Dog or child quiz

Let me be honest . I am a dog lover . Of course with all their shortcomings i love my species too (humans,  not dogs to be clear ) .

In the recent debates on "dog menace " and the vocal support by leading animal activists including a tv star i thought i should put my thoughts here . Of course you can disagree .

Its been years since i am seeing animal planet channel and reading books . Its common knowledge that a pack of wild dogs are one  of the most powerful predators on earth . With their small size but with pack strenth and dynamics a tiny wild dog as a pack kills even tigers with ease . The same is the case with wolves . Its not the individual but its pack behaviour. Many children (read somebodys daughter , sister etc ) has been killed and even eaten by stray dog packs . I am an animal lover . But that doesnt mean that i go to extreme fanatism and support glorification of stray dog packs roaming around in our "civilised " cities .

Regarding animal rights activism , yes its great thing indeed as the innocent animals be it dog or cat need protection . But most of animal activists including me have a car . And the affected persons by the dog menace are primarily ordinary humans (yes we have a responsibility to them too ) who need to walk for their livelihood . I have been in middle of a dog pack in delhi at 8 pm and had to use all my survival skills to escape. few years back . (I was walking then )

Coming back , those who are so vocal about animal rights let them ( i am not that extreme an activist )  come forward and adopt one dog each from the street . I think with the number of extreme activists this is not a herculean task . And without further armchair and car seat based comments let each one prove that they are really that much caring towards stray dogs . And remove the stray dog menace from our streets . Yes keeping packs of stray dogs on our streets is not only uncivilised move its a dangerous move . Lets still retain our logic inspite of our activism extremes .

Afterall getting killed by a pack of dogs is worse than being killed by a lion . Check the internet . And let none of your children , brother  , sister fall prey to stray dog packs while we debate .. We were more sensible a decade back .

little thoughts on Doctors day

Happy doctors day all fellow doctors .  It was a happy day indeed for me today when i saw an article on a leading newspaper forwarded by a friend . It showcased positivity about doctors and the noble profession .

After reading scores of articles on doctors , patients and doctor patient relationship it was a welcome relief on doctors day . I myself has written many articles over the years on the doctor patient relationship and amidst the celebration let me suggest a few new year resolutions on both sides . I think being doctors day it can be a day of new resolutions for both doctors as well as patients .

1. Still most of the doctors and most of the patients are nice people inspite of the media induced stereotype . Nice doesnt mean they are the perfect human beings but most i have seen in close contact (be it a friend or as a patient myself or accompanying relatives  ) are nicer than most people , After all few people will wake up at 2 am for another person on a frequent basis especially strangers . ( Yes , i do understand the money hungry concept even for this but few people will do 2 am waking up even for greed , try it and see ) . I agree there is a section of doctors who are real black sheep but let this day be a reminder to identify them and as a bare minimum avoid them .  As a fraternity too doctors should identify them  and make sure that they are brought to book . There should be a mechanism to identify the black sheep in the profession and that system should be free of vested interests . Vague generalisations wont help either doctors or patients and at present is only serving to demoralise the hardworking white sheep (opposite of black sheep )among doctors  . Also even in media there is a section of media whose aim is to benefit by conflict in any form and they encourage conflict . In modern era its easy to understand which newpapers are spreading rumors and which are going by journalistic fairness .

2. Let go of the ideal . Lets face it . This is 21 st century and we know doctors are not gods . Lets not hang on to age old concepts and myths . We have doctors who may be god like in certain circumstances . But the reality is they are humans with families who try to combine a livelihood with some elements of missionary work in a world which is increasingly business oriented . Doctors are increasingly employed at business establishments who have money and i know personally many of my friends who changed their job because of unethical business ideals of non doctor management . Even doctors as management sometimes (remember black sheep ) resort to unethical means .  Let this doctors day be an opportunity to have a realistic dream of what to expect from a doctor . It took me years to see doctors from that perspective . Its all too easy to criticise someone when you expect the "ideal " from anyone .

