He could have been anyone thief,mugger,what not! Kabhi to common sense use kar." Nakkusha's eyes brimmed with tears as she gulped,"inhone kaha ye aapko jaantey hai…aur security ne bhi..""nikame hai wo saale..aur koi kuch bhi bole maan legi?" dutta hissed trying to control his temper and turned to the old man,"maine aapse kahana parso phone pe. Main kuch nahi kar sakta. Sir, aap acchi tarah jaantey ahi ki aap jo kar rahe hai wo illegal hai. and I won't be a part of it. What the hell is meaning of all this!" Kamesh opened his mouth but was interrupted by Dutta again,"I can't make wrong decisions anymore. And this is my home…my family lives here. I don't want any thing going wrong." "Wrong..you mean like it went wrong with me?"Kamesh looked at him with calm eyes. Dutta opened his mouth to answer him but the calmness in the man's eyes silenced him. Kamesh took out a pair of spectacles from his chest pocket and fixed it crookedly on his nose. The glasses had been fixed with the frame with cello-tape, even the bridge was glued and taped. Dutta sighed,"what happened to you was result of what you did wrong. I agree that what happened was unfair to you but doctor hone ke naatey jo aapne kiya wo bhi saahi nahi tha. Aur jo aap kar rahe hai wo bhi galat hai." Kamesh calmly nodded at him,"Theek hai. its your call. You are not my student anymore jisse mein one on one lecture doon. Par Dutta kabhi kabhi kuch faisle insaan ko lene hotey hai jo uske imaan aur dharam se alag ho." Dutta shook his head,"ek doctor ka imaan, sorry to sound melodramatic, is to save his patients. Not to decide who lives and who not. What happened then..""Gave life to one of my patients.""and took away from the other…But who were you to decide who lives..it was not your decision to make.""then whose was it. God's? You are a believer now? Maybe that's what God wanted too. But that's neither here nor there. Tumne to sahi rastey se rules se try kar liya na? kya hua. Kal final verdict aagaya na. Mana kar diya board ne?" Dutta looked at him stunned,"How…did.." "I have my sources. I was a doctor, right? Main samajh sakta hoon kit um hichkicha kyun rahe ho" he shot a soft glance at nakkusha who was trying hard to make head and tail of the converstation. "New responsibilities makes a man cautious. But a doctor's religion and his believe should be bigger and greater than just God. Practical life main Hippocratic takes a different meaning all together. Dutta I always knew what you could do, what you could give to your profession. There is difference between a learned doctor and a talented one. You have a gift of surgery. But you don't have the right to just keep it for the ones who can pay for it." Dutta snorted,"so you want me to do things illegally. Perform surgeries in the backyard of a stable behind barns and drains." Kamesh smiled broadly,"for your religion yes, I do. And come on when did Dutta SriRam Patil ever play by the rules of society." Dutta narrowed his eyes at him,"Dutta never did..but Dr. Patil has always played it by the rules…as he should." Kamesh nodded,"I brought some papers, some case histories you can help with. I'll leave them..either look at them or burn them trash them, whatever! Congratulations on nuptials, Invite nahi kiya par phir bhi." He looked at nakkusha again and smiled,"she is very cute..doesn't suit you at all..she could have done so much better than you." He walked towards nakkusha and placed a hand over her head," bless you beta..sorry I got you in trouble with this ogre. But give him as good as you get, Usha." Nakksuha looked at him confused,"Usha?" Kamesh smiled,"tumhari maa ko nakkusha passand aaya hoga…mujhe nahi aaya..Usha sounds good."
He smiled at them both and walked out of the house. Nakkusha walked to close the door ad turned to her husband.
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Dutta reached for the polybag when a light missile hit him square on his head. He turned to see the missile greet the gravity-a cushion. He turned to meet the fiery brown eyes which looked ready to shoot. "Logon ke saamne chillana jaruri hota hai? haan? Samajhtey kya hai aap,sarduji..Mujhe kya pata hota ki aapka dost hai ki nahi. Haan? Duniyabhar ka bawaal bas ghar aake biwi pe nikalo." She picked another cushion and aimed it at him, missed him by a foot and hit the ceramic figure on the sidetable making it fall with a crash. "Dekha kya kiya aapne…mera murti tordh diya." Dutta looked at her bewildered," Maine? Feeka to tune tha." She screamed back at him,"par aap haatey wahan se dodge kiya mere cushion ko aur us murti ko laga..galti aapki hai." Dutta barked,"main hatta? Billi kahin ki..tu 6 feet ke admi pe nishana nahi laga sakti ye meri galti hai?" She placed her hands on her waist in militant pose,"agar aapko maloom hai mera nishana galat hai to cushion ke samane khud chalk e kyun nahi aaye..main nahi jaanti..ye sab kachra aap saaf karoge aur naya murti bhi laugey..same to same. Warna leelatai aayegi to puchegi ki kaise toota." She said the last in a mumble.
Dutta grinned shaking his head,"Alright alright. La dunga. Bas! and I am sorry I was such a brute." She snorted at him and walked into the kitchen mumbling at men and their obtuseness.
