happy new year and new year resolutions

First of all a happy new year to all ...
                                                      New year reminds of many things .. New year celebrations . Any suggestions from my side is not  needed as each person knows how to celebrate new year in his/her own  way  . As for me its time spent with my  parents today .  Meanwhile this blog is about new year resolutions . 
Here also my suggestions are not needed for anyone . Hey then what am i going to write about  . 
                                                                          Here it goes . Being an ardent fan of bruce lee movies  i have seen  all of them  . Though Enter the Dragon is the best  for the fight sequences , photography ,direction , location etc his last  movie Game of Death is unique  in one way  .  In that  in one of the fight scenes our kungfu master is against an  opponent  almost double his size .  A tall  opponent  almost 7 foot poor bruce lee has a tough time even landing his punches for this guy is towering in front of him  .  But at a particular moment  in the fight  the villain this 7 footer  bends slightly and at that moment  bruce lee though tired after the long fight  puts a choke (strangle hold )  to his neck  . It was not  easy  to hold on  for the villain was as tall as he was strong  .  He  does all possible  things to get out from that choke hold with the relatively much smaller bruce lee but  that hold lasted  till  the end.  It lasted almost 5  minutes and this scene symbolically gave me a visual  ideal  when  making a new year resolution however tough  .  The point is  however  tough  a  problem  or  a wish  if we put our  heart and soul into it  mostly  it is possible  ... if its not in this year maybe next  .  
                                          Away  from bruce lee ,  i have so many real life examples for this  .  There was this cousin of mine who always dreamt  of becoming a pilot  .  This was before the great indian avaiation revolution of Captain gopinath and the multiple job opportunities in the field .  She (yes that also is important  which  makes it tougher in a male dominated airline world at that time )  finished her private pilots licence and after 200  hours of flying  got her commercial pilots licence .  Most of her friends who shared the dream  dropped it  on the way  as it was a tough schedule .  In the end she couldnt get a job  as there were very few pilots jobs at that time (1990s )  and some of her friends who reached upto the commercial pilots licence level opted for jobs unrelated to the "dream "  .  But  she took up  a  job in rostering  which though a subordinate job  helped her be in touch with the field of her interest  .  I used to wonder at that time how she could stay in that job where you interact  with  the pilots inspite of being  fully qualified in  a subordinate function  .  Now retrospectively thinking these were minor  issues as the dream was more important  .  There were very many  major hardships on her way  but  the end result  is  for the last 5 years she is a commander pilot in  a major airline  . 

                               Then there were two  friends of mine in medical college .  One guy was always sleeping in our class for the reason  was he was not interested in becoming a doctor  .  Another guy  never slept in the class but he too didnt want to be a doctor  .  During that time many people especially  my friends in engineering college used to say  this sleeping guy wouldnt reach anywhere ... he will neither become a doctor ( cause he is sleeping fulltime )  nor an engineer ( MBBS will not get an engineers job) . That time i was also skeptical about these two  .  But  time and "the dream "  they had  sent them  to places which neither my engineering friends nor I  could envisage  .  One finished his Ph.D  in computer science in UK and working as a network security consultant and the other one  is Vice President of Tata Consultancy Services which is as of today  the company with largest market capitalisation in india  . 

                                                                                    All these 4  people (  4 th one is bruce lee ) achieved their goal  though the path was  tough  .  So  the point is  if  there is a dream and a resolution you will reach  it  99 percent of time  . Do  our best , (however never be too  hard on oneself )  and then still if you dont reach  your goal  be content that you have  done your  best  .

The first step is new year resolution ...  and hope your dream come true either this year or  in the years to come  .
regards
dr haroon marikar .   

little thoughts on racism

I wanted to blog on this topic long back but in a way didnt because i thought the world was becoming a more civil place  , But  once again a news article taunted the blogger in me
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/215522/racism-not-ruled-indian-students.html

One indian student was shot at point blank range and police are not ruling out racism as motive .  I am saddened by the incident  but  am consoled by the fact that british police has arrested suspects and  they  have not ruled out racism as motive .  This brings to my mind my recent visit to China .  Every day  from  8-11 pm i used to take long walks to go to my favourite restaurants 3 kms away .  The  route was dotted by  restaurants and many areas were fairly isolated .  But i  never encountered  any  chinese looking to accost  any other  person . Many were minding their own business or if at all our paths crossed they  were friendly  .  The same about all the restaurants and shops i visited .  All of them  were either neutral or friendly  . And all of them were as fair  as fairies and many especially the young women were reddish in their cheeks  .  And yes china is a country which has a 7000 year old civilisation and at present  having one of the most rich economies  .  Coming back to my country india we too inspite of our  "caste system "  ,poverty  we  have  since independance  not killed nor injured people on the basis of race .  Even our  caste system and the laws are such that  even verbal abuse  against a lower caste is punishable by law . 

Six months back  i was in a domestic flight  and near me was seated a british elderly couple  .  We started talking  and  there were a zillion potential topics we could have discussed but this elderly gentleman --a tourist who chose india among all the countries in the world --- was describing  how he distributed  the shampoo packets he took from his hotel to  the  cheering  kids who welcomed him at a particular tourist destination in kerala .  He was telling all this like a great king who had distributed  alms to  poor subjects  .  Generally avoiding conflict with strangers i politely stopped talking to him and went back to my  jet airways brochure  .  In retrospect i was thinking about  this tourist basically stealing the shampoo saches (  i dont do  it  from the hotels i visit  .. thats cheap )  and distributing it to a group of cheery youngsters who were merely excited and friendly on seeing a foreigner and accepted his gift as they took it as a token of friendliness not because they were poor   ( even beggars in kerala dont accept shamopoo packets -- the state of kerala has a high human development index ) 

Last week i met my uncles friend who is an indian now living in south africa .  Discussions were interesting about the national parks , the indian diaspora in south africa , the economy ,lifestyle ,food etc  .  Then the question was asked about racism .  The answer was unique  .  He  described  thus  ...

"In the early 1990s during apartheid he went to work in south africa .  During second day evening he and his friend seeing the nice weather went out at around seven pm for having a beer at the local restaurant/bar .Suddenly  both of them were took by the collar and pushed out into the street  .  The reason that restaurant was not for blacks or indians .  " I was astonished . 1990s is the period when countries in asia were undergoing or already undergone drastic development in all spheres .  Physical violence or even verbal abuse against anyone was unthinkable .  Then we asked what about  nowadays in South Africa .  He answered  nowadays if we have any problem we inform the blacks and they take care of it  .

 Last but not the least  a few months back   many indians were brutally attacked in australia .  It was not the attacks that were more alarming but  the attitude of the police .  There was even an explanation that indians take shortcuts through parks which australians avoid at night  .  My question is if police  cant keep  the country safe then what development we are talking about  ? 

Once again  i am happy  about  the pretty girls in shanghai who  served me food with a smile and the haircut i had  in china by a  punk haircut  boy who  smiled said "nihau " and cut my  hair  (that too in punk style ) .
Shanghai rocks ...and india rocks too  ...

pork ,wine and some little thoughts

Russia had proposed to ban Bhagwat Gita a few days back and today the verdict came that they are not going to do it  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16344615                
                              As a citizen of india the largest democracy and a person who believes in free speech its great that no book is banned .  Meanwhile i have my own reservations about the way some people interpret religion be it hinduism , islam or christianity .  Belonging to a cosmopolitan family i have read the three books the Holy Bible , Bhagwat Gita and Quran .  From my reading i have found that all of them give guidelines on human conduct .

