ajit a family physician and friend

The Tata Nano

2009-10-30T15:19:00.004+05:30

Bayer manager and the medical representative visited the clinic today. After their detailing was over, they requested me to see a surprise outside--instinctively I asked whether it was a car , which the rep or manager might have bought. They said it was a Nano and would like me to drive it. Bayer has been alloted 1 car and after another manager used it for a few days, he handed it over to this manager, who stays at Airoli and on his visits to Thane, has made it a point to make the first call at my clinic and then proceed to the others on his list. This was one of those days.

So I drove it from my clinic, giving smiles to all people staring at it, to the service road and took a u-turn at 3 haat naka and came back. Wheel turn is fabulous.

The height is good just like the Wagon R, which I have at present , wheels are small -- scooter or rick size, quite roomy in front, don't know about the rear seats, front seats are reclining, gear and hand brake same as wagon r . Dashboard is basic-- speedometer on top at windscreen level, below are the 2 AC outlets with the controls below it, single wiper , accelerator, brake and clutch placed comfortably as the Wagon R and not at an angle to accommodate the right front wheel hump inside like the Maruti 800 or the Santro. Steering though powered felt very stiff. It was also a bumpy ride -- could be comfortable if loaded. It has power windows.

This was the advanced model 186000/= on road. basic model 126000/= on road. He was telling me that one has to take good care in avoiding potholes. He had taken a ride on a climb near Nerul with total 4 people , but had to shift to 2nd and even 1st gear. Felt less power. Should be good in cities but with good roads.

Marigold for the Festival

2009-10-30T15:13:00.002+05:30

We had gone to the market on Friday, a day before Diwali. There were heaps of marigold all around and one enterprising vendor had this novel idea of attending to customers from all directions by sitting in the center if the mound. Couldn't help clicking as we passed him .

Chokhi Dhani

2009-10-13T09:49:00.009+05:30

I had an occasion to recently visit Chokhi Dhani, a resort showing the life in Rajasthan. Right from the welcome till the time we exited, we experienced the traditional warmth of Rajasthani culture. This place is on the Bhiwandi-Kalyan Road, off the National Highway going to Nashik and beyond.

A traditional welcome with aarti and to the beats of drums and a dancing ' horse '

Many stalls with folk music and dance.

The ladies are very graceful in their performance and balancing acts.

They also invite the guests to be part of the dance and it so relaxing to join them, watch their movements very closely and dance with them to the fascinating rhythm.

Also there was a performance by a flame thrower and fire eater. I knew that they use kerosene or petrol, but here I got no smell of either.

Was curious to know what he had used.

Next we visited a typical ' mahal ' , where we were treated to a delicious jowar roti with butter and jaggeri , a traditional mix.

On our way back we were fascinated with the ' champi malish ' stall. A professional masseur was attending to a visitor using traditional oils and methods to give him a nice massage.

We then did shopping, buying bangles made of sealing wax, in the traditional Rajasthani method and design. He would patiently attend to the clients, answering queries and remodeling the bangles to the desired shape and size, on hot charcoals.

The final attraction was the Rajasthani menu in the dinner, served sitting down and with the plate put on a small decorated stool. From afar we could not see anyone in the dining area, as all were sitting down and I was under the impression that the mess was yet to open.

Food was really tasty, but with lots of butter and oil and many sinfully heavy sweets.

We are not really used to eating this kind of stuff, but it is excused for a day to savor such items.

Returned home with memories of a good time spent on a weekend.

Ride to Lonavla

2009-10-13T09:40:00.011+05:30

A great idea planned extempore . After a few months of hectic work in the clinic, I was on breaking point and desperately wanted a change.

We decided to drive to Lonavla on Sunday, 5th October and visit the beautiful Durgeshwari temple, just off the old highway on the road going to Karla caves, do a bit of exploring of Lonavla and revive memories and then return back. To get more information about this Karla Durgaparmeshwari Math , visit this site, http://www.karlamath.org/Durgaparameshwari.htm

We left at about 8 in the morning and after a breakfast of ' wada pav ' at the food mall reached the temple at about 10.45.

We spent sometime there and went to the Tungarli area for a nostalgic visit. The area has changed totally from the times we stayed there in the late sixties. We saw the Varsha bungalow where we stayed, then towards the Tungarli dam area. It used to be an open countryside and now it is full of bunglows with little greenery left. Next we turned back and on to the road going to my school Don Bosco, which now has so many buildings, and so many houses in front. I used to walk or cycle to and from the school and home.

We then came back to the old highway and to the east to buy chikki and farsan from the famous National Chikki. The taste has not changed over the years and one just cannot like any chikki other than National's, once you have a taste of this.

We then came back to the west for lunch at the famous Chandralok .

This hotel was a small place in those days on the road leading to the VPS high school and the level crossing. There used to be a book store, owned by a Parsi lady, next to Chandralok and she used to resemble Indira Gandhi a lot--looks wise. Our family Physician, Dr. Rashingkar, had his clinic next to this store.

The Chandralok Hotel has a new look but its hospitality and food has not changed. It has a big dining area and a big waiting lobby.

The menu is typical Gujju food , very tasty and piping hot. Waiters always on their toes to attend with a big smile on.

We were fortunate not to have typical big weekend crowds in Lonavla as probably the school exams were still on. I was surprised with the ease with which we crossed to the east and found ample parking places everywhere.

On the way back . a slight drizzle and thick fog greeted us near Khandala. We had put off the AC and opened the windows to let the freshness in.

We returned by 3.30pm refreshed and eager to go back to work for the next week. The feeling was of having come back from a big vacation.

Bandra Foot Overbridge

2009-10-13T08:48:00.005+05:30

I had read about this foot over bridge, connecting Bandra east Kalanagar to Bandra west across the railway, crossing the Dharavi - Bandra road and the Western Express way, being thrown open for pedestrians. Often I have passed below it and talked about going over it, just to satisfy my curiosity of its route and extent.

One Sunday, Shami and I decided to make the trip. It was best to use public transport, so we hunted out the shortest route from Thane on the BEST website. We took a bus to Vikhroli depot and a connecting one to Kalanagar. We went across and saw the traffic below, a beautiful garden near the fly over. From above it looked like a well cared for garden, a rare sight in Mumbai.

The bridge is quite wide as it must be catering to the huge rush coming out of Bandra station towards the offices in Bandra-Kurla complex. It crosses the expressway, then curves along the offices to the west of the highway and on to the station.

Here it joins the old railway bridges. Now it is a problem for people like us , who just wanted to cross over without entering the platforms. We read a notice saying ' Do not enter without a valid ticket '. We took a chance and fortunately no TC came our way. There should be an independent bridge going across with connections to the old railway bridges going on to the platforms.

Another good thing seen on the bridge were a few benches with bucket seats kept at regular intervals for people to sit, if tired. These seats of plastic were in a very bad shape as most had their backs broken. This a problem seen everywhere---no funds for maintenance and a destructive mentality in the people. A public toilet is also available at the Kalanagar end though one dare not enter it !!

Sahara Star

2009-10-13T08:42:00.005+05:30

A seminar was organized by Merck of USA, a pharmaceutical company, at Sahara Star Hotel, formerly, The Centaur, near the Santacruz Airport. I was very eager to see it as on many of my visits to the airport, I could see some renovation going on to the old Centaur, under huge blue colored sheets. It used to be an eyesore, seeing the mess right in the middle of the road.

The entrance is facing the airport and a very complicated drive way almost to the rear of the hotel takes you to the reception area. The look here is very deceptive, as it is small compared to other star hotels and then on entering the main door, the majestic view enfolds before the eyes.

It is circular with all room balconies facing the central part, which has a garden, waterfalls and a small lake. In the balconies we could see people relaxing in chairs and looking down on what must be a great sight. I have made plans to stay there sometime.

Our talk was on the first floor mezzanine and the buffet was laid on the open space facing the central garden. On either side of the walkway from the seminar area to the garden are the hotel's restaurants. It was a grand evening

Dr. R.K.Gadgil, our most affectionate Dean

2009-09-15T14:41:00.017+05:30

Last week , I got a call from Dr. Pravin Gupte, a senior pathologist . ' Make yourself free this Sunday night as our Grant Medical College Alumni Club Thane is having a get together to felicitate Dr. Gadgil, our ex Dean ' he said.

Oh !! what a pleasant thing to hear. I was looking forward to the Sunday to see this 87 year old great person, who had won international awards for his pioneering research work in 1952 for human infection of schistosomiasis in the remote villages of south Konkan.

When I was admitted to the college, our Dean was Dr.Karandikar . After him, I think it was Dr. Gadgil and then Dr. Lele. At that time I was not aware of his great personal charm, as there was no chance of interacting with him as a student.

The speakers that day had interacted with him very often in respect of some college activity or some problems in the hostel or resident quarters. GMC is always full of problems and that creates the liveliness in the campus.

Dr. G.B.Kulkarni welcomed Dr.Gadgil, Mr.Ramesh Gadgil of Medreich SaiMirra, the sponsors of the evening, Dr.Gupte, the chief architect and convener of this function and the committee members of the club, to the dais.

On behalf of the sponsors Mr. Ramesh Gadgil of Medreich SaiMirra was asked to say a few words before the programme started.

He is a very popular figure amongst Thane doctors. He is always ready to come forward for any program organized, especially if it is in Thane.

Dr. Kolge welcomed the guest and Dr Gupte gave a brief introduction of him. It was great to have Dr. Vijay Panikar, my batch mate and a very close friend, amongst us that evening .

He had come all the way from Dadar, from his busy schedule He did not want to miss this function, being very closely associated with Sir, as Vijay was the CS at that time and had a lot to share in his address.

It was decided to have an interacting session involving doctors to narrate their experiences and asking Sir questions related to that incident. This turned out to be a great success than having only the guest to speak and then have a question answer session.

Dr.Gupte took us down memory lane to an era more than 30 years ago. We were junior students when he was a post grad in pathology and so associated more with Dr. Gadgil in addition to his cultural activities of Marathi Vangmay mandal. He told of how he saw the test matches at Brabourne stadium for the entire 5 days from Sir's residence balcony over cups of tea. He also made Sir tell in detail about the story of Joshua, a Malaysian student who was an addict and wanted to reform. Sir had taken him home to stay with his family, dine with them, study along with Sir's children and travel to and fro with Sir.

Another story was narrated by Dr. Chhaya. She had come home for a short break and when she returned to the hostel, she found her belongings thrown out by an arrogant room partner. She went to the Dean's office, which was always open to all, at all times. When she entered there were already two groups of people narrating their problems and so Chhaya stood there not knowing when to begin. Sir looked at her and asked ' What the problem '. She said ' All others are talking.' ' You also start ' Sir said, ' I can hear you all !!! ' Her problem got solved in sometime.

Dr. Benny narrated about the day of admission to the college.

Sir congratulated her on getting the admission and asked her ' Do you know any other meaning to your name Benedicta ? ' She said no , to which he replied it also stands for the Benedict Test for sugar --- sweet.

Next was the presentation of the Citation in the traditional ' Shawl and Sreephal ' way, by the Alumni Club Thane.

Dr. Pawar told about the rowdy parties that used to go in the next room and how his balcony and room was literally messed about as on one such party the boys had used it as a toilet, when he was out on duty. He went to Sir to narrate the incident.

He was given a sweeper to clean up the mess and had summoned the other students, who returned and profusely appologised to Dr.Pawar. Sir might have given them the dose of a lifetime in a typical GMCite way.

Dr. Tambe was the other speaker.

Dr. Sushil Shah of the famous Metropolis Chain of Laboratories, spoke about the casual remark that Sir had made to him, that has taken him to these heights.

' Do something different than a routine pathology work. Endocrine Pathology is the future .' This was a chance remark that has made Dr. Sushil so famous and successful.

After a vote of thanks the session ended with the ' always looked forward to ' coctails and dinner.

Polypill

2009-09-13T13:30:00.006+05:30

Last night I attended the launch of a poly-pill for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The talk was organized by Cadilla Pharmaceuticals at Satkar residency and the speaker was the eminent cardiologist Dr. Dayanand Kumbla.

Most of the patients require multi drug therapy for the control of various problems and they get fed up of popping in many pills in a day. The concept of a poly-pill is to put together many drugs in a single pill for convenience. That is an advantage but I personally have reservations. It is fine for a patient taking these drugs in that particular doses in a fixed combination, but may be incorrect for a generalized thoughtless prescription. It may put an additional burden on a physician to think correctly at the very short time available of writing down a prescription in a busy schedule.

This pill known as Polycap contains Symvastatin 20mg, Ramipril 5mg, Atenolol 50mg, HCTZ 12.5mg, Aspirin 100mg.

Here comes the problem for me and may be for a few fellow practitioners.

Though many studies have been published on symvastatin, it is atorvastatin that has mostly been in use over the past few years. Now rosuvastatin is gaining popularity and will be the future popular statin.

Ramipril is mostly used post episode, more for secondary prevention than for a primary prevention. Ramipril with HCTZ will be beneficial for hypertension control in this polypill.

Atenolol has had its good time and is on retirement. Other beta blockers are more favoured in practice. Due to the side effects of impotency and adverse lipids highlighted during the promotion of Atenolol as a first line treatment for young hypertensives, I never used it for HT control in young people and preferred the other molecules instead. Role of B-blockers post episode is non debatable. Hence use will be mostly for secondary prevention

Aspirin 100mg is fine, but should be used with close monitoring.

All the molecules being in a fixed dose, there is no scope for titration. In a busy schedule, a larger than required dose may go to some patients. When each drug is written separately, we can give a thought to each doses. Secondly, if many companies come out with this concept, there should be a standard drug list in each polypill, or else there will be a great strain on a prescribing physician to remember what drug and in what doses the various pills contain and probability of error increases.

The only positive thing is a convenience for the patient, but a great responsibility on the doctor, hence the use will be very restricted.

Well, only time will tell about the success of a Polypill.

Missed call

2009-08-30T12:40:00.004+05:30

Many of my friends and the medical sales professionals who visit my clinic have suggested topics for my blog. They have told me to write about my experiences of the different types of patients and their relatives. The other topic is my interaction with the various types of sales representatives that have visited me in these past 29 years.

I had not given a serious thought, though the topics were simply fantastic, as I have narrated such experiences to many. The only problem is compiling, which I think I should do separately and then compose it perfectly in my simple way to make it interesting. Yesterday there was an incident in my clinic which has prompted me to write on those topics, which I will eventually do. I must narrate that first.

Due to the rush this season, I have started a number system, wherein people can take their token and wait or go home or finish their other work instead, but come back in time for their turn. During my work today, my assistant handed me a note given by one of the patients, whom I know well. On the note was written his wife's name, dates from 24th to 26th August, a reason 'viral fever ' and on the reverse was a mobile number. The instructions given by that patient to my assistant was ' Give the chit to the doctor, ask him to issue a medical certificate for my wife for the dates mentioned and when he finishes give me a missed call, so that I can come and collect it '.

I was thoroughly amused at what people expect a doctor to do in addition to treating them. I narrated this to the next patients sitting in front. They too had a good laugh and said that they remembered seeing him rush in the clinic to meet my assistant, ask for a paper, hurriedly scribble something and barge out. After an hour or so, as my door opened to let the next patient in, I spotted him standing gesturing to me if I had finished with the certificate. I just called him in, wrote it and handed it over without losing my cool.

This incident has prompted me to now write about my varied experiences with patients and the Medical Representatives.

Ganapati Bappa Morya

2009-08-29T09:45:00.008+05:30

Happy Ganapati festival to all !!!

As I am writing this post I realized that it is almost 2 months since I have visited my blog.

I thought that this post must go on air now before the ganapati visarjan [immersion] day arrives, which is on the 3rd September. I must show off my creativity of my annual Ganapati decoration . The theme was the Bandra Worli sea link. This time of the year is always stressful, monsoon being a season of sickness, this year particularly being more special in view of the H1N1 scare in addition to the other inevitable stresses of life.

This year we decided to be a bit more environment friendly and did away with the use of thermocol in the decoration.

We used a lot of card paper, water colors and color pencils. Shami was a big help in the painting.

She is good at painting and has a very steady hand when doing thin lines, as she makes greeting cards all by herself for different occasions for relatives and friends.

I have realized that this work is a great stress buster. I was on the verge of giving it up as it was difficult to find time and the right mood to apply my mind. Some inner strength pushes you to take up the paper, scale and pencil and the plan that is already made begins to unfold before your eyes. As the work progresses the mind is totally engrossed in what you are doing and when it is completed there is a great sense of achievement and you thank yourself that because of this assignment your mind was off things that were bothering you at least for that period.

Shami's note ---

A few days later we went over this link by chance. We had gone to the airport to see off Rahul for his 4.15 pm flight to Hyderabad. After dropping him off we reached the junction to the Western Express highway near Sahara Star Hotel. Ajit asked me and Supriya whether we should go via Andheri Powai or via Sion Dharavi as we had come. Both of felt we should go via Powai, but before we could answer, he had steered the car towards the left and we had to go towards Bandra. We were a tad disappointed to go back the same way.

But then Ajit said shall we go and have a look at the Bandra Worli sea link? We jumped up at that. Very eagerly we made our way over the rarely used (for us) Prabhodhankar Thackerey Flyover towards Mahim causeway and zoomed over the S.V.Road on to the otherside towards the sea link. We were very excited thinking back over the inauguration ceremony we had witnessed on the television barely a month ago. This is where the VIPs were sitting and so on when we came to the toll . We went past it and on to the link. Ajit took us very slowly so as to take in as much of it as we could and also to make the Rs.75/= return toll fully worth. We could see the various landmarks like Mahim causeway, Hindula Hospital building and Dadar choupatty as we travellled towards Worli.

In no time we were at the other end and then on our way back. This time the sea on our left.We returned to Thane feeling very happy, and proud that our engineers had made such a beautiful masterpiece for the country.

