I was busy repairing the display system of the endoscopy camera in the room adjacent to the emergency OT along with another colleague who looks after that work, when in walked a professor who was working in that OT that day.
"Hello" I said and went back to my work. That Professor was on a mobile phone, but must have seen me and heard the hello. Our work continued. Since it was quite absorbing, we did not pay much attention to the said Professor. After a few minutes, we heard:
"Kee-eeyagh-krum-arrrgh."
We were startled. We turned towards the source of the weird noise and found that our Professor had made tha noise. The mobile phone conversation was apparently over, and the Professor was standing, looking at us. Since there was no sign of any ill health, I said "you made that noise? What happened to you?"
"I also got worried" said the colleague working with me.
The said Professor did not answer, and continued to look healthy. So we went back to our work. The Professor went away, probably back to the OT.
When I related this story to my wife over tea that evening, she said "is this the first time such thing happened to that Professor?" My wife is a family physician and has extensive clinical experience. Her question was clinical rather than conversational.
I thought over and said, "No. The same noise was made by that professor about six months ago."
"Are you sure it is not the ring tone of that Professor's cell phone?" she asked.
That was a new thought. But it wasn't a ringtone. "It was not a ringtone. It was made only twice in last one year, while that Professor's phone rings in normal tones regularly. Besides, everyone around the Professor would have gone crazy if that were a ringtone."
Does this Professor make any other inappropriate noises?" she asked.
I thought about that one. "Yes. If we are sitting in the staff room or office and this Professor arrives, and is not greeted by anyone, that Professor coughs tow or three times."
"Dry cough or productive cough?" she asked.
"Dry cough" I said.
"This is attention seeking behavior" she said.
"Thanks for confirming my diagnosis" I said.
