Been a while since my last post(not that any of you would have been reading it regularly anyway!!). Like I said i'm studying to get into a residency and it's high time to get back into the groove,because the noose is tightening day by day as I type these words.
The profession of medicine is historically a very noble one,and one that is respected,and one of the toughest to get into and to maintain as one's career.
I would disagree with the notion that it remains a noble profession. The reasons are that most practitioners get into it to get rich fast,and to earn so much of money that they don't know how to dispose of it and,eventually,to be the target of an IT department raid!!
The old idea if getting in to serve,to heal,to help,is very very outdated. Like an old computer programme,it's time is over.
It is still respected,but as people become more and more educated as with the spread of the internet,doctors are now seen as a product. And ever since the COPRA Act came into effect,the service of doctors to the public is considered a product,and,as with all products,if the customer is dissatisfied,they can claim compensation.
This is most unwelcome. After throwing away what is arguably the best decade of anyone's life i.e the time between when they're 20-30 years old,in studying and working in hospitals,with a limited social circle,since all their other friends have moved on from the student phase(which is prolonged for us),all they can feel is "Aaah,now I can start living my life."
Now,the Government wants compulsory rural service for another year from students doing their MBBS,which is asinine. Sheer idiocy. Granted,rural areas are underserved,and there is a 3 month block posting in Community and Rural Health(incidentally the longest posting during internship). If more time is to be served in the rural areas,it is to be done durin internship only. Another year is just nor required.Period.
What my friends and I have observed and felt all this time is that the Government consider Medicos to be sheer robots who will gladly and automatically do as the master says, with an "Ours not to reason why,ours but to do and die" kind of attitude about us. We are also human,we have lives,we would like to earn when we're 24 like the rest of the world,instead of 28 or 30 or whenever else we start. And to order us to stall our lives for another year does not help our situation at all.
And don't get me started on the Quota debate!! They say that they are implementing it in order to "Not divide the country further", whereas in reality it is doing just that.This will only segregate our country further,into warrinf factions like the days of old. Haven't we progressed beyond that?
If there are to be reservations, it should be for meritorious students who are economically poor,not for a class of society who have 2 cars in their garage and who have homes and tv's and air-conditioners.It should include those who are historically of the "Upper Castes" as well as the lower ones. It should be for the boy or girl who wakes up at 4 in the morning since his house has no electricity to study,and who walks 4 km to school daily,and who gets a good score,given his/her circumstances. They are the truly deserving. Not people who post blogs in their spare time,and DEFINATELY not people who have reaped the benefits of being a previliged community and who are greedy for more and more. Not to speak of the Government that wants to increase the number of people who vote for it regardless of the consequences it will hold for future generations to come. They might win the votes of their targeted group,but they've lost the confidence of the rest of the country in doing so.
Now,for some book reviews.(I declare myself to know squat about writing at the outset)
"About a Boy" by Nick Hornby is one of the finest novels I have read in a while. Like "High Fidelity" before it, he very successfully shows adults as how they truly are,with a lot of issues still remaining from childhood,and who haven't quite grown up yet,and who are getting there by their own unique journey. Also the mind of a 12 year old boy is very accurately portrayed,as is the realization that some kids have to grow up sooner than others,due to some unforseen circumstance that proves to be the catalyst. It also shows how depression can be such a lonely experience,where getting up each day is a struggle in itself,and how being depressed can cause one to act in manner that they wouldn't normally do. A fine read.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Turning the other cheek
The President of Afghanistan,Mr.Hamid Karzai,had made a magnanimous gesture yesterday in setting free a 14 year old suicide bomber who's destination was to be the aforementioned country.
Now,the motive of that i.e to maintain friendly relationships with Pakistan and The United States- the so called "partners in the war against terror" might be a bit self serving,as it should be since that is one country that really needs all the help it can get in terms of social and economic assistance.
