THOSE EXTRA KILOS

                                               

This morning, while sitting in my balcony, I saw a gentleman going out with his pet dog. To my surprise, the pet was almost obese and finding it difficult to move quickly. It immediately gave me some clues why many among us are always carrying heavy extra bodymass and inviting ailments associated with it like BP, sugar, cardiac and respiratory problems so on and so forth.

Have you seen any street dog or a wild animal fat? They are not fat because they have to physically struggle to gather food. As a matter of fact besides begetting puppies, the main function of their daily routine is the mission of finding food. That keeps them fit and slim. On the other hand, the pet ones live in more hygienic environment, receive medical attention, eat nutritious food and for all these things they need not a single step to move and ask for. The lesson learnt is that good food and sedentary life-style lead to increased weight and hence the necessary change in life-style is the wayout to tide over the problem.

The medicos, through several researches have found that the sleep disorder also causes weight gain. If one has disturbed sleep or he under-sleeps, he may invite the unwanted obesity. What is the ideal time for the sleep duration? One study says that if one is fortunate to have a sound sleep for four hours, it is sufficient. Another medical view is that at no cost one should sleep for less than six hours. Yet another lenient prescriptin is that one should sleep for eight hours and not any more. If a child is sleeping less than eleven hours daily, the parents should see a doctor. The individual should chart out his own routine but never sleep less than his body requirement.

It is almost known to all that tension also generates this problem. What I intend to add is that this mental condition is a double-edged sword. Depending on the individual, tension can make a person fat and the other may lose weight   besides several other complications. Sleep is a free god-gift and then why one should be miser. Mind you, playing truant with it ultimately proves a costly bargain.

Recently one more reason for fatness has surfaced. The research says that long-hour exposure to light also leads to obesity. It says that waking up longer in bright light affects the natural functioning of the body-clock of the person so much that the body immune system is disturbed. The main symptom of this oddity is that the man starts gaining weight. The researchers further add that due to this, the people, working in shifts or handling computers for long fall a victim of this disorder.

It is said that the Mughal Emperor Babur and the French Emperor Napoleon, in course of their military campaigns rarely found time to retire to bed to sleep. So when time permitted, they slept while on horse back. So let us be serious about our sleep and enjoy a healthy and happy life.     

MORE REGARDING CANCER

                               

Some days back, in a post here, I had shared the experience of my family when my wife fell a victim of this dreaded disease and she had to undergo all stages of the internationally accepted treatment. I am sure that the sufferer, despite a complete recovery, does not get back to the pre-ailment health conditions. However, the surviver knows more than others that the life is definitely better than any physical loss. They who had to confront amputation of affected limbs, can bolster this contention. Meanwhile, I have read something more on the subject which my FB friends may find interesting.

The pioneer of the green revolution, I mean Punjab is now reaping the devastating side effects of that. It is learnt that particularly  Bhatinda district of the state is surprisingly reporting increasing number of cancer patients which is much higher than the national average of 80 per lakh. Unfortunately, a rich state like Ponjab is having no good cancer hospital. The patients have to shift to Bikaner in Rajasthan  for cheap and effective treatment. There is only one direct train to Bikaner, which, in the wake of increasing number of such patients has been nicknamed ‘cancer Express’. The medicos and bio-engineers are of the opinion that cancer has assumed an epidemic proportion because of rampant use of dangerous pesticides in the crops which make the grains poisonous. It is a dangerous warning and calling for an immediate shift to organic manures and pesticides.

Just today (April 24, 2014), I read in some newspaper that the doctors of our AIIMS has succeeded in transplanting the cancerous bones. Previously such bones were cut off and replaced with a steel rod. Since these rods rarely fitted completely in the gap, the patient used to suffer lifelong from occasional pains. Now, the doctors take out the affected bone, carefully expose it to radio therapy so that it is completely immuned of the ailment. Then the same is put back at its original place. In the cases of organ transplant, the common problem is non acceptance of the foreign object by the body of the patient. Fortunately this syndrome has not yet been confronted by the doctors. In case of some minor complications, antibiotic has proved effective. Congrats doctors.