3. Spend your hard earned money and make doctors rich .Was it too sarcastic . Yes it is . But i  mean it and i have done it and proud of it . Lets face it . Most doctors spend more than their fair share of time , hardwork , and their youth for patients . And frankly i as a patients relative want to see that they do get rich to show my gratitude towards them . And i have often seen the very people who dont crib for spending on a 10000 rs saree cribs for 100 rs doctors consultation fee . Yes , have seen it  numerous times . And sadly its worse nowadays that even if a "missionary doctor " foregoes his fees the patient has to spend thousands on medicines which cannot be bargained or got for debt .

4 . Embracing technology  : Good news for both patients and doctors is technology is making the doctor patient relationship different . Here too "anxiety " on how this will affect them is common like the free availability of online information which has made doctors anxious about the internet savvy patient . As with any new thing there is a growing up period and lets allow both the doctors and the patients the growing up time for embracing technology .

5 . Dont play doctor ( hey come on ... blogger just because you have doctor friends you cant support doctors ... they are bad .. )  ....Just an year back  i had one of persons known to me tick off the investigations which her "trusted " doctor had written . Though a multimillionaire she being stingy herself wanted me to cut off some of the investigations which her specialist had written . I was looking at awe at her when she was trying to decide (with full entitlement ) what she wanted and not wanted . My role was to say yes to her ignorant and arrogant remarks .   Let me be honest . Modern medicine is vast and the key thing is trust your doctor . If you feel he is not trustworthy instead of generalising ask around and change your doctor (white sheep , remember )  . But even if you feel entitled dont play doctor .(its a complicated science which after 15 years even i have an awe ) .

6. Lastly my personal theory :)   Ignore it if you want . 9 percent of the people suffer from personality disorders . I have blogged on them before and observing and talking to numerous doctors and patients i found that these 9 percent of personality disordered people who come both in the form of doctors as well as patients are responsible fully for the bad doctor patient relationship . In short this minority decides currently the stereotype and many of the issues which is plaguing the relationship of the nice 91 percent majority . I would call this minority the "black sheep " in both the profession as well as the patients(usually a relative who wants to make trouble )  . In this doctors day both as doctors as well as patients lets make a pledge to identify this group , report them , isolate them so that the lost glory of the profession is regained . Yes , its not an ideal dream but a "practical" dream . Happy doctors day to both the doctors as well as their patients .  

The policeman and the guitar

The 9 mm semiautomatic pistol was aimed at his heart . The white police officer could easily get away with it . For the victim was a black man . Yes after the shootout there will be the "usual " uproar of a racist overtone . But in this case he could get away with it as the circumstances he could explain . And yes with his ingrained racism he wanted to pull the trigger .

But a second before pulling the trigger at the black man he saw it . The 6 stringed instrument freshly strummed alongside the black man . And that second hesitation was enough for him to escape with his life . For though a criminal he had better things to do than to kill a police officer or be a martyr in a police shooting .

After the criminal escaped the officer was still standing staring at the 6 stringed instrument , a crudely made acoustic guitar left behind by the black man . And the middle aged officer was thinking back to his  own  teenage years .

A product of a broken home which doesnt discriminate between black  , brown or white . Bullied terribly in school and college he found solace in music . Specifically the music of the blacks . As a youth he knew though discriminated against in every sphere blacks were disproportionately represented in the music industry . And all his heroes and heroines were black . It was not a conscious process as music didnt have any color that he knew of . But he read somewhere that music of americas originally came from africa . He read that every day the slaves had one respite from their agonising and mundane existence . The world of dance and music which their forefathers gifted .

Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson , Gloria Geynor , Ray Charles , Stevie Wonder , Whitney Houston the list was endless . And in his troubled youth these were his gods and goddesses who took him out of his troubles , gave him hope and made him pursue life once again . He thought again . Without them he may not have survived his teenage years . And for a moment he stared at his gun . The instrument he carried to protect the people but which lost its meaning . That was his last day at work .

He took up a job with an agency working with  homeless black youth guiding them and integrating them into mainstream society .And yes in his sparetime he started to strum the guitar with them . And the black gods and goddesses of music were watching him many from the nether world .......

