Many Indian languages, especially Hindi; have been enriched by Arabic and Urdu words. Poetry wouldn’t have been as beautiful but for these languages. I realized this when I was listening to a Gazal ‘Shama’ by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar that goes like this, “Chand apna safar khatm karta raha, Shamma jalti rahi, raat dhalti rahi … Dil me yaadon ki ‘Lashkar’ se toota kiye” !
Who can forget "Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna" by Bismil Azimabadi? 'The Desire for Martyrdom' expressed in the poem was immortalized by Ram Prasad Bismil, the famous associate of Rajguru, Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekar Azad. Here was a Hindu Freedom Fighter who preferred to be called 'Bismil' which is loosely translated as 'In the name of God'. Bismil also is the name of a district in Turkey.
My poor knowledge of Arabic and Urdu and even the debilitating inability to differentiate between these two languages meant, I had to ask ‘Khuda’! So I Googled and found out certain things that surprised me beyond words. ‘Lashkar’ is such a 'Khoobsurat' word and that means ‘Army’. The dreaded entity called ‘Lashkar E Tayyaba’ actually means ‘Army of the Pure’ or ‘Army of the Pleasant’. What a paradox, the worst terrorist outfit in the world and such a fantastic name !
LeT it be stressed here that this is not an attempt to demean or vilify any religion or group. Bal Thakre and his clan are busy with that business. My only concern is how these ‘Merchants of Terror’ have successfully managed to almost isolate an entire community and make such a beautiful language an ‘Alien’ to a majority of the people of this country ?
The Times of India is carrying out ‘Aman ki Aasha’; an attempt to foster ‘Peace’. Who doesn’t love “Peace”? But will we ever have it? Dharmendra’s ‘Elaan E Jang’ was a famous movie released during my childhood. Now, Elaan is such a beautiful word that means ‘Declaration’! The more I get familiar with India, more are the reasons to be proud of our country.
How many South Indians know ‘Aftab’ Shivdassani is a Hindu ? ‘Aftab’ is Sun and ‘Mehtab’ is Moon ! Now look at this immortal Mohammed Rafi song, “Chaudhavi ka Chand ho, ya Aftab ho; Jo bhi ho tum Khuda ki kasam… Laajawab ho…” Imagine this song without the ‘Islamic’ words.
Let us look at the Mughals; the most important Islamic Legacy in India. ‘Babar’ meant the King of Jungle, the Lion. ‘Humayoon’ means Blessed or Auspicious. ‘Akbar’ means Greater. Shah Jehan is Ruler of the Earth. And surprise of surprises is the most hated name ‘Aurangzeb’ which means Ornament of Throne ! Such beautiful names. And finally coming to the most common name in the world ‘Mohammed’; this simply means Praiseworthy or Glorified !
How sad it is that Urdu has been tagged along with Islam and so many of us have come to hate it just because of our narrow mindset. There were communal riots in Karnataka over a decade ago when the then CM Veerappa Moily introduced Urdu news on Kannada DD Channel. This was done with the ulterior motive of appeasing the Muslims. What it achieved was a huge loss of public property, some young and precious lives and a great amount of good-will.
Why do our politicians do this ? Tokenism is the only thing they manage to do. Instead of striving to provide better quality of life to all the Indians, our politicians with few exceptions try to pit one Indian against another. Divide and rule ! But why do we people fall for this ? Don’t we have any other alternative ?
This enlightenment has come at the right time for me; as I am trying my best to arrange tickets for my family to watch ‘My Name is Khan’ tonight. I am disgusted by the fact that Shah Rukh Khan’s movie has been targeted by Shiv Sena even before it is released. What a pathetic situation we have come to !
Will we ever have ‘Peace / Aman / Shanthi ? Will we ever have ‘Leaders’ who will not divide people but unite them ? Will there ever be a Ruler who will not discriminate one group from another and be equally good to ‘ALL’ ? Will I be able to name my second daughter ‘Mehtab’ without risking severe opposition and even enmity from my own people ? Will India ever be able to say… “ALL izz Well’ ?
This is what 'Aman ki Asha' all about. It is better to hope for a better tomorrow than live with pessimism. 'Hope' or 'Asha' or 'Ummeed' is the most important feeling that drives humanity. I remember a famous Amitabh Bachchan dialogue from the movie 'Khuda Gawah', "Roshangar-e Khuda ko ho manzoor, Aandhiyon me Chiraag jalte hain... Khuda Gawah hai"
Dr. Pun-dit
Sab Theek Ho Jayega !
- Govind Raj
- Kochi / Ernakulam, Kerala, India
- A Doctor who loves to Live, Love and Laugh with the World! Absolutely crazy about Cricket ! Other Qualifications: A Tired Bathroom Singer, Retired Gully Cricketer and Satire Writer !
Friday, February 12, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Monsoon and Nostalgia from Madikeri - August 2008!
I am giving a short account of a short but sweet get together we had at Madikeri from 10 August 2008 to 12 August 2008. I had initially posted this as a six part discussion topic on our Orkut Community VIMS, Class of 1988 soon after the event. I am editing and making it a blog-post for the sake of preserving those memories. Because, those moments were, are and will forever remain absolutely precious!
First Day and Night, 10 August 2008:
I and Jagan Mohan Rao [Jagan henceforth] started from Iritti [The small sleepy hamlet he works at] on Sunday morning by his Spark. Murali came from Moodabidri by his Brand New Sparkling Honda City and Chethan [Chethi], Sreenivas Reddy [Seena] and Vineeth aka Dabba came from Bangalore in Chethi's Santro.
Jagan and I reached first by 2:00 PM. Murali ordered us to wait for lunch. But then he went missing in action [ACTION]! There was some action, some drama, some sentiments and finally some Comedy .
Murali reached by 4:40 PM and the Bangalore trio just before 8:00 PM. We stayed at a Home-Stay called AHAN. It was a very cute place on top of a small hillock and facing a mini-sangam of two streams with a bridge running diagonally across the merging streams. Boy! was it breathtaking?
Well... we were really tired but too excited be retired! So the dinner was littered with Coorgi Pork, Chicken, Paneer and Dal. Murali had bought the entire stock of fish from Mangalore market and his mother had prepared what was rated as ******* Fish Fry by those who tasted it. Alas, I turned pure veggie in April 1999.
