An Epistle to Mum

Dear Mum,

Greetings from the city of Lakes! I sense a perplexed expression on your generally calm face and a racing heart beat this very moment. Your mind and heart both wondering, why I chose to write this letter and pin it on my blog rather than talking to you directly over Graham’s invention or well… face to face. The reason is quite straight and yet quite fuzzy. Probably when I end this Epistle… you and I… and all those people who shall read this understand - why.

Remember our first tryst twenty –five years ago when I was resting in the dark room filled with warm gooey liquid? I laid there crouched with my eyes closed; experiencing weightlessness; munching pulverised food; smiling to myself in sleep occasionally yawning and kicking the wall. I don’t remember much of how the hibernation went but when I came out with all body parts in right numbers, in right size, fixed in right places, functioning the way they should, I knew I was taken care with utmost love like the male penguin… no matter how harsh the winter was. You had a purpose of putting up with the winter… and I know... it was your abdominal bump.

I remember the early morning routine in KG… the way you brushed my teeth; combed my hair and got me ready for school as I sat in the dining room half sleepy. I remember the yoga sessions on holidays and weekends… I remember the way you plucked the chicken together with Dad and the delicious ice-creams you made; the TV shows that we watched together; the outings to Kaundeniya and Joydeep’s house and the occasional visit to the Didi’s house across the street. I remember going to dance class and complaining of cramps; I remember going to Hindi tuition and learning Bengali instead. Mum… I also remember the high decibel animation and not so happy faces, your burnt fingers and swollen eye… the memories of which still makes me cry.

I remember the way you came to my school before exams to complete my notes… the way you made me write each answer thrice so that I pass my final exams! I remember making you angry when I lied to you, escaped my studies and made your life a little more troublesome… I remember the time when you scolded me… punished me and hit me with whatever you found next…

Mum…. I remember the way you juggled job and house work… working round the clock like a machine in a factory… Just like a doctor who says “You got to stay in bed when you are sick” and yet he himself is in the clinic when sick… you carried on with your chores, tolerated our tantrums… and ignored your honeycomb bones, miniscule but fatal gall bladder calculi, migraine, spondilitic pain and that endless list…. You ignored them ‘coz we and frankly speaking me did not leave you any choice.

Pic source: gouk.about.com

Yesterday when you laughed at me… got angry and kicked me… I felt like a baby giraffe that is kicked and sent flying minutes after it’s born… I then did not understand the mother giraffe. 

Today…I do. 

When you share our family’s stories… and neighborhood talks… I know you want me to understand the people, their attitudes, their motives… so that I grow emotionally strong. When you tell me to learn household chores and also do my job well, I know you want me to be the best at home and at work… so that I can escape the hunter critic’s eyes. When you tell me “look be like her… be like him” … I know you want be to polish myself… so that I can make the best of the single shot at life I have…. Mum… I know you want the best for me… I have heard you pray for me… I have seen you cry with me… I have felt you feel for me…

Mum… No words can do justice to the inner feelings I have for you… but to put it across in the best way… I might appear as selfish… but Mum… When the day comes when Lord decides that he cannot sustain me anymore on this earth… I wish to take my last breaths lying in your lap with your arms wrapped around me just like when I was born.

I Love You Mummy….

-Your emotionally challenged Daughter

PS: I wish I could be your best birthday gift ever..!!

L.I.F.E: The Sine Wave

I stand behind the bars gazing into the hypnotic world on the other side… clutching the rusted iron… conspiring an escape with my soul… waiting to experience the world on the other side… waiting for the moment of joy.... the moment of freedom....

I saw this pic on the web few days ago…. I was so moved that I reproduced it right away. (Original by Shukri Abu Baker). Though this was symbolic to his days in prison.... I saw a it completely different. Look at the hand…. It emotes the person’s desire to get out of the closed doors … be out in the open and be free like the birds that touch the sky… free like the animals that run wild… not bothering the safety… not bothering Darwin’s theory… not bothering anything until… out in the wild and ironically fighting to find shelter and food that were once free....

Doesn’t this remind you of the sine wave? If I had to graphically represent life… then sine wave it shall be. I mean think about it…

1. The grass is greener on the other side.

When at A, point B looks attractive. When at B, point C looks attractive. When at C, point D looks attractive. When at D, point E looks attractive and when at E………………………….

When I was months old and mom put me in a cradle… all I did was fantasise about playing with the toys that were lying in the room… strategizing a cradle break by crying and waiting for  mom or dad to come get me out. When I was out of the cradle and a year old just learning to walk… all wanted is my mom or your dad to hold me strong even though I and your parents knew I could do without. The pressure of walking a foot without falling was tremendous. When I had learnt to run and mom wanted to contain me in front of her eyes so that I don’t get hurt or ill, all I wanted to do is run outside and play. A bruised knee, a runny nose, dirty hands and elbows did bother me much. The saga doesn’t end there for all you know.

Look how hard and long we work to get on the other side.... do you realize here... we stay there only for a short while... 

2. The Reprising incidents 

Lost time never comes back they say.... but moments repeat like a never ending drama.... It starts on a smaller scale... like the cell division...and goes on to much larger scale.. larger than life itself... sometimes spreading over generations...! For example....The way you look at your parents now is the way your children will look at you when they reach this age you are now. The only difference.... is X.... the displacement.... the point at which you are... at the moment when the moment itself repeats. .