Heal the world ... Make it a better place ,.. for you and for me ,, and the entire human race ..( Michael Jackson ..)

blood stains on the heart

                                                     I learnt at seven years that blood stains dont go away easily from clothes . Actually they never go away . My dads shirt was having a small blood stain which i still remember from decades back in my childhood .

I sometimes wonder where the owner of that bloodstain is now . It was the blood of a child who was involved in a mass bus accident . I still remember the sound and my aunt closing my eyes . Children are not supposed to see accidents . So i never saw the accident . A bus at high speed had hit a van full of children in front of our shop . Later i heard children were strewn over the road and my father had took them to hospital in our neighbours car . Few children died on the spot but many probably were saved by the quick transport . The blood stain was the shirt which he was wearing while helping to transport the kids to the nearest hospital .

Decades later we have no contact with any of them . Even that shirt is not there . But the memory of the blood stain still lingers . Not as a horrible memory (Remember i didnt see the accident or even the kids injuries ) but as a question mark .

Is the child whose blood stain was in his shirt alive today . Where is he or she ?  Has he/she grown as a good human being after escaping from near death . Has  he/she grown into a real human being having saved by a man of one community and the car which was lent by a lady of another community . Or has he/she grown into a person who has become a religious fanatic over the years ? I dont know .
But for me and my dad it was  a  humbling experience long before i learnt blood of all humans especially of children are of the same colour . 

Nostalgia ---music blog

                                     You like continental food ? Maybe you don't . Its bland . I love it . You like action movies . Maybe you don't . Its too violent . Ahem I love it too (better than being violent :) )  . But whether you love or hate English music I suggest you listen to the golden oldies of the 60s western music . Though you are a classical Hindustani fan or a heavy metal fan I assure you you will enjoy it ..

Today was listening to Cliff Richards songs and the band "Cascades" songs . Having used to lyrics which are hard to understand and tempo which makes a speeding train to shame many pop songs and rock songs are fast .But here there was a series of songs slower in tempo , with clear lyrics and many of them straight from the heart . Listening to the golden oldies of the decade makes me even wonder if the culture of the period is reflected in the songs . 

Though i have just started sampling them a few of interest :

Summer Wine by Nancy Sinatra :Daughter of Frank Sinatra a legend in music his daughter has carried on with his music genes and her song Summer wine is awesome .

All alone am I : by Brenda Lee .. Called Miss Dynamite this short singer could hold attention with her operatic voice .

Young ones : Sir Cliff Richards beautiful song with beautiful melody it was pictured in movie of the same name .

Sealed with a kiss : Oh really ? can you do that :)  This is a cool romantic song sung by many singers and though i like Donovans version (sung later ) this song was initially written in 60s period .

Rhythm of the Rain : by Cascades . Ex navy people joined to form a band which became world famous known as Cascades .

If you liked the originals listen to the covers sung by amateur singers in youtube . Paradoxically there are many covers from many youngsters  of these songs .Not  only because many of these songs are very melodic and easier to sing but also because many of these songs were put in audio equipment when their parents were rearing them .Some of them heard these songs like that and later started singing it when they were a little older . Isnt it beautiful when todays youngsters sing songs not from the oldies of  the 80s but of the really old period of 60s ....Nostalgia of an yesteryear when music was synonymous with romance , longing and belonging ... No wonder they say old is gold ..
                  

Daring to Dream

                                                             I have blogged earlier about Oscar Pretorius who with his both legs amputated (later fitted with prosthesis called blade runner ) became world champion not only against fellow physically challenged but at least once against able bodied people . Take most of the human inventions or achievements even the "chance " discovery of pencillin or the Wright brothers first flight everything was achieved with hardwork , determination , luck to some extent but most importantly the "dream " of achieving something .

I am not now talking about the big dreams but the smaller dreams of lesser mortals like you and me . Yup we are called lesser mortals to distinguish from the big dreamers like Napoleon who told nothing is impossible ...

What are your dreams?  ... and how many have you achieved ? Or are you like someone who doesnt dare to dream .. ?   Though each persons small dreams are so varied for illustration purpose i will say of a small dream i achieved long back .