Manas Jain Mandir

2009-06-26T15:44:00.009+05:30

Two years ago , on my return journey from an overnight stay for a seminar at Manas Resort Igatpuri , one of my doctor friends , Dr. Mohan Ahuja talked about this mandir . He was insisting on having a look as it was still under construction , though we were all keen on returning home . We took a detour off the highway on the right about a km in .

What a sight it was to see the beautiful Mandir on a small hillock , there was greenery all around, skies were overcast and a there was a drizzle to welcome us. We planned to come again and see in detail as we were not keen to spend more time there.

It was after two years that we made this trip on 13th June during Rahul and Jean's visit.Before we left , I checked up the exact location on Google maps as I was vaguely but wrongly remembering that the turn was immediately after coming down the Kasara Ghats . It was good that I checked up the location as the mandir is just before Shahapur , when going towards Nasik , near Asangaon station and the Kasara ghat is about 20 kms beyond. It is about an hours ride from Thane --50 kms .
[ The Main Entrance -- front view ]

[ The rear view of the Mandir ]

Lot of changes were noticed since my last visit. Work is still on but it seemed the major structures are done . I had read that it is the second largest Jain mandir in India .

[ The Kshetrapal of the Mandir ]

View of the Dharmashalas [ hostels ] for devotees

A sunset view of the Mauli Mountains --a favorite spot for trekkers -- in the background of the temple complex .

Vaillankanni and Puducherri

2009-06-23T15:39:00.005+05:30

This is from Rahul and Jean 's visit to the holy shrine of Vaillankanni in the last week of May .

What a lovely shrine as seen in the photo . I have a great wish to visit it , to pray and see the marvelous architecture.

I am adding a few photos of Pondicherri , where they had stayed for a few days before going further south to Vailankanni .

I have been a big critic the way people dirty the city out of habit or a national duty and wherever I have been , there seems to have been no exception .

I have now opened my mind after seeing the beautiful photos of Pondicherri from Rahul and Jeans trip.

I was very appreciative of the clean streets -- a rare site and wonder why it cannot be implemented all over India , especially the Metros or internationally famous cities like Bangalore , Pune to start with . It requires commitment from the politicians to lead first---not like Lallu spitting in his 'peek-dani '-- . People will also follow and obey if legislation is made , awareness comes from seeing leaders and celebrities -- film or sports . Yes it is a Tall Dream and too much to expect but I have not lost hope.

Dream T20 World Team

2009-06-23T15:09:00.002+05:30

We have just read that none of the Indian players figure in the Dream T20 World Team . How to react --- oh no-- what happened ---how come--or some protest on the streets or media . Nothing of that sort has happened . No one has reacted nor has any one of the players have anything to say.

If we look at the Indian cricket scene , it is sheer wonder economics and a lesson to be learnt at IIMs---filling the coffers -- the Boards and individual . The hell with nationalism !! After a loss in the super 8 to one team , next day the papers carried an interview with the vice captain Yuvi on the lack of net practice after a loss .He was quoted as curtly replying that we dont need any practice---All the players are well motivated and a good performance will come out in the next match --- I dont have the exact text to quote but it was something very arrogant and curt . The reporter had further compared the serious net practise during the IPL.

The tired and unfit team was allowed to participate in the T20 world cup . Why ?? Did we not have talent to replace them ? Some other team would have put in a better performance . If Mr. Modi wants to hold the IPL twice a year ,we should have at least 30 to 40 potential players lined up so that the best 11 can be picked up for a tournament other than the IPL , and not stick to a standard players who hide their injuries and dont allow another talented player to replace him --- Sehwag for example .

Special mention and Congrats to the Pakistani team .They were the fittest , having missed out on the IPL --so no money bags to carry on their heads --they played with a purpose with a clear mind and for a beligured nation and a national pride . We felt proud seeing them and dedicating the win to the nation and the people who reacted by talking about this win to change the peoples mindset and a will to end terrorism .

Annual ' Date With Kolhapur '

2009-06-21T16:10:00.005+05:30

This year too we could manage a trip to Kolhapur . Last year it was a trek at Panhala . At this time of the year I get nostalgic about Kolhapur when as a kid till the age of 8 , I used to spend the entire summer vacation with my grandparents , uncles , cousins Nandutai and Rajeev .

The unique aroma of mud getting soaked in the first showers , and the call of ' Kurmure-eh-eh-eh ' of the vender selling kurmura and roasted peanuts and channa , is still fresh in my mind.

I go to Kolhapur round about May end to get the first showers but have been disappointed for the last couple of years. This year we went in the first week of June and got the most awaited welcome showers and the freshness of nature . Papa was with us also and he was pleased to see his school and college where he had studied for a few years before shifting to Bombay to complete his graduation and post graduation .

We visited the Temblai temple near the Opal Hotel where we usually stay .

As a child I used to walk -- about 2 kms from our house --along with my grandma to this temple. Next day we visited Mr Ajit Dunung , a very successful businessman and a very close friend of Papa and especially of my uncle Sudheerkaka .

At this age of 72, he is still very active ,playing badminton and going on his bike all the way to Belgaum -- 250 kms to and fro -- for business work . He then took us to his club ,where I could park my car and went by rikshaws to the Mahalaxmi Temple --parking problems.

To avoid the long queue at the temple , I had taken the help of Manjit , the son of a security guard whose relatives are my patients here , to get us 'darshan' .Manjit took us the wrong way through the exit , brushing against devotees who had finished darshan and were on the way out . With folded hands I prayed to the Goddess Ambabai and asked forgiveness for taking a ' special darshan ' . I was thankful for this arrangement as Papa would have found it impossible to stand for so long in the queue.

In the evening instead of the usual visit to Panhala we went to Rankala lake after many years . I remember the last time we had been there was in the mid 90s . There is a lot of development surrounding the lake . a good play area for kids and a good walkway for visitors . Seen below is the lake with the Shalini Palace in the background as well as the nicely laid out walkway.

The only sore point is the approach to the gate of the lake .There are a lot of stalls selling eatables in the most unhygienic surroundings .There is a typical stench of ' unwashed kitchen towels ',water flowing everywhere and gives the visitor a doubt whether to enter the lake area or not. The authorities should organize the stalls with proper drainage and hygiene.

Sunset at Temblai through the welcome dark clouds

The moon through the tree at Temblai

Compulsory Voting

2009-05-02T14:23:00.005+05:30

After 2 days of holidays , Thursday 30th for the voting day here in Mumbai -- Thane and Friday 1st May being Maharashtra Day , the banks reopened . Anticipating a rush after these 2 days off and also being Saturday -- half day for banking , I went before opening time so that I could finish the work early .

As I was waiting in the queue , I was looking at the left middle fingers of people around me for the ink mark of voting , to get an idea of the much talked about lack of enthusiasm in voting . Most of them had marks and so was quite pleased . At this time I was pondering over the remarks made by Mr. Advaniji of making voting compulsory . I then took an interest in the banking staff to see the marks , and spotted a few who had skipped voting and made the most of the vacation. Were they on election duty ? and if not then what was the purpose of giving a holiday for voting .

If a holiday is given for voting then it is mandatory to vote . All the staff should be inspected for the ink mark and if not found they should be made to loose that day's wages and also fine another day's pay as penalty . This way the percentage of voting will increase .

Most of the private enterprises give a half day holiday to the staff --- for voting -- but I doubt if they really care about casting their vote.

The self employed have to undergo lot of hardship if the banks and other offices are closed and so if a holiday is given for voting then all those should be made accountable , if they have not voted

So as a first step compulsory checking for voting should be for those who get a holiday for that purpose , especially like the dates this year , which was a long weekend for most -- exams being over , the kids were ever willing for an outing with their indiferrent parents who give least importance to elections --- 30th a Thursday , !st May a Friday and then Saturday and Sunday .

Haldi ,Mehndi

2009-04-26T11:34:00.006+05:30

The Haldi and Mehndi ceremony is a big event . The Mehndi program is also called Sangeet program in some families .The intensity of these functions varies in families .

Haldi program is something many look forward to as there is a flow of liquor as well as a variety of food . I remember the description of one such function in Agri or Koli community narrated by a free lance cook , Mr. Sawant , who used to be called by us for our get togethers. I had asked him how to calculate the quantity of mutton to be bought for a party . He said that for our party a rough estimate of 250 gm per person is the norm , but in those communities especially for Haldi he calculated about 1 to 1.5 kg per person as they are big drinkers and eaters. He had cooked 100 - 150 kg mutton in some functions

We had a simple function and had no drinks and a vegetarian menu as the Devkarya was in the morning . The ladies apply turmeric paste in coconut oil with leaves of mango trees .

The bridegroom is made to sit on a wooden ' paat ' decorated around by ' rangoli '. Turmeric is applied to the feet , knees , elbows and face . Once everyone has applied in this manner , a few enthusiastic ladies then literally manhandle him by applying the turmeric paste by hand , [ traditionally it was meant to be applied in such a way that the yellow color remains till the wedding and till another ceremony after the wedding called ' Haldi utravne ' which means removing the Haldi ] . After this 5 ladies give him a token ceremonial bath and then he can get ready after a wash . That is the end of this ceremony after which he is not supposed to leave the house .

We also had a function called ' Chura Bharne ' that means putting on the bangles especially the auspicious green ones . This is normally held at the brides house by their family members , but we were fortunate to host it for Jean and this gave us immense satisfaction and a rehearsal for Supriya's function in future . Jean was very cooperative and enthusiastic throughout even though they all were tired after a long journey from Hyderabad . June was very interested in knowing all the goings on and was very much involved in the proceedings . I do not have any good snaps as I had taken a lot of video clips .

Mehndi or sangeet is some families is a program of singing and dancing when a professional team of mehndi artist is hired for applying the bridal mehndi , which takes quite some time ,

as well as other ladies get beautiful designs of mehndi applied .

Anandita too wanted it -----Men folk also join in the singing and merriment and all enjoy the cocktails and good food.

Devkarya , Haldi , Mehndi

2009-04-24T13:54:00.011+05:30

First is the ceremony called Devkarya .The traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies are spread over a few days. The previous day is known as the day of Devkarya meaning a service to God .

A photo of the preparations under way, Mr Avinash Bapat the main Purohit in the picture.

A pooja with a ' Homa-havan ' is held and involves close relatives . In Rahul's wedding ,we had a few adaptations done to the ceremonies to accomodate the timings of the next day muhurt. It was also a great opportunity to perform some ceremonies from the girl's --Jean's --side , it turned out to be a good orientation programme for Supriya's wedding in future .

As the muhurt was in the late afternoon , the priest suggested to hold most of the ceremonies that did not involve Jean's family on the previous day. On the wedding day also 'he planned to finish most of the steps before the muhurt so that we all had sufficient time to get ready for the reception.

Devkarya pooja involves Ganesh poojan , next is Varun poojan , followed by Matruka pojan .

A photo of Rahul fully concentrating on the sanskrit slokas that he had to repeat after the Purohit.After the initial ceremonies we all had to go in to place the items seen in this photo , in the Pooja ghar [ Devara ] . Supriya is also seen collecting the all important ' karaa ', which she is supposed to carry the next day to the wedding venue--she has a very important role after the muhurta.

After this is Gruha poojan and Havan , as seen in this picture ,

and finally is Nandi-shraadha --that is remembering the ancestors and a service in their honour.

After this , the assembled relatives gave gifts to Rahul ,to us and Supriya and the ceremony was over.

Wow !!!! Three Weddings ?????

2009-04-08T08:11:00.014+05:30

Wow !!! Three weddings ???

That's the reaction of my acquaintances when I describe the wedding ceremonies of Rahul and Jean .It was really an enjoyable experience to undergo three ceremonies in a span of ten days.

Rahul and Jean had their civil wedding on the 20th February at Hyderabad .

Here is the snap of Rahul and Jean at the entrance of the Registrar with documents got prepared from an agent across the road . They had planned to go through this function in these IIMK clothes , to act as a remembrance of their romantic introduction to each other at the IIMK campus.

The formalities went on smoothly in the hot afternoon at about 3.00 pm . A lot of signatures and paper work to go through , the authorities were very pleasant and conducted the proceedings very professionally . After the signing was over , the couple garlanded each other in the presence of her parents June and Edward , her brother John , Ashok-Nima , Rajiv-Neela , Satish- Nisha and Supriya and we two.

We greeted and congratulated each other ,sweets were distributed and then we proceeded to Jean's residence for some rest and an early delicious dinner .

Next day 21st February was the Church wedding at the Presbyterian Church at Abids

and later the reception at The Central Court Hotel at Lakdi-ka-pool .

The third wedding --ceremony was in Thane on the 1st March . We had a few days time in between the ceremonies , so could take a short break and again start on the finer tuning of preparations . Here are a few snaps of the traditional Hindu wedding ,

the ceremonies of which went on for 3 days 28th for " Devkarya ' , ' Haldi ' and ' Mehndi '-and the traditional ' Satyanarayan Pooja ' performed by the newly weds the next day -these functions require a separate post.

At last the Welcome Home ceremony . This is a typical photo -- the same tired and ' now leave us alone look ' that all newly married couples have .

What a relief all parents must be experiencing at this stage of the function . A feeling of great satisfaction that ' everything has gone off smoothly and we are back home after a successful end of a meticulously planned mission ' .

Lazy Sunday mornings

2009-04-05T13:55:00.005+05:30

Ding Dong !!!! the doorbell rings on a lazy Sunday morning .

On such a morning ,we , that is you all and we , are all relaxed , not yet showered , each one doing his own things as he wants , no time restrictions -- reading the paper ,-- working on the laptop in clothes completely in contrast to the daily formal attire and completing the office work --- final touches for Monday , -- rubbing the sore eyes and reliving the dream just completed or trying to wash off the hang over of the previous evenings binge , -- just out of the bathroom with just a towel round you and rushing to get into something decent , --- or spread out on the sofa in shorts and trying to figure out the newspaper headlines -----..

I had thought that this goes on in our house only but we realized that all homes are the same when we decided to visit our neighbors in the society to give invitations for Rahul - Jean 's wedding.

Sunday was the only suitable day for me , but were undecided on the time to visit the neighbors . We thought of finishing this very important work in the morning as we were sure of getting everyone at home and we presumed a majority to be unavailable in the evenings .

This blog is to present our experiences on visits to the neighbors on a Sunday morning

Well that is the exact picture we got on our visits . We did manage very efficiently to put everyone at ease by announcing the purpose of the visit as soon as the door was opened .

We rang the bell at one house, we could hear the yelling inside ' ABC open the door XYZ says you do it or tell PQR .Each one yelling to the other and no one really interested in getting up and answering the doorbell -- we are standing out with amused frustrated looks at each other ---finally the door opens and a bewildered looking housewife just out of the bath with a hurriedly drawn duppatta over the gown gives an apologetic smile and welcomes us in .

At another place ,we rang the bell -- no response --we ring again , we hear a male voice ' aalo aalo , ek 2 minitat alo ' [ coming coming in just 2 minutes ] . No one opens the door for a while , so we ring again , again the same announcements from within .We glance at each other and give a mischievous smile with a look that says 'Are you thinking what I am thinking ' This person is used to take back massage from the maid and since neither the wife nor the kids opened the door some wicked thoughts were filtering through my mind ---Shami had a sober guess ---he must be in the toilet or the bath--- . We waited for sometime and then gave up to give another try in the evening, Which Shami dared to do and came to know that he was indeed " sitting " for a bath , that's what he said----that suggests it must have been a long ceremonial bath -- and so must have taken so long.

One more neighbor opened the door in a night gown with a broom in the hand . Seeing us at the door and hearing our purpose of the visit ,she asked us to come in and rushed in the inner room ---we could distinctly hear her mutter " could have been better if you had come in the evening --such a big mess around and ' he ' is also out of town ---" We realized it was definitely a wrong time for her and she was making no efforts to hide her true feelings, but we knew her very well to be a very good lady . She came out with a duppatta and said that her maid was not to come and so she had to do the work , then she proceeded to complete the unfinished job and returned to give us a real traditional welcome , with coconut etc , done for the couple who had come to invite.

Now another house --we ring the bell --their teenage son opens the door and gives a bright smile. I just manage to see beyond the boy to his mother sitting on the sofa with a newspaper held in front. She glances to her right with an irritated look on her face with a query as to -- who could it be on this lazy morning-- she shuts off the paper and glances back at the door--on seeing us she gets up, gives a bright smile and welcomes us in. She is the only one in the house who is ready , decently attired and fresh from a shower ,being a working lady she must be having an obsessive compulsive desire to get ready even though it is Sunday. Her husband is in his shorts and topless working on a laptop --to whom she must have glanced at --the house is in a typical mess . He stops his work and rushes in to come out a bit totally clothed. They are really very warm people .

Another house , on the 3rd floor in the building facing ours , who can see what's going on in our house were probably anticipating our visit ---they were all ready and as soon as we entered made us sit and the center table started getting packed with dishes of assorted goodies.

Well that's for a Sunday morning

I Am Back !!!!!

2009-03-30T17:26:00.003+05:30

Hello !!! I am back ,I have missed this page and the typing ----- of some creativity , some happenings , some exciting news and uploading photos . Today's post is to get back in the mood of blogging , ---- so be on the lookout for something to read .

Costricter

2008-11-13T15:00:00.003+05:30

" Look out " shouts Shami , as I step out of the car after parking it at Andheri " behind you -- be careful " she continues . I turned behind to see in the trees and what a sight . For a moment I was scared but then coolly reached for the camera to snap it up. Here it is -- the freaks of nature --a plant Boa Constricter .

Parents - in - law

2008-11-09T11:54:00.008+05:30

Yes !! thats exactly what Shami and I are going to be or rather we are already--- officially -- after 11th October. Shami and I have felt pleasantly promoted , suddenly , unexpectedly , after Rahul got engaged to Jean .