ROOT OF CHINA'S ANTI-INDIA POLICY

                               

When China attacked India in 1962, I was a student of final year of my graduation, which is enough to tell that I could understand the topic and analyse the developments based on my limited intellectual level. I remember that the seniors used to say that it was a direct repercussion  of the Tibetan uprisings against the Chinese interferences in their domestic affairs which ultimately forced the Dalai Lama in 1959 to run away with his supporters and seek refuge in friendly India. They continue in that position till today with an interim Tibetan govt in Dharamshala, much to the dislike of China. Some others said that china, an arrogant Communist state wanted to compel India to come under their red umbrella. China also did not like india for despite following a non-aligned policy was tilted in favour of USA. Despite all these interpretations being true, I have come across some facts that the Chinese animosity is older more than by a hundred year.

At the fagend of the nineteenth century, there were huge forceful interferences in the internal matters of China by the Western nations in main. There were attempts to convert the locals into Christianity. This led to a great resentment in Northern China which took a violent turn in 1898-1901. It was initiated by the Militia United in Righteousness who were named as Boxers by the British. Later it became more famous by the name of Boxer Rebellion. At this point the Empress dowager of the Qing dynasty suppoted the uprising by lending the help of the state armed forces. The rebels thus encircled the foreigners, hidden in the League Quarter in Beijing  for several days. Then the foreign countries signed an eight-nation alliance inter alia including England, Germany, Russia, japan etc who desptched a well armed contingent of 20,000 troops. They broke the siege and freed their men. China was decisively defeated and the victors imposed a huge amount as indemnity on China which was more than its annual income to be paid to the victors in 39 years.

What is more important from our point of view, is that the English force consisted of also Indian soldiers. Without realizing that the Indians had gone on orders of their colonial masters, they are nourishing anti-india feelings since then, culminating into hot border skirmishes in 1962 and continuing pinpricks on borders and in bilateral relations. 

POLITICS OR PROFESSION

                               

Yesterday, I saw in a TV programme a lady who boldly held the view that at present joining politics is a lucrative profession and if somebody claims that he is in this field to serve the people, he is definitely befooling the public. In early sixties, every parent wanted their ward to join medical line where a good job was guaranteed. By seventies, with more and more industrialization, the demand for engineers overtook all other branches. Doctors were relegated to the back burner. Then, to be precise, by 80s, the bank service surged ahead. There were examples when a candidate competed in  both the civil service exam and the bank service exam, but  he  preferred to accept bank probationary officer’s position. Just after that, in the wake of globalization, the field of management started attracting creams of talented job-seekers. Since it could fetch a fatter pay package, it surged ahead of all other so far known paying academic disciplines. It is today, highly surprising to see that political career has overtaken all imaginable professions.

Politics is preferable for several obvious reasons. Unlike other lines, here neither educational qualification nor age is a limiting factor. Till recently, the Indian Parliament had a number of semi or poorly literate MPs. The condition in the state legislatures is still pitiable. Particularly since money and muscle power became a deciding factor in the election, gentlemen don’t dare to try their luck in this exclusive club. The criminals, instead of serving the electorate, exploit the floor of the House to facilitate their money minting business and hoodwink the legal authorities.

If politics is not that milching cow, how all the senior politicians are encouraging their sons and daughters to  join politics and lifelong enjoy a field day. Sonia Gandhi, M. Karunanidhi, Lalu Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Dr. Raman Singh, Jaswant Singh, V.K. Malhotra, R.V. Paswan, Dr Jagannath Mishra, P. Chidambaram, Dr Farooq Abdullah, Mufti Md Sayed, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sibu Soren and anybody else who matters in today’s Indian politics has managed to get his siblings in the goldmines of politics. As such these youngmen ignore their academic pursuit and straightway plunge into politics to serve the ‘nation’.

BOOKS OR BOMBSHELLS

                                                  

It is said that ‘musibat’ does not come alone. On the eve of the general election, which is already on, and at a time when a decade long UPA Govt is shaky for its non-performance and unassertive prime minster, the appearance of two books appears to have landed as a bolt from the blue. The worst part is that the authors happen to be insiders and so the facts unravelled by them just cannot be wished away. The charge of Dr Manmohan Singh being a weak PM is so strongly vindicated here that the Congress think-tank finds it difficult to explain away convincingly.

The first book entitled, The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh is written by seasoned journalist Sanjay Baru , who was his media adviser in UPA-II. Baru has dealt in detail many national and internal issues which came to his personal notice. But the most important point is that Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the UPA Chairperson used to see govt files and take decisions which the PM was helplessly endorsing. She had constituted an advisory board which advised her and Dr Singh meekly signed on the dotted lines. Baru has quoted several examples of decisions including selection of a minister, when the PM was deliberately bypassed. It has several dangerous interpretations. Firstly, it was the blatant violation of the official secrecy, that there were two centres of power and Mrs Gandhi was remotely controlling the Govt without any responsibility. Digvijay Singh says that the book got published with Modi’s money. The public is wise enough to chafe out the truth.