It was raining, raining and raining. There was no power. No network except for Murali. I suspect he had done some range-fixing. The inverter was not working because the battery had conked off. So it was cool, windy and absolutely stunning with the downpour.
But... All these could not dampen the SPIRITS of the Six of us who had met after a gap of minimum 3 years. I was meeting Seena after 14 years and Vineeth and Seena had almost forgotten how Jagan looked.
So it was time for sweet pains... I mean Nostalgia . "N" pegs down and subsequent to several confessions... the night was still YOUNG for almost all except the Sun who was in a hurry to make his presence felt.
Day one ended as soon as day two began...
Day-2: Monday, 11 August 2008
All were in a hangover and were up by 7:30 only due to my daughter calling from Kochi on Murali's phone since she could not track me... Thanks to range-fixing! Though we were up by 7:30 AM, it took us an eternity to come out of the slumber. When you have "God" inside you and the Eleventh Incarnation of "God" [Jagan] as one of you; time will travel at its own speed.
Though we had wanted to go to Bhagamandala and Thalakaveri, continued rains meant even going to our cars parked at the bottom of the hillock was an adventure . Finally by 11:00 AM, the Sun smiled at us with a promise and lured us into moving out. As soon as we were ready; the slippery fellow that he is, the Sun disappeared and we were on the roads with heavy downpour; I mean Rains, not Wines!
We reached a resort called Heritage. I must stress here; this place is very close to heaven. No I have not seen heaven and am not in a hurry to visit soon. I'll settle for Heritage instead!
This place is surrounded on all four sides by rain forests. They have cottages and rooms on several small artificially erected hillocks with motorable roads to the bottom of each of the cottage. Then there was the ridiculously beautiful restaurant on top of the tallest hillock. You have to see it to believe it. They have an artificially erected swimming pool on top of a hillock. It rests on a rock that also acts as part of the support to a small parking area for the insider's vehicles.
We settled down for lunch after some confusion in tracking down each other and in finding some umbrellas for two people who did not love rains; Jagan and Seena. Rest of us; Murali, Chethi, Dabba and I just relished the race to the top of the hillock in that healthy downpour. Children of Rain Gods, albeit a little grown up.
Heritage
The lunch was littered with a really slow and low intensity wine that shook me after 3 down. I am a wine only guy and have tasted those sweet and nice homemade wines gifted to me by my Christian Clients in Kochi. But this was something else. We had so many starters with the wine; it looked as if we were trying to light a tube light.
The lunch was going on and on all the time giving me photo opportunities. I am a compulsive shooter when I have a camera on hand. Anyone can see why I call this place Heaven . I took all these photos with a very ordinary Kodak Digital Camera since my Canon was found to have a major snag at the eleventh hour.
Well, after a million starters and several glasses down; we settled down for a nice lunch of rotis, rice, pork, chicken, curd-rice and buttermilk. A senior personnel of the resort asked us what the vehicles we had brought with us were. Know why? The way the rains were pouring and the waiters were pouring; there was a definite competition between Lord Varuna and Murali. Murali won hands down, well hands up to be precise.
The ambiance was great, lunch was fabulous, company was exhilarating and I have no words to describe the feeling. So I'll put it this way: We were just overwhelmed. The rains as I mentioned receded just in time to let us move back to our abode at Ahan. Our efforts to get some Ayurvedic massage at a close by place did not bear any fruits and we returned to cottage by 6:00 PM.
After a bit of tidying up and rest, we were ready for a new adventure. We moved into The Department of Card-o-logy. With HEAD of the Department Seena to lead we had two exciting sessions. Jagan and I were poorer by 1/2-K. Dabba and Chethi lost 1 K each. Seena broke even after 2 rounds and Murali, the unexpected Hero of the evening was... Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar! I must tell this: A Game of Rummy has never before been more exciting and stunning!
We again had mixed dinner, very little liquor and a lot of discussions...
Oh God... The Eleventh Incarnation of God
The night was all about Mind, about Matrix and about GOD! Murali and my statements regarding GOD being nonexistent; brought the GOD in Jagan to the fore. Quite like Rangarajan Nambi in Kamal Hasan's Dashavatharam. We realized that God was with us. We also celebrated Abhinav Bhindra's Golden Moments! Vande Matharam!
And after discussions, more discussions and elaborate discussions... We don't remember when we crashed. And thus came to an end; perhaps one of the most memorable day in all our lives!
Day-3, Tuesday, 12 August 2008
We were up late as usual by 7:30 AM. Rest of us waited for Seena and Dabba to regroup. On day-2 accounts, I had missed to mention something very important. All of us got to taste some really delicious Coorg Coffee with breakfast consisting of Idli, Vada and extremely nice dosas on both days. The Sun gave us some break for a few photos. That is when Jagan and Chethi noticed the river stream taking two distinct colors and both colors flowing in tandem and gradually merging down the lane into a beautiful dicoction. As I had mentioned earlier, we had two streams coming and merging right in front of our cottage and that was a spectacular visual treat!
And... Finally... After planning for several weeks, looking forward to an event like this for nearly three years... It was almost over. So Murali had to sponsor the lunch at his favorite hotel. The food was good and so was the company. But by this time I had started to develop gastritis and was getting sick. I was not doing well even on Monday night, but could not play spoilsport and held on with all the will power I could muster. Thank God, Jagan I mean; he was going to drive back. I was not in a position, but had to threaten him so as to make him more determined to drive all the way back. Don't tell him that I took him for a ride!
We all parted by 3:00 PM with a pledge to meet as frequently as possible. Murali was the first to reach his home. He was too keen to get back to his little and adorable Ahana who was running fever. She was fine by the time he reached home. Thank Goodness!
Jagan and I reached Iritti just before 8:00 PM. I took a taxi to Thalasseri so as to catch train to Kochi. I too was keen to catch up with my family, especially my little daughter. That daughter who had called me about 20 times each day apart from sending 20 - 25 messages, some of them even on Murali's phone when I was not approachable. Well, I had forgotten to mention something funny here. Murali got a message "I miss you and love you so much!" from a number he didn't know! He was quite stunned initially, but then realized it must be for me because of the number being quite similar to mine. It was from my wife. Since I had gone out of range, she had sent it to Murali's phone!