After the visit to Hyderabad , we got down to plan the details and the countdown to the 11th of October .We had planned some date between Dasserra [ 9th October ] and Diwali [ starting 26th October ] . 11th Oct was the best date as it was a Saturday and immediately post Dasserra -- so a good attendance was guaranteed. We had a good experience of organising big functions on our own like Rahul's munj -thread ceremony --way back in 1995 , next our own silver anniversary in 2006 , not to forget the numerous birthday parties , family get togethers and my stag parties .

First was the venue . Oh what a relief when the Poolside Oasis of the grand Satkar Residency was available .

I have attended many conferences and functions here and had fallen for this venue.

We got down to the rest of the items once the venue was fixed -- like the guest list , menu , shopping for Jean and her family , booking hotel for their and their guest's stay , shopping for us all , phoning all the invitees to confirm their presence and give sufficient time for them to adjust their plans , booking the decorators , photographer , orders for Barfi trays and pedhas , roses . The mobile came in handy with all the reminders fed in it .

As the day approached we were very much relaxed as every plan was in place .The only fear was of rains --like every year , it had rained regularly during the Navratri Festival , which ends on Dasserra day . On the day of the function it was hot and humid throughout the day . We had reached the venue at 5.30 and we could see clouds building up in the north and moving towards us . By 7.30 winds started blowing but fortunately it did not rain and the atmosphere became pleasant. The event went off smoothly , we had studied the photographs of a recent engagement ceremony of Sachin , Rahul's second cousin , and so we were thorough with the steps of the function .

We were tired by the time it got over but feeling very happy and contented . Photo in the lobby waiting for the cars to arrive to take all home.

Lachar Dada

2008-10-01T14:32:00.004+05:30

Dada Ganguly or Lachar Ganguly .

Just heard in todays afternoon news that Dada is to retire after the Aussie series . I imagined dada on his knees in front of the new chaiman and his old friend K.Srikant , begging him to be part of the series , and Srikant comforting him by saying ' arey beta don't cry ... I will adjust you ...but promise to step down after the series ...'

We all know it is hard for anyone to part with the ' lollies '. News reader was discussing about the other ' Oldies ' in the team and their lachari. Todays paper also carried an item on the average ages of the Aussies ---as if to defend the selection of our Oldies . When will we be seeing the young talent --- and it is childish to compare our Oldies with these Aussies , taking age as the criteria --they have kept up their talent and stamina alive at their respective ages and their selection is always on present performance and not like us --basking in old glory .

What these people do is hide the current poor performance of these ' past retirement Oldies ' under these news items . Why do all have to defend their selection .

Don't mention the R-Word ---read it at ---

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3507886.cms

Exciting Menus

2008-09-27T09:01:00.003+05:30

Recently we had gone shopping in Mulund and then visited a very old and famous Kirti Mahal hotel for a cup of coffee . On seeing the menu card I could not resist the temptation to click . Here it is------

Being a Comp Techie !!!

2008-09-26T14:11:00.003+05:30

Last week , about 10 days ago I switched on the comp and was aghast at reading on the screen that there was a problem in the booting of the comp . Windows failed to load . In desperation I sent an sms to Rahul . Pat came his reply 'Damn , will call sometime later ' . I realised that it must be a major problem .

We had Windows Vista installed . As per his instructions we got hold of a Windows XP cd and was thrilled to be a computer Wizard for sometime as I was ' Operating on the brains of the Computer following instructions from Rahul . First delete the C drive and then install from the new cd . The computer started but we did not get the sound as well as the internet working . Again a call to Rahul . He then explained to me that the drivers were for Windows Vista and we had installed XP . As we all were comfortable with XP we did not want to go back to Vista , Rahul promised to trouble shoot in a few days . As our computer is IBM --branded we did not have separate driver cds for individual hardware .

On the phone he asked us to see on the CPU the model number ----- how did he know it existed and where exactly to locate it ---- I was thrilled at the way things were happening -- like the movie where the Airhostess is guided to land the plane from instructions from the control tower .

He then mailed us the links to drivers from the IBM website with detailed instructions on how to install the drivers . I went to the neighbours house , opened my gmail , downloaded to the desktop his mail and individual .exe files for the sound , video and ethernet . Then copied them on the pendrive and back to my comp . The sound and Video drivers were easy to install --- oh what a great feeling to hear the familiar startup music of windows booting -- as if the computer has recovered from a coma and was singing .

Installing the driver for the ethernet was a different experience . As per his instructions I went succesfully till the drop window showing PRO100 .I tried various ways to get through but failed . Again an sms to Rahul ' Can I call you ? ' ' 2 mins I will come out and call ' he replied . He told me to open the PRO100 box and to read the various items . I could not make head or tail of it . How could he imagine the comp in front of his eyes while walking in the veranda or the garden out there from wherever he was calling . Suddenly he stopped at a point and asked me to read out again and said try that out --- it was the last item in the list -- I forget the name now -- presto the net started --- oh that was a great experience . I also had to download Nero and as I could not open a pdf file I had to download acrobat reader .

When I narrated this to my dad he was happy and said that in each profession one can guide remotely . He told me how I ask the patients to read out reports and by asking a few questions can come to some sort of a conclusion to the diagnosis and treatment . Yes I did agree to that , as when the patient is about to read a report I can imagine the format in front of my eyes and ask him to go to a particular item on the report instead of him going all over it .

A good change from diagnosing and treating a Patient to being a Comp Techie to revive a sick Computer .

Hyderabad trip

2008-09-24T13:56:00.012+05:30

This post should have been before the Ganapati festival .

We had planned to go to Hyderabad sometime , to stay with Rahul . I noticed that 15th August , a public holiday came on a Friday so we all had a long weekend .We left by the Devgiri Express --an overnight journey through Nasik , Aurangabad , Nanded ,entering Andhra Pradesh at about 11 am next day---on the way I noticed the landscape was full of rocks piled up in a unique way ---was it a specialty of Andhra Pradesh ?

Rahul and Jean had come to pick us up .After resting in Rahul's apartment we went to Jean's house for dinner. Next day we had planned a trip to the Salar Jung Museum ,Chaar Minar and then to see the Hussein Sagar lake.

On the way to the museum we went through the sprawling campus of Osmania University .I was pleasantly thrilled when told that each faculty had its own beautiful structure and a lot of surrounding green campus .The roads were wide and clean---conducive atmosphere for studying , thoughts did go back to Mumbai and the few privileged colleges and institutions that have clean green campuses.

Salar Jung Museum is really well done up after the renovations as told to me . We had a lovely time enjoying the collections and especially the marble sculptures of Rebecca. It is a pity that for security reasons we are not allowed cameras inside. The veiled statue of Rebecca is something out of the world , simply unbelievable . How can one possibly carve out a marble stone and give a transparent effect of a veil on a lady , even the facial features were excellent ---no words can describe it , one has to see it.

Next was the visit to Chaar Minar--- oh what congestion on the roads----did not miss Mumbai here -- typical of Girgaum , Kalbadevi and Bhendi Bazaar area.

I had read and heard a lot about this structure and was happy to be on top of it than at the congested ground level.

We could see most of the tall structures of Hyderabad City like some Government buildings , a famous Hospital , a Software company offices--can't recollect the names--- and in the distant the Golconda Fort. From the top was also visible the famous Mecca Masjid , which we visited next and where an explosion had taken place a few years ago.

Next halt was for a sumptuous Hyderabadi Biryani and then onto the pride of the city --- the man made ' The Hussein Sagar Lake ' . This area is wonderfully done up .

It was conceptualized during the time of the popular chief minister Mr.NT Rama Rao and was completed in the time of the next popular CM Mr.Chandrababu Naidu. This lake has a garden ,children play area and eatery stalls to the north, the small boat ride jetty was closed for maintenance.

To the south is the Lumbini Park area---

--another site of the bomb blast a few years ago--- where apart from the gardens there is a jetty for big launch rides . Well it was time to go back home after a tiring but enjoyable day .We also had to leave back for Thane the next day afternoon .We returned to Secunderabad from the southern point of the lake so that we could pass the statue of Buddha in the Lake .As we cruised along I could manage to click a beautifully lit Buddha statue in the backdrop of the lake.

Bye bye to Hyderabad --till the next visit.

Annual Ganapati Decoration

2008-09-16T15:38:00.006+05:30

Back to writing a post after a long time .

Ganapati Festivities has just ended on Sunday . Every year I make some decoration for my Ganapati using some important event that has taken place in that year .This year was the Olympics and after seeing the photos of the main stadium The Birds Nest , I had made up my mind to use this theme .

It was a bit difficult as I had 2 photos from the India Today weeklies. One photo was in the night, beautifully lit , as seen in the picture below ,

and the other was a daylight one probably a rear view of the stadium .

I had to take measurements from the magazines and convert it to a scale to fit into my space in the drawing room unit .

In the end it did come of well but it could have been better . I had to abandon some items to the right of the stadium as seen in the night photo . I was happy to get the effect in the lake --the reflection of the structure of the stadium ---using a picture of a lake from a calender and covering it with a transparent gelatin paper .

India and the Olympics !!

2008-08-09T15:37:00.004+05:30

What a lovely sight to see the Olympic opening ceremony last evening . We were simply glued to the TV and made me go late to my clinic. In the afternoon I was on the link of Olympics on the Yahoo taskbar and had gone through the teams participating . The photos are from that link.I browsed through a few , out of curiosity ,and was ' impressed ', as usual , to see only 52 from India --as against over 600 from USA and China --and the figures go on .
The events had not yet started , the account of the medal tally of all countries was yet to open and what do you find in the 'Breaking News of a News Channel ??? Can India host an Olympic !!!!

If I am not mistaken , at all Olympics and after that there are debates going on only about this topic and no one is serious about what should be done in future to improve the sports in India . India is good at organizing , as lot of money is at stake and to be made by a few ---how successful were we at corrupting the world of cricket.
Everyone knows where we lack but we are so much steeped in murky politics based on caste wars , religion , regionalism , saving governments by the 'number games ' , corruption , sting operations , ' secularisms ' a term used by parties for themselves and not the people , burning trains and buses , bandhs , and many more --lost out on the count--- that we are not allowing the country to move forward .

If our team is analyzed , we find most of them qualify on their own efforts and not due to some long term Government policy as is prevalent in many countries . I am reminded of the schools taking credit for meritorious results --- it is the private tuition classes and sheer effort of the students that take the students to the top and not the insignificant contribution of most schools and their mediocre teachers .

See the efforts of R Rathod to win the silver medal last time --was it because of some long term investment of the Government ? The sports bodies have to be reorganised and made answerable .Politicians should move out and professional business house should run the show using Government funds .They should be made answerable to the people of India of their plans and selection criteria .

Today afternoon the Olympic telecast was interrupted to show an interview with Mr. Kalmadi .I switched off the channel , just on seeing the disgusting ' pan stained ' face of Mr.S Kalmadi who ,I presume , runs the Olympic and other sport show in India. It is the sincere wish of any proud Indian to see a larger contingent from here and a few medals in the kitty instead of the news of ' failure to qualify for further rounds ' on day one of the event.

Does someone have suggestions that will drive a political will to formulate a long term plan for at least the 2016 Olympics . My suggestion is to let the Chinese come here and run the show on a Build--Operate--Transfer terms . God save us !!!

Bullet proof Poo--see

2008-08-01T18:17:00.004+05:30

A photo from the Indian Express dated 31st July . A Hindi translation of our North East Frontier Railway . Must be meaning in Hindi 'Poorva [ Poo ] Seema [ See ]

The Chef

2008-08-01T18:02:00.004+05:30

Do you smell the heavenly aroma of Besan being roasted for Besan ladoos ? It is there right now in my house and the chef is Shami's mother . She is seen here perched on the kitchen platform roasting the besan --a long and tedious process . She doesn't know that I have clicked her -- I used my mobile and not my camera as it would have given me away . Who would believe that she is 83 years old , just out from a cataract operation and undergoing dental treatment . She has undergone hip replacement twice in the last 10 years and a few years back an angioplasty . She does gives us a lot of inspiration . We have decided to show her the photo later on when it is published .

Please Retire Gracefully

2008-08-01T15:31:00.002+05:30

Oh !! What a cricket match at Sri Lanka .After the pathetic display in the first test I had hoped for some great display by the oldie goldies who are still holding on to better someones record and in that process destroy some young talent . Just checked on the live score on rediff and what a misery to read the scorecard 201 not out by Sehwag from a score of 329 all out . Thank goodness the most unpredictable man clicked today !!

Oh !! come on now !! Rahul , Sachin , Saurav ,Laxman , Anil do consider quitting seriously . We have enjoyed your games and basked in your glorious successes over the past decade or more . I am lost for words now .

I don't know how to end this post !! Misery !!!

3 Generations at Grant Medical

2008-07-30T15:26:00.008+05:30

Congratulations to Ketki , my cousin Dr Dilip's daughter to have got admission in my college ,Grant Medical College [ GMC ], or rather I should put is as ' our ' college as my dad's father Dr Bhaskar Gaitonde or ' Anna ' , as we would affectionately call him , was also a student of this college in the mid 1920s --- thats it -- 3 generations.I remember at the time of my admission there was an interview with the deans of all 4 colleges . When I accepted the offer of GMC as per merit list , our dean at that time , Dr. Karandikar , got up , shook hands with me and said 'Congrats and welcome to this college , but may I ask you what made you think of accepting this college '. I had proudly replied ' My grandfather was a graduate from this great GMC and so I am pleased to take admission here '. It was late past 9 at night as the interviews had started late in the afternoon .I had rushed to the college office near the Dean's chamber as my friend called out that the cashier window was still open to accept fees . Oh ! what a relief to have that piece of paper -the receipt - in my hand . Yes I have got my admission !!In my internship we had a rural posting for 6 months at Kasara PHC . We always used to see the rather lonely life of the medical officers posted there , cut off from the cities and the modern world . Later on I had a Government job in the Health services , but fortunately stationed at the headquarters in Thane city . I had a touring job of the whole district and had to visit far off PHCenters . I always used to thank my stars for not being posted there as there was just no social life for the hapless Medical Officers --at least we now have better communication and also computers and the net to get occupied .

My grand father , Anna ,though a graduate from Mumbai and from a prestigious college like GMC in those times , chose to practice in the rural setup of southern Ratnagiri --now Sindhudurg district --in a town called Kankavli . I had often wondered why he had taken that decision and had asked my aunt -- dad's eldest sister as to why did he prefer a rural place to a big city like Mumbai . She had replied that his mother could not tolerate the polluted climate of Mumbai as well as the city life and would rather go back to the village area from where she hailed , and it is for his mother that he went back to the village to practice --Oh ! what a compromise --made me feel proud . Also recollected the novel ' Citadel '.

I was too young ---10 or 11 years old -- when he died in Mumbai after an attempted cardiac surgery , during which time he was staying with us at Worli . I wish I could have asked him this nagging question of his choosing a rural setup . I have heard stories , from my relatives and also from some of my patients , whose relatives he had treated , praising his work ----attending patients coming from far away villages , going for home visits on cycle as well as on horseback in all sorts of weather , conducting difficult deliveries and was a God to the people in a true sense. People worshiped him and his goodwill has made people treat the next generations respectfully whenever anyone visits those villages , which have become cities now .

Had he gone to practice there out of CHOICE or out of COMPULSION ???, this troublesome question will always remain unanswered for me and so I have built up my own analysis which may be right or wrong . Given a choice he would have remained in Mumbai and become renowned on a larger scale -- just imagine an MBBS graduate of those times !!!! He would have been more affluent and the next generations may have had a totally different outlook and upbringing . Though everyone in the family is talented , being on the top in a rural area on one side and grow amongst equals and in a severe competition ,on the other , is a totally unimaginable proposition . His adulations and stories about his achievements are narrated at all times and we do feel proud but my question is , in his heart of hearts did he savor those hard times or was he made to be a hero though within himself he had regretted leaving the city .

Here I am reminded of the Hindi movie 'Guide ' ,where Dev Anand in the end sacrificed his life being made to be a God man by the people . He was a simple tourist guide and he took the fast to death obviously against his inner wishes . The stress of Anna 's practice may have been the cause of his cardiac problems at an early age . He had to shift to Kolhapur to be in a place where better medical facilities were available .

I remember and miss Kolhapur very much, as we used to spend the whole summer vacation as kids , I don't have any idea of Kankavli as they had moved out before I was born in Mumbai . Thats my Dad on the left , the view of the backyard and veranda of the Kolhapur bungalow , my grandmother with her ' rungolee ' , myself in a villager's attire , my cousin sister Nandutai with me in the tonga and Anna ready to leave to the clinic .

Many students nowadays do not want Medicine as a career . One has to clear the CET and getting admission to good colleges is difficult due to reservation policies . Many private colleges have come up and charge huge development fees way beyond reach of a commoner . Compulsory rural posting after this for a period and hefty penalties for waivers . For post graduation there is another CET and the seat may be alloted in a place ,not of one's choice . After PG another dose of rural posting , if not accepted , a dose of penalties .

Congrats again for Ketki for having done so well and welcome to being a ' GMCite '

The Trek Continues

2008-07-21T15:06:00.006+05:30

This is in continuation of the earlier post of 17th July .

In the evening we went towards the northwest direction to the very familiar sajja kothi area . This time we went by car as we had trekked enough in the morning. First we went to see the Dutondi Buruz area , the name suggests that it has 2 ways to go up and down .

Probably it was a watch tower to sight the enemy approaching and signal to the Baji Prabhu Buruz in the north and also signal to the south in the direction of Teen Darwaza and Ambar Khana . The area further to the south is called the Rajdindi and has many bungalows of the ' Rich and Famous ' , and due to vacation time were full of guests , with kids playing on the lawns. The famous Valley View Hotel belonging to Kiran Shantaram , as we were informed , is seen from here in the north direction .