 But i have found so many "believers "  who  use the guidelines for their own benefit  .  To make one point ,  I  knew many people who did  five times prayer and at the same time abused  alcohol . And as i understand islam , alcohol is prohibited . Just like five times prayer which should be done   alcohol is not permitted for the "religious " muslim .  Mind you , i am not against anyone who use or abuse alcohol . My point is the same persons who argue vehemently about islam and telling how other people should live have amended part of the holy book for their personal gain .

Another is pork consumption .Its good that most muslims exert self control in not consuming an animal God has forbidden in Quran ,    But  when some "believers " comment that  the people who eat pork will go to hell i cannot understand the implication  ?  Do they decide who goes to hell or heaven ?   And just coming back from shanghai  China where so many people eat pork but are quite a friendly crowd what does it imply?  In this 21 st century what to dicsuss with such people rather than avoiding them .
                                                    There is even one sura in the Quran where it is told your belief is yours and mine is mine implying belief is a personal thing . When even the holy book says so why some religious people try to propogate their version of religion .  If you go through the online article in yahoo.com i was initially skeptical . Bhagwat Gita to the best of my knowledge does not spread hatred against other religions . Its about Sree Krishnas counselling to Arjuna in his moment of crisis .  When i browsed through the article it became clear that the ban was instigated by a "comment " by  a group of followers .  Apparently that comment was against other religions . 

My point is why we need comments and personal versions of religions to be transmitted to people.  In this century of internet most people have the intelligence and the means to access information and to make connection with God if they want to . Why some of us want to play God and make our own versions of religion or doing the duty of heaven-hell decision etc .  And regarding my views as long as the blood drawn from your vein is similar there is only one religion .. human

pls comment ..

Going back to the dark ages ...Denying science the new trend

                                                      Is cigarette smoking especially heavy smoking  a great way to lead a long healthy life ?  Is eating fatty foods everyday in enormous quantities guaranteed to give a great healthy heart that works till 100  ?   Please answer these questions before  you proceed ...

Now another question .. Do all smokers die young  in their  prime when  they have  a family and kids in college  often of cancer or heart attack ? Do all gluttons  die  early  say in their  40 s or 50 s of heart disease  ....

Any educated person  irrespective of whether they are a lawyer ,engineer or an accountant  know that heavy smoking  and gluttonous eating " increase  "  your chance of an early grave  .  But  its equally  known that all smokers dont  die  young  .  Just like most rash drivers die not  from motor vehicle accident  many  factors  also  play  in who will die of smoking  and gluttonous eating  . So  should we recommend "eat and be merry ", "smoke and be merry"  .

    From the  days  of  bubonic plague when  millions died  a  horrible death due  to lack of knowledge and no good treatment ,    science has progressed  to such an extent  that we know much about many diseases curing  many ,preventing many  . Polio, small pox , some cancers  ,  list goes on , But still there are many  more discoveries  to be made,   as compared to a  car ,  human body  is  not designed  nor  the design print given to humans .  Over many centuries many scientists have  used the scientific method including statistics to  study diseases , their causes and their cures .  Just because we do not  know hundred percent of some diseases doesnt make the 60 percent we know  useless .  Thats neither  logical  or rather  is a  disrespect to  scientists who toiled hard like Madam Curie who dicovered Radium and died in the process   . 

If  one of your relatives  these days says he is going to give  massage therapy  for acute appendicitis  you will in all probability shout at  him  .  Why  then is  it  that  we  smile and encourage  seemingly "educated "  people  who  tell  other people eat what they want  the body  will take care ? Is it because we want  to eat  gluttonously and dont be guilty about  it  ?     It  is true that human body is remarkable and in rare cases even certain cancers can disappear  by itself  .And some people who eat gluttonously  live till 100 .   But  does  that  mean  that  cancer shouldnt be treated  ?  My  point is thanks to the internet and google.com  people have now the opportunity  to  learn about  science of the human body  and its treatments  .  If  you  google  you will  see  that  many  research focussed  on rats which were overfed with fatty foods who died early and research  to prolong life  focus on low calorie diet  .  Coming back to the cigarette smoking  with 4000  or more chemicals many of which are known cancer producers  and many studies showing it increases  risk of cancer by  upto 10 times  and heart  disease  significantly  .  Though all cigarette smokers dont  die early  at least  my maternal uncle  though survived  even a brain surgery  and eating  a  low calorie diet  died one early morning  suddenly  of heart attack  . He was  52   .   He used to  smoke a cigarette every 10 minutes from the day  i knew him  . 

. I  never  try  to  teach  an engineer    the  microchip  to be replaced  or the wire  to  be  connected  . I am  not an expert at  that  .  I never  teach a lawyer whether section 302 or 420 should be applied in case of murder . While i am an expert in the clinical  science with some idea of its application in engineering  .  Isnt  it  then justifiable to blog about  it  when some "educated " people make random comments about  a science  which  they know little about  nor  are they keen in learning  . 
Or  is  it that im hypersensitive about  "freedom of expression  in any matter "  which  is  the  boon (or bane )  of our  democratic country  ... 

P. S  :  I sincerely  hope  that people do some research  at least  on the books or internet  (good quality  medical sites  )  before  giving  health advice to people including  recommended eating etc  .  Maybe  we can prevent some premature deaths due to wrong but  " pleasing  advice " .especially  since  obesity is becoming a major health problem these days  ...Please comment  .

surviving shanghai food ... or rather enjoying it

For starters  remove  these wrong assumptions  ...

1.Indian chinese food  is  not  the  real  chinese food available in china 
2. In china you will starve as everything is snake meat, smelly and horribly  bland 
3. china is  an island where only chinese food is available  . 

I  was there  for two weeks and couldnt locate snake meat  ... Good or bad  ?  Good for the snake  :) 
Indian chinese food is  very tasty  but the fact remains  its  only  a  distant distant cousin of the chinese  food available  in China  .  Or strictly speaking  for the average human there is  no  relation except for the soy sauce and noodle  base  .  So  if  you  are  not  a food experimenter  (whats that  if you ask me  .. you are not one  )  need not try chinese food  .  But  if you are like me  its  a  gastronomic adventure  .  China has at least  8 different cuisines  .  And some of them like Cantonese cuisine is fantastic for a food adventurer like me .  Let me explain .  Shanghai  being  a big city in China  has  restaurants  serving  different cuisines  . But  you  have  to searchg and  find  these  places  which are spread out  . I  got  so  worked  up seeing  them roasting a goose Cantonese style  i  searched  in the net and found one  called Hengshan cafe serving cantonese food .  Now ask me why i am asking hongkong food (cantonese ) in shanghai  my answer is shanghai  doesnt have  a  strong cuisine of its own  rather it has restaurants from different other areas of china which are famous  .  Roast goose belongs to the category of sui mei  or roast meats and it is roasted after marinating with a rich spicy paste which contains red chillies , cloves , cinnamon , orange peel  .  Dont ask me why  they put orange peel in  a marinating mix  .  I will ask a question back as why they put orange peel which is dried and aged for 10-20 years and this recipe is more than 100 years old  .  Restaurant  is  a nice chinese restaurant very close to metro station (check on google )  and how to  recognise  it is by the many roast goose  and duck close to the  gate of this cafe  .  Cost  for a piece of roast goose is 50 rmb  and  i  had one piece and  a piece of soy marinated chicken . The  sauces for dipping was yummy  pum sauce and some other sauce i have  never had before .  Fried rice is available  but  i am  highly focussed  .   Only  meat  for tonights dinner  . 

shanghai ...things to do ..

