Not complaining !

I looked back at my posts on my blog so far. What I saw actually embarassed me. I was basically complaining. Complaining about anything and everything. About people, situations, habits, likes and dislikes. So today I thought, I will not complain for once!

Why do I complain? Rather why do we complain? I think it is a human tendency to take others for granted and believe that "I" am always right. I too have been a victim of this "I" syndrome. People try to change the world rather than try to change self, which in fact is a lot easier. So should we always change self? I don't want to sit on judgement on this issue as of now.

Why do I write a blog? I enjoy writing and don't really bother if nobody ever reads it. But I will be happy if friends read me and air their views and correct me where it is necessary. I have always appreciated honest criticism from friends. Only good friends do that. Good suggestions too are like tonic to a thinking mind. My dear friend Murali did just that the other day. And I am learning to shorten my sentences!

I am surprised by what I write. What I write is totally contrary to my actual personality and nature. Those who know me, will understand this. I am a very happy-go-lucky character who rarely takes anything seriously. At least on the surface, I am pretty calm and prefer to laugh a lot. My Orkut profile reads thus, "A Doctor who loves to live, love and laugh; Because laughter is the best medicine!" Though I do have problems with temper, I can never be too serious for too long. That is what I thought until recently!

I lost my Uncle recently. He fought with long time Diabetes, Heart disease and Kidney failure and age related illnesses. He was a great fighter and was a fabulous human being. I will need a seperate post to write about him. But let me say this for now. He was my "Mentor, Godfather and the most influencial person in my life".

On that fateful day, when his son came out of the ICCU crying "Govindu, he is gone", for a moment it was like I was not there at all. I was not able to react. Then people started pouring in. Many were coming and telling me things and many were asking for things. Nothing registered on my mind and to this day, I don't remember much of what happened on 24 February 2009. But later when I was alone, I realized what had happened. I went to my room in my hospital and took some tea and breakfast and then broke down like a child. After that on several occasions I have lost my ability to control my tears. I was in a state of mourning that I have never experienced before. But as the saying goes, time is a great healer!

I have loved him, disagreed with him and many a times felt bad when he scolded me. But during all times, I have realized the strength of this man and the affection he had for me and many like me. I have no hesitation in saying this: I miss him and will miss him all life. But I am not complaining. To whom can I complain? And I know he will never come back.

So I conclude this post with the saying: Live, love and Laugh a lot. Enjoy your life. There is plenty of time to be dead! Live as though it were your last day on earth, you will be right some day!

Why the Elevator downstairs?

I work in a private Hospital in the heart of Kochi city. This is a modest middle level Hospital with most of the Speciality Departments. We have an old building with OP Block on the ground floor and two floors of wards above. Then we have a new block added to the old one. This block has four floors and a roof top auditorium on the fifth. We also have added a new building in an adjoining plot that is connected to main building by a bridge.

Why am I giving so many details? Well, we have two lifts that work full time for all the people coming to the hospital. We have rules and boards which say that the lift is only for the use of patients. My problem is not with the lifts but with those people who use the lifts.

Our nursing staff mostly consists of young people like the population of our country. Over half of the girls are below the age of 25 years. Many of them are barely 18 to 20 and are students of our Nursing School. I see them everyday, coming to the hospital with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. Even though some of them live in substandard hostels and work through inhuman hours, they don't lack the fizz that you expect in this age group. That is the beauty of this age. But they have problems too. I understand their worries and problems to a certain extent. I have many a times taken up their issues with the management for providing them with a better quality of life.

But one thing about these young people annoys me very much. They all wait for the lift! Now people may ask what is wrong in that? I too take the lift if I have to go to the top floor in a hurry. I try to avoid taking the elevator when I am not in a hurry. I don't have issues with people waiting for the lift to go upstairs. It is when I see little girls wait for several minutes for the lift to go downstairs. How can young people waste so much of time waiting for the lift when climbing down the staircase is such an easy option? I repeatedly question this attitude of the youngsters. I admonish them too saying, " Why on earth do you people waste time like this?". For all we know, sometimes the time they waste thus may affect the patient care.