For every soul on this earth and galaxies far off, the present always seems confining no matter how rosy it is… the future always seems rosy no matter how uncertain it is. If one side the grass is green… the other side it’s clean. The plus point you ask of this sine wave?? You are always inching your way forward X2 never smaller than X1... The only thing hindering you…. Is getting the correct wavelength and amplitude (people and attitude) in your life…Have them.. cherish them... nurture them...and life shall  resonate at its best....perpetually......!!

My Corporate Fling-The story so far

Scene-1: Take-1: Location-Home

There I was… waiting for the postman to deliver me my letter of independence…financial independence, that is. Little did I know that the financial independence wasn’t any free ride! Anyhow, I waited…waited and I waited a little more…until our monthly calendar at home changed 6 times…!! The wait was ummm…to be frank like layered Lasagna from top to bottom.

Initially it was awesome like the gorgeous, heart pounding melting cheese. My family and of course me rejoiced that I cleared campus placement and got into a PSU. The fact that I was home after a long time may have also contributed to the smile OK please moment. As the days passed quickly like a sonic…family and friends had just one question for me… “When is your joining??” Ok two questions… “When will you receive the joining letter??”.. No hi. No hello… jus those two questions. It seemed like a complete mash. When will I get my call? Where will I be posted? What am I doing with my life? Where am I headed with this waiting? Is it ok to wait or shall I look for opportunities? Blah… Blah… With my heart & mind “minced” and me grounded (but without the spices), left my lasagna quite bland. Then, the time came when I hit the pasta sheet…the wall…the blank wall! I was frustrated and just about to do something drastic, take a hasty decision of what to do with my career and all…. NOT surprisingly enough, I was back to Blah Blah-ing… When I got frustrated again, the blank wall stared me back.

I thought that’s it Divya… time to clear the dishes… and mind, but I was halted with a suspicious door bell piercing through my ear drums. I opened the door and there he was smiling at me…I saw what was in his hand; I saw the BIG BOLD letters conspicuously placed on the white envelope… It read the name of the company I was to join. I was thrilled…I was amazed…I looked up and said to my Lord…U surprise me…every single time! And that’s when all the hidden spices came rushing back to my pallet. Burp!

Finally, the day had come when my 6 month long wait ended and I was supposedly going to be financially independent…. “What’s all this mess?” asked mom as she entered my room… “Packing” I said…as a matter of fact. “Haven’t you packed your stuff yet?” – asked dad for the tenth time as he followed mom into my room. “Well, it’s almost done” I said…looked around at the mess…and thought Oh man! I am doomed..!! Shifting stuff from one bag to the other to get everything in order and counting the number of bags and baggage was one hell of a task. Mom kept wondering which sari she would wear on the day of my joining and which for the sight-seeing while she helped me get all the stuff I need to pack for my new living…

Smile OK Please....
Image Source: Imagoinc.wordpress.com; 

That night I dreamt a different dream, a dream which probably was the best dream till date…the dream that seemed like conquering a mountain peak. Little did I realize I was soon to be woken up…

Scene-2: Take-1: Location-The city of lakes

Having been a nomad for last 24 years of my life, shifting to a new place, meeting new people, staying at a PG wasn’t a big deal. But now, I do not represent just me and my family, but the company I work for and of course my college too! The accountability of your actions increases manifold when you are into the corporate world. Now this was a task. At a place where both vertical and horizontal hierarchy is an important aspect; turn-around time is a time bomb ticking away…being alert like a hunter on the go is critical. It’s a situation where your every move, every expression is captured on a CCTV like eyes. One wrong move and you have plenty to suffer from those who are right. One right move and you still have plenty to suffer from those who are wrong. Since, right and wrong are just two relative terms, it even makes it harder and requires more courage to fight hierarchical barriers to do what you think is right. I noticed…and I am sure you too have…that this is true not only in the corporate bubble but also in a space scanned every day and night by the Hubble.

Image source: veryhilarious.com

I found an interesting picture of corporate hierarchy on the internet… it sums up the entire corporate equation in just one snapshot…The person who made this collage must be one darn smart person frustrated with the smell emanating from the corporate corpus.

Financial Independence was my motivation to be here and I did achieve it. The educational loan is being re-paid part by part too. The last time I asked for currency from home was when I needed some cash to go home for few days. I was a little short after all the shopping, rent, loan installment, food etc. The point here is…and why I am bugging you with this post of mine is…though I have achieved some financial independence, gained an experience that my college provided only through books, made new contacts…corporate contacts that is, saw and experienced life that I hadn’t in the last 24 Years put together! … Something was missing…

Life IS essentially good. But every night as I sleep, I have only one thought in my mind…is this how it was supposed to be? Is this what I was supposed to do after studying how the DNA in our cell worked and how Mr. Kotler would market his products. Is this the sole purpose of my life-to be financially independent? Is battling hierarchy a screen test or life itself? Is making an impression more important than expressing myself? Is letting myself be driven by the passion too tough? Or is finding the passion is a much heavier task? The questions are plenty…the answers are few. The opinions are plenty…the help is rarely due (to me).

Today, as I write this post, the questions still linger. But then, I have one thing with me that’s getting stronger and stronger with each passing moment… and that is BELIEF…in me…and in my savior above. Five years down the line, will I be a manager sitting at my desk picking at my subordinates or will I be doing a pop soda-surprisingly and refreshingly different or defending my nest like a cave woman? The answer to it was easy at the interview… but in reality is locked away for now. All I know is…I love surprises…even if I did not…my savior does…and I am game for the game.

Scene-3: Take-1: Location- God Knows Where!

One word. Legen...dary!!