If you are on a business trip to Shanghai  you should visit the Bund .  This is a place  where the Huang Po river divides the city into pudong and Puxi districts .  All the famous landmarks of shanghai like the oriental pearl tower , shanghai financial centre buildings (many of them of the top 10 highest buildings in the world ) are here . At nighttime its a beautiful view to see all the lighted buildings(images in facebook)  on one side of the river which have a modern architecture and the colonial architecture buildings on the other side. You can either cross the river in a ferry for 2  rmb  that is around 16 rupees or gofor a  river cruise for 50 Rmb. never take a walk under the river which costs 60 rmb but u see only lights as water is murky. You can see the shanghai bull (remember shanghai index is one of major asian share market indices) . Have cold protective clothes here as the windchill effect will take temperature near zero in winter time . If you go in evening time you can  cross the river and ride up one of the towers to see shanghai from high up .

Nanjing road is just next to the bund and easily accessible by metro station . This place has got a pedestrian only area where you can just walk and see on either side the modern china  with all the shopping brands of the world . Like someone told about another city you can buy everything except mom and dad , in shanghai everything is available at this 6 km stretch from east nanjing to west nanjing . From a chinese curio to designer watch everything is available . Now two things to avoid here are the infamous tourist traps --- dont go with a friendly chinese girl at nanjing road  .Check out tourist traps in virtual tourist or lonelyplanet for details .And secondly try to avoid buying fake watches from nanjing road ...Except for branded shops bargaining is the norm so if you enjoy bargaining shanghai is your place .Do you need chinese for bargaining  ...No .. The answer is a calculator  ...Do you need to buy a calculator and take with you  ?  No need this is not a maths exam .. the shopkeeper will bring one and u start bargaining the shanghai way  ...high tech  ...And remember  there is "last last last price  "  which may still be not the last price ..Its interesting and funny  ..at least for me  . 

If you want to buy bargain price chinese curios the place is the market below the metro station at science and technology museum . This is also the place where people go to buy  the fakes  so also called the fake market  . The chinese curios are not fakes especially the chopsticks and chinese fans  (  have you ever heard of a branded chopstick or a chinese fan  ?? )  . Here  a presentation quality  chopstick set which costs 600  rupees can be  had  for  150 rupees  .  Chinese fans which cost  400 rupees can be had  for  100  rupees  . 
Now  this place has more than 200 shops many of them selling fakes of many of  the great brands  ..Out of curiosity i saw many  but  didnt buy any  . This place  is  great  for buying chinese curios  but also  just to see  the chinese ingenuity  and bargaining skills . See it to believe  it  .,....
One girl is calling me "  Sir  no charge  for  looking  ...  You know Shah Rukh ?  Namaste "  and  remember  this is Shanghai where many  people dont know english  and secondly  she has rightly concluded with 100 percent accuracy that i was from india without  me uttering a word  ..."

shanghai --- why i like it

disclaimer ... these are some of the things i did ... others may follow at their own peril .

Shanghai is one of the largest cities of China with a population nearly as much as my state kerala . So you may expect a hustling bustling congested city  .  The answer is No .  Or  being the seat of communism you expect red dress clad men and women all doing the same jobs and getting the same pay and leading a middle class life ... No. Snake fry ,  dragon roast .. No .  Then what is it  ? 

Inspite of a population more than 2 crores for a city the city has an infrastructure that rivals cities like munich in germany . 8 lane roads ,  3 tiered flyovers ,  buildings interspersed with gardens and small canals the city has imbibed the values of the 5000 year old chinese culture , the work ethic of communism and the zest for the modern life and that balance is seen in that city .  There are  skyscrapers which are more than 80 floors high  especially in the Bund area but many areas have beautiful villas with gardens on either side of wide roads (check out my facebook photos). I heard China has some regulation on occupancy of  a certain area . It is not possible for a person residing at a village  to  come and buy  a place in the city  just like that  .  He can come and work  in the city but  depending on his skills etc  ..  Not  randomly  as in india  creating slums like in cities of Mumbai  or even  in  big cities in USA  where they have poor neighbourhoods where people from outside cannot travel safely  .  The end result  of all this  at least  for a visitor  like me is a beautiful city  which doesnt have the shoving pushing character  of  a crowded city .  I have put up some photos in facebook where none of them  shows like its from a city of 2 crores  ... Another advantage  of this setup is the low incidence of crime . Everyday  i was walking  4 kms  at 8-10  pm  and i felt very safe  .  Consider  walking like that  in many of the "developed "countries  and you may even get murdered .

Now about red clad men and women ... there are no redclad men and women in shanghai . When i went there it was winter and temperature was between 3 and 10 degrees .  Everyone was in stylish winter clothes with jackets , puss in boot shoes . And this being China and Shanghai being paris of the East the public had two options . All the luxury brands at their luxury prices where available .  From Prada to Gucci , Louis Vuitton to Rolex all of those were available especially in Nanjing Road which is the largest shopping road in the world 6 km stretch . And some of the brands largest shops in asia is also at shanghai ? Gucci  . For the people who are not into brands me included there are reasonably good quality  winterware available in the shopping area . Before going to China i  had a feeling that it had many cheap price things available . But coming here i realised the Shanghainese mostly used high end products or the medium priced ones .  No ones dress (  i was as expected checking out  the girls winterware ) looked cheap .  My point is there were no cheap looking  products at least in Shanghai . There was a  big crowd in applestore and iphone is very popular .

movie review ... Scoop

I recently saw a movie on HBO .  Thought i would share it here .  Its a murder mystery where a serial killer in london goes on killing  women and leaving a poker card at the murder site. Murder mysteries are always interesting but this movie got me more interested as there was an old man who is a supporting actor  but in most of the scenes he is stealing the show  ... The main actor and the murder suspect is the handome actor Hugh Jackman and the journalist who is the main actress is the beautiful actress Scarlett Johansen . They both acted well but  this old man was acting much better  .. I saw the movie to the end and then researched who this old man was .. Movie buffs will kill me that i didnt know " Woody Allen "  but frankly i didnt know him .  Only when i searched in the net after searching the movie did i find that the funny  old man was no other than the great actor woody allen . And i was happy that i discovered him in this retrospective way meaning  just by seeing his acting i  could feel he is someone great  .  Please check out wikipedia to find out  he was not only a great actor  but also his adventurous personal life . See "Scoop "  if  you are interested in murder mysteries or if you like Scarlett Johansen :)