In contrast to this the charging of Mohammad Haneef for "recklessly providing etc etc" is a bit severe,and totally unjustified. He honestly looks as if he didn't have anything to do with the Glasgow incident. And he only provided the main players a SIM card as he was leaving the country to head to Australia. What is suspicious is that he had booked a one-way ticket from Australia to Bangalore. But nonetheless,such an extreme act of self-protection by the Australian government is one that is borne out of fear and paranoia. Fear that such a thing had happened in their land,and paranoia that it may happen again. However,it is these G.I.Joe-cum-Rambo type tactics by the Western Countries that are causing the greatest amount of distress. Like begets like. And that immortal quote of Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind".
If you have been the victim of a violent attack,and you choose violence yourself to retalitate,then you are caught in a very viscious and deadly cycle.And it stops only when everyone is dead. A bit simplistic and naive,but i believe it to be true.
Maybe we can all learn from Mr.Karzai's gesture and try to act in a similar fashion.The politicalleader who will take such a stance will create history. But he will be killed in the process,gunned down by someone who believes in the phrase "GO JOE!!" than in the concept of compassion and turning the other cheek.
Now,the motive of that i.e to maintain friendly relationships with Pakistan and The United States- the so called "partners in the war against terror" might be a bit self serving,as it should be since that is one country that really needs all the help it can get in terms of social and economic assistance.
In contrast to this the charging of Mohammad Haneef for "recklessly providing etc etc" is a bit severe,and totally unjustified. He honestly looks as if he didn't have anything to do with the Glasgow incident. And he only provided the main players a SIM card as he was leaving the country to head to Australia. What is suspicious is that he had booked a one-way ticket from Australia to Bangalore. But nonetheless,such an extreme act of self-protection by the Australian government is one that is borne out of fear and paranoia. Fear that such a thing had happened in their land,and paranoia that it may happen again. However,it is these G.I.Joe-cum-Rambo type tactics by the Western Countries that are causing the greatest amount of distress. Like begets like. And that immortal quote of Gandhi "An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind".
If you have been the victim of a violent attack,and you choose violence yourself to retalitate,then you are caught in a very viscious and deadly cycle.And it stops only when everyone is dead. A bit simplistic and naive,but i believe it to be true.
Maybe we can all learn from Mr.Karzai's gesture and try to act in a similar fashion.The politicalleader who will take such a stance will create history. But he will be killed in the process,gunned down by someone who believes in the phrase "GO JOE!!" than in the concept of compassion and turning the other cheek.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Happy Birthday!!
Many of the people whom i know appear to be Cancerian,for some reason. I don't know if it is sheer coincidence or a cosmic conspiracy. Ergo,I know quite a lot about Cancerians.Firstly they're highly persistent in what they set out to do.Secondly,they're very attached to family.And then,of course,comes their famous moodiness,which i think is a tad over-quoted but in those in whom it is present,these swings can be quite scary,I kid you not!!
Today happens to be the birthday of my wonderful father.Happy Birthday Bapa!!
Also to Varshneya Shridharan,fellow back bencher in SBOA,Chennai and good friend,who has been in Singapore for the past 7 years. And i haven't seen him in those many years!! Hopefully we will meet soon.
Today happens to be the birthday of my wonderful father.Happy Birthday Bapa!!
Also to Varshneya Shridharan,fellow back bencher in SBOA,Chennai and good friend,who has been in Singapore for the past 7 years. And i haven't seen him in those many years!! Hopefully we will meet soon.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Retro
While I was channel surfing yesterday,I noticed that Broken Arrow,the John Travolta starrer, was playing. And my mind went back to 1995,when the movie was first released.At the time it was the talk of town.Everybody wanted to see it,everybody loved it,and many began to practice smoking a cigarette the way Travolta did.
Now,twelve years hence,the colour of the movie seems to be a tad faded,the make up second rate,all the principals were much skinnier,and smoking is on the verge of becoming taboo.
What i am trying to say is that what we adored and swore by 10 years ago,well,it need not be ten,it could be as recent as 6 months to a year also. Our opinions of things and what they mean to us always changes,with many of us dismissing what we thought of as good and adopting a more attractive and modern stance to things as we grow older. With the exception of music,maybe,although hip hop is THE music everybody listens to nowadays.Guitar based rock and blues and jazz have a much smaller,albeit more loyal following.