Chethan, Dabba and Seena reached their destinations before 8:30 PM too. I developed fever with chills and had to abort my journey to Kochi and stay back in a hotel at Thalasseri. That was a tough night for me. But I was better and up by 5:45 AM and reached home by 2 PM on Wednesday, 13 August 2008.
Thus came to an end what must be rated as a very special and extremely fulfilling holiday!
Post Script: Those who want to see the snaps... Please visit my Orkut album - Madikeri. And those who want to visit the places in the album, please call Murali . If you don't have his number, leave a scrap on his page! Your wish will be granted. After all, GOD is with Us!
Hope I have not bored you people. If I did manage to bore you, can't help it! You people have read such a long short note according to your own will and I did not force you!
Have a great life... and Keep smiling :-)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Breach of Trust !
My Boss, a retired Professor of Cardiology is an avid reader. He also likes to share anecdotes; from the past and not so distant past. I have learned so many things from him over the past five years. I remain indebted to him for whatever little I know today.
All of what I’ve learned from him isn’t about Cardiology. He has always goaded me to go for a second child. He admonishes me because I haven’t progressed yet. He has given precious tips on preserving mushrooms. He is a good cook and has given his inputs about some of the dishes that all of us love. He also gave me a copy of Jeffery Archer’s ‘Paths of Glory’ a wonderful novel about a man, who was perhaps the first to scale the heights of Mount Everest; but never got the credit simply because he didn’t return to tell his story.
I have heard so many wonderful anecdotes from my Boss; I can actually compile them into a book. With the help of a good Editor, I might even have a bestseller in my armor. Let me recount one of those stories here. The story is here as it was narrated to me. The ‘I’ here is ‘He’ the Boss!
I have always believed in myself and trusted my ability to judge people. But once in a while my confidence gets badly shaken by my failure to read people. Ever since I came to Kochi five years ago, I have been treating a man with Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Deep Vein Thrombosis of right leg. He is a stocky man always seen in old but well maintained shirts and mundu. He also wears a monkey cap almost all the time. He must be around 74 years old now. Since day one, he has cribbed to me about the costs of medicines and the difficulties of the common man. Looking at his miserable situation, I always kept aside samples of medicines for him. Every month, he comes to me, gets himself examined and walks away with samples worth at least 600 to 700 rupees. When I am short on samples, he even demands that his share should be kept safely and not be given to other people. And then this happened…
Last Saturday, he was here. After I examined him, he requested me for a certificate stating the facts of his illness. He wanted it to facilitate his visit to the famed temple at Tirupathy. There elderly people with illnesses can walk straight into the temple without having to suffer in the queue if you have an authentic certificate stating about your ill-health.
Then he told me, “I am going to pray to the Tirupathy Lord to give me the longevity and the good fortune to see a five storied building coming up on my land” I asked him, “Where is your land and how much do you think you will need for this?” He replied, “My land is about 3 acres in the suburbs of Kochi city. The estimate for the building comes to around five crores. I am going to arrange some loan and rest will come from my savings. I am not going to sell my land in my life time. What will happen after that is left my children”
Now, the Boss was seething! He said, ‘Here I am, a Cardiologist and a Professor for over 30 years. I don’t have a house, no car and not even a small piece of land in my name. And here I was; like a fool doling out free medicines to a millionaire! I lost complete faith in my ability to judge people”
I could only smile a feeble smile. What else can you do when someone as senior as him admits he was conned?
Why did I choose this story? Just because I wanted to tell something that I have always wanted to tell. People complain about the greed and arrogance of Doctors. Very often, I have seen some people generalizing about the Doctor community as ‘Money-minded and selfish’. And when you have someone as simple and as upright as my Boss, he gets duped! How will Doctors trust people? There is a serious breach in trust and that has happened due to contributions from both the sides. Unfortunate but true! What can we do to restore some kind of trust and confidence? I can talk for the Doctor community and that will require another day and another post!
All of what I’ve learned from him isn’t about Cardiology. He has always goaded me to go for a second child. He admonishes me because I haven’t progressed yet. He has given precious tips on preserving mushrooms. He is a good cook and has given his inputs about some of the dishes that all of us love. He also gave me a copy of Jeffery Archer’s ‘Paths of Glory’ a wonderful novel about a man, who was perhaps the first to scale the heights of Mount Everest; but never got the credit simply because he didn’t return to tell his story.
I have heard so many wonderful anecdotes from my Boss; I can actually compile them into a book. With the help of a good Editor, I might even have a bestseller in my armor. Let me recount one of those stories here. The story is here as it was narrated to me. The ‘I’ here is ‘He’ the Boss!
I have always believed in myself and trusted my ability to judge people. But once in a while my confidence gets badly shaken by my failure to read people. Ever since I came to Kochi five years ago, I have been treating a man with Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Deep Vein Thrombosis of right leg. He is a stocky man always seen in old but well maintained shirts and mundu. He also wears a monkey cap almost all the time. He must be around 74 years old now. Since day one, he has cribbed to me about the costs of medicines and the difficulties of the common man. Looking at his miserable situation, I always kept aside samples of medicines for him. Every month, he comes to me, gets himself examined and walks away with samples worth at least 600 to 700 rupees. When I am short on samples, he even demands that his share should be kept safely and not be given to other people. And then this happened…
Last Saturday, he was here. After I examined him, he requested me for a certificate stating the facts of his illness. He wanted it to facilitate his visit to the famed temple at Tirupathy. There elderly people with illnesses can walk straight into the temple without having to suffer in the queue if you have an authentic certificate stating about your ill-health.
Then he told me, “I am going to pray to the Tirupathy Lord to give me the longevity and the good fortune to see a five storied building coming up on my land” I asked him, “Where is your land and how much do you think you will need for this?” He replied, “My land is about 3 acres in the suburbs of Kochi city. The estimate for the building comes to around five crores. I am going to arrange some loan and rest will come from my savings. I am not going to sell my land in my life time. What will happen after that is left my children”
Now, the Boss was seething! He said, ‘Here I am, a Cardiologist and a Professor for over 30 years. I don’t have a house, no car and not even a small piece of land in my name. And here I was; like a fool doling out free medicines to a millionaire! I lost complete faith in my ability to judge people”
I could only smile a feeble smile. What else can you do when someone as senior as him admits he was conned?