Shanghai noon or the .mallu in Dragon land

I came to china day before yesterday by Cathay Pacific airways . The service was very good and they served Indian food in the flight upto hongkong . I was worried that I would be lost in the big airport and with the transit time of just one hour  I was really worried  .  But immediately on deplaning  I saw a nice Chinese flight attendant holding a board showing that the next gate for shanghai passengers  is gate number 50  .  My point is inspite of having the most advanced technologies the human touch could be seen typical of an asian country  . I like it  .  Was  it all human only  ..  No way . This was china where there was a unique blend of humanity and technology  .  I was walking for 10  minutes and suddenly I reached a subway . Felt like science fiction . Subway in an airport for transferring from one gate to another  . Hi-tech . Total time after I came out from the plane to hongkong and reached boarding gate of flight to shanghai only 20 minutes .  This is in sharp contrast to airport at Amsterdam where I had to virtually run to avoid missing the connecting flight  .  The connecting flight was also good and I had the first taste of proper Chinese food – thick flat noodles with seafood .  Much blander compared to the Chinese food available in india . I  reached shanghai by noon  . 

The shanghai airport is in pudong district of shanghai  and the immigration process was very smooth . The immigration officer with police badge on the shoulder  smiled .  I have passed through immigration of india , srilanka ,Kuwait and germany but a smile was first from immigration . 

Money changing at airport to Chinese RMB or Yuan  was done and got a local SIM  for cheaper calling  .  Those who on  their international roaming my only advice is try to avoid for it costs too much the money which can be better spent on shopping or eating  . I saw the arrow pointing to the Maglev train which is faster than the bullet train and the French TGV train  and much cheaper . I will use it later as  it doesn’t go to  my hotel area  .  Got a taxi  from  the taxi queue below.  (Never take taxi from solicitors like any big city  )  .  One girl was calling  to me  but as mamma told never go after a girl who calls you J

                                                    Always  I repeat always take the address of your hotel printed in Chinese and the hotel number as most drivers don’t talk a word of English. And learning Chinese is not easy  .  The cityscape is great  with 8  lane roads with  separate cycle tracks  .  The buildings are beautiful as shanghai has a cultural history with interspersing of architecture of many cultures . Even the  modern buildings are stylish  .  Many buildings are 25 floors +  in downtown shanghai  .  Vehicles are ninety percent  sedan type Volkswagen and a Chinese company predominates . Don’t ask me the name of the Chinese car company I cant read Chinese .  But  leave  your  notion of  “Chinese “ make .  The car  is very stylish with great build quality . Its finish is better than Volkswagen passat  .  Another thing is so far I haven’t seen a single beggar here  .  The people are all fashionably dressed  ,being winter ,  with all the stylish overcaoats and puss in boots shoes  . I  reached my hotel  Citadines which is  a  chain of  hotels worldwide  .  After checking in the hotel  I strolled through the roads of shanghai  .  Everywhere I look I see  the look of a developed country  .  You never feel that you are in a country with most population in the world  .  And yes ,  there was not even  a  single  political flag  anywhere  .   No hartals , bandhs or dirtying or roads  ---and remember this is a communist country  .   My state  kerala should follow the Chinese example  which  being the seat of communism doesn’t have  any  of  it affecting the day to day life of common man  .  Just before the day  of my coming here there was a bandh or strike against walmart in india  . And  I saw a walmart  in china  and  the Chinese supermarkets are equally flourishing there no problem  .  My point is  though india is shining  and I am proud to be an Indian we have  to learn a lot  from our asian neighbor  . 

Another  thing  I  noticed  here which can be copied is their culture of sports  .  There were numerous basketball courts and shuttle badminton courts on side of road  and the public both children and adults were playing  .  In india sports are delegated to  college age  people . No wonder I hardly  saw an obese Chinese  .  There were huge  stores selling exclusively sports goods like Decathlon  .  Trekking outfits , fishing rods , archery equipment ---you name it its there .  The store was 15 minutes walk from my hotel 

Vijay Mallya ,Kingfisher airlines and me....

Just reached kerala after a "fly with good times " Kingfisher airlines flight from mumbai   .  But i know according to the newspapers it is not a good time for Kingfisher airlines which is neck deep in debt  .  There are  even rumours that it may close down  .  As a  frequent flyer  i must admit  ,among the airlines as of  now kingfisher is one of the best  . They ,according to me , give the  best service currently . 
                                                                                   Now coming to the issue of the  bleak future of kingfisher airlines and whether government should bail them out   , i have  an  entire  different opinion  .  Kingfisher airlines is an airline which is a part of the airline industry in india and  just one of the many companies in the business map of india   .And in the world of business it is the survival of the fittest  .    Also , majority stake  of the company is with Vijay Mallya the chairman who  owns numerous highly profitable businesses like the famous kingfisher beer business ,  even formula one team  .  To even think about the india government bailing out  his airlines  is against  the taxpayers of india.  This potential bailout  money  which is in the tune of  close to a few  thousand crores is required  for  more essential  development activities in a country like india  .  Though  we have so many  great  things in this country  here we have also farmers who commit suicide due to unviability of their small business (farm  )  . There is no one to bail them out when their business (farm )  incurs a loss .  And being a socialist  country  a farmers business is equally important  as that  of a  business like  airline  .  Adding to this is the issue that  Vijay Mallya  has a lot  of money to spend on even luxury cars , and sports teams  .

                                               This crisis  bring to my mind  the great  entrepreneur Captain Gopinath  who  founded Air Deccan  who  put the middle class indian to the skies  and who remains the real hero in the aviation industry  . 

price for romantic love

                                                                   Will you give up your powerful status in your soceity , the status of your job , the money  etc etc in favour  of  a romantic love which is against everyones wishes .  Yes you know what i am getting at  ... the topic of countless movies the success of the movies show that  this is an "ideal  "  most people have . But  like all ideals how many  of  us are ready  for this in actuality  .  The reality  can be seen in pages of newspaper where reality is honestly portrayed . Marriage "market  "  where even the salaries are spelt out in figures so that there is no confusion in choosing the best bride /groom .  Even in love  marriage  these days  many people say girls and boys have  become more "sensible  "  in falling in love only after checking  the basic "economic and social data  "  .  I am  not saying all this is good or bad  .  Or rather i have  no comment about this in the present practical world  .

But  that  doesnt  make me from admiring  some people who truly gave up everything  for their romantic love .  For  even nowadays there are some people who  truly  go for their true love .  Today  i was just checking the internet  on the emperors of india and there he was an Emperor of India during the British times and the King of England for the shortest period (less than an year ) . His name was King Edward V111  ,  who  abdicated (gave up the throne  after just an year of his rule ) for  marrying  a commoner Wallis Simpson . With the highest standing  in  British soceity as the head of the state and access to all the riches of  the  "land where sun never sets ---the british empire "  he would be considered foolish  by any standards .  After his abdication till  his death  at the age of  78  he  lead a life with this commoner away  from britain  .  The british monarchy never accepted his wife though he was made Duke of Windsor .  It is like getting promotion from CEO to senior executive   . Please check out wikipedia if you want to know more about this couple .

