Assault of a doctor

In the Western world, assaulting a public bus driver is a grievous crime. As it says in this sign in a bus, such a person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of law. 

In a sign of changing times, we hear more and more reports of doctors in India being assaulted by mobs. There are several reasons this happens:

- unreasonable expectations from patients and their families

- poor communication skills of a doctor

- mob mentality

- interference of local politicians 

- privatization of healthcare

Whatever maybe the reason, assaulting a doctor is never the right response. In fact, it is a criminal act. How can such acts be prevented? 

Would pasting such posters in all the hospitals and clinics help? 

"Assault of a doctor or healthcare worker is a felony. Violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Two random photos

This child just had a piercing for religious fervor. He seems to be in pain. Did he consent to it? Won't this amount to child abuse?

Who do you think was the best? 

Each one of them had their flaws. But still I would rate Nehru as India's best. He helped define the idea of India, created a sense of purpose to a nation which according to experts was destined to be a failed state. He set in stone the founding principles of our nationhood, and created the pillars on which we started progressing as a nation. Unfortunately, he currently ranks as one of the most hated PM's due to the high decibel hate campaign and misinformation spread by fundamentalists. I wish everyone read at least one of his biographies before throwing stones at him. According to me,  he was the best PM India had.  

Superhero window washers

It's a beautiful sight when superheroes appear as window washers. It's even more incredible and fun when they do the job in a children's hospital. If not for the dust, at least a tear maybe wiped off by these real superheroes. 

Spring & Tears

Spring is here. So are my allergies. I'm tearing, sneezing and wheezing. It's such a beautiful sight to see dry branches sprout out colorful buds. But my joy is short lived thanks to the pollen in the air. Such is life - we often have wonderful things happening all around us, but cannot enjoy it because of personal failures, tragedies and sorrows. 

While I can take medicines to bring some relief to my allergies, in the spiritual world, only God can grant the peace that helps me to joyfully face the world amidst my own sorrows. There's no short term fixes in life - an eternal God can bring the permanent fix to all my burdens and troubles. 

While India debates NaMo vs RaGa

The Parliament of India witnessed a very unusual sight on April 23rd. The ruling and opposition benches led by Mr. Arun Jaitley and Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad unanimously rose in tribute to a young man, a first time Member of Parliament. The various leaders cutting across the political circles paid paeans to Mr. P. Rajeeve, a Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala and an active member of the CPI(M) party. His attendance, active participation in Parliamentary proceedings and his thorough study of the rules and regulations of the functioning of our lawmaking body was highlighted. It is rare that the ruling government would commend a member who has created so much problems to them, in such short time.

He has a whole host of achievements to his credit. Something that not even people who have been in the ruling class been able to achieve. He helped overturn the much maligned and abused internet rules in the IT act.

While the rest of India debates whether NaMo or RaGa is India's savior, here is a young man who clearly defines everything that an Indian wants from his representative. Morally clean, responsible, corruption-free, accountable and knowledgeable. In fact, he is much more than these. 

Mr. Rajeeve first came to my attention with his active efforts at improving the healthcare in my home town. It is no coincidence that this very month, his effort of bringing a linear accelerator to the General Hospital in Ernakulam is fulfilled. He managed to put together a collaboration of MP fund and corporate and PSU funds to pay for this project. He has previously worked hard to improve the facilities of another dialysis center. Apart from these, he has been instrumental in completing plenty of projects in the state, all of which can be accessed through his website. 

I hope more of our MP's take a leaf out of his book. For that, we as a people should recognize our representatives who do a stellar job, and make sure they are rewarded with more work. Although I do not support his party or its ideologies, I will not hesitate to vote for him. If we have more men and women like Mr. Rajeeve, we would soon have a government that we deserve. That would truly be the the moment when we can proudly say to the world that "India is shining".

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A trip to California

My best friend and I recently traveled to California. It's in the beautiful sunny west coast of the US and has the best things - sun, beach, ocean, hills, money, glamor and glitz and brains. But this time, it lacked one thing - water. California is going through severe drought - reasons unclear. Some blame it on global warming, some on Almonds. I'm no expert - but it looks like global warming may have played a part in this acute water shortage.

Anyway, plants like these are bringing some color to the terrain. All weather, water conserving-adaptation technique preserved plants. No idea what it's called. But it's fascinating nature-tech at display.