But in spite of several requests, I see no change in the attitude of people. I don't bother about the forty plus staff at all, but why the youth? This is a time when they should be on the move and achieve things in life. Readers please don't think these are rantings of an oldie against generation next. I am not senile. I never take the elevator downstairs, but always climb down. And except for absolute emergencies and when the lift is readily available I don't take the elevator upstairs too. So I preach what I practiceI

What I feel and write here is not only for our hospital, but is applicable to anywhere and everywhere in the world. Young and healthy people of the world, please don't waste time waiting for the lift downstairs. Climbing down the staircase takes much lesser time than the actual time we waste waiting for the elevator.

Is anyone hearing? And if yes, does anyone care?

Sri Ram Sena... Please Listen

Recently there was a huge outcry all over India about Sri Rama Sena of Pramod Muthalik attacking pub-going girls. My mother and uncle who both hail from place close to Mangalore were vociferous in their reaction.

Uncle told Muthalik is right. These pub-going people are spoiling our culture. They are violating and harming our religion. And how the media, government and Christians have created unholy nexus and are progressively polluting our society. The girls are being outraged, raped, secretly taped and then forced into prostitution. I tried to reason with my Uncle, that may be he has a point or two; but is violence the way to sort out this problem. He came out with several facile answers. One of the complaint was that, even if Muthalik and people went to press or visual media with proof against the polluting people, they will not get the support and will be blacked out. The entire media except the vernacular media was against Hindus. And a lot of things like that. But I still persisted with, "Still you can't go and attack girls in pubs, you can approach the parents and try to convince them about keeping a watch on their wards". But my Uncle was not at all convinced and he gave the verdict: " You know Nothing. absolutely NOTHING"

Well, after he went back to his place, I started thinking:
"What exactly do these Rama Sena people think about our culture?"
I have some questions...
* Is it alright for a man to drink to his fill and fall on roads?
* Is it fine if a drunken man comes home and beats up his wife and children and never supports them in any manner?
* Is it alright for the poor labour class people to go to arrack shops and drink that horrible stuff?
* Is drinking in pubs the only way because of which our culture gets spoiled?
* Is it fine if boys drink alcohol at pubs or elsewhere?
* Was the modesty of our girls and women safe before the advent of pubs?

I have seen so many of those Brigands belonging to the "Kama Sena" who harass girls, young women and even aged women. My mother at the age of 57 was targetted by a dirty scoundrel in a Cinema hall before I gave him the medicine.

Now... My sincere suggestion to the Rama Sena people...
Only the hand that protects has the right to punish! The parents of the errant children are the ones protecting them. So it is the parents who have to decide what should be done with their children. And if you people are so much concerned about our culture and the modesty of our women... Please don't look at Rama, but rather at his brother Lakshman. This was such a pious man that he never looked at the face of his Sister-in-law Seeta. He could recognize her only by looking at her feet. So much was the respect and reverence he had for Women!

So the crying need of our society is NOT Rama Sena, but "Lakshmana Sena". That is a bunch of commited people who believe in the truth "Yatra Naaryastu Poojante, Ramante tatra Devatha". The Gods live where the women are worshipped! The Lakshmana Sena should act against all kind of atrocities against women. Drunk husband beating up hapless wife, College going girls being pinched and molested by dirty rotten men and any woman being harassed by men in general. I am not asking for violent action, but reasonable action within the perimeters of law and bring them to justice! How can we forget even highly educated women being tortured by Bosses? We will be a Great Country only when women are safe on the roads, offices, trains and buses!

India will be a better place to live when women can travel safely in buses and trains without being "Man-handled". And how can we forget those thousands of "Aarushis?"

Jai Sri Lakshman !

What a funny hairstyle is this?

I have often been confronted by people who ask me, "What a funny hairstyle do you have?" Actually it all started when I was a very young kid.

I grew up in an old ancestral home that is over 100 years old today. We had exotic wooden doors to every room and hall that had big elevated rims. While I was a toddler and later when I started walking and running around, I used to trip over those big mounds and bang my head against the earth.

With repeated injuries, I developed two fairly big elevated scars on both sides of my forehead. To hide them, my Mom used to comb my straight hair straight down over my forehead. That way I had a very easy life as a kid. I did not have to worry about combing hair. It went this way or that with the wind, but overall remained straight!