I wanted to learn salsa the latin dance form . But as is even the case in kerala proper classes were not available . And im not wealthy enough to go to South america to learn it . And as if nature is cruel when i got a job in mumbai the happening place with a vibrant salsa scene i was shuttling from city to city . But the dream lingered on . And the impossible happened which arrested most of the travelling jobs for a few months in 2009 . The recession . Though it hit all , for the first time could be in mumbai for a few months at a stretch and viola .... Basic salsa course was finished . I think if that smouldering desire was not there for years and i had given up on my dream i would have been thinking of n number of things during the recession . When i look back : recession for me was salsa . one of my dream realisation .

Ok you hate dances and u may hate me too :) So let me iterate dreams of other people more dignified . Did i tell you about the class sleeper in college . He was literally dreaming in college . Spread over in the bench he dreamed of becoming a computer engineer . You may ask he should have studied hard instead of dreaming . But this guy who was my classmate was dreaming of being a computer engineer sleeping in MBBS class .  Especially in those days it was frowned upon and career options were more rigid . But i saw his dream getting realised over years and he is now abroad pursuing his passion in computing . Of course with eyes open now .

Though i am not iterating my dreams here let me tell you honestly that as long as the dream was dared it was achieved . Of course hard work was involved , some luck , some time etc but the main energy was the dream . Many seemingly impossible things were achieved of course with time .

Nowadays when i talk to friends there is one thing  i really get worked up about and i speak my mind . Its when any of them says somethings is impossible or too difficult that they dont dare to dream . Though its said if wishes were horses beggars would ride im yet to find a beggar who dared to wish or dream and didnt ride a horse .. At least he will ride a bicycle .. Try it :)

PS : for the highly academic oriented substitute salsa for PHD or equivalent and those who want cars substitute  a bmw for salsa etc .. Your dreams are yours alone ..But as the title says Dare to Dream 

lessons from dubai ..

It was a paradox that i finished two of my bucketlist wishes in dubai . First was to touch snow and second was to touch a real firearm . And the third one to see the face behind the veil . (dont misunderstand :)  )

I went to ski dubai  , one of the largest indoor skiing facilities in the world .And yes its in the middle of the desert kingdom and thats a big paradox . With minus 2 degrees my first reaction on seeing the snow was to touch and feel it . It was an amazing feeling for a person who comes from a place which never snows even in the winter . For once i wished i was a child because the children around were giving me stares when i scooped up a handful of snow . So i left it at that . Ski lesssons were amazing when i realised half the class they were teaching how to walk on snow , and how to get up when you fall .

Walking lessons went well at snails pace . And i and my relative (who was my adventure company ) managed very well . I even had to help out a girl who had difficulty walking on snow . Confidence started building up . And when the guy in front of me fell down many metres down i was helping him out with instructions as told by the instructor on how to get up from snow . I was as frustrated as him when he couldnt, even after few minutes ,and instructor had to save him . I was even thinking how he cant even follow the simple instructions told by the instructor and all my verbal help . (i couldnt go and save him as it was a slope down )


Soon my turn came and in james bond style as in the movies i glided down the small slope for beginners . Even glided like james bond for 2 seconds . But then crashed down totally flat on the slope . And thankful to snow god that few people saw it (hopefully ) but more importantly had a divine enlightenment . I struggled for a full 5 minutes to get up and couldnt and then realised advising people is easy but only when you encounter it you know the difficulties . So never advise anybody including in blogs :)

0.22 rimfire rifles are fun . They are like airguns but much more powerful . But shooting them is easier as recoil is manageable and if you are an ok shot you manage to hit the target . Then the chance came in the sharjah shooting club to fire a 9 mm handgun . Having built confidence after the rifle i took on this challenge . Each shot was a mini explosion in the hand and for once i had great admiration for the policemen who use these guns for peacekeeping purposes . I was more amazed when the 25 bullets fired hit reasonably randomly compared to the rifle shot . For a firsttimer it was ok but the lesson learnt was never underestimate anything . If you are good at one thing and proud dont assume a similar thing will be equally easy .