From here we visited the routine of Sajja Kothi and further to see if our 'TREE' was waiting for us to visit and click its photo with the kids . Here is also the Baji Prabhu Buruz from where we can see the Vishalgad Fort in the far off northwest distance .

After spending some time there getting the strong , fresh and cool breeze into the system , we proceeded back to the Rajdindi area to see the sunset as this area gives an unobstructed view of the sunset . The sun was setting behind a plateau in the western direction and were informed that there are 3 such plateaus in a row , Panhala being in the centre . That was the last item of our trek . We returned back after a light dinner as we had planned to checkout early next day for the long drive back home .

Trekking on Panhala Fort

2008-07-17T14:10:00.013+05:30

Our visits to Kolhapur were never complete without a flying visit to Panhala. We used to leave for Panhala at about 5.00 pm , reach there in 45 min and drive directly to Sajja Kothi . Below at the entrance to Panhala , is seen the memorial for Shiva Kashid , who had sacrificed his life to help Shivaji escape when Panhalgad was under siege . After parking the car we used to walk towards the end of the cliff , see the picturesque terrain below , recharge the lungs with deep breaths of the fresh breeze and take snaps near a tree which has stood there strong over all these years and has witnessed Rahul and Supriya grow . As we near this place our eyes are always on a look out for this tree. This time we could not ask Rahul and Supriya to climb on top though they did make an attempt .Then we would walk back towards the sajja kothi , go up the stairs take snaps and come down and to the parked car. On the way back we used to wait at the stalls to snack on onion bhajjiyas , roasted corn and cups of ginger flavored tea . We used to reach back at Kolhapur by 8 pm . This was the routine followed almost every May end. We always used to plan to stay at Panhala and explore the fort on foot , but never materialized.

This year we planned it that way .We got the bookings for MTDC resort for the 16th and 17th May. As the check in time was 9.00 am I decided to reach and stay a day earlier at Kolhapur in 'our Opal Hotel '.We checked in at Panhala at 9.45 .After refreshing we decided to start our ' exploration ' On our way and near Tarabai Rajwada we saw the map of Panhala .Rahul and me clicked it and this became our reference map to route our way . When in doubt we used to zoom in ,study the map and proceed . We followed the road going towards the bus stand . On the way we saw a large lake where people were washing clothes and bathing . This scene is quite common anywhere in India -the hell with pollution and preserving beauty and history . As it was hot and dry in the afternoon sun we decided to return to the room and continue exploring in the evening. We decided to cover the south west part first . We walked to the Baji Prabhu Deshpande Circle first as that seemed to be the center reference point for us. From here we went towards the Hotel Hill Top area that covers places like Andhaar Bav ,Teen Darvaza and Ambarkhana . This place was crowded with tourists and had a lot of eating outlets as well as stalls . After snacking on 'onion bhajias 'and ginger flavoured tea we strolled on to a lovely garden dedicated to the memory of Shri Bhalchandra Pendharkar a renowned Marathi and screen personality of yesteryears,Teen Darvaza and walked back to the room .We then drove for dinner at Hotel Hill Top .

Next day we decided to explore the south east part. On the way we saw Dharma Kothi where history says that the poor were taken care of , then onto Kalavantin sajja ,below a view of sajja kothi as seen from the Kalavantin sajja area .It is said that Sambhaji , when imprisoned in the sajja kothi , could see the 'Kalavantins 'perform in the Kalavantin Sajja ,the ruins of which are seen below. We went down the road to the Shiva Kashid memorial and onto the plateau in the southeast . On the way we passed Parashar Guha ,a cave from the show but leading to a secret tunnel for a getaway to a nearby fort for soldiers in trouble . Next was Lata Mangeshkar's bungalow--originally belonging to Bhalchandra Pendharkar. Next onto the plateau from where we could see the ruins of the kalavantin sajja and sajja kothadi beyond . The view on the southern side was beautiful , a wide expanse of fields interspersed with villages. There was also some activities of construction -- like some star hotel coming up ---to destroy the natural beauty seen below from top . In the evening we decided to go to the north west part to see the sunset ,Sajja kothadi and 'Our tree ' . This will be in the next post

Baba Is No More

2008-07-15T14:41:00.012+05:30

In the chronology of events ,this post should have been on the 1st of May . This is regarding the passing away of my father-in-law , Shami's father , whom we affectionately called 'Baba', at his age of 90 after a brief illness.

Baba had a very healthy life throughout . He never had any major illnesses except for colds . I remember his attacks of cold because of his very loud sneezes. At this age he was regular in his walks and had a very disciplined life. Being an aeronautical engineer it was always a pleasure to talk about his work and his comments on the launch of the giant Airbus 380 . He was a voracious reader and would interact on any topic from astronomy, history to sports . The great moments were when watching News on TV with him , especially his use of choicest words to criticize politicians. After retiring from Indian Airlines , he was working for Air Works for quite a long time and even after retiring from there he used to be consulted on an aircraft's final fitness.

Till last year he has accompanied us on a few trips and last May he surprised us by climbing the steep stairs of the sajja kothi at Panhala with the enthusiasm of a child . I remember him many years back, I think it was 1992 , on our trip to Alibag and Kihim ,he had enthusiastically ventured out for a swim in the sea with Rahul. It is really rare and fortunate for those who have had the company of both grand parents till the age of almost 25 . Rahul and Supriya lost one grandmother in November 2007 and now a grandfather .

We do miss him a lot .

Shami's first post on the blog

2008-07-06T15:24:00.007+05:30

Hotels are often advertised as luxurious, grand, good service and comfortable and their most common description is a “Home away from home”.
However, I beg to differ. No doubt, home is the place where one is most comfortable. But at some point in one’s life, one requires a place that is different from home. Most people opt to go to some place else when they take leave. They would not like to spend time home. Of course, the reason people go on tours, trips, vacations is to see the various exciting places, have a change of climate, spend time away from the same humdrum life. But mostly it is to escape the routine of everyday home life, no matter how comfortable and beautiful the home may be. You are always on call when you are at home, even if you are not a doctor! You are expected to answer the doorbell, the phone bell, deal with neighbours, bills, courier service people, postmen, the maid, and so many other intrusions. At some point you want out. You want some thing other than home.

This summer, we decided to go on a short vacation to Panhala from 15 to 18^th May. However, we could get the booking of the MTDC resort only from 16^th. So we decided to spend the 15^th at Kolhapur. We reached there around noon and checked into the Opal Hotel. This is our usual hotel whenever we come to Kolhapur. We have been coming to this hotel since 1984 since Rahul was only 2 months away from his 2^nd birthday.

As we had an advance booking, we were ushered to our room without much delay. We realised that this was a brand new double room in a newly constructed wing of the hotel. Later we came to know that it had been inaugurated only 2 weeks ago. After lunch in the hotel dining room, we rested and then went to Temlai which is nearby and is one of our favourite spots in Kolhapur. We retired to our room at night after the delicious ice cream at Solanki’s. The next morning, we had our breakfast and checked out. Before that we made a trip to the first floor of the hotel, which we had missed during our visit last year with Ayi and Baba. The familiar layout altered, new rooms had been constructed, a hall which could be used for a small function had been fashioned out of the enormous hall or sitting room which had been there earlier between the two rooms facing the driveway, on the first floor. However, the two rooms which we used to occupy earlier had been kept with their beautiful balconies in tact. We roamed around with a feeling of nostalgia, trying to figure out which was the corridor in which Rahul, Suppi and Ajit played cricket, the beautiful amazing bathroom at the far end of the corridor which was almost as big as half our house! The window of the corridor which looked on to the terrace adjoining the balcony of the room from where we had seen the colorful sari floating away in the pre monsoon whirlwind at the fag end of May. We had awoken Rahul from his afternoon siesta to show him the magic carpet!

We trooped down to the lobby to collect our luggage. Then we all sat in the car and as we drove away, I was filled with a sense of comfort, as if a soothing balm had been applied to my raw feelings. I don’t know why, a stay in a hotel should bring about this feeling in me. I decided then that I will put into words what this hotel has meant to me and my family all these years.

Our first association with Hotel Opal was in September 1984. We were on our way to Goa for Navratri festival. My parents –in-law and my brother in law and Rahul , Ajit and I along with our driver Pandey took the halt at Kolhapur. We intended to stay overnight and then resume our journey to Goa. The partners of this hotel are our family friends and know my father in law personally . All from our family stay here when on holiday or work. From the minute we stepped into the hotel, it felt very warm and comfortable. The driveway from the gate to the welcoming lobby , and the colonial bungalow look that the hotel has was very charming. In fact it was a old bungalow set in well kept lawns converted into a hotel. We were allotted two rooms on the first floor, facing each other across the huge sitting room. Each room had an individual balcony and a terrace leading from it to the side of the bungalow. The rooms being on the front side of the hotel gave a lovely view of the lawns, driveway and the road beyond. We spent many a happy hour on the balcony, chatting, playing, snacking and singing too! Rahul loved being in both the rooms. He would bound across the sitting room with its bamboo and cane furniture from our room to his grandparents room. Most of our time was spent together in one balcony. The room service person, one Mr Shivaji was really very nice and helpful. He would cook Rahul’s “maam maam” on the gas under the great wooden staircase, in an area which serves as a pantry for impromptu breakfast, tea, coffee, milk, etc. This is a system which continues to this day, even though the hotel boasts of a first class restaurant, which people come especially to dine and lunch. The pandhara Rassa , mutton and bhakri served here is to die for!

After our first visit, we came here very often. Each time, our heart would take memories more pleasant than the earlier. We would plan a vacation to Kolhapur , just because we would look forward to staying at The Hotel Opal,soak in the relaxing atmosphere, the unobtrusive warmth and friendliness. Sometime in the early nineties, we came here with Ayi and Baba,. This time little Suppie was with us too! This time we missed Shivaji. The boy, who had brought up our bags, said that Shivaji had gone back to his village. When we asked him his name, the boy promptly replied, Sambhaji! Suppi, Rahul as well as Ayi and Baba loved the hotel and Temlai as well, not to mention the premonsoon weather which presents itself with gusty winds, sudden showers and a drop in the temperature, A very bracing climate indeed!

In the following years, the hotel must have undergone many changes. We could not come as often as before owing to the children’s school and college exams, classes etc. But we used to here from Ajit’s cousin Ajay about the changes made to the hotel. We used to hope that the hotel would not lose its charm and grace and service. Rooms had been added, some Air conditioned, the dining hall had been extended, the first floor arrangement had been changed to accommodate more rooms. Change is an essential part of progress. If the hotel had to survive and meet the needs of growing clientèle's, it had to take the necessary steps.

We visited the hotel after many years last year with Ayi and Baba. WE were allotted AC two rooms on the ground floor at the back. They did not boast of any view. However, except the fact that one of the rooms was a bit musty smelling, the service, the comfort, and the cleanliness was faultless. The waiters, room service, etc was good. During that visit, we did not venture upstairs to explore the changes. Changes are necessary with time but the management has kept the soul intact.

Life on the Campus

2008-07-04T15:48:00.004+05:30

This is the second in the backlog of posts to keep up the chronology of events .

After visiting Rahul's campus , I went back to my days in the hostel in our campus .When I was a student at the Grant Medical college , I stayed in the hostel in the final 2 semesters . I realized that as it was very tiring to return home late at night after extra lectures and go back to ward duty early in the morning , I decided to stay in the hostel. Till then I was commuting daily . We were very lucky that semester as a brand new hostel was inaugurated and we being seniors were given the first choice of the rooms . My group had done very well in the class and so being among the top we were given priority to choose the rooms . We were lucky to get rooms next to each other in the same wing and on the 5th floor , also each one had a separate room

It is good to have a good group when studying especially if one is staying in a hostel . One can interact on subject matters and also on family and social topics .

It is always good when there is someone in whom one can confide and share the pleasures and sorrows of life. It is human to have lows sometime , especially when one is away from the family , and it is at this time that very close friends come in the picture.

Many of my colleagues had an occasion to pair off and have become successful in their lives career wise and family wise till this date . I personally feel that this should be the way and very few are fortunate to find their soul mates on campus .
A decision taken at this level of education and at this mature age should always be appreciated. In this modern era parents do get surprised if their sons and daughters don't get a partner while studying . Parents should have confidence and faith in their children's decisions and help them settle in life. They should also pray for their long and successful life together , as there is a vast difference as students on campus and later on when responsibilities increase and tussles of life begin . That is the testing time to hold on !!!

I am back

2008-07-03T16:25:00.008+05:30

Suddenly got inspired to blog today.First I thought of uploading photos and then leisurely add the text to the posts whenever I get time . So many events have taken place since the last blog in February , that before I lose track let me try to piece them chronologically .
The first of the series to cover the backlog will be Rahul's convocation at IIM Kozhikode on 22nd March 2008

We reached Kozhikode by Jet air flight leaving Mumbai at 11.40 am. As Rahul was busy with the convocation rehearsals and as I was familiar with the area from our earlier visit ,we found our way to the hotel. Next day in the morning as we had nothing much to do we went to town to the Focus Mall , a departmental store, to get the famous Kerala spices. In the early evening we went to the campus . How I wish I had such a campus in my student days . I am sure the students must have been reluctant to go away from here. The sky was overcast ,there were showers the previous couple of days and though the arrangements were done for the outdoor function , we were told that alternate indoor facilities were on standby. We went to Rahul's room to help him get for the ceremony. That's him giving final touches in front of a mirror. All the students were instructed to collect their robes from the classrooms. We all parents were eagerly waiting , cameras ready to see them in their proud moments . A lot of running about was going on . We were told to occupy seats in the classrooms to see the live telecast of the ceremony which was to be held in the Auditorium due to rains . The students were asked to assemble at the main entrance for a group photo .Many parents followed them but I thought of getting good seats in the classrooms to click photos off the screen . The function was clearly seen on the screen and a special thanks to the staff ,students and others to have organized this live telecast so well. We never felt we missed out anything , though an outdoor function would have been grand . After the faculty and guests departed from the auditorium the students must have rushed out to the outdoor stage to have a satisfaction of being felicitated there. As we went out of the classrooms we could hear the screams and jumping and hugging and calling out to their friends and parents. We then had a buffet , went back to the rooms and did the final packing . Rahul and Jean Marsh had booked a car for both families to go back to the Hotel Sana . We had an early morning flight back to Mumbai , hopefully it was on time and it was a great victorious journey back . Grrrrrrrr !!! Never realized that an IIM K MBA greets everyone that way .

Congrats Sunny !! and on to a great career ahead !!!! All the best from us !!!!!!

Yes Indeed I was ' There '

2008-02-05T15:02:00.000+05:30

This is about a long overdue visit to Rahul's campus at IIM Kozhikode .

After attending a ' puja ' at Goa in the Shantadurga Temple , I had planned to extend the journey to Calicut [ Kozhikode ] and visit the campus .We reached there at 10 in the morning by Netravati Express which leaves Madgaon at 11.30 pm . In the afternoon Rahul took us to his campus and I just could not believe myself that I was indeed standing on the very grounds that I had seen in photos sent by Rahul or as seen on the IIM K website .

In 2006 , the year Rahul was admitted to IIM K , I had made a model of the classrooms for my annual 'Ganapati ' decoration . It was done painstakingly taking measurements from photos on the computer screen and converting it to a scale . I had not seen the buildings or the layout . It had turned out so good that Rahul had posted it on his blog
{ http://www.rahulgaitonde.org/2006/08/ } and made me a campus hero .

We went around the campus saw the huge and well stocked Library . the Computer room , the ' Thinking center ' , classrooms , canteen and hostels . We went to his room and had a good snooze there .

Well that was indeed a satisfying and refreshing trip to the great IIM K campus

Shatabdi Hazards

2008-02-05T14:44:00.000+05:30

This was on a visit to Goa recently by the morning Shatabdi Express . On entering the bogey there is a doorway leading to the sitting chair car . To the left are the toilets and the connecting passage to the next bogey . From my seat , I noticed that a door was constantly opening and banging . The waiters and passengers found it difficult to push the door in a moving train . I decided to go and see what that door was meant for . To my horror it turned out to be the door of the main electrical switch board . The latch was broken and so with the train's movement it was opening and shutting with force . I thought of clicking from my mobile for a post on this blog. Though the journey was uneventful , I was thinking of the dangers and the callousness of the railway staff especially the waiters who frequently travel and have a better access to the concerned authorities .

' Paperless Office !!! '

2008-01-06T12:30:00.000+05:30

This is regarding what looks like an attempt by a Government office to give a look like a multinational corporate office .

I had an occasion to visit the Insurance office to renew my car insurance . As it has happened many a times , my agent just ' forgets ' to collect the premium from me and then I have to dash on the last due date to keep up the ' appointment ' with this office . I remember going here a couple of years ago and seeing the mess around . The staff has always been very cheerful , smiling and joking and willing to help and cooperate but the office used to be in a mess -- organized disorganization .

This year there were noticeable changes . I reached the office at 1.15 after my clinic work. I went in the office with the last years premium in hand and inquired at the first table as to who was dealing with this work . The clerk pointed to a well fed , well dressed lady sitting and staring at a computer in front of her and referring to some papers . She looked up with a smile and directed me to a person on the other side of the dividing compartment . I went up to him , a pleasant looking person with ' a peon promoted to a clerk ' look on the face. He stared at the papers and started hammering at the key board in front of him . It was 1.20 pm and the cashiers notice showed lunch time from 1.30 to 2.00 . I was praying that the clerk would give me the papers in time . Till then I had a look around as I had nothing else to do .To my left and back was the new layout of the " corporate office ". I had not noticed it when I went first to that lady . It looked quite impressive with bright light and fewer piles of papers and files , chairs and tables neatly arranged --an open office . I was wondering where have all the files and papers of yesteryears gone . I looked to my right and with a shock noticed the stacked up gunny bags of papers , broken chairs , tables and discarded furniture. I thought of writing formy blog and hurriedly clicked photos on my mobile phone for this post . I was scared of being noticed of carrying out this ' sting operation ' .