As I grew up, I saw most of my maternal uncles and cousins were bald by 25. So I decided to save my hair. Thus I started to part my hair at the center and have a hairstyle that looked somewhat like that of Amitabh Bachchan during his younger days. I was a die-hard Bachchan fan those days. I still admire him !

Well, when I went to Medical College, I realized I had a distinct identity because of my hairstyle. I started growing long hair, very long indeed ! The good thing was it remained straight throughout. So I could do anything with my hair except have curls and I hated curls ! So it was really nice to be recognized for hairstyle.

But once I came to Kochi, things started to go... FUNNY! Well Kerala in 1995 was such a conservative place, a girl in tight jeans and T-shirt could freeze the entire MG Road in those days. People here had fixed notions about anything and everything in life.

Like how almost all the people outside Kerala were illiterate and idiots! Like how it was not proper for a girl and a boy to chat in public! Like how a girl should walk and dress! Like how all the people on earth should pronounce those god-damned tongue-twisting Malayalam words absolutely correctly like a Malayalee and like how a Malayalee can demolish any language on earth with his / her style of talking any language strictly in Malayalam.

And like how a Doctor should not wear T-shirts! And finally, how you are supposed to have stiff oily hair with curls that should be combed every hour using a brush to keep it in place even if Tsunami strikes !

So many of the people I came across during my early days in Kochi used to ask me, "Enthoru vichitramaaya hairstyle aanu ithu?" that is "What a funny hairstyle is this?" Many people either dismissed or described me as the boy with a funny accent and a funnier hairstyle!

Many of them were kind enough to advice me to "Oil it every night and comb it with a brush every waking hour!" They would say, "It is difficult, but if you keep a side parting and keep on doing it everyday, You'll have a nice hairstyle" As if this was not enough, they add, "And then you'll look like a Doctor".

Well, I married a girl from Kerala. Thank God, my wife liked my hairstyle when I married her in 1997 and she even was kind enough to accept me as a Doctor!

Now 14 years later with a receding hairline but basically same style with shorter sideburns due to obvious graying, I am finding it easier to live in Kerala. Younger boys love my style. Young Moms want to change the hairstyle of their little boys to look like that of the Doctor with Nice hairstyle and funny accent.

And on a very important day in my life, my Daughter who is 10 years old now, declared "Appa, you have the best hairstyle in the world and my friends say you look like a film actor. But... they all think you look funny and have an accent that is very very funny !".

Life has come a full circle for me even without curls and combs !

Dr. Pun-dit

Do we need religions?

Do we need religions?

More and more I look at this world, more and more am I convinced that Religions are the worst problem the planet Earth is facing. We just had some fanatics attacking a friendly Sri Lankan Cricket Team in Pakistan. Look at this... Here is a Country discredited by almost the entire world for its covert and overt support to Terrorism. Here is a Country which is hemorrhaging economically and at the social level. And I was thinking the people of this country should be doing something to restore the credibility of their beloved country in front of a suspecting world. In stead what we saw today is a dastardly and cowardly act of attck against a Team of innocent Goodwill travellers who have braved to visit this ravaged country.

If any religion condones this kind of act, why do we have religions at all? Why do the majority Muslims keep silent and not and disown the very miniscule but vocal and rabid minority of terrorists? Why is there so much of hatred in this world? We all know we are born to die one day... Why can't we co-exist with our agreements and disagreements without hurting others?

Am I wrong if I expect to live in a world that lives and lets live?

Just the beginning!

Well, I see very busy people like L. K. Advani and Amitabh Bachchan do blog. I always used to consider my life to be hectic. But after seeing some extraordinary and great people blog and put into words their thoughts, I thought... Why not make a humble beginning?

I don't know if what I write will ever be read by anyone. Used to write satire during younger days. But had given up writing altogether once into this profession of Doctor. But looking at day to day life, I often feel very passionately about certain things in life. One such thing is smoking. I just hate this extremely offending habit in fellow human beings, especially in public places. Religion is another of my problems. I believe religions of the world divide people like nothing else. How an ideal world could be a so much a better place to live without religious bigotry and smoking. Both pollute this planet earth. I love planet earth, because... As of now this is the only place we can live reasonably safe!

Hope to be back with more about what I feel for.
Sincerely and Passionately in love with life!