And the very colour of the movies of old,when seen now take us back to a time when perhaps life was simpler,when people were nicer,when fuel didn't cost as much, and we always look back to that time fondly.When falling in love was a lot easier and less complicated than what it is now. Conversely it could be a flagpost of a very difficult time in the past for a few people,one that they disliked intensely and would never dare think of for a long time to come.It varies. But what i am trying to emphasize is that cinema and songs and old classmates and friends are the most potent stimulus to remember the past,with its good and bad,and i feel that we are now at a time where we need to remember the past more than anything else.Not because of the good memories,but because there might be lessons learnt then that we need to apply now.And most people tend to keep the past in a water tight compartment that you cannot have access to,because should there be a leak,then all the contents of the compartment come crashing down. We must learn from the past,consciously,and with dilligence.For only once we embraced what has happened for what it truly is can we forever send it away,with valuable lessons learnt from same.
Now,twelve years hence,the colour of the movie seems to be a tad faded,the make up second rate,all the principals were much skinnier,and smoking is on the verge of becoming taboo.
What i am trying to say is that what we adored and swore by 10 years ago,well,it need not be ten,it could be as recent as 6 months to a year also. Our opinions of things and what they mean to us always changes,with many of us dismissing what we thought of as good and adopting a more attractive and modern stance to things as we grow older. With the exception of music,maybe,although hip hop is THE music everybody listens to nowadays.Guitar based rock and blues and jazz have a much smaller,albeit more loyal following.
And the very colour of the movies of old,when seen now take us back to a time when perhaps life was simpler,when people were nicer,when fuel didn't cost as much, and we always look back to that time fondly.When falling in love was a lot easier and less complicated than what it is now. Conversely it could be a flagpost of a very difficult time in the past for a few people,one that they disliked intensely and would never dare think of for a long time to come.It varies. But what i am trying to emphasize is that cinema and songs and old classmates and friends are the most potent stimulus to remember the past,with its good and bad,and i feel that we are now at a time where we need to remember the past more than anything else.Not because of the good memories,but because there might be lessons learnt then that we need to apply now.And most people tend to keep the past in a water tight compartment that you cannot have access to,because should there be a leak,then all the contents of the compartment come crashing down. We must learn from the past,consciously,and with dilligence.For only once we embraced what has happened for what it truly is can we forever send it away,with valuable lessons learnt from same.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
About Dogs and killing them
I cannot state this more strongly: Killing dogs is wrong. Period.No questions asked and i won't allow any either.
I am an animal lover,and maybe my view is biased. But even if i weren't,i would still say that it is an inhuman,barbaric and totally self serving act borne out of fear.
A dog has a life,and he/she has his/her own role to play in the world,even if it is as a scavenger.But how arrogant can the human race get when we assume the power over ourselves to decide that their life is expendable? Granted,rabied dogs have to be put to sleep,just as how one would wish for a terminally ill patient who cannot bear the pain and suffering that comes with incurable disease.
If an individual with Schizophrenia were to kill a person because of some imaginary grudge or the delusion that he/she is being persecuted because of him,is killing him/her as well as ALL patients with mental illness or a history of mental illness,even,the answer?
Everybody would be aghast and there would be talk of the agency committing the killings to be tried under the Human Rights Courts in Geneva or wherever it is.
But people happily sit back and smile in a self satisfied manner about the fact that we are attempting to do the same thing,but only with animals who cannot speak in their defence.
Of course,going down to names and blaming individuals personally would be to be as childish and immature as they themselves are,if they are advocating mass-killing,electrocution,vitriolage and the like.
Better garbage disposal. Mass sterilization programmes. And these meat stalls and the like should make it a point to dispose off the refuge in a more sanitary manner that would stop the animals proliferating there.