Till my ' operation ' I had forgotten about my clerk who was cursing and banging on the CPU as it was running slow and he wanted printouts of my policy .He was also concerned about the time and called out to the cashier to not to close the window till he accepted my cheque. At last he succeeded at about 1.40 and I could manage to pay , get that same dolled up lady's sign , and came back . Well thanks to a very cooperative staff not found in many Govt establishments . Also I look forward to visiting this place next year just to find where the sacks and furniture would be .

Messy Clinic

2007-12-19T22:55:00.001+05:30

Yesterday Mr. Thakur ,a very senior Medical Representative from Solvay Pharma , with his Manager , visited my clinic on their usual round. After detailing about their products , they presented me with a table calendar for the New Year saying " With best compliments for the New Year ! Please put this on your desk as it also has a daily planner on the reverse ". Every year at this time I look forward to these representatives who lovingly give wall calendars , diaries and table calendars.

I looked at them in an embarrassed way and said " Thank you very much but I am truly ashamed at the sight of my desk and surroundings " . It is so messy that even if I plan to come and clear it up it is impossible in the time that I spend in the clinic and have to plan to come on a Sunday to clear things up . No such Sunday has arrived to this day and it is disorganised as usual.

They both looked at each other , smiled and asked for my permission to say a few words . I never realised at that time that listening to them made me 'proud ' of myself . Mr.Thakur said
" In our company we always have meetings to update on the sales and gear up to promote some new things to the doctors .This has been going on for a long time and as the top marketing people have realised that there is nothing new that the company has to offer , they have taken up various other programmes . In one of such events they showed us how to judge a person's nature , particularly doctors , by observing their clinics and surroundings ".

I was listening to them intently and awaiting in anticipation what they had to say about me . He continued " Your clinic is clean but disorganised with papers and books lying around . You are not meticulous but shows your warm nature. You are a peoples doctor as compared to those doctors who have a spic and span clinics . They are good administrators but not warm doctors".

He further gave an example of a patient who would complain to the doctor that the medicine he gave was very bitter . A meticulous doctor would say " Take the same medicine as it is bound to be bitter , it is good for you ". You being a peoples doctor will say " Is it so ? Wait a sec ! I will prescribe something that you will like and then you will not have any problem .Try this one --- "

Well I was quite thrilled with this analysis coming from the other side of the table and then when I reflected on what I had heard I realised that it is indeed what happens when interacting with my patients . I am always with them and do feel for them .

I think that planning to visit my clinic on a Sunday or finding time in my work time to clear up the trash lying on my table and surroundings is going to be a distant dream !!

Cheers then !!! Long live my clean but messy clinic !!!

Chhatri !!!!!!

2007-12-17T14:03:00.000+05:30

Literally Chhatri in Hindi would mean an umbrella . Well this blog is dedicated to our Anatomy teacher Dr. Chhatriwala , whom we lovingly , as well as out of fear and spite , used to address as just ' Chhatri ' . Last evening we felicitated him in our Grant Medical Alumni Club , Thane . The function was held at Yeoor hills on the beautifully maintained farm house of Dr. Pravin Gupte , a leading Pathologist and past student of our college

I reached the venue at 7.00 pm . A few doctors from the Managing Committee , the host Dr Gupte and the guest Dr Chhatriwala and his wife with their 2 grandchildren were relaxing in the bungalow of Dr. Gupte . I went up to introduce myself and was pleased when he got up to shake hands with me . Being from the 1971 batch , I asked him since when was he in our college Faculty to which he replied ' since 1963 to 1986 ' .
He was a demonstrator and an examiner for us in the Anatomy Dissection Hall and a professor of Surgery for post graduate students later on . His speciality was that of being a strict disciplinarian. He would expect all students to be clean shaven and in well polished shoes . He used to order students out of the hall if not shaven , at times paying 25 paise from his pocket to embarrass the student. Word used to spread like wildfire as soon as he was sighted climbing up the stairs. All used to say ' Chhatri aa raha hai ' or ' Ghengiz Khan is coming ' ---- he used to refer to himself as Ghengiz Khan . At times he used to move around with a toothed forceps , walking around the hall, his eyes inspecting the students faces and if found with a stubble held the skin at the elbow from behind and whisper in the ears ' Go shave and come '. Even with all this , he was respected and loved and as put by some speakers that day ' Sir has not only disciplined us but also taught us to be always presentable '.

I was told that when our committee members visited his house in Colaba to invite him for this felicitation , he was extremely happy and readily agreed to come. Anatomy is a subject which no undergraduate really likes --- it is dry and tedious , with all Latin terminology to mug up and recall----and so I presume that these teachers remain in the background memory of most of us. I was really pleased when I saw the invitation for this function and read that Dr Chhatriwala was to be felicitated . As clinicians we always remember teachers, who were part of our later years in college and dealing with patient oriented subjects .

' Sir , seeing you and interacting with you yesterday , was a very pleasing experience .We saw you after more than three decades . You have become so mild at this age of 75 years , you are totally different from those terror days . We will always remember you and we pray to God to give you a long and healthy life !!! '

5 th November !!!!

2007-11-29T14:21:00.000+05:30

Post operation , she was busy with the physiotherapist , who would faithfully make her walk. He put in his best efforts but my mother was too weak and with the anaemia and total anorexia it was going to be a very tough and slow recovery . After 2 units of packed cell infusion and stabilisation of electrolytes and S Creatinine we took her home on the 1st October in the hope that she may recover faster , out of the hospital environment . Orthopaedically she was fine ,walking with and without the walker, of course with someone's support . She never really recovered medically and psychologically .

Her best day was on the 28th Sunday when my cousin brother Devang visited to invite for his wedding . She liked the sari which he gave and asked for the 'fall - beading ' to be done . She also had instructed to put her name on the cover so that it did not get mixed up with Shami's or Nisha's sarees. She also promised to attend the wedding on 25th Nov. But it was not to be.

On the 31st October , she developed sudden hypotension and urinary output started declining . It was indeed end stage renal failure . She was shifted to an ICU nearby their house on Ghodbunder Road .and was under care of Dr.Modi an intensivist and Dr.Gunjotikar a nephrologist . They tried their best to revive the dropping BP and renal function but there was no significant urinary output and she went into stupor and coma later on after 3rd November . We mutually decided not to go in for the ventilator as it becomes traumatic on the relatives to wean away from the life support later on. She also was not in the fitness for dialysis. Taking into account her overall condition we all gave the permission to the doctors to let her be in peace with minimal life support like oxygen , drips of Dobutamine and Dopamine to maintain the BP. and suction for the inevitable pulmonary oedema developing . She started sinking on the night of 4th Nov. and on 5th Nov. at 2.15 pm her tracings were flat . She was gasping but in coma , it was traumatic to see her in that condition and not do a thing . I broke down a couple of days later with her gasping face haunting me and I said ' How did I not do anything and stood there helpless being a doctor ' .My daughter comforted me by saying ' You have done the best you could in the circumstances '.

She had waited till the 5th to bless me on my birthday and also bless my brother Satish and his wife Nisha on their wedding anniversary which also is on 5th Nov. Dear Mom !! We will never forget you on a 5th of November !!!!!

Mom , I do miss you a lot !!!

2007-11-28T15:12:00.000+05:30

My mom is no more .She passed away on the 5th November after a brief illness, at the age of 77 and 6 months --- acute on chronic renal failure .

My last post on 12th Jan 2007 , I had written about analysis on my mother's noticeable gradual decline in health . Actually it was indeed what was in the back of my mind --- chronic renal failure [ CRF ] and not what our early impression was. She had improved in health a bit and fit enough to go back to Goa to her house in the midst of the various trees she had nurtured over the past 12 years. She got her happiness being all by herself alone throughout the day till evening when my Dad returned from his work. He has kept himself busy even at this age of 78 , and they found comfort in each others company . They used to feel happy when we or other relatives used to visit them and also on their visits here about 3 times in a year.

A fall early morning on the 8th Sept near the toilet woke up my dad with a thud sound .He rushed to where she was lying in a pool of blood from a gash above her left eye. He could not move her alone so he dragged her on a bed sheet to her bed and made her comfortable. He noticed the painful movement of the left hip and asked her to lie in bed till he could get a doctor. A local doctor attended to her wound by suturing and dressing and asked for an Orthopaedic to visit .He drove to town to get a bed pan and all other necessary items for a bed ridden patient . It was at this time that he phoned me ---about 11 am--- to tell the news . Oh my God I said and enquired if she could flex her hip .Dad said NO and so I knew that what I was fearing till now---a fall at this age ---was there right in front of my imagination. Uppermost in my mind was how to transport her here. My brother Satish and Nisha his wife left by the night Volvo bus and reached next day afternoon. What a relief for my Dad.

On the 11th Sept they brought her by road in an AC Qualis. I had already arranged for her admission with Dr. Milind Patil , FRCS and specialised in joint replacement . They had left Goa at 7.30 in the morning and reached here at 10 in the night . After initial investigations and stabilisation the operation was fixed for 14th Sept.

That morning she developed a rigor due to the IV fluids and BP shot up to 210 / 120 . The operation was 2nd on the list but was rescheduled to 3rd. The situation was still dicey as the BP came to 180 / 110 which was not comfortable for the anaesthetist. We gave full authority to the doctors and they took up the risk. After the spinal anaesthesia the BP drops and so they were afraid of loss of coronary perfusion if it fell too low. After the operation Dr. Anjali ,the anaesthetist and Milind's wife said that the BP dropped to 150 / 70 and did not shift at all. This had no explanation medically except Providence .

More in next post

Weekend at Palase Water falls

2007-08-13T22:43:00.000+05:30

Oh !!! What a lovely place !!!! Last weeks trip to Pune was a bit more enjoyable than the previous ones . Normally I do not venture out in this monsoon season to avoid inconvenience to my patients as these are the ' sickly ' months . We planned this trip for Supriya as she starts her new college on 16th. We decided to visit Mulshi Dam a new place to go as we had heard of it but not visited . From Kothrud , where we were staying with Roopa , we took the road across the bypass road heading towards Mulshi. I saw a board showing Mulshi 30 kms.

The roads and the scenery around was simply marvelous . Below a view of the Mulshi lake, on the road going to Palase water falls. Actually we had missed the dam site and were travelling further asking people on the way . All the villagers were helpful and guiding us towards this water falls presuming that we wanted this place than the actual Dam. It turned out to be a great surprise . From a distance I spotted many cars parked along the road, a few stalls and a few carts with fresh corn being roasted on charcoals. This must be the spot I thought. We got down to see breath taking view of water falls in the distant mountains . I read a board showing the directions to go to this Palase water falls. We went walking through the gushing water to reach the water falls. Very very picturesque . We were not prepared for this type of an outing as we were ignorant of such a place's existence ,and had not carried spare clothes . We were envious of the groups enjoying under the falls and in the water. We have kept it reserved for next monsoon . A wonderful day indeed .We never realised that it was almost 2 pm and had to go back home for food which Roopa had kept ready before leaving. We collected a few home made Jawari Bhakri , from one of the stalls , to eat with a deliciously prepared chicken curry.

The crowd till we left the place was quite decent but we started noticing rowdy groups arriving probably fully high on alcohol as it was the day before the month of Shravan,wherein people abstain from drinking and eating non-vegetarian items for this month. This day is known as ' Gattari Amavasya ' a new moon day where people drink to their limits and literally fall into 'Gutters' as they have to abstain from the next day . Luckily for them it was a Sunday .Today I read in the papers about arrests made in Pune by Police in many places , one of which was Mulshi.

We saw the Mulshi Dam on our return journey as we drove towards it while in the morning on the turning roads our backs were towards it and had missed it .

At last , Admission done !!!

2007-08-10T14:38:00.000+05:30

At last the long wait is over . Supriya got admission to the 4 year degree course in Pharmaceutical Sciences [ B. Pharm ] in Saraswathi Vidya Bhavan's College of Pharma at Dombivli in the second round of Centralised Admission Process [ CAP ] . This CAP is of 3 rounds. The application is online and after applying , they display the full merit list. Next is applying for the 1st round of CAP, wherein you have to give choice of colleges and if alloted you have to report to the college and you are out of the next rounds even if you don't take the alloted college. [ Photo of college entrance from their website ]

So we applied for the best 5 in round 1 knowing fully well that wewont get in , but gamble for a better choice in the next round . That is exactly what happened as her few friends placed above her in the merit list had given all choices in the 1st round and got allotted in some college in Ulhasnagar which was not among her preferences .

We were a bit anxious till the allotments for 2nd round was displayed and were very happy to get this college as it is 5th ranked among 14 , affiliated to Mumbai University. It is convenient to approach as she will have to travel in the opposite direction to the morning local rush.The timings are from 9.30 to 5.00 and they have college bus service from Dombivli station to college which takes about 15 min by rickshaw--share a rick available @Rs 6 each. The college was inaugurated 1993 and is beautifully built .

Supriya is very happy as she got the field she wanted and also because she can interact with me in subject matters . The curriculum is quite interesting and is an amalgamation of Medicine , Engineering , Organic Chem and Bio tech. Seems very interesting .

I still feel she could have got into UDCT or Bombay College of Pharma if this reservation policy as well as the breakup of seats into home and out of home university areas was not existing. Out of acapacity of 60 seats in each colleges only about 8 to 9 seats remain for Home and Open category. That is frustrating. This topic requires another post .

Looking forward to some new interaction as none amongst our family members are in this field .

Renewal of Driving License

2007-07-24T14:33:00.000+05:30

I had made it a point to remember the validity date of my driving license , which was on 21st July this year. Till now I had got the renewal done through a few RTO Inspectors who happened to be my patients and had not visited this Government office for many years. This year, I had come to know that they were to issue the license in a smart card format and so going there in person was a must.

Last month one of my patients had come to the clinic to get the Fitness Certificate which is a part of the renewal process. I just interacted with him to familiarize myself with the formalities . He told me the details of going to this window and then that window and so on as is expected in a govt office , but he assured me that it was very smooth function and that I would have no problem . He also offered to give me a set of renewal forms which he could spare. I readily took the offer as it saved one trip to the office.

Today after the clinic hours -- had a light day today --- I went to the RTO office which happens to be just across the express way, near my clinic. I parked my scooter in the shade and had a look around. Didn't know where to begin. Surprisingly things looked clean and organised . I walked across to a structure with a few windows and enquired at a window no.3. He pointed out to a structure right across and opposite this office and said ' go and get this signature ' , showing me a bunch of papers. I walked across over well laid out test driving tracks for two wheelers , and a few groups of people eagerly awaiting their turn to give the driving test on a few heavy vehicles .

On reaching the windows --all cashier windows --I enquired about this renewal procedure. He pointed across to the same building from where I had walked and said that office but was kind enough to tell me the window no. 1. I was really surprised by the polite talk and an obvious helpful and smiling faces that for a moment I forgot I was in a govt. place. Again the walk across to a grumpy looking person on window no 1. He had an unbuttoned shirt , a gold rimmed specs, an open pen in the right hand and a look on his face which said ' now it is nearing 1.30 the eagerly awaited lunch time and enough is enough -- had a hard morning session- and so come after lunch or tomorrow'. To my utter disbelief he looked up , smiled for a second , looked at my documents , signed and said 'to the cashier across '. Now the walk back again.

There was no one in line, so paid my charges and the clerk keeping the papers with him said ' come after 3 /4 days and collect the license from window no 1' As I was walking to my scooter I caught sight of a familiar person in uniform who was sitting under the shade behind a desk full of papers and many people around. Oh I said it is Mr.Patil [ one of my patients ] on duty . On seeing me he left his work and came up to enquire. He then took me to the cashier , collected my papers , took me to the office with window no.1 and instructed the clerk to issue the renewed license right away. I got a respectful look from the staff on seeing him with me . I got the renewed license in 5 mins. He then walked back with me asking me to spare 30 mins on any day for the smart card. I thanked him for paying personal attention and declined the offer of tea which he made.

Well a big work done license renewed up to July 2012 .

Hello Everyone

2007-07-23T14:44:00.000+05:30

Back after a self imposed hibernation . Well I have no reasons to give except that the Mind behaves irrationally and you just feel like being left alone .

On second thoughts , I feel the blog is a right getaway in these times. Though you dont know who is going to read it and respond , at least the thoughts are out of your system and you feel relaxed.

Many things to catch up with and share . I will surely brush up my mind and hit the keyboard regularly.

The Rickshaw

2007-03-19T23:16:00.000+05:30

11.10 am Just getting out of the Ratnagiri station with thoughts of ' now how to proceed further' From far, saw the rick stand, just as viewed on Google earth . A line of ricks and a group of drivers near the first one , all eyes towards the passengers--- their potential customers-- coming out. On nearing them, one well fed rotund person with a look of a pack leader asked ' Where to ? '. I replied ' to the bus stand '. He asked again guessing rightly ' No no where exactly do you want to go' I said ' to Ganapatipule ' . 'It is better you take this Rick directly ' he suggested ' it will be Rs. 350/= '

As I knew the distance to be about 50 kms , I thought it reasonable as they usually expect a half return fare, the unwritten rule being that they cannot pick a passenger from the other village , and vice versa for those ricks when they arrive in Ratnagiri. As we were getting in the rick , Shyamala noticed that our rick driver handing Rs.50/= to the pack leader .

We started the journey , the rick was quite new and so did the driver . I am more used to the rough driving , the zooming in and out of lanes and bursts of speed interrupted by sudden braking of rick drivers in general . Our driver , Nishad , as we came to know him ,was very steady and alert . My apprehension of traveling by rick on the Mumbai Goa Highway was put to rest on seeing his driving. On the road nearing Ganapatipule he suddenly took a wrong turn , when I realized that either he is new to the area or conning us.