Now my little thoughts on this issue  ... Lets face it  .. Each one of us is different . Some of us value  money  , some of us power , some of us status  and still there are some who give priority to love  . All of us value all these things but  the  priority  varies highly between individuals  .  Watch around you and we can see what i mean  .  But  the point is after a honest self check  we should all  try to  make our goals aligned to  our priorities  . And though there many leaders whom we can look upto in the  first three categories  ,  remember  King Edward VIII  and  his  wife  if  you are searching  for  a leader  in the last category  .

Disclaimer  :  On  a lighter  note  i  am not  promoting running away  /eloping  or  making  extreme decisions like the King  .  But  understand yourself and think in what proportion you want money-power-status-love .
And need not  feel  guilty if  its skewed towards the former three  ---thats part of being human  .

Too philosophical or  enjoyed the blog  .. let me know by your comments  . 

little thoughts on match fixing

Todays news when i switched on the TV was about Kumble making some allegations of match fixing in cricket  . 

                                              Cricket was never my favourite game . But some time in the past i sometimes thought" if" i were interested in cricket i could have spent around 10 hours glued in front of TV and never got bored . For there was  always a cricket match on TV in the good old days before animal planet , discovery and star movies became just a channel change away . I am referring to the Doordarshan era when daytime TV only had cricket in it   .Those days the the minority who hated cricket used to say it was a game where 11 players played  and 11000 fools watched .  (i never hated or loved it btw). But now with each day churning out  the match fixing plots getting public i dont know whether i should agree with the joke or not . What is the fun in watching the game when it is rigged ?  And that too for hours

                                                   Most of the cricket players used to get  very large amount of money legitimately   for the games they played and when there was not a single audi car in the public domain  it was in one  of the cricket games , a worldcup  where the man of the match  got an Audi  car as prize  . I remember it was ? 1984  . That was good and legal .  Nowadays they also  get  money in millions from their many endorsements of various products in advertisements too .  I am not against talented players making money . But  in a country where many people live below the poverty line when some of these people inspite of getting a lot of money  legally do such activities as matchfixing to get "extra cash"  they should not go unpunished . For i once again yearn for the time when i felt jealous for the people who could enjoy continuous 10 hours of  a game .

born free --Elsa the lioness

                                                         

                         Each time i read about  a  book about animals the more  i respect  them and the people who go out of their way from the "normal " life  to live  in their midst  . The current book i am reading is Born Free a book written by Joy Adamson about her experiences in caring for a lion cub named Elsa . In the book which is a must read for any animal lover she recounts her day to day life  from  the days when Elsa was a few weeks old  to  her  growth into a full grown female lioness weighing more than 150 kilograms . Joy Adamson wife of senior game warden George Adamson got the cub when it was a few weeks old  . She nurtured it  and  it lived in their camp in Kenya , africa . Though brought up in human company gradually  they introduced it to the wild and Elsa started hunting on her own starting with small baboons and gradually larger prey .  Inspite of her fierce hunting tactics whenever the lioness came to visit  them it  used to show its affection .  Even for me an ardent watcher  of animal planet channel it was new information that  many of the behaviour of  lions like killing prey by suffocation is instinctual because Elsa the lioness since it was brought up by Joy and George Adamson didnt have its mother to teach her how to kill prey .  Similarly  right from young age she used to stalk and even challenge large animals like buffalo many times its size . 

The two things i have great respect or admiration after reading half the book is
1.  the lion which with a single swipe could break the neck of many animals including humans never attacked Joy or George Adamson (its parent equivalents  )  .  This  becomes all the more important as after about an year  most of the time it was in the wild hunting  and returned  to the camp for some time  .  So much for the "wild animal instinct "  .
2.  Joy and George Adamson for bringing up a lion fearlessly and often the lion used to sleep "unchained " in their tent  .  How many of us could do that  ?  Just  like you and I  go to the shopping mall  looking carefully both sides when crossing the road  these people lived in the wild bush  country all their lives walking , working , camping in the african wilderness. They could have lead a much "normal life "  living in London or Paris sipping  tea  and going for safari vacations  .

                                                Now , the surprise and tragic ending  many years later  .  The book was written around 40 years back  ,  both Joy and George Adamson died much later in 1980s and both had tragic deaths  .  Elsa died long back  so they  were not killed by Elsa the lioness . George till he died used to take care of many lion cubs and  Joy  many cheetahs and leopards .  But they were not killed by  any of their wild pets nor by wild elephants/crocodiles/hippos .  They were killed in separate incidents nine years apart  Joy  by  her    ex -domestic servant   and   George  Adamson by poachers  while he tried to save a tourist  from them   .  So the question  remains who is  more dangerous  ---man or animal  ? 

                                                                      

kentucky fried chicken and tender coconut

I  am  on a dieting spree these days . Dont  get  me wrong i still love food eat all  the different food and am a registered foodie . Only  thing is  i have started  checking the calorie content  on whatever i eat and started obsessively checking my weight  .  How do you start  loosing weight by checking calorie content  and checking weight  ?   Before  you start to make fun of this calorie checker  pls consider this  . 

Recently  i  brought a  packet  of  pure ghee  made  soan papdi  from bareilly  .  Usually  we all eat  till  it gets over . This time to tell the truth  it was the most tasty soan papdi i have ever eaten (much   better than haldirams ).  But  this  time  i  checked the  cover  for any calorie information  .  It was clearly mentioned in the cover  --- 2500  calories  .  If  a single person eats it an entire days calorie is contained in it  and all the rest of the days food will go as fat  accumualation in the body  . And being a dieter  i am supposed to decrease  my calorie intake  .  So  what  did i do  ... I  didnt eat  the  soan papdi  in one go  .  I  took my share  and ate  it  over  two days  .  Best of both worlds ... i  ate the  tasty  soan papdi while my  calorie  intake from this was  2500 divided by 4  again divided by  2 .

Now coming  to the heading  Kentucky fried chicken and tender coconut  . During my younger days  (read  1 year  ago  )  me  and  my friend  used  to  finish  a  bucket  of  kentucky fried chicken  easily  .  Nowadays  i  eat  KFC  once in ten days and that  too  2  pieces  .  And  i eat  a  variety of foods ranging from soan papdi  to tender coconut to salads all in reasonable quantities  . And  paradoxically i  found out that  most of our  indian foods  taste  better and are  more healthy  calorie wise(except sweets  ) than the italiano pizzahut , americano KFC  etc  (please  check  on the  net  calorie  of  the popular fast  foods  ).  I  am not against  any of  those food  . They are all nice  but  the  point is  they are  overhyped  by  the  marketing gurus  so much  that  we indians  have started  following the  americas  in  the obesity  charts  .  The incidence  of obesity  is much greater  in america to a large extent due to  overconsumption of fast food  .  Denmark recently became the first country  to tax  food which contains excess of saturated fats  .  I  think  india  should follow suit  and also  our country should  promote  the  great  indian cuisine  (not the heavy  ghee variety  )  as  popular  "slow "  food chains  so that  more  people  start  eating  the  "slow  indian  food "  in style  .  In that  way  we  will lead  healthier  lives  .  Personally  i think  fast food is like going  fast  in a car  . An occasional  speed  is  interesting  while if  we always travel  in high speed the  result  is disastrous  healthwise , Unless one is  Michael Schumacher ...