And lastly the veil stuff ..   I always wanted to see how an arab girl looks like . Just curiosity . Having visited other GCC country where many are veiled including face and arabs are generally hostile towards even a casual glance at their women . I was particular that i will just observe at least one arab girl for one second . What started as a glance for one second continued for the full ten days not only observing (remember not staring ) arab women but arab men and children . I was curious and thrilled to find with all the stereotypes the emirati men were looking after children quite well (at least in public ) , emirati women were gorgeous ( as if you wanted my opinion ) and children were much more well behaved than in some other GCC countries . I later learnt emirati arabs are much more dignified than others .

So having finished 3 on my bucketlist and having been very impressed by the vision of the dubai rulers to bring snow into this desert kingdom as well as the tallest building on earth the burj kalifa , etc i came back in one piece to my india . I told you dont misunderstand me , i was decent throughout , including the observations and handholding in snow walking , so landed back in one piece .

Dubai holiday destination

Places are like people . Some places appeal to everyone and some places appeal to select few . To tell frankly being a hardcore nature lover and a history fan i was not very keen to see an "artificial " place like dubai . Of course having my relatives there my visit had a purpose but i never imagined it would combine a relative visit , friend visit and surprisingly a touristy visit bundled together .

Again i hate malls . I still do however big they are . But in dubai each mall has some key attraction attached to it . Be it the ski dubai in the mall of emirates the entire day can be spent at minus 2 degrees skiing, playing with snow , helping people who slip on ice :)  (more on that later ) etc . This place is phenomenal and for an absolute beginner they have a package with ski lessons ( we did that ) . The icing on the cake is taking the ski lift and going to a cafe inside sipping coffee while outside is freezing .. All of this is in the middle of a desert country which makes you awe not only in the engineering marvel but also the vision of the rulers of dubai .

Equally amazed that i chanced upon history in dubai . I was walking in a mall when suddenly an object which was born before history stared in my eyes  .It was a dinosaur full skeleton purchased by dubai from USA and kept as a free exhibit , They had put it a cute name as dubai dino . It was huge and it was kept inside the mall . So history buffs visit dubai as this dinosaur is much much older than alexander the great .

9mm handgun the same thing which police around the world use for peacekeeping purposes . Though USA has an open gun culture for an indian to try his hand at firing this gun is a rare opportunity . Dubai has three or more shooting clubs and a visitor can go and shoot these amazing guns with training lesson included . Its an amazing feeling handling a real gun and shooting 50 bullets with it . Place sharjah shooting club . things needed : passport or national card . and money (little on expensive side ) .

Dolphinarium also was a cute place with the jumping and intelligent dolphins putting up an excellent show and there were even trained seals in the show . For me , having seen both only in animal planet tv it was a delight to the eyes .

A must visit is the dubai museum which shows just in 40 years what a country can become if there is a vision . Lot of beautiful exhibits of arab life before a few decades and what is now . Actually thats history .. the development of a people from almost nothing to one of the most happening places in the world . In short history neednt go back centuries even if you are a history buff ..

Lastly the burj khalifa . I went in it and looked down at the phenomenon called dubai . its the tallest building in the world and it was again illuminating to learn about the vision of the rulers who wanted not the tallest but much taller than any existing or even future building .. Like usain bolt aiming for 5 seconds when all others aim for 9.9 seconds .. (forgive my sports rudimentary knowledge ) ..

This visit to dubai not only helped me to see this city which was different from munich , shanghai etc but gave me some perspectives of arabs especially emirati arabs (different from other GCC arabs in some ways ).. More on that later in next blog ..

Stanford and Nobel

It was a big mistake . The newspaper published an obituary of a person living while his brother died by mistake . In the obituary it was written that the dead man had contributed to help kill more people quickly with his discoveries . The discovery was dynamite and the man in question was Alfred Nobel . Few people like to be remembered as the angel of death and Nobel who was a great man didnt want that fate . So he wrote a will where he put 94 percent of his millions into an award which is now called Nobel Prize .