12.20 noon We reached ,exactly in an hour as told by the pack leader. Paid him the amount and complimented his driving a 3- wheeler. He said it was his first visit as a driver and we , his first clients to Ganapatipule. It was his first time to get in the Ratnagiri rick stand and had to endure the bossing that goes on there. He did not know that he had to part with a ' Fee ' out of his earnings . That was the Rs.50/= he handed over .He then chatted for some time . It was his new experience as well as one for me, after a long time ,to travel by public transport .

We went in the reception area and came across a typical Government approach by the staff . The person behind the counter ........ that's another post ............

Vacation experiences

2007-03-17T14:42:00.000+05:30

9/3/2007
3.45 am Alarm on the mobile rings. Time to get up and get ready, though sleep was light and short.

5.15 am Shami , Supriya and me left home and were prepared to walk it up to the station about 1.5 kms--20 minutes walk-- as we were not sure of availability of rickshaw so early.For this we had planned to take a bag each and wear sport shoes. Fortunately got a rick about 200 meters down the road.

5.55 am The Superfast Janashatabdi thunders into the station ,the mighty diesel engine displaying a look of dominance over the other trains.We boarded and found the seats easily as they were more towards the door from where we entered. Before we could put the bags on the rack, it started to move--stops for just over a minute.

7.00am Just had left Panvel , we had opened the newspapers ,had a look around the other passengers and waiting for the bearer to come to take breakfast orders. He comes shortly , taking orders of the various yummy items . In the meantime we sip coffee bought from one of the many bearers moving up and down the train from the pantry car.

8.30 am At last our breakfast arrives to stop the rumblings in the stomach . Were wondering how one could feel so hungry so early than the usual breakfast time . I think it must be due to getting up early and the relaxed mind . We finished , very fast , the upama , sheera , omellete bread , medu wada ordered separately and shared amongst us three to give a variety. After another round of coffee we looked around to comment and entertain ourselves at the expense of fellow travellers.
Got one immediately. A person sitting in the next row in front. He had his bag on the laps and with the upper zip opened slightly. Left hand holding the flap and looked as though hiding something in the bag . We noticed food particles , white in color smeared all over his right hand and all around the lips and chin .We presumed that correctly to be idlis . He had a look on his face as though he had opened someone else's bag and was stuffing his mouth before getting caught. As he chewed he looked around showing off the grinding process going on in the oral cavity.

10.00 am After a small snooze ,I happened to spot some activity going on near the end of the coach just near the bridge joining two bogies . Two bearers were cleaning something that looked like an immersion heater. I decided to observe keenly . They took water from a small tank in the kettle and topped it up by using empty tetrapacks of Amul milk. They then added a measured pack sugar , emptied a few Amul milk tetrapacks and immersed the heater in the kettle.As the water was heated the bearers had their fill of tobacco , chatted and joked with each other.They seemed to enjoy these moments in their dull and drab routine. After the water had heated they took a pack of thermocol glasses , tea bags ,coffee pwder container in their pockets and started their walk from boggie to boggie chanting in their nasal voice '' Chai garam chai coffee ' saab chahiye kya chai coffee ''

10.30 am Noticed people excitedly geting up and retreiving their bags from the racks above .Presumed that Ratnagiri was nearing and took down our bags . Told Shami ' don't get up now , there is the longest tunnel just before Ratnagiri to come after which get up .' A tunnel came ,thought this is the one, as it seemed never ending , but after coming out of it immediately went in another one and this took a really long time . At a fairly good speed it took almost more than 5 to 7 mins to traverse. After that the train slowed down and I realized that we were about 20 mins late .Got out of the station and to the rickshaw stand The Rick ................that is another post ...

Ganapatipule Beach Resort

2007-03-12T15:39:00.000+05:30

The Ganesh Temple at Ganapatipule

It is a great feeling to come back home from a refreshing holiday and that too when it was much awaited.We had been to Ganapatipule Beach Resort,about 370 kms from Mumbai on the coast of Maharashtra. [ View of the temple from the beach ] [ View of the beach from the room Balcony.]
We had to do a lot of planning as this was the only weekend convenient for all.In late January we booked the sea side cottage and also train tickets to and fro. The few times I had been here was by road and so I had to do a lot of home work to get oriented to the approach by train.
[ The tents area of the resort complex ]
I visited the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation [ MTDC ] site on the internet.I got a lot of information about the resort and the ways to approach it.It is mentioned that by train the nearest station is Ratnagiri and that it is 50 kms to the resort .That's all no further details. I then went to various Google links about this resort but nowhere did I get the exact way to arrive. [ View of the resort from the beach ]

Ultimately I took the help of Google Earth.Oh !! what wonders !! you cant imagine what fine details I got from this lovely site.I got the exact layout of the railway track as it approaches Ratnagiri from Mumbai. The east west direction of the station,the position of the Airport which I had heard of but did not know its position.The city to the west and the direction of the seaside. The exact layout of the station and that I had to get out to the south to come out of the station.The rickshaw stand and the driveway out to the main road connecting Ratnagiri city to the Mumbai Goa Highway at Hatkhamba.Then the direction northwards on the highway to Nivali,the place to take a turn left that is westwards to the Resort.

With all this knowledge and my past visit by road more than 18 years ago,I was ready to start my vacation at this wonderful beach resort. We had left home at about 5.30 in the morning and reached the resort at 12.30 noon,thanks to the superfast Janshatabdi Express train and the rickshaw journey from Ratnagiri station to Ganapatipule.

I will be writing shorter posts on varied experiences in the train, the rickshaw , the resort itself, the return journey in the scary and rickety ST [ State Transport ] bus and lastly the final train journey by Mandovi Express though late by 50 min to start with reached Thane in time. Very enjoyable trip indeed ...

Reuters photos

2007-03-05T15:27:00.000+05:30

Just came across these photos from ' Reuter's Editors Choice from photos in the past 24 hours '. Hats off to these photographers.

Holika

2007-03-03T23:43:00.000+05:30

The night of the demones [ From Rediff ]

Holi celebrates the demise of demoness Holika.

Holika is probably the most well-known legend involving demonesses. How well do you know the legends behind Holi and about other Indian demonesses?

Holika

Blessed with a boon of invincibility at the hands of god as well as mortal, King Hiranyakashyap thought he was mightier than god and ordered his people to worship him. All his subjects obeyed except his son Prahlad, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Unable to persuade his son otherwise, Hiranyakashyap then tried to have Prahlad killed. All his attempts failed, so he turned to his sister Holika who had a special gift: fire could not harm her.

Holika sat on a bonfire with Prahlad in her lap, hoping to burn him to death. But Prahlad chanted Vishnu's name and the fire didn't harm him, although Holika perished in it.

To this day, Holi commemorates Holika's death in the fire, which symbolises the triumph of good over evil.

That is the information I got from Rediff regarding Holi and the other Indian Demonesses

Never knew at all about these legends . I am very poor at these mythological stories that abound in India. For us Holi is just lighting the fire like a bonfire and a chance to interact with the neighbors in the apartment on that day and then playing color the next day.I look forward to the ' next day ' as that is when we get colored and wet and interact with the people under the influence of alcohol or cool drink of Thandai or Bhang that gives a ' high '.

The preparations start a week earlier.Contributions are collected from the members for arranging the bonfire on the day of Holi , the religious ceremony 'puja' , snacks in the afternoon the next day and dinner . There are a few very enthusiastic members in our Society,who are good at organizing , and because of whom we others can be relaxed and concentrate on our work schedule.

In the afternoon we see some laborers clearing the compound and then digging a small pit . Then they arrange a few logs vertically about 6 to 7 feet high ,tied by wire .They then stuff it with dry grass . The area around the pit is decorated with colors and all set to be lit at night.By the time I return from my clinic at night, people are gathered around ,chatting in small groups. A traditional religious ceremony ' Puja ' is held after which the fire is lit . I had forgotten to take my camera , but on seeing this special log separated from the rest and emitting smoke from one end like a cigar, I rushed up to get the camera and click.People offer coconuts by throwing them in the fire,They are then removed and the roasted kernel distributed as 'prasad '. I really look forward to eat the roasted coconut kernel with the distinct smoky flavour, coconut has always been my weak point. Ladies then go round the fire pouring water around in small containers that they bring. This is the time for all to interact and plan for the next day. There is a ' special ' group who plan for the booze session the next day as that is their main attraction.

Next day by 9 am we can hear screams of youngest members of the society running around with colored water filled balloons and water jets.They are the ones who really enjoy. Next the adults enter the arena , applying color and greeting each other. The ladies join later and by this time the youngsters are tired of playing in their groups so they target the adults . In a few moments all are wet, colored and not recognizable . Then there is a game of cricket arranged on the spot with teams formed amongst the members .We can now see some members quietly quiting the game and going for their fill of booze.

A common lunch is next on the agenda . usually light snacks and sweets . People then retire to their homes for a clean up and rest . By evening all are sober, cleaned of color, well dressed and presentable for the dinner get together.Here is Supriya with her friends , probably telling about her exam papers , which are uppermost on her mind. A simple menu is on the card and gossip of the day, recent national and local news , usual shop talk or bitching about about goes on. The ladies then go for a stroll on the Kachrali Lake nearby . We all then retire for the night and the routine next day ..

Surprise call

2007-02-25T13:52:00.000+05:30

A call from a long lost friend.Today I was browsing on the computer when Shyamala,my wife, entered talking to someone on the phone and whispered a name to me as she was talking.The name did sound familiar but could not believe my ears and continued with my work.She then said 'Here talk to Ajit 'and told me 'It is Gabale on the phone,Yes Dr. Gabale 'she repeated.

I just couldn't believe it and on saying 'hello ',the other accented voice talked in a bit hesitant Marathi.It was indeed Dr.Deven Gabale with whom I lost touch in the early eighties , when he went to UK to study further after completing his MS in General Surgery from our Grant Medical College.Below the view of the college library and the main JJ Hospital Building in the background from the JJ Flyover.I used to be updated on his progress from other friends.He did his FRCS in Urology in UK and then went to USA .Thats it . No further news for the past almost 25 years till today's phone call.

We exchanged a lot of news just like any long lost friends.Our kids are almost similar age groups and we both wished the next generation do get to know each other well as the world is much ,much smaller compared to our times.

He is leaving on the 27th night flight back to his home and work as a practicing urologist in Philadelphia, USA and how I wish we had more time to spend. Sincerely await his promised visit this December.

Board Exams

2007-02-12T14:05:00.000+05:30

At last the much awaited XII Board exams have started.Today was the first day of practicals for my daughter Supriya. Though most of yesterday was spent in tension , I was happy when she told me in the evening " Papa lets go for a ride,but no going to anyones home or getting out of the car". My wife Shyamala and we planned to take her to Brahmala Lake, which we all had seen except her. On reaching there ,she reluctantly got down but then thoroughly enjoyed the walk around the lake. She was very pleased to actually see the place ,which we used to describe.

From there we went to the Pokhran lake, where we did not get down from the car but just sat watching the people around and entertaining ourselves by commenting on them. We saw a group of oversized girls standing near a bhel- puriwala ,and saw them enjoying every morsel of it ,when a brisk walk round the lake was really necessary instead. We wanted to gorge on peanuts . After a long patient wait for the chanawala, who did not turn up as otherwise they are seen in plenty, pestering us to buy in their typical nasal way of saying "chanaaa --khara singh chanawalaaaa ", we returned home.

Today morning Supriya went in a relaxed way and was more reassured when she met her friend who had already given the practicals a few days earlier. How fortunate these students are to give their practicals in the familiar surroundings of their own laboratories .

I remember, in our times the centers were far away from home and in absolute new surroundings with unknown examiners. I was very lucky to have had Mr.CPN Menon my professor from SIES college as the head examiner for Physics . He was a very good teacher but a terror in the minds of students . He had a reputation of being strict , very precise and also known to ask eccentric questions like ' have you weighed the prism" or "Have you washed the prism " etc, which I personally doubt as I think he was not at all wicked . In these days of power shedding , we really do not know how they are going to conduct the exams as the timings for load shedding are either from 7.30 am to 11.00 am,or 9.00 am to 12.30 noon or 11.30 am to 3.00 pm. Tomorrow is Chemistry and next day Biology practicals . Next week the theory starts and ends on 5th March after which we all will be free.

Best Wishes for all those appearing for exams this year !!!!

MIN for Mutual Funds

2007-02-10T15:29:00.000+05:30

MIN is Mutual Fund Identification Number. This is the latest to hit us all . A person living in India has to have multiple identifications . I just fail to understand why life has to be made complicated . We already have a Voters card , a PAN card,a UIN card , and probably so many more . There should be only one card which suffices to vote , to invest, to operate accounts , etc.

When I went through the instructions given for MIN, I realized that a lot of work lies ahead . From the website I printed out the required forms. I was fortunate to read the instructions carefully again as the instructions page has to be printed back to back to the main form . Good that I read it or else when xeroxing , I would have made a mistake.

Though the instructions are clear , it is going to be very tedious affair. All joint holders have to have their individual MINs . So copies of each ones identity and proof of residence is required. Next in the application form I have to be careful when writing the order of names,middle name and surname. It should match the order in the Folios .

All copies if self attested will have to be verified taking the originals. If not they have to be attested by appropriate authorities. I was wondering if I had to go all the way to Mumbai to submit all the documents , but on reading the web page ,I found that Thane was also a Point of Service.What luck. I have to get on this work now sparing some scarce time for it.

In the participating Funds I did not read about ICICI Mutual Funds.I only pray they wont require a separate MIN, and also spare us from further identities.

India Shining !! Agencies at Work !!

2007-02-07T16:15:00.000+05:30

India shining , so nice to hear those words . As we get known around the world , a look within makes us realize that it is still a long way off till we show our real face than one behind a mask.

A few weeks ago we had a big digging program undertaken by the MGL for piped domestic gas.Their work got over and we are waiting excitedly for the gas to be lit in our kitchens.

Today morning at 3 o'clock the lights went off . The weather being very cool and pleasant , it really did not matter . At 6.00 when I looked out , I saw lights in the buildings around us . I had that restless thought that something is the matter with my house only and I would have to go hunting for an electrician . I then heard the watchman telling someone that the power had gone at 3 am and was restored at 6 am except to our wing . So I was not alone to sort out the problem . At 7.30 a few workers from the Maharashtra State Electricity Board [MSEB ] came and had a look around declaring that there was a cable fault and it would take some time . I then went to my clinic . At 12 noon my wife Shyamala called up , I presumed it must be that the power was restored and it was . On reaching home I had a talk with the workers who said that the MGL people had damaged the cable and they were setting it right . Again the power was shut on purpose and was finally restored at 3.00 pm. I must complement the MSEB for the reasonably ' quick work '

Now the title . Why can't India shine in these small things , we are as inefficient as always were . When the MGL came to dig they should have coordinated with the MSEB , to protect the underlying cables . This was on a small scale , the same happens when work goes on on the main trunks . We were left wondering that after power is restored it will be the turn of MGL to plug leaking pipes for which they will dig and the cycle repeats.

Now the MSEB work itself.I was horrified to see so many people gather to repair that I decided to click and also note down individual work assignment . There were about 3 wearing brown trousers--must be electricians and another 3 who probably were on contract to only dig. One person , not in brown trousers , was just standing watching the proceedings and waiting to contribute his skill . A pick up van made a few rounds to deliver some equipment and articles. When it stopped outside the gates a few people and the driver would come in to chat with their colleagues,have a hearty laugh and go away.

The actual work now. The diggers would start their work, 2 would dig in turns and the third would shovel the mud.The 3 brown trousered ones would sit in the shade talking , chewing betel leaf [ paan ] spit around , attend calls on the cell stretch their limbs and occasionally get up to inspect the digging . At one point the person standing on the sidelines got down in the trench and started twisting and pulling something.As I could not spot the details I presumed he had found the fault.The other 2 got up lazily from the shade,third brown pant was nowhere to be seen.They approached the trench and got in , the previous one made way for him.This one took some pieces of wire , shaved the edges and sat down . I could see just some pulling and twisting actions.The other brown pantwala probably was the overall boss.He did not participate in any activities , but was busy on his cellphone and spitting. Finally all were out of the trench and suddenly the lights were on in the house. The diggers then reversed the work and filled up the trench. Our watchman noticed me clicking photos from the balcony, and made me worry that if he told the workers they may feel offended and abandon the work.

I was wondering , that if this MGL and MSEB were private organisations , how would the work be done. 1 electrician,his assistant and 2 diggers would have sufficed and work would have taken less than 1/4 the time as MGL and MSEB would have coordinated the work. It is here that India should shine , work efficiently with bare essential staff, so no one is left lazying and spitting , in the shade of trees.

Wedding at a Water Park

2007-01-28T20:56:00.000+05:30

Thane city has some lovely water resorts nearby , the Suraj Water Park being the nearest . Snap above of the decorated main gate . This is a favorite spot for picnickers especially for schools in Thane . My daughter, Supriya , has visited it many times and had also got lost with her friends when the park was new and not yet fully functional . fortunately they had met a worker who guided them properly.

Last week on 23rd , 'Vasant Panchami day ', snap of the moon on this auspicious day , I had been there to attend a wedding reception. I had taken my camera to click photos at night when it would be lit up. We have passed by it many times during daytime and so I was eager to see it at night.

Here are some snaps. The cool green lawns and the stage,decorated and lovely to see.

The weather was cold and cooler still on the lawns in the open air . It was a good get together and met many families known to me . I had to rush back to work as I had kept the clinic open to avoid inconvenience to my patients.it was indeed a very good outing and for a while we tend to forget the hustle and bustle of the city. On coming out of the park it was back to driving in the heavy traffic of Ghodbunder Road .