Drought or no-drought, love is always eternal. Whether relationships stay that way is another question. But at least, lovers worlwide are now into photo shoots. See this one below. Perched on top of a cliff, overlooking the Pacific, nicely silhoutting into the horizon. I'm sure this is one photo that will look great. I hope and wish this couple have a great time of togetherness, until death do them apart.

California is also a dreamland for the adventure seekers. Well, all of America is that way. I have found that Americans have a sense of adventure in everything they do. And, it starts really young. Here you can see toddlers, I'm not kidding, yeah - babies (in my olden brain), paddling their surfpads. It was such a delight to see the kids playing in the waves. I wish I was one too - but alas, I can't swim. Maybe that's one thing I can try to change in my life - LEARN TO SWIM.

The statue of this young man with his surf embodies the pioneering, adventurous streak in a person. It is people like him that blaze new path in life - discover new frontiers, stretching the imagination of life and living. In modern times, one can see such a spirit in the entrepreneurs of the world. Take facebook's Mark Zuckerburg for instance. He made us use his idea and convinced one-fifth of the world's population that it is fun. As I write this, there's probably another Mark Zuckerburg at work somewhere in the World. I hope my fellow countrymen and women get the right encoruagement from our society to carve out new ideas into reality, and create new frontiers in science, medicine, and all areas of society.

It can be as simple as this shop - Marianne's ice cream shop at Santa Cruz. Started by this gentleman, now almost everyone who visits this sleepy touristy town makes it a point to stop here for a cold delight. Creating a brand requires commitment, energy, vision and above all - quality service.

Here you can see the natural bridge of Santa Cruz. With birds resting on top of it, awaiting the onset of the high tide and a setting sun, this beach was such a tranquil spot for a quiet reflection. I hope I can spend some time on a beachfront house to just gaze into the never ending play of waves on the rocks and sandy beaches and watch umpteen number of dusks, sipping a hot cup of chai.

While I am debating how to reflect, here's what these teenagers are doing for fun in San Jose. At an age when I was playing street cricket and coconut football, these young men are already on their bikes and  practicing jumps on it.The games people play is a mini version of the wars countries fight. US and NATO shoots precision bombs, while Boko Haram fights with machetes. Either way, blood is same everywhere. 

San Jose is the home of Silicon Valley. Once these vast lands were orange farms. Now it is inhabited by Indian and Chinese software professionals. It's a hub of innovation and inventions. 

As a result of the changing demographics, what was once inconceivable is now in bricks and stones. Who would have thought that there would be a gurdwara in San Jose? And that too a majestic one!

Finally, the sun shines bright on the distant San Jose skyline. Solar power is increasingly utilized in this city for regular household use. It's a simple principle: make the most of what you have - gifts, money, talents etc. 

On our way back home, we witnessed some things that caught my eye. Like this amazing road network. It amazes me to see how the engineers design the roadways and bridges. Maybe one of these days, I can spend some time watching construction laborers. I used to enjoy this activity when I was a little schoolboy.

This small device saved the planet from thousands of plastic bottles. The way forward for green citizens of the world lies in smart gadgets like this - eg; blow-air hand dryer instead of paper towels. 

Mid air to home, we were both flummoxed by these round green things in the middle of the Nevada desert. We later found out that this is a method of farming using a technique called pivot irrigation. Just another example of man's resilience. Cultivation in desert land!

Finally, we landed in home town after an 8-day trip. One thing both of us could easily notice was the disproportionate White population who fly versus Blacks. It's an unfortunate testament of the prevailing inequality of the American society. At the same time, on our bus ride home from airport, our co-passengers were predominantly Black. 

We are now back home, and back to the grind of daily routine. Looking forward to the next vacation or travel. My best friend remains my best travel companion. I remember the first step I took with her. We must have now traveled several thousand miles together. It's the best part of vacations and travel - the companionship.

Clinical trials in Cancer

This is from our Cancer Center Director:

"In 2014, 1487 brave and selfless individuals agreed to participate in interventional cancer clinical trials through our institution. Together with their physicians, they were convinced that participation in a trial represented the best possible care for their personal situation and were willing to allow all of us to learn something new along the way to help those who will follow in their footsteps. They are truly at the center of our “village” of volunteers, helping us to move ever closer to a world without cancer. All of us owe them our profound gratitude."

These men and women are the true trailblazers and heroes of medicine. I hope more and more of our own patients in India get access to ethically conducted, high impact scientific research. Thanks to the novel immunotherapies, a vast proportion of these 1487 patients responded better than expected to the experimental agents. Although they took a risk, it was probably worth it. One more smile from a loved one, one more vacation trip, a grandchild, an anniversary, etc. That's what it may have given them.