An Affair with Love

Love is blind,

Love is deaf,

Love is actually all senses de-clined;

It makes you numb,

It makes you pricky,

Love… in fact makes you look quite dumb!

Love is a hero,

Love is a coward,

Love is actually a Cardiac Jell-O;

It makes you laugh,

It makes you cry,

Love… in fact makes you a half n half!

Love is a game,

Love is a feel,

Love is actually an ECG never the same;

It makes you to trust,

It makes you to betray,

Love… in fact makes your mind rust!

Love is a hallucination,

Love is a reality,

Love is actually a late realization;

It makes you strong,

It makes you weak,

But in the end… makes you LIVE long!

                                                                                                             -Divya  Boddu

What's on Your Mind??

Remember the time when FB asked you "What's on your mind ?" and you wanted to scream.... "My mind is being bombarded with a zillion of ZERO correlated thoughts from a machine gun cross cannon... Do you have a problem with that?"..... You had so much to say.. but you just couldn't express it... And when you did express it... somehow the words you used.. the person you expressed it to.. the place.. the time.. did not seem so right.. that even after you ripped your heart open for everybody to see.. hear.. feel... it did not make much of a ripple! And then you were like "WTF...ppl understand Sadda Haq... Kolaveri.. et.al but not me...!!!" Yeah.. I know you remember... and all  you could sing is.."Jo bhi mai kehne chahu.. barbaad kare.. alfaaz mere...ohh yayayayaa..." 

For quite sometime now... FB has been mocking me...every time I log on to it... It asks... "What's on your mind? " (which btw I have now learnt to ignore...)  It then strangely picks all those people on FB who are either studying abroad.. or are on exotic vacations.. or getting engaged / married/ pregnant... and paste them on my wall..!! Ufff...!! And all I can do is to... hit the "like" button.. CTRL+C and CTRL+V stuff like "Supa Like... :)" "Congratulationss...!! :) " "M sooooo Happpppppyyyyy 4 uuuuu <3 " .... AAAhhhh phhuuuyyeeeee !!! All that is happening in my life is...  I wake up... I shit in the pot... I get ready for the day.. People shit on me.. around me...I clean self... I eat.. I pray..I sleep..!! and yeah occasionally I f*** people... and people f*** me..!!! (which btw is not so great... trust me.. the F word is overrated..!!)

If you are reading this.. that means you too surely have a well protective roof on your head.. an all you can eat plate of food.. and u can afford warm clothes... of course all this would mean you have a comfortable inflow of "funds". But is it all that matters in life??What about Maslow's Self Actualization??? In spite of the reading scores of monk-y books and e-mails... in spite of having an OK to strong family and friends back up... most of us say WTF yaar??? WHY this Kolaveri Di...??? and feel like a complete Xenon in the crowd...sometime or the other.. or even worse... forever.!

The most successful keep saying... live each day.. each moment..with people you love.. doing what you love... but they never admit if its a late realization (apparently all greats say they missed out on "living life" in a bid to "make life")... If its a late realization... does that mean OXFORD needs to revisit the definition of SUCCESS??  And if its ain't so... then do they(great ppl) fear competition?? Now I am confused.. and I am sure I got you all confused too... and probably saying it aloud... "God....Guess you need some counselling Girl !! "... Hell no..!!

In the past few months I learnt the following cycle of life...

1. WTF! Stage
2. "I gotta do something about it" Stage
3.  "Hell I am better off than others" Stage
4.  "I am happy with what I have" Stage... and wham!....its all history revisited from there...

From where.. whom did I learn..? Don't ask... how long did it take me to learn that... don't ask... but just know I did learn....

But then me being me.... All I want is this twisted toxic certain uncertainty to end... I want stuff to be "crystal clear" ... I want People to see other people as people.... I want the one firing thoughts into my head to slow down... I want my heart to buck up and limit itself to pumping blood... I want to be able to do what I love with people I love... I want to show FB my mid finger and say.. "Now u know what's on my mind !"

Aarakshan::Reservation- I rest my Case

Ok... caught in my own Life's Aarakshan and of course the hue and cry of bill sent to Govt of India by Anna Hazare et.al, I somehow couldn't write my final post on the age old issue. Not that anyone really cares (Blogger is not really showing any stats on my previous 2 posts on the issue) but as a blogger, my apologies if anyone was in fact looking forward for the final read on the issue even for a brief moment. 

So where were we??? Oh yeah... we heard both sides of the story and were stuck at crossroads....

              

If we support reservation, it means that we still enjoy caste-ism and favoritism in the name of welfare. Also implying that we still are confident that without reservation welfare isn't even remotely plausible. And unfortunately, any unchecked system would act as a reactant to an impending collapse of the bigger system-the society.

If we do not support reservation, it means that we are Hippocrates demanding "equality" in opportunity when the precursor to opportunity is definitely not equal. Also it implies that we fail to apply two principles of Science. (Following TV series "The Big Bang Theory" these days)

1. Archimedes principle: If a farmer's son at level 1 has used reservation to become a banker at level 2, then someone from level 2 has to come to level 1. So why the hell do you cry saying "If they (SC/ST/OBC) have taken our (High class) jobs we'll have to do theirs" (A dialogue in the movie Aarakshan).... If one has  a problem with shifting classes then he/she should not dream of shifting to a higher class (if there is) either. 
2. Law of Limitation: We are only as strong as our weakest class of society. So, If one doesn't bother about the weakest class of society (no matter what caste they belong) don't dream of living in "!ncredible" India but just India.