Kachrali Lake

2007-01-15T16:03:00.000+05:30

This lake is very near our house and is visible from our bedroom windows.The name gives the impression of something like dirt or dirty [ Kachra in Marathi is dirt ] but in reality it is the best lake in town.It's walkway around the lake is within it's compound and so safe from the traffic.It is well maintained probably being close to the main Municipal offices. It has a play area for kids.A small Ganesh temple where there is a rush on Tuesdays and Chaturthi days . On Sankashti Chaturthi , one can here melodious devotional songs [ Bhajans ] with the unique rhythm of the drums [mrudang and cymbals] accompanied by the sweet voice of the lead singer going on late in the quiet of the night . The lake has facility for boat rides but fortunately no motor boats,only rowing and pedal ones. It's walkway is surrounded by greenery and tall trees which give a feeling as though we are on some hill resort away from the city. I would love to mention here that these tall trees are actually transplanted ones from other roads which were widened 10 years ago.They were thus spared being chopped thanks to the then Mun. Commissioner Mr Chandrashekhar now in charge of MMRDA the development authority for Mumbai. On my walk today morning I decided to take a round of the lake and click from all angles possible from my new found friend , ignoring the curious and at times irritated looks of the walkers.I entered from the main gate situated on the north west and first clicked the play area.Then further was the Ganesh temple and the docking area of the boats.Going round in the clockwise direction,I managed to click the lake from north east,then southeast and last the southwest points,where the smaller gate is located. It feels great to click photos at will,upload on the computor , sort them subjectwise and put them on the blog.

Piped Gas

2007-01-14T15:14:00.000+05:30

Mahanagar Gas is here. A month ago officials of the Mahanagar Gas Ltd [ MGL ] visited our society to survey and get the list of members ready to subscribe .I have seen the work of main pipelines of MGL being laid along the Highway a few years ago, on my morning walks around town.I had come to know of connections being given to residents across the highway that is the west side.I used to wonder when they would approach us.As a kid I had seen piped gas, of Bombay Coal Gas , in my grandmother's neighbour's house in Dadar.Now after about 40 years I have been waiting like a kid for the piped connection in our house.

Last Thursday,I saw many labourers with MGL jackets,which are flourescent at night , troop into the society. They work to a plan given by their supervising Engineers and complete a particular area even if it is late in the night. Digging is first, if the trenches get waterlogged they pump out the water.Then they lay the yellow colored pipelines probably made of PVP, cover with a sheet of some plastic material with "Danger Gas Pipeline Below " printed on it and finally they cover with mud. The trenches branch off as seen in the photos so that they reach where the kitchens of the society wings are placed. Yesterday the digging was in the parking area so that all cars had to be parked on the lane outside the compound. Today being Sunday no workers has turned up and so the cars are still out.

It takes about 6 months from registration for the Gas to be operational in the premises . Hopefully by May end it will be goodbye to cylinder refills and the anxious wait for them to be delivered.

Collage on ' THE WALL '

2007-01-13T15:44:00.000+05:30

My sister in law Nimatai from Canada is always upto something unique.They are treasures and surprises worth preserving . This year she had made a collage for her youngest sister's Silver Anniversary. She has a good collection of photos which she scans and cuts to make these collages.Last time she had made on on my In-laws 60th wedding anniversary a few years ago.

In our living room we have a wall in what was my balcony which we altered to include it in the living room. That is a place where we display cards or drawings like in an Art Gallery. This year I put up all the cards received for our anniversary as well as Rahul's birthday.I also wanted to display the collage amongst the cards. Fortunately I got an idea of supporting the laminated collage on the opened cards and luckily for me it did not give way even after I finished clicking the photos.

' THE WALL ' looks really great in the dim light at night

JigSaw Puzzle

2007-01-12T15:42:00.000+05:30

As a doctor ,I am always solving puzzles when I come across patients.From the time a patient walks in ,my mind starts thinking about what he is going to say as his prime symptom.Many a times I see a patient get up with difficulty and walk with some difficulty to the chamber, giving the impression of some back or joint problem that he might narrate , but it is really the cough or some unrelated symptom that he wants attended to. Sometimes the patient starts describing about giddiness from morning making me think about vertigo but just on touching him realize that he is raging with fever.

Recently it was the case of my mom which had presented as a puzzle and later got solved gradually after giving me some anxious 3 weeks.She came down from Goa mid December and was aghast seeing her. She is basically slim not overweight at any time and quite active,but this time she looked frail and tired.I was seeing her after about 7 months.I decided to get her thoroughly assessed after the 23rd function.Her weight was 40 kg,down by 5 to 7 kg,and her blood pressure was 180/90.She was never a hypertensive patient till now,readings being in the range of 130/80. She has chronic stable angina since 1992 . On Friday, 5th Jan , I took her to Dr. Kumbla , my cardiologist friend. Her weight had improved to 41 kg by then . Her ECG , Color doppler was normal , only her BP had shot up to 220/110 probably due to anxiety and exertion. Dr. Kumbla suggested to give Losar H in addition to her usual tablets and do the relevant blood tests . After 2 days rest I took her to the pathologist on 9th Jan.In the evening I got the reports and was extremely anxious.Her Haemoglobin was 8.9 only , ESR was 60 , Blood Sugar was normal , she was never a diabetic , Blood urea 60 and creatinine 2.1 , both kidney function tests and both reasonably raised to give some concern . On phoning Dr.Kumbla , he changed that new tablet to tab Torsemide and asked for abdominal ultrasound and renal color doppler studies.

Next day I rung up Dr Nitin Chaubal , the famous sonologist whose opinion is sought after, all over Mumbai. He called me at 10 am after the power supply is restored post load shedding that goes on in town.I was greatly relieved that after the tests he said there is nothing wrong in the renal vessels as well as the kidneys themselves and rest of the abdomen. Oh what a great relief from all the thoughts about chronic renal failure that were torturing my mind.In the evening I took all reports to Dr. Kumbla and here is what I said about the jigsaw puzzle getting solved started.

I could fortunately manage to locate Dr Kumbla in the overflowing crowd of patients that was spilling on the lane outside.He was returning from his ICCU and Doppler units located behind his consulting rooms.On seeing the reports again, he said to continue the treatment and do the kidney function tests again after 10 days.He also said 'I can't understand why the urine report is showing blood +++ when the sonography is normal.' Suddenly he looked up with a sparkle in his eyes and asked ' Is she taking Aspirin ? ' I said ' Yes '. ' Stop that immediately ' he said ' That is what has caused all the problems '.

Then the logical explanation follows.Long term aspirin use had created chronic gastritis which led to loss of appetite over the years and ensuing Nutritional Anaemia and deficiency of folic acid and Vitamin B12. Aspirin also led to Haematuria . Her restricted diet intake led to muscle wasting and might have contributed to raised creatinine levels. The followup reports will confirm our logical conclusions.

Clinically she is already looking better, her weight has gone up by 1 kg , her walk has improved , her stoop is much less and she is interacting more, compared to her being quiet and withdrawn when she had arrived here.

This is part of a Doctor's life solving puzzles every day and deriving the utmost pleasure on seeing happiness on the patients face. What presents initially can be very misleading to the ultimate outcome. Many a times patients give an irrelevent history skipping very important issues and the other extreme of patients helping in the diagnosis by giving valuable suggestions.In the end it is always enjoyable solving these everyday mysteries.

A Pleasant Surprise

2007-01-02T16:26:00.000+05:30

Yes a Digital camera from dear Rahul !! My photo with the camera just out of the box !!

Rahul gave us a surprise when he gifted a Sony DSC W30 Cybershot.He was highly impressed and thrilled on my starting a blog on my own efforts and he made me a celebrity on his IIM Kozhikode campus.To make it interesting photos are a must and so the camera.

Will be clicking and adding relevant photos on my previous posts also.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

2007-01-02T15:00:00.000+05:30

Yes indeed !! We celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary on Saturday the 23rd December.It was great to be among friends and family and be the centre of attraction all the time.It is a great feeling to see children witnessing their parent's marriage like ceremony and the incidental putting of garlands, clapping of hands going around, leg pulling, the cacophony in the hall,clicking of cameras,cutting of cakes,relatives asking the bride and groom [ that is us ] to take each others name in some poetic way [ ukhana ] It does take you back 25 years to that day.23rd December is also my son Rahul's birthday He completed 24 years.In the picture is Priya, my cousin and KD kaka,my aunts husband,both of 23rd December.In the late 80s and early 90s,we all used to be in Goa for Christmas vacation and 23rd used to be celebrated in the identical way.We did relive those memories that day.

We started planning in September after getting sufficient reminders from relatives that it was the silver year and that they wanted a party.We first booked the hall in Royal Inn Hotel.We selected this as it is conveniently located. The managers and staff know me well as our conferences and seminars are held there frequently.The biggest attraction is the quality of food and service.I really wanted the party in a open lawn, away from the city.There are many such places along the Ghodbunder Road,but it would have been difficult for relatives from downtown Mumbai to come and also traffic jams along Ghodbunder Road which is undergoing massive renovation.Next was drawing up the guest list,printing of invitation cards,fixing up the menu,deciding on the clothes to wear on that day and do the shopping for that,ordering cake and roses for the guests.Since we had done the ground work and planning so much in advance, we now appreciate how smooth the function went through and how little trouble we had.We did have a good experience of hosting a large scale function of my son, Rahul's,thread ceremony in 1994.

My parents arrived on Sunday the 17th morning from Goa. Rahul arrived same day in afternoon from Kozhikode for his term break after a week of intense term exam.We gave a final touch to tentative menu given to the hotel and confirmed it to them.That week went in shopping and then the day arrived.Afternoon was spent in a light lunch and household ceremonies.That's my mother and Nisha,my brother's wife doing the 'Aarti'.

More of the party in the next post.

Co Author

2006-12-11T15:43:00.000+05:30

Do welcome me as a co author to Dear Ajitbhai. I have a great opportunity to contribute to the blog and make it more interesting . Looking forward to giving sometime in the day to sit and type to this wonderful blog and the concept of blogging.

MASTACON 2006 Day 2

2006-12-11T14:35:00.000+05:30

Day 2 of the conference was very interesting.I was particularly interested in the talk by our teacher Dr.V.N Shrikhande,the emminent and world famous Gastro Enterologist Surgeon practicing at Hindu Colony Dadar Mumbai.Even at this age of almost 75 years , he is so active and lively.He spoke on upper GI problems especially related to the Hepato Biliary system and Pancrease.He has a very typical way of talking , slow with a slight stammer and dragging of some words. Being an authority in his field it is always a pleasure listening to him.In simple words and quoting practical clinical experiences,he takes us through the topic right from the origins to the latest trends in the world.

Hearing him ,my mind went back to the 3 months we spent with him in my second year as student in 1973-74 at GT Hospital.Some of us were invited to see a rare operation of vaso-vasostomy at his private clinic at Dadar.This operation was an attempt to reverse the family planning operation of vasectomy needed especially in some unfortunate patients who had lost their sibling after undergoing sterilisation [male ] the technique had just emerged in the world and our Sir was among the first few in India to attempt it with a fare amount of success.

GT Hospital also reminds me of a very personal unique experience.I was a student of St.Xaviers High School Dhobi Talao Mumbai from 5th to 7th standard in 1962-65 . It used to be a full day school with a short and long recess.In the lunch break,we all used to finish our tiffins fast and have a game of cricket in the big school ground.Many a times our ball used to get hit across the compound and and we had to retreive it by jumping over the fencing.I always used to wonder what was in the adjoining area across the school compound , as it used to be full of green sheets hung up to dry and some stone walled buildings . Somehow I never asked nor did I attempt to know what was there across . I had to leave the school after 7th as my Dad had a job in Lonavla , a hill station about 70 kms from Mumbai.I studied from 8th to 11th in Don Bosco there and came to Thane , about 30 kms from Mumbai for my first year and inter in college.

In 1971 I got admission to Grant Madical College and in the second year we had to do terms in the satellite hospitals like GT and St Georges .My first visit to GT Hosp.was for a 3 month Orthopaedic term.On day 1 ,we were asked to go to the OPD.We ambled across to the stone walled Building and into the Doctor's chamber. As our Sir was yet to arrive I went across to the window to have a peep outside and what a sight !!! Across the fencing I could spot children in a familiar uniform playing cricket and at times jumping across this way to fetch their balls among the green sheets left to dry in the sun !!!! Couldn't believe my eyes !!

Got it ????

MASTACON 2006

2006-11-27T23:17:00.000+05:30

MASTACON stands for the annual event of Maharashtra Indian Medical Association Conference.This year Thane city was the host and was held from 24th Nov to 26th Nov.I had started writing this post on the 27th,and now I am continuing writing after a long gap.It is 8th Dec today.The sessions started with breakfast at 9 am,The presentations were from 9.30 to 1.30.Then a lunch break for an hour.The afternoon sessions were from 2.30 to 5.00.Banquets from 7.00 pm onwards.I had to keep my clinic closed in the morning to hear some topics of interest to me like Diabetes, a workshop on HIV--AIDS ,Abdominal emergencies related to Diabetes.

Apart from the technical discussions,what was interesting was my classmates presenting their lectures.Dr.Vijay Panikkar was my chief attraction on day one.The session was hosted by another of my classmates,Dr.Vijay Neglur.Dr. Panikkar has not changed one bit since the college days.It was so thrilling to see a classmate,with whom we had studied sitting in the same classroom and all the mischiefs,the college elections-he was elected as Cultural Secretary--, standing on the stage to give a talk with all LCD projections and slide presentations. Very mischevious and knowledgable.An authority on Diabetes and a leading practitioner in Dadar Mumbai.He speakes in simple terms and very practical.He always gives day to day experiences and gave an example of a senior couple sitting with drooping faces in front of him,they had come to consult him after visiting ' n ' number of doctors and to see if this one has anything new to offer especially regarding diet.Diabetes is such a thing that no one likes to hear about do's and dont's of diet ,with the complicated calorie calculations which the dieticians give.So after the couple were checked up and after dicussion regarding medicines ,etc was over the dreaded topic of diet came up.The man asked 'what should we eat,looking sideways at his wife and expecting the usual list. Dr Vijay said" Dont worry,eat everything yes everything " surprising the couple. He added jokingly that the look on their faces was as if they had come at a wrong place and the doctor doesn't seem to know anything."Yes everything ' he repeated again" except that eat half of what is normally eaten".The couple were satisfied that the dreaded topic of diet was finished in a few words only.the only caution was regular monitoring of blood sugar.

Dr.Vijay went on to say that senior people on being detected for diabetes are at the mercy of their near and dear ones,who in good faith actually make the life of that person miserable.Each member of the family offers different advise and the poor old man may die due to some cause other than his diabetes.We too follow same principles in treating patients especially seniors who in this fag end of their lives should not be made to suffer psychologically.

More about the MASTACON lectures and the Banquets in coming posts.

Flickr

2006-11-26T23:46:00.001+05:30

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Control of Lipids

2006-11-12T14:09:00.000+05:30

My first technically oriented blog today.

Dyslipidemia is very common in the affluent world.We in India and also most of Asia have an excess of the bad cholesterol [LDL ]as well as an increase in the Triglycerides,due to genetic factors or nowadays due to urbanisation and the ills of modernisation.Both are independant risk factors for cardiac events.Patients being symptom free are unaware of their problems until tested and hence are at the highest risk.Control of lipids is based on trials conducted basically by the western world. Cholesterol is controlled by statins and Triglycerides by fibrates.

Last night I attended a CME on"Newer paradigm in Lipid Management and Antiplatelet Therapy", sponsored by Shreya Life Sciences.The speakers were two eminent intervention cardiologists,Dr D Kumbla and Dr.S Shetty.The role of aspirin and statins were discussed on a more theoretical basis interspersed with few case experiences.It was a sort of revision for me of the various studies conducted worldwide as these topics are regularly presented at various CMEs.

Now for some personal experiences and trials that I have conducted and which was discussed in the Question Answer session conducted at the end. As a family physician,I deal mostly with primary prevention of cardiovascular problems.The patients are usually in midlife or nowadays even in late 30s due to the hectic lifestyles and stress.On routine screening they are usually uncomplicated cases, detected for the first time for impaired fasting sugar or glucose intolerance or dyslipidemia.They may or may not have hypertension,may or may not be overweight or obese.The advise is standardised text book like.Lifestyle modification like diet and exercise,giving up tobacco,control over alcohol, weight reduction and the medicines.

Here I am writing about medicines only in Lipids control.I put the patients on a daily dose of 10mg atorvastatin and 160 mg of fenofibrate for those having both high LDL and Triglycerides..I have noticed that my patients respond extremely well to 10 mg statin and I have never had to titrate the dose or add Ezetimibe.Cardiologist always recomend a combination of statin and Ezetemibe in all CMEs probably because they mostly see post event cases and are on secondary prevention.In the first follow up in 1 to 3 months,on seeing good control, I advise them to take a statin alternate day as on Monday,Wednesday and Friday and a Fibrate on Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday with a holiday on Sunday.Even with this pattern I have seen good control over the past few years followup.The positive thing is a greater patient compliance and better tolerability of the drugs as they have lesser side effects which are mostly general weakness and abdominal pains.I have not seen any case with the side effect of myopathy or rhabdomyolisis with these doses.

This was discussed in yesterday's CME and the cardiologists agreed that though this alternate day dosage is not studied or documented it is alright to have this regime as long as the patients are under regular supervision and followup.

I would like to know if any clinician has treated dyslipidemia in this way and their experiences. I have not been able to document my experiences due to lack of time in our setup of general practise.

India and World Cricket

2006-11-07T15:30:00.000+05:30

What a sight on the TV screen at the end of the final match .The night skyline was lit up with beautiful fire crackers.This match will be remembered for the revival of the matches at the nostalgic Brabourne Stadium, the unexpected showers which interrupted the one sided match,the monotony of an Aussie win absence of any Asian team and the TV presentation which became more worth watching than the cricket itself.India and the expert event managers of the Cricket board held the series in grand style ,with the likes of Mandira Bedi,who made it sure that all stayed glued to the TV and saw the commercials always and Cricket whenever it was interesting.