Why did I choose this story? Just because I wanted to tell something that I have always wanted to tell. People complain about the greed and arrogance of Doctors. Very often, I have seen some people generalizing about the Doctor community as ‘Money-minded and selfish’. And when you have someone as simple and as upright as my Boss, he gets duped! How will Doctors trust people? There is a serious breach in trust and that has happened due to contributions from both the sides. Unfortunate but true! What can we do to restore some kind of trust and confidence? I can talk for the Doctor community and that will require another day and another post!
Friday, January 22, 2010
One incident I would like to change in my life...
We all have our share of stupidities, follies and then missed opportunities. I too have so many of those. But if I am given a chance to go back and change 'ONE THING' that happened in my life; this has to be it.
It was in December 2002 during the wedding of my cousin at a place called Shirali near Kundapur. My family of five, both of my sisters, both bothers in law and their kids had traveled from Kochi to Kundapur by a Tempo Traveler. It sure was a daunting journey. But it all comes out well when you're surrounded by your loved ones. So was it for us. Only hitch was that my 4 year old daughter was suffering from a respiratory infection with cold and cough. We were managing her with medicines and a lot of care.
Once in Kundapur, we had little time to relax and we had to reach Shirali for the function on the eve of the wedding. My wife and me had told our daughter not to run around during the function and to sit quiet like a good girl. But having my little niece Prajna for company with other kids joining, she did run around a bit.
And then in our hotel room in the night, she started to cough. We gave medicines and hot water, but there was no relief. Since it was well past midnight and we had a very important function next day, both me and my wife were irritated. Both of us started admonishing our little one, "Didn't we tell you not to run around? Didn't we tell you to sit quiet? Look at this now, you are suffering and we too can't sleep." As our decibels were increasing, our child looked up and with all the innocence of a 4 year old asked, "Appa, Amma, but what did I do?"
It was like a sinking feeling. I was almost gutted by guilt. I asked my wife, "But Vidya, what the hell are we doing? This is OUR child. Not some enemy and it is she who is suffering, not us" My wife's eyes too started to well up. I said the most pained 'SORRY' of my life to the most precious one in my life and then took her in my arms and put her on my chest and cuddled her and hummed some songs for her. Did the medicines start working or the love? Love I believe; the child went to sleep on my chest and slept like a child without a single cough!
I tried to force a child of 4 to sit quiet, it was my stupidity. I admonished her when she was coughing, it was my folly. I had to correct myself when she asked that question and the opportunity was there. Right there and right then I corrected myself. I didn't miss the opportunity! Thank Goodness for that!
But still, I have never been able to forgive myself for what I did that night. Looking back, I have realized an important truth. Even this happened for good. I have 'Never Ever' been rude to my child again! And that... Will NOT happen again. How can I forget those innocent eyes and the haunting little beautiful face of that Christmas eve?
It was in December 2002 during the wedding of my cousin at a place called Shirali near Kundapur. My family of five, both of my sisters, both bothers in law and their kids had traveled from Kochi to Kundapur by a Tempo Traveler. It sure was a daunting journey. But it all comes out well when you're surrounded by your loved ones. So was it for us. Only hitch was that my 4 year old daughter was suffering from a respiratory infection with cold and cough. We were managing her with medicines and a lot of care.
Once in Kundapur, we had little time to relax and we had to reach Shirali for the function on the eve of the wedding. My wife and me had told our daughter not to run around during the function and to sit quiet like a good girl. But having my little niece Prajna for company with other kids joining, she did run around a bit.
And then in our hotel room in the night, she started to cough. We gave medicines and hot water, but there was no relief. Since it was well past midnight and we had a very important function next day, both me and my wife were irritated. Both of us started admonishing our little one, "Didn't we tell you not to run around? Didn't we tell you to sit quiet? Look at this now, you are suffering and we too can't sleep." As our decibels were increasing, our child looked up and with all the innocence of a 4 year old asked, "Appa, Amma, but what did I do?"
It was like a sinking feeling. I was almost gutted by guilt. I asked my wife, "But Vidya, what the hell are we doing? This is OUR child. Not some enemy and it is she who is suffering, not us" My wife's eyes too started to well up. I said the most pained 'SORRY' of my life to the most precious one in my life and then took her in my arms and put her on my chest and cuddled her and hummed some songs for her. Did the medicines start working or the love? Love I believe; the child went to sleep on my chest and slept like a child without a single cough!
I tried to force a child of 4 to sit quiet, it was my stupidity. I admonished her when she was coughing, it was my folly. I had to correct myself when she asked that question and the opportunity was there. Right there and right then I corrected myself. I didn't miss the opportunity! Thank Goodness for that!
But still, I have never been able to forgive myself for what I did that night. Looking back, I have realized an important truth. Even this happened for good. I have 'Never Ever' been rude to my child again! And that... Will NOT happen again. How can I forget those innocent eyes and the haunting little beautiful face of that Christmas eve?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Name... Is there something in it?
Naam gum jaayega, chehra yeh badal jaayega, meri aawaaz hi pehechaan hai...
This was a fabulous Bhupindar Singh - Lata Mangeshkar song from the movie Kinaara. So very apt for two fabulous singers.
What is there in a ‘Name’? A rose would smell as sweet by any name! Is it true? It has been an obsession for me to follow ‘Names’. Not just the high and the mighty, but just about any or all names.
Let us look at some examples. Imagine Mohammed Yusuf Sarwar Khan becoming a Super Star in immediate post-independence era. So he became Dilip Kumar. So many famous movie stars have changed names, rechanged names and then added or deleted letters to their names. All for the sake of 'Fame and Name'. Future generations will not even know Rajesh Khanna was actually Jatin, Amitabh was Srivastav and Dilip Kumar was a Khan. Coming to Khan, the most awaited Hindi movie of 2010 is ‘My Name is Khan’. This again deals with 'Name'. Kamal Hassan, a Tamil Hindu faced harassment with the Xenophobic US Authorities because of his ‘Name’ that sounded like a Muslim name. So this ‘Khan’ too might have to face a similar fate.