P.S  :   I lost  4  kg  so far  by  this calorie watch and cutting  calories  .  Got to add mild exercise from this week  .  Wish  me luck  

visiting britain to see a cows remains

My  aunt  tells me  everytime  i see  her  that  i  should  visit  a foreign country  every year  . Basically she  is  very fond  of travelling  and  like many people  has  visiting  foreign countries among  the  top  to do  things  in life  .  Though  i  have  to travel  extensively  in india  due  to my nature of work  and has visited  Germany , Kuwait and Sri Lanka as foreign travel  after  much  introspection  i realised  travelling abroad is  not one of the top  things i  wish  to  do  . I enjoy my books  my  movies  and my food compared to foreign travel . Not to be  misunderstood,  its not one of my  top priority thats  all  . Frankly  i get  more thrill out  of seeing a  great  movie  compared  with  visiting  the bmw museum  for instance  .  (i have done both  however  )
                                                              Today while i was reading from an autobiography of  a famous scientist  , i read that she had visited St Georges hospital london  during her research and mentioned about the hide of a cow called Blossom  framed in their library  . Suddenly visiting  london has become in one of my priority list  . Not that i suddenly  was  highly  interested  in seeing the thames  but  i was  interested in visiting  St Georges  hospital  ,London . The cow Blossom is one of the reasons  many  of us  are  still  alive  and not afflicted  by the  terrible disease  called small pox  who  killed  countless  people till its vaccine was discovered by Dr Jenner  . And  our Blossom  the cow  was  the  one  in which  he experimented to  develop  the vaccine  .  Just like a devout  religious  go  to their place of worship  many  thousand kilometres away  i  wish to visit  london  to  visit  many  hospitals like St.Georges Hospital  established in 1733 which  carry history . This same hospital had doctors like John Hunter who  is the father of modern surgery  and  Dr Gray  who  first  published  the  greatest  book on human anatomy  called Grays Anatomy  which remains the bible of human anatomy even to this day  .And he published this great book of 750 pages while  he was  just  31  years  old  .  This book  has  to  be seen to be believed  as  it is so  exhaustive  that  even the smallest nerve or blood vessel is shown named and described  .  i  cannot  remain but in  awe  at  the  painstaking research  Dr Gray  did  for his book  or the meticulous experiments  Dr Jenner  did  in eradicating smallpox  .

And  like  a pilgrim  i  have decided  i would  visit  Britain  at  least  to  see St Georges Hospital  .And yes  the  Tower  of  London,  the Thames  etc i  will  definitely  see  and enjoy but  my reason will  remain  to  see  the cows  remains  : of Blossom  who  remains there  as  a relic  of  mans  fight  against  disease  and the  great  doctors  who  did  research and  enabled us to lead  healthier  lives  .

spicy food and spicy movies

                                                       The 1980-1990 period is called the golden age  of malayalam movies  .  That  period  gave great movies  with  great  storyline  ,  great acting  and  great direction .  Though  i like  many movies  of that period  i like  some  for their  strong themes  and  great acting  .  Here is a list  of some of them  .  For my non malayali  friends please get  these movies  with english subtitles  and see  them  .  (Only precondition is  that  your movie taste should be like  me  :  i  like them very  spicy  with strong themes  )  .  I  also  like comedy  movies  but  they  are  like  sweets /dessert  to  me  .  The main food  is  equally or more  important  . So  this  list is about the  main course  the  spicy  food  i.e  movies with strong  plot  .

1.  Koodevide  : (English: Where's the Nest?) is a 1983 Malayalam drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan, starring Suhasini, Mammootty and Rahman :  This  movie  tells  about  how  an unruly  son  of a  politician  who is  spoilt  who is  brought  back  into  mainstream life  by the  affection  of  his teacher  in an Ooty  boarding school  .  So realistic  Suhasinis and Rahmans  acting  is  classic  and  the film  shows how step by step  the  boy Rahmans trust is won by  the teacher  .  Mammootty  though  a big  hero  even at that time  has a  much smaller  role  as the jealous fiance  of  Suhasini .  The  film  affirms  that  through  love and affection  most people can be  made better  .  The  pictuersque  Ooty with its  misty  mountains  and the  tinge  of  romantic love  between Rahman  and  his girlfriend  all  add  flavour to this great movie  . 

2  .  Kireedam  :  (the crown )  :  One  of  Mohanlals  and  Thilakans classic movie  the story  revolves  around  a  young  man  Mohanlal  who is  selected  for police Subinspectors  post  .  His father  Thilakan is a  constable  in police  and  dreams like  any  father  of  his  son  becoming  a  police officer  . But  by  a cruel twist of fate  his son gets  involved  in  murder  and  the  movie  shows the circumstances  under which this happens  .  The  father -son and mother -son relationship  is shown  with  its  full  character  under  these trying circumstances  . 

3. Iniyengilum  :  With  the  frequent  world travel these  days  and globalisation this movie  may  not be  a  big  hit  if it would  have been released  now  .  But  when it was released  in 1983  it was a big hit  because  it  showed  the  stark  contrast  between  the  life  in japan  and life  in kerala . What  the  movie  showed  was a group of  young  men and women travelling to japan  and  finding  the  civic  sense  and  hardworking  nature  of  japanese  people  influencing  how  they  attained  developed country status  inspite  of the  severe loss  after  world war 2  .  At the same time in that period  kerala was  having  lot  of  strikes  and  politics  was  severely  hampering progress  .   The  movie  had megastars  like mammootty  and mohanlal  but the beauty  of the plot and direction  was  such that  they  were  just  stars  in that movie 

4 Desatanakkili Karayarilla (English: The Migratory Bird Never Cries) is a 1986 Malayalam film written and directed by Padmarajan. It stars Karthika, Shaari, Mohanlal and Urvasi in pivotal roles.  This was one of the first  indian movies which  showed strong girl-girl relationship  in mainstream cinema  .  The story  revolves around two schoolgirls who elope  during a schooltrip  as revenge against  their  teacher  .  Karthikas and Shaaris  acting is  superb  .  It  is  not the beauty  but the acting skill  which is more  important  for  a  film actress . Both these actresses with average looks  have  given life  to so many  strong characters in malayalam movies 

5. Nakhakshathangal  (the wounds with the nails )  :   is a 1986 Malayalam film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and starring Monisha, Vineeth and Saleena. The lead actress, Monisha, won the distinguished National Film Award for Best Actress for her role, that made her the first actress to get a National Award for her debut film and the youngest actress to achieve the feat  .  The story is about triangular love which is a  theme in many movies but  here  the innocence of the characters  and the subtle human characters like respect towards mentor , gratitude etc and their interplay with this romance adds a different dimension to this movie  .  And one of the characters being deaf and dumb adds further  spice to the movie  .  The  music scores were and still are a great hit after all these years  . 

to be continued..........
a word of caution once again : many  of these movies are tragedies  so  please do not watch  if you dont  like  tragedies . I dont  like tragedies much  but  the plot and acting make up  for  it  and end is as natural as the plot  .  And just as in life , running around trees do not make a good movie  (personal opinion  )  .