So we now come to the Title "India and World Cricket".What is India's and the Indian team's contribution.India has been always hospitable to any guests and especially so when there are celebrities.We feel honoured when all praise us in taking utmost care of the cricketers,their travelling,site seeing,lodging,receptions,functions in their honour,etc.This part is very well taken care of.
Now the Indian teams contribution.Well they participated in it whole heartedly,as though taking part in some celebrations.The ICC President has aptly said that India has the money but where is the cricket ? People fail to understand that India has just to participate.We are there to generate revenue for the individuals,the Board,the local Associations,the Sponsors.Cricket has been reduced to an event,no seriousness,no answerability as far as the Indian team is concerned.

What makes the other countries tick ? Not only cricket but other sports as well . Year after year as India performs miserably,the postmortems go on till the next event . Talking about cricket why is the selection made on past performances and past glories ? Is it wrong to drop a senior non performing player and take a young promising one,who is curently in great form ? I feel other countries especially Australia have developed their habit of winning because of merit and nothing else . Money corrupts absolutely, as shown by our players . I get the feeling that they spend more time in shoots than in the nets . My suggestion is that the Board should collect the lollies on their behalf and release the money as per their performances . No play no money . It looks so stupid seeing them dancing around and making faces in the ads that crop up when actually wickets are tumbling down or the bowlers are getting slaughtered . Don't they themselves feel ashamed or are they busy counting their lollies as criticism mounts and they turn a blind eye and deaf ears ?

The only heartening thing is the Midas Touch !! No country on this planet will criticise India's performance . They know and we also know India has to just participate and the money flows . ICC has made a great turnaround thanks to Indian Administrators . All the boards and the clubs reap a golden harvest as India participates . People forget the scores ,the losses,the humiliation that the spectators and not the players feel, we only remember the performance in the advertisements not on the field. Lavish praises will always be for the rival teams.

Hence forth my resolution is to see the game ,as a game we know, when other teams play and see it as a performance when India plays,as it looks like excellent acting when they stare at the bat,or shake their head,or limp or droop their head,or have a sorrowful face when returning to the pavilion . With this in mind it will not be necessary for me to write on this topic again.Blogging is great.So nice and relieved I feel on purging my mind of a pent up frustration on India and World Cricket.

One more lake in lake city

2006-10-08T23:08:00.000+05:30

One more lake beautified and opened to the public.A few days back we had been to a house warming ceremony.This was on the 11th floor in an area known as Khopat in Thane.As we went round the house ,we went to the balcony of the master bedroom.Oh what a view,we could see most of the northern and east side of Thane and right below was a beautiful lake,with a richly green layout and a walking track around it.I realised that it was the Brahmala Lake.

On my morning walks around town,I used to pass this area.About 9 years back this lake didn't exist.It was surrounded by unauthorised shops,workshops godowns and bakery and cowsheds behind.9 years ago when Thane city was remade,I have seen the transformation taking place like shops,workshops and cowsheds being relocated.Then I could see the filled up lake and the dirt and squalour.Over the next few years,the lake was desilted,I could see truckloads being taken away,the road being dirty outside because of the mud and dirt falling off the trucks.It used to be muddy and slippery to walk on the road near the proposed lake which was nowhere in sight.it was like patiently waiting for some goodies to unfold.

Two years ago the lake finally did shape up,but without the surounding garden and walking paths.I have witnessed the workers transforming the whole landscape,like an artist completing a full scene,right from the initial rough sketch to the final fine touches to finish the picture.Yesterday morning on my long walks as I was returning by this lake I noticed how complete and beautiful it looked from near and so decided to visit in the evening with Shyamala my wife.As we entered the garden I looked up at the 11th floor balcony from where we had noticed the lake from.We took a walk round the well lit and absolutely green area round the lake.Then we sat on one of the benches along the lake looking at the fortunate residents of Thane who have this previledge of having lakes as compared to Mumbai suburbs.We also consider ourselves lucky to be staying in Thane and have such facilities and a cooperative Municipality,who cares.

The only sore point was the rubbish dump outside for which the people are responsible.Till we develope some discipline and civic sense,we are far from being one among the great cities wordwide.

May we see more miracles in the city in the years to come.

Hello Leopards

2006-09-26T15:47:00.000+05:30

The city of Mumbai with all its congestion has its spots of greenery.It boasts of a wild life sanctuary, affectionately called 'Lungs of Mumbai', named after Sanjay Gandhi,which is centrally located in the suburbs dividing western and central suburbs.A lot of wild life abounds especially Leopards,their numbers increasing to an extent that they are invading the encroachments.[photo on left from mapsofindia.com and below from wikipedia]
Last Sunday evening,I got a call ,in an excited tone from my brother,staying on Ghodbunder road bordering the north eastern side of the National Park.On their evening walk at 6.00,at Sanghvi Hills near the foothills,they spotted 2 wildcats stretching and lazing on a ledge on top of a hill.A crowd had gathered mostly construction workers and they were viewing them through binoculars.On his urgent invitation,we managed to reach there in 45 mins,through the congested traffic,but could not spot the wild cats most likely lions as people described them as yellowish brown in color.Common sighting is of spotted leopards.People were talking about dogs disappearing and workers who were used to sleep outdoors moving indoors now.It is indeed thrilling to spot these wild animals in their natural surroundings,but scary too.This is a spot where many from nearby residencial areas go for a stroll in the evening.[ Photo from mumbainet.com]

Viewed from a larger perspective, this appearance of cheetahs and lions only highlights the issue of rapacious builders intruding too fast on what is essentially a National Sanctuary. It isnt' simply Ghodbunder Road's sides that are being constructed upon anymore, but areas far away from the Road too. Sanghvi Hills is quite a distance away from the main road. Besides, only 3 years ago the entire area was virgin forest land. The politician-builder mafia's might and ruthlessness and malevolence is on full display here. I only hope this doesn't lead to the kinds of incidents we witnessed a couple of years ago in Powai.
Similar things are happening on the western borders of the Park in Borivli where Slums have encroached on their habitat.Attacks on humans is most frequent there as slum dwellers sleep in the open and visit the forest areas for illegal procurement of firewood as well as for their natural calls.
Mumbai requires its bit of greenery and sanctuaries but there seems to be no will to take care of the problem.In the long run people and animals both are going to suffer.In the short term it is the builders politicians and mafia who are going to benefit.

Breathe Easy See Dirty

2006-09-12T15:41:00.000+05:30

Confusing Title !! Today's blog is on based on what I see, what I hear and what I breathe on my daily morning walks around my city of Thane.As usual my wife Shyamala,and me left on our usual morning round taking a route along the express way on the service road.We walk for about 45 mins to an hour covering on an average a distance of 5 to 6 kms.We avoid going in parks or around the different lakes [The Lake City of Thane] as it is boring to see the same people again and again.Being a doctor I come across many of my known people and have to acknowledge their 'mornings or stop for some consultation.As this disturbs my walk,I prefer going on long stretches in the city.[Photo on right from Midday 28/04/06,on left from Infopedia.com]

Coming to today's Title.I had noticed the pollution levels going down over the years ,especially after Thane was revamped , so many years ago and went on to win the' Title' of' Cleanest City of India' .We have many of these three wheeler small cabs called Autorickshaws running about town.They are seen in many South East Asian countries also and known as Bajaj,or Tuk- Tuks.Recently there was a news item that they will shortly run on the streets of London and be called Tuk Tuks.[Photo of auto from Wikipedia ]

Here they were seen as creating a lot of pollution.Today I was delighted to see markings of CNG [compressed natural gas ] in green on the front of these Autos.I was happy that they seem to be getting converted to CNG and thought it to be a good beginning.As I was walking my happiness got multiplied on seeing a large number of them almost every alternate one with CNG.We were breathing easy over the years now it will be easier. That is Breathe Easy.

Now over to See Dirty.Our city of Thane was supposed to have had about 60 lakes.Over the centuries about 30 are to be accountable,on this day, as per my right or wrong information.Our local authorities have done a wonderful job of renovating,beautifying and dredging most of them so as to look really presentable to anyone visiting this city.Alas ! our citizens do need disciplining.We see the wonderful parks,lakes,gardens of foreign countries on TV channels as also photos taken by friends and relatives going abroad.What ails our people when it comes to civic sense?It saddened me today, on seeing the massive pollution of Makhmali Talao,a lake about a km from my reside.This lake was seeing better days after a clean up,Bio treatment and people cooperating on not throwing garbage and flowers in the lake.I fail to understand what has occured suddenly .It was sad to see the greenish scum, plastic bags,flowers floating on the water.Unless people participate with a determined civic sense,a seriously lacking backup of authorities and leaders,we will not improve.Forget making Shanghai of Mumbai.People there must be making fool of us .We don't deserve Democracy. We need a Lee Kuan Yew.

Breathe Easy But See Dirty.

Munnabhai Again

2006-09-10T19:49:00.000+05:30

It was great fun watching Lage Raho Munnabhai [LRM ].We had been to see this movie today in the comforts of Eternity Cinemax,very near to our residence.A couple of years ago, we had seen Munnabhai MBBS,a great story of a criminal reforming to be a doctor,and cures patients in a different hilarious way with his Jadu Ki Zhappi [A Magic Hug]. Today's movie was with the almost same actors but a different theme.Here a criminal, to win the heart of his beloved,gets work done not by violent means, which is his real way of working,but by non violence means, based on the teachings and advice of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation,who is visible to him only and not to others,in a ressurected form.

One has to see these wonderfully directed movies to really appreciate them.It is just not possible to describe them as a story on this blog nor can one narrate it to anyone.I must surely add them to my profile.I love to see such entertaining movies,as I am basically not inclined to view typical "Bollywood "stuff.Movies like LRM are pure entertainment.

Congrats to the Director,actors and all the support staff who have put in their efforts.Hats off to Circuit played by Arshad Warsi,Jhanvi played by Vidya Balan ,Lucky Singh played by Boman Irani and last but not the least Munnabhai by Sanjay Dutt.

Hoping to see more in these series, if at all, more are to come.

Communal Harmony

2006-09-09T15:25:00.000+05:30

A sad day for the country and the civilised world.Bomb blasts at Malegaon city in the state of Maharashtra,about 200 kms from Mumbai,has shattered the lifes of so many.It has rekindled the memories of those who have lost their near and dear ones in the blasts that have shaken the country and the world.It is good that people have realised that terrorism has no religion,no boundaries.Politicians have refrained from taking undue advantage of such incidences to stoke communal hatred for their own agenda.People are seeing through these games now.

My salutes to the people of Malegaon and Mumbai earlier to have kept up communal harmony in these painful moments.This is a definite setback to the dirty designs of terrorist networks,who would have thrived on a flareup of violence.I hope the terror groups will start getting less support from the black sheep of the society .Common people are least interested in these activities,they are more interested in their efforts of getting their daily bread.

Lax administration,poor inteligence network,political / criminal nexus and less people awareness are some of the key factors for terror.Political will and peoples participation is the need today.Mohhalla committies and alert citizens can spot nefarious activities in the bud and put an end to terror.

Long live communal harmony !!!!

Teacher's Day

2006-09-05T15:07:00.000+05:30

As school children,so many years ago,we used to look forward to this day.Looking at the senior students taking over the class,I used to dream of taking over that role in the years to come.Some were very serious in their new roles,some used to take it lightly and some used to immitate teachers.Great fun!!

As I am writing my mind goes back on a special programme on a popular news channel, in honour of today's day,the topic relating to teachers getting a fair deal or not.This was in relation to the fatal attack on the professor.The events were not only disgusting but also a fear in the minds of all whether justice will be done or not, looking at our past dismal judiciary histories.

Much has been said about reforms in the educational system,ever since the time I really started taking interest in the topic and think on what basically is lacking.Foremost is the vast difference in the pattern if elections.We had in our times fights on topics directly concerning the institution only and see now.All political parties have an agenda which has nothing to do about the colleges but only to groom youngsters into the kind of politics we witness today.Do we have quality to emmulate and idolise?Most of the leaders have questionable background so it is natural that candidates are like them and get elected on methods that are witnessed today ..Common students are just witnesses and are coerced into voting.Their sole aim is to do well and get a good job,but in this process the whole schedule gets disrupted by strikes,bunds,loss of teaching talent and study hours leading to dissapointing performances.

What exactly does the education department achieve in the term of a minister in charge.Does the minister have a real interest in his portfolio or looks at it as something less paying and less recognizable?It seems they derive pleasure in disrupting a smooth sailing system by topics like reservations,board exams in lower classes,changing syllabus especially History ,to fit into party agenda.

Have a look around the proliferation of tuition classes.Education is given a great priority in many countries next to defence.Are we any where near them?We look at it as a thriving Industry with I presume vested interests.Does anyone know how much the fees are.A simple solution would be to ban all private tuition classes,instead of banning bars and TV channels,raise the salaries of teachers to comfort zones but make them answerable,give incentive to teachers who give results and also give them a free hand to take extra lectures if they wish, in the premises only.Raise the fees of students.They wont mind paying ,as it is they get fleeced by private tuitions.What is the use if the Govt.gives free education with mediocre teachers and students are paying through their noses outside as well as compromising on their play time and other extra curricular activities.Govt need not subsidise education.They should arrange long term loans .

My last question. Has any Professor or teacher,anywhere in the world got killed or attacked by his own students?

Emotional attachment

2006-09-03T11:43:00.000+05:30

This is for my two wheeler and my car.

I prefer commuting to my workplace [my clinic]on my two wheeler-a 150 HP LML Vespa scooter-as my clinic is just 200 meters away from my residence.This is a 1995 model and is still giving me good service with minor maintenance.A month ago the piston got jammed, there was no compression and it would not start at the fuel station.I pushed it back home,got it repaired and was back on the road in a weeks time.I had told the mechanic not to spend too much on it as I was planning to get a new scooter a Honda Eterno in the near future.He comforted me by saying it wouldn't cost much and otherwise the scooter was in good condition.I knew fully well within me about my attachment to my scooter.
Today I had gone to the market about 2.5 kms away and on the return trip got a flat tyre, fortunately near my residence.The person who replaced the tyre tube told me about the bad condition of the tyre and advised me to get a new one.I again told him I was going to get a new one in the near future,knowing fully well that I was not going to do that.

This has happened a few times in the past also and I feel the only reason for postponing my plan is a sort of attachment that I feel for it.The same thing had happened many years ago.In 1978 I had purchased my first scooter a Vijai Super again 150 cc HP model with a taller seating arrangement compared to others available then.It had been just launched and was among the first batch to be delivered in town.After using it for almost 17 years I reluctantly got the one I am using now.Riding on the new one I used to look around to spot the old one.One day a scooter whizzed past me and there it was my MTY 8384 [its registration number],My wife was the pillion rider and we both were quite thrilled but alas I never saw it again.

Many advise me to go in for modern machines available now with great looks,higher efficiency and additional features.Something holds me back.It is definitely not the cost, they are reasonably priced and financial assistance is also available.

What is that something ?? Will let you know as soon as I get one.It's the same with my car.But that will be another post as there are many instances I want to share, when you get a feeling that the vehicle is not inanimate.You feel it responds in appreciation to the care and love one bestows on it.I am sure many must be having similar experiences.

My photo

2006-09-01T15:17:00.001+05:30

New to blog,trying hard to get my photo displayed,not as a post,but getting it on blog page.Went through all instructions till getting it in html format and pasting the url on the profile page.Does the photo appear on the blog page or it is displayed on the my profile.will get through it.think i have to search photo less than 50k

That's me

2006-09-01T13:46:00.000+05:30

That's me, posing for my son Rahul,on my favourite cane swing chair.This was about a year ago when he had bought his Sony digital camera.He had specifically asked me to hold my favourite Minolta camera,a 1981 model,which has given me immence pleasure of clicking photos of so many trips, functions and events over a long period of over 20 years.Times have changed ,it is now seeing photos on the screen instead of holding an album and navigating through all these memories of yesteryears.

In-laws visit

2006-08-31T13:21:00.000+05:30

What is faith in any field especially in doctors is ably demonstrated by my mother-in-law.
She had undergone an angioplasty a few years ago after a brief period of repeated attacks of unstable angina.She used to get some pains in the teeth after that, but being shattered after the cardiac problem at this age after being trouble free for the past almost 80 years of her life,she had become paranoid.Her cardiologist tried in vain to explain that it is not a recurrence of angina-he even did another angiography to rule out .
Ultimately she decided to see my dentist here.She came all the way from Andheri,a western suburb of Mumbai,and about 30 kms,a good hour's drive in the heavy Mumbai traffic.Now here comes the doctor's role.Dr.Balaji R a young enthusiastic dentist,in practise for about 5 years took charge of her.After carefully examining her,.he explained in the most lay person's language her that her problem was due to age related loss of enamel as well as regression of the gums,which expose the nerves leading to sensitive teeth.Apart from giving her some corrective treatment it was his wonderful way of convincing that it was indeed a dental problem and nothing else.She was then at peace with herself and happy now.
Dr.Balaji will shortly be going to UK.He has recently cleared a set of exams to go to UK.Last night he phoned us in an excited tone that he had just recieved the final result that he has cleared the most difficult final test and that he is now welcome to the UK.
That's the In-laws visit today.She was thrilled about her Doctor's success as well as the ? about the future-a mixed feeling !!This is one of her regular visit to us to meet us and stay with us but I get that feeling it is especially to meet her saviour. That's what Faith and Trust is all about !!!

A great day today

2006-08-30T15:54:00.000+05:30

Inspired by many especially my son Rahul,an ardent blogger with a great following,I have made a beginning to blog today.There are so many things to be narrated ,discussed and to be interacted that in this hectic daily grind it becomes impossible to get across to many people at one time.I have planned to devote some time daily in the afternoon when I have some time to spare in my clinical practice .More to come in the days to follow.