In the massive hit comedy ‘3 Idiots’, the character ‘Piya’ played by Kareena Kapoor tells Aamir Khan that she doesn’t want to change her surname because Chanchad was unacceptable to her. During the feel good climax, she is happy that Aamir Khan is not Ranchod Das Chanchad. But when he divulges his original name, she is the only one upset in the scene. She finds Phunsukh Wangdu much worse than Chanchad. She is somewhat confused but still emphatically declares that she’ll not change her surname after marriage. This is typical of human race, or at least most of us. Be it individuals, people, castes, religions, regions, states, nations and continents; we are prone to this discriminatory attitude at every level. Anything we are not used to, has to be funny, unacceptable or worse! So Piya fails to understand why her own father’s name was twisted by his hateful wards. Veeru Sahasrabudhdhe becomes Virus Budhdhe for the irate Farhan in the movie.
When I was in class V, a teacher used to call me, Govinda Raya and how I used to hate it! Being a huge fan of ‘Raj’ Kapoor, I always wanted my name to be Govind Raj. Anyone adding the additional ‘a’ was unacceptable and ‘Y’ was yuck! Today living a busier life, I have started realizing something even worse. Looking back at many places where I had written my name on paper, there was something extremely funny. The curve at the tail of ‘J’ had gone missing many a times when I had written my name in a hurry and I had become… GOVIND RAT :-)
Malayalees have this tendency to choose unique names for the kids. This has been there for ages I believe. Earlier, it used to be names of freedom fighters and heroes. So there were a lot of local born Bhagavat Singhs or Raveendranath Tagores. Then came the craze for short names. Aji, Biji, Ciji, Diji, Fiji, Giji and so on. Ani, Bini, Cini, Dini, Fini, Gini and so on. When I first landed in Kerala in 1995, this used to be a culture shock. I still am not able to remember names of most of the girls in our hospital because I am always confused which alphabet to begin with!
Then there are some really outrageous names. Nespu, Crispi, Typsi, Cissy, and Lovesy. Now, the last name was definitely a lousy one, but do the rest of them make any sense? But when it comes to most outrageous name ever, how about a girl named… Vagina! I leave it to your imagination how she must have felt once she understood the meaning of it.
Recently a fast bowler is doing rather well for England and his captain has called him a legend. His name is ‘Onions’. South Africans must be feeling a really pungent taste every time they see this guy. After all, he is responsible for a 3-1 verdict in a 4 test series ending up as a 1-1 tie. Now let us come to India. If a north Indian were to have a surname ‘Pyaj’ or ‘Batata’ what a miserable life he would have had. I haven’t so far met a Malayalee or Tamil named ‘Ulli’ or ‘Sawala’. But in Karnataka we had a senior lecturer from Hubli who was called ‘Ullagaddi’. I don’t know if Mr. Onions is related to this gentleman. They both mean the same!
My surname too was ridiculed by some of my friends. Shenoy means someone who maintains accounts in my mother tongue, Konkani. But once one Devendra Reddy, a very good friend of mine told, “Hey Shenoy, your name can be spilt like this, She Nai… Nai in Kannada means Dog. Everyone around laughed big time. Well, I have never been known to keep accounts. Settling things then and there, was my policy. So I told him this story...
A father was going for an evening walk with his 5 year old son. The curious lad used to ask a million questions to his father. The father had real tough time answering them. When they saw a man walking with a white dog and the boy asked, ‘Papa, what is the name of this dog?’ Father told, ‘Whitey’. A little later, they saw a black dog and the boy again asked the name. The flustered Father told it was ‘Blackey’. As they moved further, they came across a ‘Browney’ too. And then they saw a Red Dog! I stopped my story here. My friend just looked at me blankly for some time and told, ‘You Bloody fellow, you never like to lose!’
With this I sign off, but hope to be back with more! The stupid, the funny and the outrageous!
This was a fabulous Bhupindar Singh - Lata Mangeshkar song from the movie Kinaara. So very apt for two fabulous singers.
What is there in a ‘Name’? A rose would smell as sweet by any name! Is it true? It has been an obsession for me to follow ‘Names’. Not just the high and the mighty, but just about any or all names.
Let us look at some examples. Imagine Mohammed Yusuf Sarwar Khan becoming a Super Star in immediate post-independence era. So he became Dilip Kumar. So many famous movie stars have changed names, rechanged names and then added or deleted letters to their names. All for the sake of 'Fame and Name'. Future generations will not even know Rajesh Khanna was actually Jatin, Amitabh was Srivastav and Dilip Kumar was a Khan. Coming to Khan, the most awaited Hindi movie of 2010 is ‘My Name is Khan’. This again deals with 'Name'. Kamal Hassan, a Tamil Hindu faced harassment with the Xenophobic US Authorities because of his ‘Name’ that sounded like a Muslim name. So this ‘Khan’ too might have to face a similar fate.
In the massive hit comedy ‘3 Idiots’, the character ‘Piya’ played by Kareena Kapoor tells Aamir Khan that she doesn’t want to change her surname because Chanchad was unacceptable to her. During the feel good climax, she is happy that Aamir Khan is not Ranchod Das Chanchad. But when he divulges his original name, she is the only one upset in the scene. She finds Phunsukh Wangdu much worse than Chanchad. She is somewhat confused but still emphatically declares that she’ll not change her surname after marriage. This is typical of human race, or at least most of us. Be it individuals, people, castes, religions, regions, states, nations and continents; we are prone to this discriminatory attitude at every level. Anything we are not used to, has to be funny, unacceptable or worse! So Piya fails to understand why her own father’s name was twisted by his hateful wards. Veeru Sahasrabudhdhe becomes Virus Budhdhe for the irate Farhan in the movie.