And to those people who personally killed the dogs,including those low lifes from Malabar, I have this to say:
Imagine having a noose so tight tied around your neck that you can't breathe,and your violent movements to break free from that noose would cause your cervical vertebra to be fractured,causing instant death.
Now,again imagine if you died like this for something you did not do.For something which was not your fault. And yet it was decided that you had to die.You just had to. How does that feel?
After all,this is Man's best friend we are talking about here.Who are loyal to you regardless of how much money you have and who wag their tail at you even though you may not have any food to give them,only because they are happy to see you and they have faith in you. Imagine how they would feel if they came to know what we are thinking.
Mukund.
I am an animal lover,and maybe my view is biased. But even if i weren't,i would still say that it is an inhuman,barbaric and totally self serving act borne out of fear.
A dog has a life,and he/she has his/her own role to play in the world,even if it is as a scavenger.But how arrogant can the human race get when we assume the power over ourselves to decide that their life is expendable? Granted,rabied dogs have to be put to sleep,just as how one would wish for a terminally ill patient who cannot bear the pain and suffering that comes with incurable disease.
If an individual with Schizophrenia were to kill a person because of some imaginary grudge or the delusion that he/she is being persecuted because of him,is killing him/her as well as ALL patients with mental illness or a history of mental illness,even,the answer?
Everybody would be aghast and there would be talk of the agency committing the killings to be tried under the Human Rights Courts in Geneva or wherever it is.
But people happily sit back and smile in a self satisfied manner about the fact that we are attempting to do the same thing,but only with animals who cannot speak in their defence.
Of course,going down to names and blaming individuals personally would be to be as childish and immature as they themselves are,if they are advocating mass-killing,electrocution,vitriolage and the like.
Better garbage disposal. Mass sterilization programmes. And these meat stalls and the like should make it a point to dispose off the refuge in a more sanitary manner that would stop the animals proliferating there.
And to those people who personally killed the dogs,including those low lifes from Malabar, I have this to say:
Imagine having a noose so tight tied around your neck that you can't breathe,and your violent movements to break free from that noose would cause your cervical vertebra to be fractured,causing instant death.
Now,again imagine if you died like this for something you did not do.For something which was not your fault. And yet it was decided that you had to die.You just had to. How does that feel?
After all,this is Man's best friend we are talking about here.Who are loyal to you regardless of how much money you have and who wag their tail at you even though you may not have any food to give them,only because they are happy to see you and they have faith in you. Imagine how they would feel if they came to know what we are thinking.
Mukund.
The State of the World
As we become more evovled technologically,the lists of grievences we are commiting against ourselves and against our planet is increasing on an almost exponential scale.
Yet all of us are going about our daily lives unperturbed,blissfully unaware even,of the real dangers that lie ahead. And sometimes i wonder what will it actually take to stir us out of our own daily dreamworlds into action.
Take for example the religious battles the world is facing.Every major battle,or war in this world has been due to religion.Or to be more accurate,it has arisen out of one group of people believing their faith to be superior to their opponents. To be bluntly honest about it. But instead why can't we follow a live and let live policy where we say to each other "You have your own faith,and I have mine,and let's just leave it at that". And i am not that stupid where i think that this has never been practiced. The problem regarding all religions is that it is a group-based activity where the rule seems to be that if there are more of their kind,then their faith automatically becomes more superior,or more righteous.Hence the phenomenon of conversion,with promises of a happy life and a life free of poverty and hunger if they would but join their ever-increasing tribe.Sad,but true.
I had read once in the Quotable Quotes section in Readers Digest: "Regrets are as personal as fingerprints" I can't recall who it was that said it,but I would like to add to it the words "and one's faith" after regrets. So why can't we just have our own little support system that we can call our own,and not impinge on others our beliefs? At least not in something as personal as faith.
Phew!! Fingers paining. Am not used to it.
Now,regarding the way we are maliciously raping our environment and our natural resources. I myself admit to being part of the majority who are totally dependent on electricity and fuel and hence i am also responsible for it's depletion. But I would like to suggest a few ways in which we can cause a little less damage than what we are doing now:
1)At traffic signals,turn off our vehicle until the signal turns green.