lady with the lamp

Which is the most noble profession in the world  ?  Is it a doctors job ?  Or is it a teachers  job ?    Though these  will come  to mind  when we think about the  noble professions,  one of the  most noble professions in the world is nursing  .  Not  only  it  is  a job  where  you do good  to the  sick and suffering  it is more noble  than a doctors or  teachers  job  because  nurses  work under  more stressful conditions .
                                                           Think about the following  scenario . A patient  is admitted with  severe   burns  in the body  .  The  doctor  sees  it  ,  prescribes  the  medication  and  then comes  into the scene again when the patient complains  of further pain or during the  next "rounds  "  .  But  the nurse  who is given the  instructions  is with the  patient  in the same ward seeing the  suffering  and  applying medication or consoling  him/her  .  And at least  in many parts  of india they  are  grossly underpaid considering the  important work they do . 
                                      In addition to all  this  a relatively  new phenomenon i  have observed  is  some  patients  who  misbehave  with them by  verbally  abusing  them .  Also  though  they  do  a great job  the  public  and  many ( not all)  doctors  consider  them  as  supporting  actors  in the  medical team  .  This is unfortunate as unlike in the movies  these supporting actors have a critical role  in the recovery of the  patient  .  Just think what would happen if the nurse  doesnt give  the  lifesaving injections at the  correct interval or dont monitor the bloodpressure after a heart attack  ? 

Modern medicine and nursing has progressed so much since the days of Florence nightingale who  tended to the wounded during the Crimean war .  Nowadays there are  specialities like critical care nursing etc where their  role  is  of great importance  .  But are we  giving the importance  which they deserve  ? 

Today  i was very saddened to know the demise  of a nurse in her twenties who  apparently  committed suicide due to  work pressure  in mumbai . Allegedly   the  authorities  had  kept  her  certificates  and was pressurising her  .  In addition to her stressful job this was too much for her and at  the  tender  age of 22 she  apparently took her  life  .  As of the time of this writing many of nurses in mumbai are on strike and some of their  demands are  so basic  like  the authorities should not  hold their certificates , give them experience certificate  for work done etc  . Apparently  the ladies with the lamp  are denied certificates of experience if  they dont complete minimum 2 years of work  .and their basic  qualification certificates are kept  with the administration (like bail  )

                                                                 It  is high  time  that  we take  care  of  this section of the  medical profession , for when anyone is admitted  in a hospital it is  their smile ,kindness and treatment  which  gives the patient  hope and ultimately recovery .  Or at the very least  let  us not mistreat them so bad that  some  of them end their  lives prematurely

Dr Haroon H Marikar

encounter with mans best friend

There are  more people who die of dog bites in the united states than killed by sharks  . If  in doubt  refer  http://www.google.com/. Yes  dogs can be  dangerous  in certain circumstances  and of course large dog breeds like rottweiler and mastiffs can kill  .  But wait a minute , i titled my blog encounters with  mans "best friend " .  Yes ,  i did it deliberately because  among animals dog is indeed mans best friend .  Even cat lovers would agree that there are few animals which reciprocate and demonstrate their affection unconditionally like a dog .

When i was in mumbai  i  visited an old friend of mine .  A  visit including  delicious lunch ,  meeting few of their friends , reminiscing the past etc etc which were enjoyable  . Then after all the guests had left and only  they were  in the house they asked me whether i liked dogs . Though most of my family hated dogs  i liked dogs  .  I told them so  and asked them  why  . It seems they had three dogs in their large duplex flat and the dogs  were in a room  as the guests were there for lunch  .  They wanted to let  out the dogs if i was ok with it . Actually by this time i too was curious to see their dogs  .  Watching animal planet and having seen dog behaviour with good masters (my cousins had dogs )  i was not afraid . When the door was opened ,  i  learned the meaning of "trust "  .  Out  came  three  very "cute "  dogs  -- a  large mastiff  (one of the largest breeds of dogs used for  boar hunting in the past ) , rottweiler ( responsible for  the maximum dog fatality of humans ) and good old boxer.  I didnt get scared for  the owners had told me "they had been brought up like their children "  .  Still  .. i was a stranger to the dogs  .  Before my heart could skip a beat another  cuter  thing happened.  The dogs one by one came upto me and sniffed me  .  Typical dog behaviour . But  they sniffed at my  neck   . yes  neck  .  I was a little scared at this moment . Then they just  lay down on the floor  .  So  i am  introduced to their  dogs  .  Next was my turn . I asked them whether it was safe to touch the dogs . They told no problem .  I  stroked the rottweiler and the mastiff  and  they both  had no problems with  it .And the mastiff even rolled on its back  .Those  who  know animal behaviour  will tell that when a dog rolls on its back and allow  you stroke its belly  its the sign of submission and trust . I couldnt believe it this large mastiff was  allowing me to stroke its belly  . The boxer  by its body language and looks  showed that  it didnt trust me so i didnt stroke it  . 

That  day  again affirmed my opinion  that  dog is indeed  mans best friend  .  What about  the  killer  rottweilers  in USA .  Most  of them  had been abused by their owners and  naturally  their  killer instinct  had been  promoted . So its not the dog  which is responsible but their owners . 

jhumka gira re... bareilly ki bazaar mein

This  line sung   by Asha Bhosle in the famous hindi film Mera Saaya is beautiful  ...  Its  more beautiful  for the last  one week because  i am in bareilly ,uttar  pradesh .  Around 250  kms  from delhi , bareilly  region has a long history  and  was  the  capital  of uttara panchala  . And panchala clan  was  mentioned  in the Mahabharatha and puranas  . 

Present day bareilly is  a buzzling town  yes  buzzling  because  it  reminds me  of  some busy areas of mumbai  in the sheer  density of people , cyclerickshaw,auto,buses on the road .   And  today walking  down the civil lines area where the street food is famous i realized  why  1 $  a day  poverty line  may not mean  poverty  here   .  Let me explain  .

After  my days work i  went  to my hotel gym .  Usually people go to the gym to burn excess calories  but  here  i  went  to the gym as  i  was planning to try bareilly street food without guilt of excess calories  .After  the gym i wanted  to  go  at  a leisurely  mood to civil lines area  so i took a  cycle rickshaw  .  In delhi  for a distance where u paid 30 rs , in bareilly  you pay  rs 10  for cyclerickshaw  .  very cheap indeed  .

 In bareilly  each of the food stalls is known by the owners name  .  No "pizza"hut  , no "Kentucky "fried chicken  . Here  you have  Tyagi restaurant ,  Deenanath ki lassi , chaman chaat  , chote lal ki chaat  etc  .  I had  Deenanath ki lassi  --for rs 25  you get a  large  earthenware glass  full of thick sweet lassi  decorated with  nuts .  Like a  neurosurgeon or cardiac surgeon he  is specialised in lassi  . Service is prompt  and good  .  Similarly  Tyagi restaurant has nice channa batoora  cost  rs 30  .And  it  is  just next to  deenanath  so that you  can eat batooras and wash it down with lassi .