The second book entitled, ‘Crusader or Concpirator: Coalgate and other Truths’ is written by P.C. Parakh, ex-coal Secretary. He was holding this office in 2005 when the ministry was being headed by Dr Singh himself. He has straight way charged that if the PM was committed, he could stop the loot of this natural wealth of the nation. Parakh has charged that despite his suggestions to give licence on a better term, the PM surrendered to Mrs Gandhi, ministers and some MPs of different political parties. It is a huge scam and the authorities have put all stumbling blocks to stop truth surfacing. Even the CBI is not above board and the excuse of missing files is still more suspicious. The nation wants to know the truth at least from the new government.

JASHODABEN

                                                               

The present election-eve  situation has given  birth to a number of self-styled qazis in Indian politics. The political parties have issued their election manifestoes and through their hectic campaigning, are convincing the electorate that if voted to power, they would implement the assurances contained therein.  All, by and large, have stressed to control price rise, remove the menacing unemployment, give a corruption-free society, nail the anti-social elements and above all strengthen the national economy. Unfortunately, they are not strictly adhering to these programmes only and are in constant search for finding any stick to beat the opponents left and right. One of them is dragging personal life of a stake-holder in public domain. The latest example is the marital status of Narendra Modi.

While filing his nomination papers in Vadodra, in the required column, he wrote the name of Jashodaben, who happens to be his legally married wife. Earlier, the filling of this column was not compulsory. Now the Supreme Court has made it binding and so Modi responded accordingly. It was a welcome grist to the  Modi critics.  They started highlighting that he committed a crime by hiding this information earlier. Going a step ahead, they say, a man who cannot honour his wife, can never do justice to the nation as its prime minister. Leading critics on this score are Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh.

Obviously it invited BJP reactions. How Diggi Raja can claim that it was hidden when in last two years he is on record to have criticized Modi for allegedly not doing justice with Jashodaben. Arnab Goswami, in a TV debate, charged that if Congress raised such personal matters, its leaders should also explain the extra-marital relationship of Pt Nehru with Edwina Mountbatten which is on record. It further transpired that since it was not compulsory earlier, even Dr Manmohan Singh had left the column blank. Should it be treated as his disrespect to Mrs Gursharan Kaur. It was only when Ravi Shankar Prasad, BJP Spokesperson threatened to go public with such details available about Nehru-Gandhi family, the issue was left alone.

While Narendrabhai and Jashodaben were still in their teens, they were married. Modi, having a religious and wandering bend of mind left his family on an uncertain and unending journey. However, at that time also, he was already associated with the RSS. Jashodaji returned to her parents, resumed her education and settled as a teacher from which job she retired in 2011. She is honorably subsisting on a monthly pension of Rs 14,000/-. In last 46 years of their separate life, neither the husband nor the wife had any mutual bickering nor any party favoured knocking at the door of the judiciary. She continues to accept him as her husband, puts on bangles and vermillion and always wishes him best in life. Even her brothers nourish no illwill towards Modi. The day Modi filed his nominations, she rushed on pilgrimage to Dwarkadham to pray for his victory and stopped putting on chappals and eating rice till the completion of the mission.

It is an exemplary story. Both remained unmarried. Both avoided divorce. Both wish well for each other even now. Jashodaben never approached anybody with any complaint against her husband. When ‘mian-bibi razi, kya karega qazi’. The public needs an explanation from these self-appointed qazis.     

RED RUG TO A BULL

                                

While returning from  the polling booth after casting my vote, I was thinking to post something election related on my blog. It could be anything like the scene there or the body language of the crowd or the size of the gathering in front of the stalls of polling agents of parties having stake. All  these things were forgotten when I remembered a  strange election campaign scene of Bihar.