If like in the movie Aarakshan (yeah i saw the movie finally) you put up coaching classes so that the under privileged challenge a higher cut off, then again the "high class" people are doomed and won't like it as the Law of Reservation says "If a student of reservation class clears a General class cut off then he/she shall be accommodated in General class and not reservation class." Its like a double edged sword for I can say. 

The problem lies in having a nonsensical categorization of people in the first place. (as if the classification done by zoologists for Homo sapiens is not enough!). Ok lets agree for a moment that categorization brings in the ease of planning and making things better in an efficient manner. But the major problems comes when we stick to ancient classes(castes) , which are based on our ancestral way of earning livelihood and not our current class or status (the way our parents earn livelihood). 

If we reserve reservation only to a certain extent and not make it almost ubiquitous; club reservation to parent's income and ways of generating income and completely remove the nonsensical and passe classes and castes, wouldn't it be beneficial for all?? It will also keep a check on Income Tax payment (if applicable), as Income Tax papers would be one of the certificates required during admission process rather than a caste certificate.

Surely any amendment to the Reservation bill will be met with stronger actions and reactions (Newton's Law) with the pro reservation at Ramlila and anti reservation at Jantar Mantar... it might need clones of Anna and might even outweigh the TRP of the JanLokpal Bill... but in the end what matters is a logical , practical and foresighted "Aarakshan" and thus I rest my case.

Aarakshan: Reservation:: Reserve or Reverse Part-II

In my last post I shared with you part-I of my view point on this debatable issue of reservation. In this post I wanna open with a question of reality. 

After 64 years of Independence where does India stand? Advancement in technology and infrastructure is one thing, advancement in its people's mindset is another. As an Indian I would like to brag about the former (even if certain stuff is only gas) but, as the same Indian am I proud of the latter? 

Lets go back to our history lesson to "try" answering the above.. 

When the reservations were introduced, naturally all the lower class people drank in jubilation for their "freedom" and most of the upper class drank in dejection for loosing out on privileges. They failed to notice that  they have enjoyed 100% of these privileges for so long and its time they learnt to share these privileges. This caused the pro reservation and anti reservation groups to emerge. However, the country wasn't deprived of saints back then. There were some high class people who were pro-reservation and wanted India, their country to evolve like the other countries of the world. 

As time passed by, these privileges could no longer be categorized as privileges. The access to and supply of ways to improve lifestyle boomed and there was enough room for everybody. And by law of nature, the Anti- reservation-ists mellowed down. Thanks to reservation, today class/caste can't be defined by the present "occupation".It simply denotes what our fore fathers and families did for their living. People of one class have now crossed over to another class by occupation. Everybody has learnt everything and is doing everything. Everybody SEEMS to be happy. 

So WHAT'S the problem now??? 

1. The population of the country exploded at twice the amoebic rate. Even one for two is a danger! 
2. The supply and demand for better lifestyle went for a toss with the former falling short and the equilibrium seems to reach its destination only tomorrow (for which we all are waiting). 
3. The people who are fortunate enough to get rights of reservation seem to have lost track down the lane and seem to become negligent of utilizing their opportunity (there are always reasons). 
4. There are still many people who are eligible for the reservation rights and yet don't utilize them due to lack of funding and knowledge of raising funds for the same or due to simple ignorance. 
5. To keep up the constitutional law of reservation, the institutions providing the opportunities for betterment are forced to put up a low cut off. (Law of economics). Thus diluting the input,output and the very essence of the opportunities.
6. People have moved onto different classes WITHOUT leaving behind their actual class/caste tags.  

All these factors have put a sense of insecurity and deprivation of rights to those so called high class people. They made the anti reservation groups to re-emerge and thus Class-ism and caste-ism  back into the country reversing all the advancements. 

What's the solution?? What am I - Pro or anti reservation??? KEEP WATCHING THIS SPACE.

Aarakshan-Reservation::Reserve or Reverse - Part I

For today's generation, "Reservation" seems to be an overrated and overtly abused and misused term. All the age old controversial and debatable dialogues and emotions sure have spurt up from the volcanic tubes like lava (yet again) when dear Prakash Jha announced his movie AARAKSHAN. I haven't seen the movie yet, but from the news (items); movie reviews and its trailers with strong dialogues on TV.. I have somehow gathered some knowledge of the film and its story.. Anyhow not restricting myself with the film, here is what I as an Indian feel about the issue....

If you go back to into the history of the forgotten, the divide of high class and low class seems to have been arbitrarily designated with the kind of "occupation" a class/family was into... Back then, most people focused on doing what their Dad's did for a living... 'coz that is how a prince became a King...(always). Once a sort of categorization began to be quite evident, vertical hierarchy which we today call as castes/class came into strong existence...and the people seemed to agree not to cross over each other in profession. (Except for those who had a futuristic mindset, exceptionally). 

For centuries together this went on and on and "reservation" ran in the background with the people without the people noticing it. Slowly the background became so strong, (with the help of rulers who believed in Divide and Rule way before the English, unconsciously) that it gave rise to a black era of "untouchability". With little access to and supply of better lifestyle which includes education, recreation, worship etc; came the ubiquitous and  absurd law of "100% reservation" for higher class people. The lower class/caste people were barred even for entering the premises of these "holy and high class" places, leave alone acquiring/utilizing the opportunity for better lifestyle. Ironically the Harijans are also called "Children of God" and yet treated as out-castes!!!