The Catcher in the Rye

I read another interesting book today - The Catcher in the Rye. It is a first person narrative of a teenage boy named Haulden Caulfied who is going through a phase of teen alienation. He is kicked out of his school and the book follows his thoughts of desperation, confusion, sexual fantasies, love, alienation, and his views of the World.

One interesting quote from the book is as follows:
"An immature man is willing to die for a noble cause, but a mature man lives humbly for it."

Self

Just when I feel

The World is mine

Power, glory and fame

All so addictive

And enthralling

At that moment, 

My Self is torn down

In His plan

To make my Self 

Lose it's shine

An ego brought down

To nothing

It's through the same cracks

That I had patched up

He strikes, to show 

That I am what I am 

Only because He made me so

Endangered animals

This is a bag made out of African crocodile. 

Another one made out of Burmese python. Next to the bag you can see a necklace made of elephant hair. 

Hope these photos capture the reason why some animals are endangered. Our greed for the exotic destroys the life out of our planet. 

Acknowledgment: Minnessotta St. Paul airport 

America's sons

The picture above captures an increasingly menacing issue in American society - racial tensions. Both the involved parties - the unarmed black man who was stopped by law enforcement and the white armed police officer. The officer shoots the black man as he was fleeing the scene at least eight times, in the back. If not for the anonymously captured cellphone video, the world would have assumed that the truth was what the officer screamed on the despatch call - that the man was displaying threatening behavior. Fleeing is no threat to anyone. Unless the man fleeting intends to shoot or kill people on his path. It's not the case here. Clearly this is a case of violence on behalf of law enforcement officer. And, it is likely racially motivated. 

The sad state of affairs in a country which tends to hold a moral compass on all other nations everywhere else in the world. This and other such incidents have showcased what the rest of the world already knew - America, heal thyself. 

Both these men are America's sons. Both of them are men with families, loved ones and a life that could have been lived to its fullest. Both these lives, quite like a biblical Cain and Abel story, have been destroyed. 

They are America's sons. 

World religion projections 2050

The Pew research group has come out with it's latest projections on world religion. By 2050, there would hardly be a gap between the number of Christians (red line) and Muslims (green line). 

Is it all related to the larger family size of Muslims? How will it alter the World? How will it influence the politics, laws, rules and social norms? 

Calvary - by Max Lucado

On the eve of Good Friday, let me post an excerpt from a Max Lucado book. 

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Come with me to the hill of Calvary. Watch as the soldiers shove the carpenter to the ground and stretch his arms against the beams. Jesus turns his face toward the nail just as the soldier lifts his hammer to strike it!

Couldn’t Jesus have stopped him? With a flex of bicep, a clench of the fist, he could’ve resisted. But the moment isn’t aborted. Why? Why didn’t Jesus resist? As the soldier pressed his arm, Jesus saw a nail—yes. The soldier’s hand—yes. But he saw something else. A long list of our lusts and lies and greedy moments and prodigal years. A list of our sins. He knew the price of those sins was death. He knew the source of those sins was you. And he couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without you. He chose the nails!

When Two becomes One

"Our small group is serving in kitchen today. Can I help out?"
"Yes"

I was at a Chinese church few weeks ago. As is usual for my curious nature, I pried on what the American man sitting next to me was typing on his cell phone and subsequently handed it over to the woman sitting next to him with an infant in her lap. I also sneaked in to see the reply too. A husband and wife serving in a Chinese church for their love of Christ.

Later, I saw a young Indian man from Hyderabad and his wife who were also an active part of the church. They shared their unique ministry. Every Saturday night, they host an Indian dinner for students studying in the nearby universities and serve them Indian food. They host a game night which is well attended by around 20-30 students. Every week, the lady cooks food for this large crowd, despite having to take care of her children. The man faithfully serves as her able support in this task.


We often hear the phrase, "when two becomes one". In fact, there is a song with these lyrics - but the meaning is all about love making. I think the real love making is not what happens in the comforts of a cozy bed, instead it is in the sacrificial giving of your time and energy for others - That's when two really becomes one.

A marriage is made in heaven when the man and his wife thinks with one vision, in unity and harmony. Watching a couple who works as one body and mind is like listening to the perfectly harmonized melody. If you are a young man or woman waiting for your match, seek for one who can truly become You.