2)Turn off all switches,including the one to the TV and Computer when it is not being used.
3)Instead of going on vehicle to a nearby shop,we might try walking there. A little exercise never hurt anyone!!
4)Have a small garden,or at least a few plants,wherever we are.
5)Use our horn less than what we do. In all probability the car ahead you isn't blocking your way on purpose.
Well thats all i have for now. More later.
Yet all of us are going about our daily lives unperturbed,blissfully unaware even,of the real dangers that lie ahead. And sometimes i wonder what will it actually take to stir us out of our own daily dreamworlds into action.
Take for example the religious battles the world is facing.Every major battle,or war in this world has been due to religion.Or to be more accurate,it has arisen out of one group of people believing their faith to be superior to their opponents. To be bluntly honest about it. But instead why can't we follow a live and let live policy where we say to each other "You have your own faith,and I have mine,and let's just leave it at that". And i am not that stupid where i think that this has never been practiced. The problem regarding all religions is that it is a group-based activity where the rule seems to be that if there are more of their kind,then their faith automatically becomes more superior,or more righteous.Hence the phenomenon of conversion,with promises of a happy life and a life free of poverty and hunger if they would but join their ever-increasing tribe.Sad,but true.
I had read once in the Quotable Quotes section in Readers Digest: "Regrets are as personal as fingerprints" I can't recall who it was that said it,but I would like to add to it the words "and one's faith" after regrets. So why can't we just have our own little support system that we can call our own,and not impinge on others our beliefs? At least not in something as personal as faith.
Phew!! Fingers paining. Am not used to it.
Now,regarding the way we are maliciously raping our environment and our natural resources. I myself admit to being part of the majority who are totally dependent on electricity and fuel and hence i am also responsible for it's depletion. But I would like to suggest a few ways in which we can cause a little less damage than what we are doing now:
1)At traffic signals,turn off our vehicle until the signal turns green.
2)Turn off all switches,including the one to the TV and Computer when it is not being used.
3)Instead of going on vehicle to a nearby shop,we might try walking there. A little exercise never hurt anyone!!
4)Have a small garden,or at least a few plants,wherever we are.
5)Use our horn less than what we do. In all probability the car ahead you isn't blocking your way on purpose.
Well thats all i have for now. More later.
Welcome
Hello All,
Perhaps as a result of lying about idle in Chennai and perhaps out of the need of posting my comments on a forum where the only person who reads it may only be myself,this blog was created.
Should you stray during your journey through the Internet into this page,feel free to post a comment anytime.And only constructive and meaningful comments folks,please.
Now,a few lines about myself(although most of you who read this probably know me,but aaw what the hey!!)
I'm a Doctor who has completed his MBBS last year and is studying to get into a residency.I completed my degree from Mysore,a wondeful city and where i have left a part of my heart. I now stay in Bangalore with my parents. I enjoy listening to music,and i have a bias towards music played with real instruments,NOT a synthesizer,and music that has a real voice,NOT somebody who talks with a lot of anger on the microphone.I'm interested in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine as regards my career intrests. And i'm a Batman fanatic as well,and i love comics.
Regards,
Mukund.
Perhaps as a result of lying about idle in Chennai and perhaps out of the need of posting my comments on a forum where the only person who reads it may only be myself,this blog was created.
Should you stray during your journey through the Internet into this page,feel free to post a comment anytime.And only constructive and meaningful comments folks,please.
Now,a few lines about myself(although most of you who read this probably know me,but aaw what the hey!!)
I'm a Doctor who has completed his MBBS last year and is studying to get into a residency.I completed my degree from Mysore,a wondeful city and where i have left a part of my heart. I now stay in Bangalore with my parents. I enjoy listening to music,and i have a bias towards music played with real instruments,NOT a synthesizer,and music that has a real voice,NOT somebody who talks with a lot of anger on the microphone.I'm interested in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine as regards my career intrests. And i'm a Batman fanatic as well,and i love comics.
Regards,
Mukund.
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