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"Dr.Kamesh Raut was my mentor and teacher During post graduation. Mere liye he was like Amitabh bachchan…a hero. Maine usko hamesha surgery mein assist kiya. Unhe surgery kartey dekhna is like watching a magician at his private show. Main shart laga ke keh sakta hoon ke wo is desh ke sabse mahir cardioplegia cases ke surgeon rahe hongey. " Dutta told nakkusha as they sat on the shores of chowpaty in Bandra. Sun was going down and shore was getting folks of crowds-groups of youngsters, lovers, elders out for a walk, kids building castles and herds of tourists. Nakkusha bit into the roasted cob of corn and licked her lips,"cardio..kya?" Dutta took a bite of her corn avoiding her swatting hand and chewed while wiping the extra salt from corner of his lips,"arey maine leke diya na..mujhse to share kar!" Nakkusha turned her nose up,"apna wala lena tha..ye mera hai. haan bolo na.cardio kya?" Dutta gulped and continued,"cardioplegia ek procedure hai jismein heart ko paralyze kartey hai takki uspe surgery kar sake..cardioplegia ek medicine hoti hai..pahele wo inject kareke dil ki dhadkan bandh kartey hai, life support lagatey hai takki patient zinda rahe stable rahe..phir dil ko jamadete hai..aur surgery kartey ha…phir sabkuch hone ke baad. Dil ko revive kartey hai. life support hatta dete hai, bas!" Nakkusha gulped her eyes wide,"bas?" Dutta too advantage of her shock and sneaked in another bit,"hmm..haan par kabhi kabhi.." he swallowed and spoke up again,"kabhi kabhi jab revive karma mushkil ho jata hai tab as last resort doctor kabhi kabhi dill ko apne haath se masalta ha..jaise tu aata gundhtey waqt masalti hai waise." He swallowed his amusement as nakkusha handed him her corn,"err..suiye ye kha lo..meri bhuk maar gayi." Dutta tsked and took the cob biting on his enthusiastically. She looked at him doubtfully,"sachi aisa hota hai?" dutta nodded,"aur jab hota hai to doctor ki bahut fatati hai..aisa lagta hai kaan sunn hogaya hai aur hum aapna dill khud masal rahe hai. ek aur process hota hai navjaath matlab newborn babies pe. Unke dil ka partition bandh karne ke liye blood pressure 60 pe latey hai..kuch hi second mein saara fix karma pardhta hai..warna dimag mein khoon ki kami se maut ho sakti hai ya baccha mentally challenged ho sakta hai…isliye immediately pressure fir bardhana hota hai..tab aisi feeling aati hai jaise sachin ka sixer walla shot Pakistan ke fielder ke haath mein gir raha ho…and you keep praying for a drop and the run. "
Nakkusha looked at him with worshipful eyes,"aapne bhi aise surgeries ki hai kya,tilluji?" Dutta nodded and looked around,"chuski khani hai?" She nodded smiling at him as he got up to get two ice-candies,"kalakhatta aur rose" she shouted at him. When he came back with the candies she asked again,"to aapke catch chut gaye naa.mera matlab aapke wo surgeries…" she looked at him still holdig her candy. He nodded,"shukar hai..ki har baar catch drop hua hai aur mera run pura hua hai." Nakkusha wrinkled her nose,"aap jaisa aadmi hi aise serious baat ko cricket se compare karega. To phir bolo na kamlesh ji ka kya hua. Kya keh rahe the wo?" Dutta tossed a frisbee that had landed near his leg back to the young girls who were playing, one of them flashing him a wide smile. Dutta grinned behind his aviators and turned back to nakkusha contemplating kissing her rose red lips. He concentrated on her question and answered calmly,"Ab Kamlesh sir doctor nahi rahe." Nakkusha laughed,"hatt aisa thodi hota..actor hamesha actor hota hai..painter hamesha painter aur doctor hamesha doctor." Dutta looked at the setting sun pushing his aviators back on the bridege of his nose thoughtfully licking the ice-candy which began tasting like ash in his mouth thinking about Kamlesh Raut- the magician, the marvelous surgeon who had molded him to be everything he was today. "hota hai nakkusha..doctor hona sirf wo padhai nahi hoti..doctor ka label ek licence hota…to practice medicine and surgery….agar wo licence cancel ho gaya to doctor doctor nahi rehta…wo bhi kissi bekar berozgar aadmi ho jata hai. Humare sabse brilliant doctor Kamlesh raut ka license bhi hamesha ke liye cancel kar diya gaya hai.4saal pahele malpractice ke aroop mein..ab wo practice nahi kar saktey..kanoonan to nahi…par Sir kanoon ko nahi dekhtey…wo aaj bhi malpractice kar rahe hai. "
………..To be continued
Brilliant update Shilpita, Loved it! Bechara Dutta. It must be soo dishearting to work towards something worthwhile for so long and not able to achieve it. However, I'm glad he has Nakku to support him thru he's troubles,..
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