The English who then ruled India at this point , identified  this weakness of the country and used it as a weapon against Indian Freedom struggle, further widening the gap and scaring the country and its people. It was only at the last stages of the freedom struggle that the English thought they need to re-call this weapon together with the help of Indian leaders with futuristic view points. They thought that if they did not re-call it, there might be a catastrophe waiting to happen. They did not want to scar its history and dignity and let the world say "look what you have done to this lovely country". This brought in the idea of reservation for lower and  neglected class of the society, and help them find the lost glory of LIFE. Please note this is not 100% reservation..it is thus not a REVENGE like many anti reservation people quote it as....................

This is just one side of the story, watch this space for the other side of the story. COMING SOON...

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

The Best Things in Life are not necessarily things... 

But people... without whom the dessert of life would lack its sweetness... 

Dedicating a day to these people is today... the Friendship's Day.... A day where we celebrate the strength of togetherness ...A day where we celebrate the weakness for each other... A day where we celebrate the love n care that many a times exceeds the love of family... A day where we celebrate reminiscing the beginning of a splendid journey...

It begins with a customary handshake.... exchange and sharing of stuff ..from a pen...chocolate..phone no...to a more mature advises on Love..family... and career... and it seldom ends..Even those friends who once fought.. and stopped talking to each other for long... might just feel the spark of friendship still alive in them buried beneath the cardiac chambers.... 

U know....Friends come in all shapes n sizes.... and the moments spent span the entire range of gustatory flavors... but the memories.... are always... (well almost) SWEET... remember the F.R.I.E.N.D.S series??? and whether you have a sweet tooth or not... You are bound to enjoy it... ETERNALLY...nd beyond.... 

The toy mania with Kindergarten friends... the running around in playground without huffing-n-puffing with junior school friends ... the classroom cricket and games (and crushes) with senior school friends...the late night chats accompanied with sinful foods and drinks with college hostel friends (and the after effects) ...the long gossip hours with long lost friends...the adventurous hangouts (at food joints..ice-cream parlors..coffee shops... historic n non historic peaks.... in water...air nd on land...) vrooming on bikes...hikes..bus..cars...horses...with college friends... is all that I (and you) am left with.... Wish for more and more such moments with YOU my friend.... 

We may be geologically near.. and yet may not meet frequently... we may be geologically far...but meet occasionally.... but don't worry... Orkut..Facebook..Google + et. al... will keep us connected....at one level or the other.....

With Love and Care..... Happy Friendship's Day..... Dedicated to all my friends whose memory has been etched in my cerebral space......Thanks for being there for me ..... (My best in categorical order (Sorry if i missed some1))......

KG: Kaundinya, Raghavendra,

Primary School: (Vizag): Sloka, Teesta, Archana, Roslin, Raghunath Sai, Srinivas, Varun, Sushmita, Maha Laksmi....

Secondary School (Mumbai): Kalpana, Komal, Swati, Dhanya, Trisha, Supriya, Aaliya, Aarti, Jyoti, Arif, Abdul, Samee, Himanshu, Nishant, Shivanshu, Rahul, Jeevan....

Intermediate: Ramya, Sheetal, Ritu, Jeena, Vineeta, Vandana, Madhuri, 

Graduation (Noida): Ankeeta, Kanika, Swati, Sukriti, Aditi, Nimmisha, Neha, Divya, Meren, Disha, Charu, Eureka, Asia, DP, Ashin, Bitan, Ayush, Deepika,...

PG (Pune): Dhaval, Rishika, Trina, Nitika, Teena, Raj, Sachin, Zahid, Swati, Jyoti, Sagar, Neha, Nailesh, Anish, Meghraj, Susrita, Shruti, Pradeep, Govind, Saurabh, Aditi, Shiraj....

Love You all... 

A Hosp. Waiting Room Experience: Geeky but Awesome Surgical Knowledge Upgrade

When you go to a hospital... to meet a renowned Doctor who basically sees patients between surgeries.... you eventually end up in the waiting hall for like 2 or more hours... you either watch the TV on mute mode... drink some coffee... feast your eyes by looking at other people.... play games on your mobile that you never knew were on your mobile...doze off for a while... or keep pestering the receptionist "when" the doctor will be available....

Today... I took my mother to see a Doctor at a hospital for she was complaining of pain due to gallstones..... and guess what... the "waiting  experience" was so completely different today!!! why...??? 'Coz the TV installed played the recordings of a successful surgery (~30 min-45 min recording) over n over again... at first I did not wanna look for the fear that the mere sight (it just looked as if i was sitting in a mutton shop) of it would make me give up Non-veg once n for all..  but then i was so bored waiting.. that i started to follow the surgery... At first I did not understand what was the surgery for... though I could see the liver clamped to the roof to work on a duct beneath it (may be bile duct) ...Now for a medico... all this may seem plain... but for a non-medico.. its an "experience" that is worth sharing...

The surgery recording (after giving anesthesia of course) started with four tubes being bored into the patent's abdomen....in diamond shape...it was through these tubes that that the Surgeon inserted the various weapons.... the top one was for the clamp that held the liver to the roof ... the side ones for various "weapons" to go in n out... the bottom one for the camera.... 

First the liver was carefully clamped up... next one slightly bent beak like clamp from the left and a hair straightener like fat burner from right came in... [ I guess the beak like clamp makes it easy to maneuver around..]

Anyways... The beak Identified what to burn [Around the duct] and the straightener like thing simply melted nd burned that area when the stuff was pressed between its plates...I could clearly see the bubbles and fumes of the fat ns some tissue like stuff burning....