An election rally was to be addressed by the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav at Aurangabad in Bihar on April 9, 2014. Amid thundering applauses and slogan chanting he reached the dias in time. However, within seconds he saw something and his mood suddenly turned violent. The organizers were bewildered and started looking at one another to ascertain the reason of this unimaginable change in the mood of their leader. But within no time, the cat was out of bag. Angry Lalu pointed his forefinger to baskets of arranged lotus flowers to decorate the platform and ordered them to be thrown down immediately. The timid party volunteers meekly obliged by toppling the flower baskets on the ground. The crime of the flower was being the  electoral symbol of of the Bhartiya Janata Party.

We know that the best lotus one can get from the Dal lake of Srinagar. Lalu’s followers should take note of this latest acute allergy of their leader and they should keep him away from the banks of this famous lake while in the capital of J&k, otherwise he will have to be rushed to a psychiatrist.

This attitudinal allergy is not exclusive to Lalu only. Since last Sept, Two leaders of the ruling JD/U in Bihar were unceremoniously shown the exit gate for uttering the name of Narendra Modi. There is a joke in Bihar that a lady leader of the JD/U, fondling her minor son was calling, ‘aaja meri godi’. The party leader standing in the close vicinity could mistakenly hear ‘aaja mere Modi’. She was immediately issued marching order without any explanation or enquiry.

You must have seen the scenes of Spanish bull fight on TV screens. The fighter enters into the ring with a red rug. The moment the bull sees it, he becomes outrageous and pounces on the man to kill him. The trained fighter keeps on teasing the bull and avoiding being hit so much so that ultimately the allergic bull is tired and nailed. To the misfortune of Indian democracy, this bull fight is being reenacted in the electoral field as well.

This country has been organizing general elctions regularly since 1952 and the electorate is now tuned to the importance of this biggest festival of democracy. But have the leaders learnt any lesson?   

                                            THEY  SEE  IT  THIS  WAY

My old FB friends are aware that I often post some important quotes on my timeline. By and large, such materials have been received appreciatively by my page-viewers. By far such examples of indulgence enthuses me to go on with the practice. However, of late, I have a response which disturbs me.

A friend inserts his comment saying that since I have been  quoting good things, it is believed that I must be following them. Why I alone, anybody, if he abides by such quotes even by 10%, he will be a super man. Kya Ram nam lena ya likhna gunah hai? If yes, then by far I am at fault. If no, then such comments appear to be uncalled for. Since I am in dock for not implementing such ideal sayings in my personal life, can I ask such persons if they are incorporating those good things in their personal life which regularly appear in the publications with which they are associated. Please do not be selective to target an individual for no obvious fault. I shall meekly accept that contention if the rules are quoted under which quoting great thoughts is a criminal activity.

I am a conch (shankh), which when blown, gives the information to the devotees that the ‘aarti’ is due to begin. The faithful rush to the temple to join the ritual and not to see the face, colour and size of the conch. I have no role in such quotes except that I bring them to the notice of my friends. ‘ham to galiyon me sadyen dete hainn, hame maaloom nahi kaun kahan rahta hai, sham se pahle ghar ko laut aata hoon, din men bhi faqiron ko lutne ka dar rahta hai.

I am not an intellectual but definitely intelligent enough to gauge the intention of posting such an agonizing comment. Critics are welcome but ‘chhidraneshwan’ should be better avoided. To conclude, I humbly request such friends to rethink and decide if I really deserve it or does their conscience admit them being right. Let intellectual maturity prevail over personal bickerings, if any.

‘Nij kabitta kahi lag na neeka, saras hou athwa ati feeka. Je par bhaniti sunat muskahin, aise purush bahut jag nahin.  –Goswami Tulsidasji    

CANCER AND YOU

                               

Let it not be the answer of the ‘Yaksha Prashna’  (‘kimashcharyam’, meaning what is a surprise?) by Yudhisthir that we see every day dying somebody and still think that our turn is far away and this attitude, said the senior Pandava, is the greatest surprise. Since the real cause of this dreaded disease is yet a mystery, it can strike anybody, any sex, any time and in any part of the body. However, cancer in throat, breast and ovary are very common. I am not here to point out any medical clue because I do not belong to this discipline. Since my wife fell a victim, throwing the entire family to a very trying situation, I thought it proper to share my experience briefly how I could tide over the calamity.

Till 50 years ago, if one was tested to have a malignant tumour, the terror of this disease was so horrible that the patient generally succumbed to the shock. The treatment was available only in Tata Hospital Mumbai or in Vellore,Tamil Nadu. It was not possible for deprived sections to muster courage to try the luck. The patient thought that the only possibility left for him was to wait for the ultimate truth. Moreover, in poor and uneducated family, people generally think it to be a common disease and when intolerable, rush to an available quack who simply precipitates the end. Delaying the treatment encourages the disease to be a sure killer.