When I was in class V, a teacher used to call me, Govinda Raya and how I used to hate it! Being a huge fan of ‘Raj’ Kapoor, I always wanted my name to be Govind Raj. Anyone adding the additional ‘a’ was unacceptable and ‘Y’ was yuck! Today living a busier life, I have started realizing something even worse. Looking back at many places where I had written my name on paper, there was something extremely funny. The curve at the tail of ‘J’ had gone missing many a times when I had written my name in a hurry and I had become… GOVIND RAT :-)
Malayalees have this tendency to choose unique names for the kids. This has been there for ages I believe. Earlier, it used to be names of freedom fighters and heroes. So there were a lot of local born Bhagavat Singhs or Raveendranath Tagores. Then came the craze for short names. Aji, Biji, Ciji, Diji, Fiji, Giji and so on. Ani, Bini, Cini, Dini, Fini, Gini and so on. When I first landed in Kerala in 1995, this used to be a culture shock. I still am not able to remember names of most of the girls in our hospital because I am always confused which alphabet to begin with!
Then there are some really outrageous names. Nespu, Crispi, Typsi, Cissy, and Lovesy. Now, the last name was definitely a lousy one, but do the rest of them make any sense? But when it comes to most outrageous name ever, how about a girl named… Vagina! I leave it to your imagination how she must have felt once she understood the meaning of it.
Recently a fast bowler is doing rather well for England and his captain has called him a legend. His name is ‘Onions’. South Africans must be feeling a really pungent taste every time they see this guy. After all, he is responsible for a 3-1 verdict in a 4 test series ending up as a 1-1 tie. Now let us come to India. If a north Indian were to have a surname ‘Pyaj’ or ‘Batata’ what a miserable life he would have had. I haven’t so far met a Malayalee or Tamil named ‘Ulli’ or ‘Sawala’. But in Karnataka we had a senior lecturer from Hubli who was called ‘Ullagaddi’. I don’t know if Mr. Onions is related to this gentleman. They both mean the same!
My surname too was ridiculed by some of my friends. Shenoy means someone who maintains accounts in my mother tongue, Konkani. But once one Devendra Reddy, a very good friend of mine told, “Hey Shenoy, your name can be spilt like this, She Nai… Nai in Kannada means Dog. Everyone around laughed big time. Well, I have never been known to keep accounts. Settling things then and there, was my policy. So I told him this story...
A father was going for an evening walk with his 5 year old son. The curious lad used to ask a million questions to his father. The father had real tough time answering them. When they saw a man walking with a white dog and the boy asked, ‘Papa, what is the name of this dog?’ Father told, ‘Whitey’. A little later, they saw a black dog and the boy again asked the name. The flustered Father told it was ‘Blackey’. As they moved further, they came across a ‘Browney’ too. And then they saw a Red Dog! I stopped my story here. My friend just looked at me blankly for some time and told, ‘You Bloody fellow, you never like to lose!’
With this I sign off, but hope to be back with more! The stupid, the funny and the outrageous!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
God's Own Country !
I live in Kochi, known as the Financial Capital of Kerala, calling itself the most literate state in India. I work in a Private Hospital in the Department of Cardiology. Hence I see mostly people suffering from heart diseases. I have seen men as young as 29 suffer 'Heart Attack'. When I look back at the past decade and a half of my experience as a Doctor, the most sinister entity that stands out is "Smoking".
We read the news item about the soaring sales graph of the Kerala Beverages Corporation and the record created by all the 'Alcohol Lovers' of Kerala during the Christmas and New Year. But very little is mentioned anywhere about the sales of cigarettes and those cheap and dirty beedies.
Smoking and Diabetes are two of the worst culprits we have identified as the 'Primary Evils' behind Heart Attacks. Doctors coax, plead, admonish and even threaten people so as to make them quit smoking. But somehow the number of smokers has not come down since I took my first steps in this profession, neither has the number of packets smoked by people dwindled.
I did dwell upon this in an earlier post titled "The Greatest Question". But I am compelled to write again on what I consider as the most offensive of the human habits. I have seen some really obnoxious drunkards. I have also seen those dirty men who beat up the women of the house. Then we always have Politicians, child molesters and murderers. And then we have 'Smokers'!
I have discovered to my dismay that this breed is the most shameless of all. They smoke in public places when there is a Supreme Court Ban. They litter the nature with those rotten pieces of cigarettes. They don't bother when men and women around them turn their noses away or openly show their dislike. Smokers are Smokers and they'll smoke come what may!
But the most horrific thing is when you see the people of the so called most literate state in India smoke in HOSPITAL WARDS! Yes, we have boards asking people not to smoke. We also have Nurses and Supervisors requesting each and every inmate to desist from smoking. But unfortunately, I am witnessing blatant violation of rules, conventions and public decency by smokers.
You can't venture out of a Cinema hall during intermission because you will be engulfed by the smoke. Some unscrupulous guys smoke even inside the Air-conditioned halls. I once complained to a TTE because someone was smoking inside an AC Railway compartment. The culprit escaped Scott free, but left an entire compartment stinking.
When caught red-handed, some of the smokers sheepishly throw away the butt. Some will feign ignorance and say someone else must have been smoking when you can clearly see from where the stink is emanating from. Some will counter with convoluted logic of stress and tension. But the worst case is when you have caught someone and requested him not to smoke inside the hospital premises; and you see the same person smoking again! This infuriating nature is unique perhaps to Malayalee. I apologize straight away if I am wrong, but I have never seen any other species doing this.
When will we people learn to respect the laws and rules and learn to behave?
When will we get to breath some fresh air in our "God's Own Country?"
When and will we ever?
We read the news item about the soaring sales graph of the Kerala Beverages Corporation and the record created by all the 'Alcohol Lovers' of Kerala during the Christmas and New Year. But very little is mentioned anywhere about the sales of cigarettes and those cheap and dirty beedies.
Smoking and Diabetes are two of the worst culprits we have identified as the 'Primary Evils' behind Heart Attacks. Doctors coax, plead, admonish and even threaten people so as to make them quit smoking. But somehow the number of smokers has not come down since I took my first steps in this profession, neither has the number of packets smoked by people dwindled.
I did dwell upon this in an earlier post titled "The Greatest Question". But I am compelled to write again on what I consider as the most offensive of the human habits. I have seen some really obnoxious drunkards. I have also seen those dirty men who beat up the women of the house. Then we always have Politicians, child molesters and murderers. And then we have 'Smokers'!