Now a lot of blood was oozing out... the surgical net like cloth with a black string attached was introduced [ The black string basically makes it identifiable even after it is completely soaked in blood and is sitting around with the organs chatting up]... The surgeon dabbed the blood and placed it in a small crevice next to the working area inside the abdomen [ I guess that is the reason why many forget to remove such things while concluding a surgery].

Now two beak like clamps were introduced... n using both of them like hands... the surgeon carefully ripped the tissue like thing around the duct ... slowly the duct began revealing itself.... the surgeon dabbed the excess blood again.. the ripped residues now looked like charcoal charred tikkas.... 

Then an instrument with a red light on the head was introduced.... inside the duct through another organ that was baby pink in colour.. God nd medicos only know what it is... may be its the stomach... [it was big like that of a stomach nd distended like balloon during the surgery at this point...] anyways the red light instrument went thru the duct... initially with great difficulty... nd then moderately smooth...[I guess it was used to remove or detroy bile stones or something]... the duct glowed like a torch in the dark...

Now a spl instrument was used to suck out debris in the abdominal cavity.... the same carried warm water inside for cleaning.... when this was being done... the fat around the area seemed leave oil and the water became all shiny.... the device again sucked out all the water like a vacuum cleaner...

The beak like clamp... and another clamp holding a curved needle [resembling hook of a pirate] with a bleak thread was introduced... and very artistically the left clamp held the pink organ over the duct and the right clamp pierced it with the hooked needle.. and then repeating the same with a tissue on the other side to join both ... the left clamp then pulled the string like when you do while you stitch something... it was now time to make a knot... the right wound the thread on the other side over the left clamp twice... the left held the thread on the right and now the clamps were pulled apart for making that knot... nd i was like ..WOW!! for some reason!!! this was repeated thrice on the same spot nd at 3 spots.... 

Now the washing process was done again... then the blood soaked surgical cloth was removed usiing a clamp that shoved it in the vacuum cleaner type instru...[thank God]... the tubes were withdrawn... nd finally the clamp lowered the liver back to its place [ the bottom of the liver turned blue probably coz of obstruction of blood flow... ] and was taken out... last came the camera nd its tube... Voila operation Successful... :)

And wait that's not all.... just then some1 came to the receptionist to show some advanced surgical weapons... and now I actually saw those instru... they were long nd thin like a kulfi stick... the actual clamps... straightener like  intru... etc were so small that If I have to tell them apart... I actually need my glasses...!!! The giant screen and the zooming made them look like mass destruction weapons... but in real there r so minute.... nd cute... :)

Aaah.... a good "waiting room" experience... though geeky... nd sharing this on a blog is even more geeky... I guess sharing such experiences makes you feel ... "Okay.... I learnt something today.. I appreciate what I learnt... I m not such a waste after all... " :)

PS: If any Medico reads this... and can explain to me what the surgery was all about... in a more  medical perspective... I would really appreciate it.... :)

An Idea can change your life....

Apart from the zoo zoos ads.... The ad that ends with.... black font "!DEA" against a yellow "page".... has caught my attention yet again...... I find their ads amusing..and at no given point can I forget their ads... no matter how well some ads were idea-ted and how some were super lame (the get idea series)...... I guess in someway or the other... the ad guru of idea did make an everlasting impression....and the name "idea" and its tag line just got stuck in the heads of both customers nd non customers of !DEA equally....

One may wonder ... why a mobile service provider would be named IDEA???? But behold.... Idea is a very powerful word.... like big bang is to universe.. an idea is to growth and prosperity. The tag line fully captures this very essence "An Idea jo badal de aapki duniya"  (an Idea can change ur life ) (supposedly for good).....  The yellow background seems to indicate enlightening and growth again...  the "I" of Idea is inverted.... i.e like an exclamation mark depicting the emotion of "Eureka!!!" With such strong brand elements... Idea sure sets itself apart..... 

The recent ad .... "Kabhi TV kabhi Biwi" that runs a social msg on population control.....  is one hilarious ad..... Though practically "You gotta do when you gotta do" ... the ad makes a sincere attempt to drive home the message both social and commercial very very clearly....( though the social msg outsmarts the commercial...) and the last dialogue.... "And your baby?? " "Before 3 G" adds a comical and realistic touch to the ad ..... 

I haven't used Idea services as yet... so I dare not comment on that.... but yes I surely can say... Idea has chosen the right brand elements right from the start..... is using each one of them very effectively..... and is on its way of building a brand that someday will "change ur life for good"....... 

The Dying Society

Morning:

1.         Report of Afghan Prez’s Half Brother being Shot dead by bodyguard

2.         Report of Honour Killing: Dad kills Daughter for going to the malls with boys

3.         Report of kidnapping by former neighbours

4.         Report of “Codes” used by Docs in Hospitals for sex determination nd female foeticide

5.         Report of Fake encounter killing a teen in Chandigarh.

Afternoon

6.     Broad day light murder streamed on TV via Traffic camera in Coimbatore…. As people at the signal simply “follow” the traffic signal rules nd watch the “show”…. [the video captured shows how a man is brutally murdered with big stone smashed twice on his head]

Evening:

7.         “Serial Blasts” in Mumbai …. Yet again……! With more than 10 + ppl being killed and more than a hundred hospitalised… exact numbers now unknown.

These are “just” 7 tragedies that were reported and caught my attention today….. Imagine how many I might have missed nd how many might have gone unreported…… and how many over the year……

Every time a politician or his/her family is murdered,

It raises the question “Is this….what is called the National Security???? “.......