Next    there were many pani puri places  (pani puri can be tricky as it is filled with cold  tamarind water so  probability of stomach upset is there  depending on your  resistance)  . I choose one which  had the handler with  gloves  .  Risky still  but i took it  .  I gave  rs 20  for  6 pani puris  .  The man  after  i ate  the yummy pani pooris  called me  and told something in fast hindi  .  Oh my god ,  did i mistook  the price and paid only rs 20 when price is rs  30  ?? Will  he  think that  this  chor  has  come from malluland  and ate  his pani puris without paying up  fully  ??                 No , the  old man  gave me back  10  rs  . Cost price for 6  lovely pani puris filled with boiled potataoes ,  paani and meeta chutney  was only  rs 10  .  You tell me  with food inflation nearing all time high  do we  get  anything at  this price  ? 
Total  cost  of  outing was  rs 25 +30+10 = rs 65  .  That  is  almost one  EURO  .  Can you  get  your stomach  full  in Europe  with one Euro  eating  food which  is natural  like lassi , channa etc  .No way  . 

                                                        So what else to do in bareilly  other than eating street  food  .  Take a  cab  and go to Nainital  (3  hrs  drive ) or go to Jim Corbetts  house  (on foothills of Nainital at Kaladungi  )  or  if you have proper 2 days  go to Jim Corbett National Park  .  And  thinking about  Jim Corbett itself  makes  me  want to visit  his house  .  He  is no more  in this  world  but  he was a courageous  hunter  who used  to hunt  maneating  tigers and leopards of kumaon region around  50  years  back  .  And  i  say  he was  extremely brave  because some  of this  hunts  he  used  to  do  "on foot  "  .  Imagine  that  .

Till  my nainital and kaladungi trip  .... i will  be checking  whose  jhumka has fallen in bareilly  bazaar  ..

black gold and venice of the east

Once upon a time alleppey my hometown on mothers side was not there in the tourist map . But this town was known for many centuries as an important trade link between the arab , the western world and india . It had one old port and the whole town is crisscrossed by canals which are found even now giving it the name Venice of the east . The town was a tradepoint which mainly focussed on coir and spices including pepper . And in those times pepper was known as black gold .


My grandfather on my mothers side was known as the pepper king in those days . It was said that the leading newspapers in kerala used to call him to know the market rate of pepper and he used to decide the pricing just by rolling the pepper with his fingers . In addition to all this recently i read the biography of one of the founders of malayala manorama newspaper and in it on page 21 there is mention of our pepper kings family which originally belongs to one of the noble families from telicherry who settled down in alleppey .Like most people i am also happy of my family heritage . But as always this blog is not to bask on the family glory . For i feel more than family heritage it is the persons attributes that are more important . But , what i am really proud about this pepper king grandfather of mine was his hardworking nature and humbleness . Whenever i used to visit my ancestral home I saw my grandfather always dressed in a traditional white mundu and a white shirt . It was simple dress and he was always calm and helping towards whoever came to his house . There was never a pomp or show in that house . Food was plenty but though he could afford all the luxuries in life (Waterman and Parker pens , imported cars were available then also ) there was always enough but no wastage on unwanted luxuries . I was very close to him and whenever i visited there we used to spend time in each others company . And now i realize it was “quality time “ for during other times his schedule of work was from morning 8 am to night 11 pm at least  . His hardwork and trade acumen made him who he was . And in those days those who had money generally didn’t work this hard. Instead they used to sit at home and spend that hardearned money of the forefathers .

He is no more now . He passed away when i was 9 years of age . So what was the legacy that he left behind for me . I would say his humbleness and hardwork  . And an inward happiness when i put salt and pepper on the morning breakfast egg .

from sweeper to rocket scientist

I  had  a  teacher  in medical  college  who  used  to inspire  all  of  us  the  lucky  group  who  were posted  in his unit  .  Himself a  gold medalist in medical college  he used  to tell us  everyday that 
" Even if  you  are  a  sweeper  you should sweep the floor  like  Michael Angelo does  a  painting  or as Beethoven  composes a song  "  Inspiring he was Dr Joy  Philip  ,  his  words flashes in my mind  whenever  i see  anyone  who  does  justice to his  profession  ....

                                                                            Fast forward 2011  ... One of my  cousin  is doing  BDS (dental surgery  )  .  The  problem  is  he  has taken  this quotation to  the other extreme  .  No  one including myself can smile at him  .  No sooner than  the smile exposes the teeth within seconds my cousin will  diagnose  the  problem with  the  persons teeth or gums  .  And unfortunately  the diagnosis is perfectly correct and he will give a ten minute lecture  on what  is to be done  .  From nightime  teeth grinding  to  tooth malalignment  his diagnosis  and explanation are perfect  and interesting  .  I  dont  know what the future holds for him  .. but one thing is sure  ... he  is  following  the  quotation in the first paragraph  and  watching  him in action is a pleasure  ....

Another Michael Angelo is my cousin in mumbai  .  He is a  fourth year architectural student  .... When i was in mumbai  i have watched  him  burning the  midnight  oil  and  continuing to burn the  midnight oil  till  break of dawn.  Yes  at least  on two days i have  watched him drawing and making models  without having  food or sleep  .... Ok , you may say  whats great about  it  ... The thing  is  even for one  moment  i didnt see  boredom or  frustration inspite  of this gruelling work  ...  Passion kept  him going   ...

                                                            Career  choices  in our  soceity  is dictated  by many  factors   ....  many people  get  carried  away  by  the  perceived  glamour  of  a  career  ,  its earning potential   ,  etc  .  The  demand (job prospects ) and earning potential are  important factors i agree  but equally  important  is ones passions  ..  My  batch  of  MBBS from medical college  trivandrum  had  many  good students  who are  now  doing  very well as  famous doctors  in india , US and UK  ...But  i am also reminded of two  of them  whose passion was  different  ....  But  recently  i came  to know that  one  of them is  the  Vice  President  of TCS  after doing  MBA  from  Cambridge  .  And  another  who has done a Ph  D in computer science  from UK and working there in the UK  ...At  least  in the latter  case  we  all knew  his passion was  in computer science  even while in  medical college  ..

                                                                                Today  my uncle was  discussing  with  me  about  vacancy  of storekeeper  in his godown  .  And  i couldnt  beleive  my ears  when  he  told me  there  were many B.Techs who applied  for that vacancy  last time it was announced  .  It  was  not  the issue  that  graduate engineers are applying for  a storekeeper  job  .   But  the  very purpose  of their  career  choice was defeated  .  With  the mushrooming of engineering colleges in kerala  anyone  with no regard to aptitude  pursued  it  dreaming  of  the  dream job  .  But  what they failed to realize  was that  any  job  requires  a  reasonable amount of passion  to be  successful   .  Had  some of these people followed their  respective passions  at least  they would  not  be in their current plight  ....

And  last but not  the  least ......what  about  this blogger  ...  yes  myself  ...i  am  passionate  about  what  i  do   ...  for  though  not  a michael  angelo .... i am involved  in my twin passions  of science  and teaching  ... my  job involves bit  of  medicine ,bit  of physics  and  lots of teaching ( word  doctor  means to teach  by  the way ... ) . 

dr haroon  h marikar