I have discovered to my dismay that this breed is the most shameless of all. They smoke in public places when there is a Supreme Court Ban. They litter the nature with those rotten pieces of cigarettes. They don't bother when men and women around them turn their noses away or openly show their dislike. Smokers are Smokers and they'll smoke come what may!
But the most horrific thing is when you see the people of the so called most literate state in India smoke in HOSPITAL WARDS! Yes, we have boards asking people not to smoke. We also have Nurses and Supervisors requesting each and every inmate to desist from smoking. But unfortunately, I am witnessing blatant violation of rules, conventions and public decency by smokers.
You can't venture out of a Cinema hall during intermission because you will be engulfed by the smoke. Some unscrupulous guys smoke even inside the Air-conditioned halls. I once complained to a TTE because someone was smoking inside an AC Railway compartment. The culprit escaped Scott free, but left an entire compartment stinking.
When caught red-handed, some of the smokers sheepishly throw away the butt. Some will feign ignorance and say someone else must have been smoking when you can clearly see from where the stink is emanating from. Some will counter with convoluted logic of stress and tension. But the worst case is when you have caught someone and requested him not to smoke inside the hospital premises; and you see the same person smoking again! This infuriating nature is unique perhaps to Malayalee. I apologize straight away if I am wrong, but I have never seen any other species doing this.
When will we people learn to respect the laws and rules and learn to behave?
When will we get to breath some fresh air in our "God's Own Country?"
When and will we ever?
Friday, January 8, 2010
“All izz well” in the Happy New Year !
I woke up exactly at 6:00 AM in spite of sleeping very late after wishing my friends a happy new year. I was feeling as fresh and as energetic as a 25 year old even though I will be 40 this year. As much as I wish to remain 25, my body has shown signs of the age catching up.
But this must be a perfect beginning for a new year. When I walked into the living room, my Mom was pleasantly surprised. On a normal day, my wife has to wake me up with persistent nagging. And here I was up and looking fresh at 6:00 AM. For once my Mom had not forgotten the day. She said, “What a great beginning, Happy New year!” I reciprocated with equal warmth and walked towards my daughter’s room. By the way, there was not a single missed call on my mobile !
The bed was immaculately neat in my daughter's room and there was no sign of my 11 year old. Hence I walked to my treadmill and there I see my wife on the treadmill and my daughter doing the abdominal exercise on the abs-crunch. Both of them wished me a really happy new year. My wife told, “It is my New Year resolution to lose 15 kilos this year and I am going to achieve that before the next Christmas holidays” And she added, “It’s your turn on the treadmill. We are finished and are going to take a shower” Wow !
I got onto treadmill and finished 20 minutes of vigorous exercise. After cooling down, I shaved and took my shower. Everything was in perfect shape. As I stepped out of my room, my daughter came with her report card. It was a pleasure to sign a report card that showed A+ in all subjects and all extra-curricular activities.
A usually lazy girl had done exceptionally well in the sports and games too. The Physical Director had added a fond note, ‘Most improved Child in the school’. What a day ! In a total departure from our routine mornings; my daughter was doing everything in time and my wife wasn’t screaming at her or at anyone.
My breakfast as usual was bland curd rice with some vegetables. And I was on my way to the hospital before 7:15 AM. What I saw on the road was beyond my imagination. The road was completely renovated. Not a single pothole. I pinched myself to see if it was a dream !
Feeling great, I was driving really fast and I saw an Auto-rickshaw approaching the main road from the left and I slowed down. The Buses and Auto-rickshaws in Kochi are so notorious for rash, rude and dangerous driving. But again I was floored by the driver halting his vehicle to let me go and he took the turn after me. He was keeping the left lane.
Then I saw a bus behind me and again slowed down to let him go. But even the bus-driver humbled me by keeping to left and not even making an attempt to overtake. No honking. No thumping the sides of the bus to scare my small car.
I could see why there was so much order ! Every road was policed and had sign-boards. Pedestrian crossings were manned. Safety alerts were beautifully erected at every corner. The North Bridge was a sight to behold. The bikes and Auto-rickshaws were taking the side bridge and there was absolute order. Is this too good to be true?
It took me only 7 minutes to reach the hospital. Once there, the slot given to me for parking was vacant. The watchman had made sure nobody parked any two-wheelers there. I lodged my bag in my room and everyone was wishing “Happy New Year” with absolute cheer.
The ICCU was unusually calm, though it was almost full. No ventilator patients and none critical. The night-duty Doctor was pleasant and told me that even though there were some admissions during night, it never was hectic or bad. After keeping my iced tea in the fridge, I went for rounds. Everything was in order. But for me, the most surprising thing was I didn’t lose my temper even when I saw some minor discrepancies.
The Out-Patient department was as usual busy and we had enough appointments to keep myself busy. All the technicians were available on this day and the work was flowing with no hindrance whatsoever. I finished my lunch of 2 bananas at exactly 12:00 Noon and never felt hypoglycemic.
I was able to finish all the appointments and my afternoon rounds by 3:00 PM. After updating my files on the PC, I still had some time for coffee with my Doctor friends. Everyone was happy with a brilliant take off for the year 2010. And the coffee was simply great. I did check the messages and reciprocated New Year wishes to all the well wishers. What a fantastic day on which I never lost my cool or snapped at someone. Are my days of unnecessary tantrums over? I honestly hope so!
I started back at 4:30 PM and again the traffic was in perfect discipline. I reached home in less than 10 minutes. My daughter was back from school. She already had her shower and looking marvelous and fresh. A hug and kiss and she went to her room to study.
Wife accompanied me for the evening round of exercise. After an invigorating shower, I had a cup of tea and some biscuits and walked to my clinic. My in-laws were on their evening walk. Stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, my father-in-law had never looked as alert and cheerful as this for over 4 years now.
My assistant was waiting cheerfully with the Clinic in prim and proper shape. A nice board with ‘Happy New Year’ was kept at the entrance. The OP was busy but I still managed to wind things up by 8:15 PM. My friend Mohan was there to wish me as usual. I had a small chat with him and rushed back home for dinner.