Every time family kills family for honour….

It raises the question “Is this…. what is called honour???? “…….

Every time a child is kidnapped for ransom…

It raises the question “Is this…. What is called FREEDOM????”…….

Every time a girl child is “nipped in the bud”…

 It raises the question “Is this a way of making polygamy legal????"

Every time an encounter for good/bad takes place….

It raises a question “Is this the way it should have happened????"

Every time a person is brutally killed publically......

It raises the question of “Is it that people just love “live” shows????”

Every time a city is rocked with series of bombs….

                It raises the question “Is it what we call the communal harmony of world????”

The questions have been raised again nd again…. But where does the answer lie????? Where does the solution to this disturbing problem lie?????? How do we implement those solutions?????? Finally will we ever implement them?????

If we don’t change this quickly and if we don’t give a damn care… If we simply say… “We will get on with it…” not actually fight back nd dare…. Then my friends….. We won’t SURVIVE ‘coz….

The so called “Society” is dying……………. 

Advertisements: The “Emotional Attyachar”-is (Victimizers)

Earlier, People loved Commercials as much as the program they were watching… today with more innovative and creative ideas… the Ad world is a huge industry in itself…. One reason for the increasing competition in creativity is competition itself. Another reason… even a couch potato tends to flick channels during the commercial break…

Today…If you stop a moment and not flick the channels…. You’ll notice a huge paradigm shift in the advertisement strategy…. And this has to do a lot with the management paradigm of “connecting” with the customers…. Pick any leading brand…. Pick any diversified brand… the tag line… the logos… the theme of the ad… etc… all have this element of victimization… an emotional victimization……

·    When you read... hear or see… Amul- The Taste of India… Hero Honda- Desh ki Dhadkan… Nokia- Connecting people… DLF-Building India…  et.al … there is an immediate sense of patriotism… a sense of unity….. a sense of emotion…..

·         When you see a commercial where a Man in his old age gifts his wife diamonds from Tanishq to impress her…. There is an immediate sense of love and want… a sense of eternity…a sense of emotion…..

·           When you see a wife serving different milk preparations to everyone in the house and turns up with plain milk for her kids…. There is a sense of you sometimes being a hindrance to growth…. A sense of guilt…. A sense of emotion…..

·         When you see a commercial where two squirrels dance to your favourite tune… while a guy munches on Kit-Kat… there is a sense of need of liberation… a sense of break free…. a sense of emotion….

·         When you see a commercial where a gal with Orange bubbly Mirinda playing pranks …. There is a spurt of hidden child-like nature in you…. A sense of not wanting to grow up…  A sense of emotion…

·         When you see a man jump off an air balloon after a sip of Mountain Dew…. There is a sense of adventure and fun…. A sense reminding daredevils of school and college…  A sense of emotion…

·         When you see a son buy his mother golden bangles laid with precious diamonds… there is a sense of responsibility… a sense of gratitude… a sense of emotion…

·         When you see a dad create a journal of her daughter online from the day she was born on Google…. There is a sense of happiness… a sense of keeping memories alive… a sense of emotion…..

·         When you see a Captain pilot an air hostess making out in the pilot cabin for fast track.. there is a sense of moving forward… a sense of mixing tradition with modernity.. a sense of emotion….

·         When you see a child troubling his father in the supermarket and he is completely helpless… There is sense of fear of not using a protection … the other sense of becoming a father… emotion….

One may go on and on and on… the bottom line is… that the advertisers… in bid to connect to the client’s customers…. Have chosen the path of “Emotional Attyachar” …. Dig deep into the emotions of the people and make that connect.. coz’ when the connect is emotional… it lasts for long…  and that’s what is required for the brands of today to sustain in this ever increasing competitive world…..

Dream BIG… Chase BIG… Live BIG...

“Everybody dreams… Some wake and chase their dream And there are others… who seem to chase their dreams only in another dream … What made me realise this intriguing fact???? Well…

Recently I was watching the movie Julie and Julia yet again… this time I had a company who constantly kept asking questions… The underlying point… my company failed to conceptualise and understand why Julia as well as Julie would want to do something like what they did… why they were so upset when things did go according to the plan… why Julie was so desperate to make her blog… her regimen…work…. !!

The other time… the same company asked why these reality show contestants cry so much… well answer for that may be ‘coz to raise the TRP… gain sympathy of judges or voters… or even… coz they genuinely felt so … and why did they feel so??? Coz’ they dream of fame… and recognition of their talents and themselves through these platforms…

Now I fail to understand… is it so difficult to understand it???

The company I am talking about… is not just another person on the earth… my company is actually talented in many things… but why did my company not receive due fame and recognition??? Well the answer to this question is … “this” attitude/behaviour/thinking… whatever you may call… among other factors…. The other factors being Family… and friends majorly….

My company is not at fault here… it’s been there since ages… generations through generations… they have all craved for fame and recognition with passion once… yet they fail to understand what the fuss is about when somebody else tries the same….  they all say the poem “The road less travelled” is beautiful… but they all seem to take it as a fairy tale… indeed there are a few people who wanted a fairy tale life… went on the road less travelled and are icons of today and tomorrow….

Take for example Chef Sanjeev Kapoor… I mean he had to fight and argue with his father who apparently wanted him to be a doctor…. And see now… even after so many years… and so many good chefs around… Sanjeev Kapoor is still a huge brand name!!! In fact he seems to have inspired a lot of Chefs to take up the profession and follow their passion for food and cooking.

