Baby Nafisa’s beatific, confident smile after her cleft lip surgery ,her grandmother’s toothless grateful smile , Noyonika,the model’s ravishing smile first with a hint of anxiety then relieved and doubly radiant after her biopsy was negative for cancer, her receptionist’s admonishing ,weary smile after a day full of appointments, her daughter’s welcoming smile back home-all in a day’s work for Dr Nidhi, the surgeon.
Nidhi removed her mask ,the mirror reflecting her crooked smile almost a grimace after the facial nerve palsy- a grim reminder of abuse,power ,patriarchy .Some smiles had sad back stories,not all smiles could be fixed.