Things have changed a lot today. In almost all major hospitals of Delhi, against a single Daramshila Cancer Hospital earlier, the cancer treatment is available at present. Moreover, the treatment has become comparatively less expensive. The only precaution is to rush to a speciality hospital as quickly as possible. If it is the first stage, complete cure is assured. If it is in the second stage, still survival has a high possibility. My wife had the beginning of the second stage and she alive and kicking after eight years. Today, doctors claim that even in the third stage, they can struggle to keep the patient alive. However, the fourth is almost incurable and the relatives may be advised to take the patient back to home.

Normally, the treatment is in three stages. After preliminary tests including biopsy, the attending doctor will mark the affected area with a coloured pencil and recommend the patient for operation. The operation by a good doctor, in principle is enough to cure the patient. However, without taking any chance, the doctor will advise him to undergo chemo therapy and radio therapy. The number of sittings for both the therapies is decided by the doctor after considering several factors. Sometimes, if it is just the beginning, the doctor may ask to go straight for possibly three chemo therapy sessions. Each succeeding session falls on 21^st day.

The most trying phase is chemo therapy. In any complete treatment it has six courses. By the time of the second, the patient loses body hairs, teeth are blackish, taste for food disappears and being a delicate phase of the treatment, he has to take extra precautions to guard against infections. After this complete treatment, he has to report to the hospital for periodical monitoring. If there is no new complication, the doctors declare the patient free of the disease after five years. However, at least an annual check up is necessary to be on the safe side for the whole life.

Last but not the least, the patient requires round the clock care though he has no problem in day-today activities. At least one close relative, may be by turn will have to do this sacrifice for six months which is worth because a life is saved. Moreover, there have been several improvements in chemo and radio therapies making them cheaper, more effective and less damaging. Let us hope that the day may not be far away when like anti-cholera drugs, some similar  sure medication is available to mankind.     

CHANGING GLOBAL POWER EQUATIONS

                               

The generation which is alive and in eighties, has the credit of having witnessed the Second World War and well remembers the power equations which emerged in the critical post war period. While the USA led the Western  nations named as the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), the rival group veered round the then USSR. Both groups were so  bitter in their mutual relations that the world peace appeared on tenterhooks. Many occasions built up in that critical period in Cuba, Germany, Yugoslavia, India, Afghanistan etc when a hot war appeared looming closely on the horizon.

However, every time some sort of peace was brokered and the mankind was saved from a complete annihilation. This continued till early 1990s when the USSR disintegrated and the world saw the shift of bipolar power position to a uni-polar power centre. America emerged as the single most powerful country. Even though, obviously she started dictating terms in international relations, the planet had a virtual sigh of relief. Catastrophe of devastating war started being seen as a distant possibility. To our misfortune, this equation, of late seems threatened with another spell of high tensions, generated by the overplay of the Crimean issue by Russia.

The root cause of such flares is the non-belief of the West in the truncated Russia despite its inclusion in the European Union. The new Russia almost for nearly two decades remained subdued though unwillingly and with feeling of revenge. Later on under Putin’s stewardship, when the country could establish some sort of political and economic stability, it started claiming its pound of flesh in the political arena. The latest example is Crimea of Ukraine, a peninsula in the Black Sea and strategically important. It has an overwhelming Russian origin population with natural pro-Russian inclinations. Just about a fortnight back, Russia conducted a hurried referendum and managed to get huge response for joining Russia. Despite the stiff opposition from Ukraine, supported by the NATO, the Russian army annexed the peninsula.

Consequently, the USA strongly warned Russia to restore status quo, but the lattet refused to retrace its steps. As expected, the NATO expelled her from the Group-8 and is due to impose economic sanctions to nail the aggressor. Russia has amassed huge army contingents on the Ukrainean borders and the West is afraid that this new country may lose its existence. Moreover, in order to hoodwink the American reprisals, Russia has started cultivating Chinese friendship. If this Russian initiative fructified, the Sino-Russian military combination will be a frightening alliance finishing the US preponderance in the international politics. Moreover, the way China has been aggressively dealing with her neighbours, India has genuine reasons to feel concerned. Among other defensive diplomatic moves, we have to further strengthen the tested Indo-Russian friendship.