After dinner, we watched TV for some time. My Father was ready with a story as my Daughter went to bed by 9:00 PM. My Mom retired too by 9:30 PM. That left the two of us; me and wife. We had a perfect time together. No usual bickering. No complaining. This was altogether a great beginning for the New Year. There must be some entity called ‘God’. How else can we explain such a dramatic turnaround in the life of a Kochiite? The Non-conformist in me was secretly admiring God! Thank God “All is well!”
And then, my rug was pulled rudely and there stood my wife, “Can’t you sleep early and get up in time at least on the New Year day? It is already 6:45 AM. Aren’t you going to hospital today ? So many people called to wish you. Go check your mobile for all the missed calls”
And then she turned around and shouted at the top of her voice, “Baby, how many times do I have to tell you to get ready. She hasn't even finished her bath. Watching TV last night and now she remembers she hasn't completed her homework. The school bus will be around any time. Irresponsible girl. Like father, like daughter !”
So at last, “All izz well” in the Happy New Year !
But this must be a perfect beginning for a new year. When I walked into the living room, my Mom was pleasantly surprised. On a normal day, my wife has to wake me up with persistent nagging. And here I was up and looking fresh at 6:00 AM. For once my Mom had not forgotten the day. She said, “What a great beginning, Happy New year!” I reciprocated with equal warmth and walked towards my daughter’s room. By the way, there was not a single missed call on my mobile !
The bed was immaculately neat in my daughter's room and there was no sign of my 11 year old. Hence I walked to my treadmill and there I see my wife on the treadmill and my daughter doing the abdominal exercise on the abs-crunch. Both of them wished me a really happy new year. My wife told, “It is my New Year resolution to lose 15 kilos this year and I am going to achieve that before the next Christmas holidays” And she added, “It’s your turn on the treadmill. We are finished and are going to take a shower” Wow !
I got onto treadmill and finished 20 minutes of vigorous exercise. After cooling down, I shaved and took my shower. Everything was in perfect shape. As I stepped out of my room, my daughter came with her report card. It was a pleasure to sign a report card that showed A+ in all subjects and all extra-curricular activities.
A usually lazy girl had done exceptionally well in the sports and games too. The Physical Director had added a fond note, ‘Most improved Child in the school’. What a day ! In a total departure from our routine mornings; my daughter was doing everything in time and my wife wasn’t screaming at her or at anyone.
My breakfast as usual was bland curd rice with some vegetables. And I was on my way to the hospital before 7:15 AM. What I saw on the road was beyond my imagination. The road was completely renovated. Not a single pothole. I pinched myself to see if it was a dream !
Feeling great, I was driving really fast and I saw an Auto-rickshaw approaching the main road from the left and I slowed down. The Buses and Auto-rickshaws in Kochi are so notorious for rash, rude and dangerous driving. But again I was floored by the driver halting his vehicle to let me go and he took the turn after me. He was keeping the left lane.
Then I saw a bus behind me and again slowed down to let him go. But even the bus-driver humbled me by keeping to left and not even making an attempt to overtake. No honking. No thumping the sides of the bus to scare my small car.
I could see why there was so much order ! Every road was policed and had sign-boards. Pedestrian crossings were manned. Safety alerts were beautifully erected at every corner. The North Bridge was a sight to behold. The bikes and Auto-rickshaws were taking the side bridge and there was absolute order. Is this too good to be true?
It took me only 7 minutes to reach the hospital. Once there, the slot given to me for parking was vacant. The watchman had made sure nobody parked any two-wheelers there. I lodged my bag in my room and everyone was wishing “Happy New Year” with absolute cheer.
The ICCU was unusually calm, though it was almost full. No ventilator patients and none critical. The night-duty Doctor was pleasant and told me that even though there were some admissions during night, it never was hectic or bad. After keeping my iced tea in the fridge, I went for rounds. Everything was in order. But for me, the most surprising thing was I didn’t lose my temper even when I saw some minor discrepancies.
The Out-Patient department was as usual busy and we had enough appointments to keep myself busy. All the technicians were available on this day and the work was flowing with no hindrance whatsoever. I finished my lunch of 2 bananas at exactly 12:00 Noon and never felt hypoglycemic.
I was able to finish all the appointments and my afternoon rounds by 3:00 PM. After updating my files on the PC, I still had some time for coffee with my Doctor friends. Everyone was happy with a brilliant take off for the year 2010. And the coffee was simply great. I did check the messages and reciprocated New Year wishes to all the well wishers. What a fantastic day on which I never lost my cool or snapped at someone. Are my days of unnecessary tantrums over? I honestly hope so!
I started back at 4:30 PM and again the traffic was in perfect discipline. I reached home in less than 10 minutes. My daughter was back from school. She already had her shower and looking marvelous and fresh. A hug and kiss and she went to her room to study.
Wife accompanied me for the evening round of exercise. After an invigorating shower, I had a cup of tea and some biscuits and walked to my clinic. My in-laws were on their evening walk. Stricken by Alzheimer’s disease, my father-in-law had never looked as alert and cheerful as this for over 4 years now.
My assistant was waiting cheerfully with the Clinic in prim and proper shape. A nice board with ‘Happy New Year’ was kept at the entrance. The OP was busy but I still managed to wind things up by 8:15 PM. My friend Mohan was there to wish me as usual. I had a small chat with him and rushed back home for dinner.
After dinner, we watched TV for some time. My Father was ready with a story as my Daughter went to bed by 9:00 PM. My Mom retired too by 9:30 PM. That left the two of us; me and wife. We had a perfect time together. No usual bickering. No complaining. This was altogether a great beginning for the New Year. There must be some entity called ‘God’. How else can we explain such a dramatic turnaround in the life of a Kochiite? The Non-conformist in me was secretly admiring God! Thank God “All is well!”
And then, my rug was pulled rudely and there stood my wife, “Can’t you sleep early and get up in time at least on the New Year day? It is already 6:45 AM. Aren’t you going to hospital today ? So many people called to wish you. Go check your mobile for all the missed calls”
And then she turned around and shouted at the top of her voice, “Baby, how many times do I have to tell you to get ready. She hasn't even finished her bath. Watching TV last night and now she remembers she hasn't completed her homework. The school bus will be around any time. Irresponsible girl. Like father, like daughter !”
So at last, “All izz well” in the Happy New Year !
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