A recruiter at my college once said.... "Choose a profession such that even if its a Sunday you would be happy to jump out of the bed and work on it"....  

Now all this “You can Win” type of lecture makes sense only if I am a dream chaser in real…. Am I a dream chaser?? Majorly… NO… but to certain extent.. Yes … am I willing to reverse it??? Hell yeah!!!! The incident I discussed with you above has actually inspired me to chase my dreams for real… how much am I going to succeed?? Only time can tell…. But will I succeed?? Hell yeah again!!!

SURVIVAL: A Shady Business

“Ek peti ni…do peti dunga…kaam ho jana chahiye…bas!” (I’ll pay you not one but twice the price…but the work SHOULD be done..!) That’s the reigning attitude of every person at every level at every other instance!! If a log of such instances was to be created from the very moment a soul made his/her presence on the earth… (like the new Google Ad).. It would quite be a read …..

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Dear Child,

Your Mom observed that she might be pregnant! Went to the doctor today… Don’t want to be a spoiler here but my God it was a loot… just to confirm your mom’s observation. Anyhow we want the best for you so “gifted” the Doctor a cash box in advance.

Love, your Parents

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Dear Son,

We did not know if you are a girl or a boy at first. Today went to hospital to confirm. Though that is not allowed as per law, we did some “community work” and they just obliged. J We are so happy you are a boy!!

Love, your Parents

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Dear Alex,

Congratulations!! You arrived. To make sure you have the brightest future, we got a highly renowned numerologist to name you in the hospital. He was happy that we “arranged” everything according to what he demanded. And we are happy!! J

Love, your Parents

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Dear Alex,

Admitted you in a play school today. It is the best in the city. It was a cake walk admission once we “shared our identity” with the Principal.

Love, your Parents

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Do observe what all mails have in common… it’s the habit of bribing… it’s the habit of soaking in malpractices and ignoring the guilt… it’s the sprouting of more corrupt practices…

Returning to the story….. This goes on and on… for 3 decades and one day….

 Alexander is asked by his friend…. “Where did you get all that money from?”

“Umm… Dad had a lot of money (my grandfather gave him some)... he also had a position… he paid in until I got a hang of making money… and then onwards I took care of myself and now my son too” replied Alex.

“But still how do you manage to earn so much money???”  Asked the perplexed friend…

“By the same way we spend them!”… Spat came the answer!!!

You now realize that the whole system has got rotten… the whole system now doesn’t even have the faintest idea that something is wrong and is going circles!! The very few who realize it and voice it are either shunned or gunned down… Why the hell is this happening??  Have we taken ‘Survival of the fittest’ a bit too seriously, that every generation… at every stage of their life is tempted to use false practices? I guess the answer to this baffling question is YES!!!

So, what we need today to stop all the non-sense chaos…. all the “overboard’ favours… all the dips in economy… all the widening of Rich and Poor divide… all the absurd and alarming sex ratio… all the snag in developmental sectors…. Is NOT merely a Lokpal bill or any other bill for that matter… is NOT merely a highly influential politicos… is NOT merely an establishment of “Clean-up the dirty act” institutions or stringent “patrols”… but something more important than all these…. The PEOPLE…

… The soul CLEANSING of the people… the impregnation of CIVIC SENSE in the people… the idea of self-discipline in ALL aspects of life and work in the minds of the people… and by people I mean ALL people… no exceptions… In fact, No person should be entitled to use his/her fundamental rights if he is found guilty of breaking other’s rights or non-fulfilment of his/her fundamental duties!!

It’s truly said… beauty is skin deep…. Unless your heart mind and soul are beautiful…. No matter what cosmetics you use…. You will still look drab!! And when everyone is drab… the country itself will look drab!!!

The Institution of Prostitution or the Shoe story????

Every day I would stand in the most seductive way I could be…

And every day many would come near and glance at me.

Some sure did admire my curves, my looks and took me up…

And some hunks would caress me and some would feel me up!

They would test my firmness beneath and bend me over…

And very analytically compare my flexibility to another.

On one bright shiny day I saw this gorgeous hunk at the door…

And one look at his charismatic smile; I was over the moor.

Alas! He followed the same routine, felt me nice and tossed me…

But just before leaving, he stopped at the door and glanced back at me!

He went over to the lady who was in charge around here…

And he paid in some money to the lady to take me elsewhere.

As he held me in his hands, I realized… This is not the end…

Slowly I started smiling and said goodbye to all my friends

He rode on me every morning evening and every day since…

Until one day he felt I was all torn n so he began to wince!

He showcased me to his servant who looked at me with gleam

Surprised and broken to the core, all I wanted to do is scream.

The servant took me to his home, which by the way was very shoddy

I was so depressed and felt humiliated that I talked to nobody.

When it dawned next, the servant took me to a cheap clinic at the fair

The doctor there glued n stitched me up tight so that I make a good pair!

Every day since, to my surprize again…the servant took a very good care

And made sure nobody… I mean nobody would came near me n dare

Years have passed by and my memory of the hunk now faded

I realize that the servant loves me so much even though m not jaded

The hunk now old was in shock to see me still young and with a glow

Filled with jealousy and curiosity he asked the servant “how”???

The servant replied…. “I tend to take care of everybody no matter who...”

The hunk retorted “C’mon it’s just an old shoe, next week I’ll get you a new Shoe”!

                                                                                                      Divya Boddu

This a twin story of a shoe and a prostitute. Now tell me... Who is to blame???? what should we do to stop such stories to become a reality and stop the shamelessness of millions around the world !!