Take home message . Pause for a moment and reflect on how you want to be remembered . As the rich man down the block who was stingy to even spare a penny , the workaholic who was so busy working that not only he didnt have time for his family but even for himself ..If you say you dont have the fortune of Nobel you have missed the point . Even in the rare occasion if you are poor who cant spare a penny, you can spare your time or any of your talents for greater causes .Not only for the joy by that altrusitic purpose but also isnt it good you are remembered well ?

Stanford University is world famous . Its so prestigious that intake is 5 percent of those who apply and many alumni are world famous . Not to speak of 8000 acre campus and the facilities . But the origin was based on a tragedy . There was a rich couple who had an only child named Stanford junior  He died at the age of 15 . Typical reaction of a couple who loses their only child is deep depression and withdrawal . Or getting angry at the world and withdrawal . Of course they were deeply distraught but the next day they decided if they lost their child then let the people of california be their children . and let them get what their child could not get . A world famous academia , a university like no other and he used most of his riches for this purpose , Tuition was free for many years too . That is the story of Stanford university .

Take home message . Nothing ..In this modern age of increasing thinking of me and my family and regretting in old age when no one is there including the children who were reared in the "me " culture think beyond ones immediate circle . Losing an only child is a rare tragedy though famous people like Rambo(screenname of Sylvester Stallone ) and singer Chitra lost their children . But though most cant start a university in memory of a child , it would be a good gesture to use every opportunity to give other children the gifts which you can afford especially education . I know many people do it but just wanted to say this as each reading of famous peoples short biographies tell me they were not only great in their discoveries , professional success etc but were beautiful people in their personal lives .

we are the world --usa for africa music blog

I sometimes wish you were like me . A western music fan .If you are maybe you can understand me when i say i was overwhelmed when i first heard we are the world music video yesterday . Of course partly it was because it was made for a great charitable purpose .

But mostly it was because i was seeing the music legends whom i adored since childhood sharing the same podium or studio for a great cause . Check out wikipedia for details and also the music video in youtube . I still remember the day when heard the loud music many shops away Michael jackson was playing full volume after his album was released called BAD .From next day on my home was pulsating with his music . And we are the world was nostalgic because michael jackson wrote it along with lionel Richie at the formers family home. Though the pop icon is no longer alive his music lives on.

Then there is Tina Turner in the video whose powerful voice little on lower pitch who reminded me of days in my teenage when i was dancing up and down to her hit number "whats love got to do with it " . The blind man was there the person who showed that you can be world famous if one of the senses is not working vision while the other sense is world famous : his voice . With his signature cooling glass he was there showcasing his high pitch tenor voice . Having listened to his song and sang along " I just called to say I love you " his presence was overwhelming with nostalgia for his songs.

Of course the other blind man the world famous singer legend Ray Charles was there whom i have only heard about . Then there was this curious person who was singing with a tone which reminded me of a rock guitar . His contrast with my high tenor stevie wonder pop music was obvious . He was the legend of rock Bruce springsteen and i was amazed at how i havent heard him so far though not my genre primarily . Music is indeed vast .

Then there was this beautiful woman who was jumping up and down as if her feet was on fire . Cyndie Loper, who is 61 now (the music video was made in 80s when she was in her early 30s ) was showing the typical mannerism for which rock and pop shows are famous . The positive energy on stage . Imagine yesudas jumping up and down 1 feet high with an electric guitar .

Bob Dylan the legend and a host of others were there and over the next few days i should sample each of their songs . For once it was amazing thinking about listening to that song which was born in the pop legends family home and which featured 2 blind men , people of many races , people of different voice types , different genres of music . And in addition it was interesting to note the message which was hung on the door of that recording studio " Keep your egos outside " ..Shouldnt we too do the same when we play our parts in the music of life . Philosophical ? Sorry i was a bit nostalgic and overwhelmed ..Would love to hear your comments if anyone is into western music

katharina and brenda lee :on music random musings

At six years of age the melody was the only thing i remember of the goan song . I used to hear it repeatedly in a tape recorder and at that time didnt have even a concept of where this goa was . For a small town child it was a far away land . And at that age the fast and jolly melody and the word katherina repeatedly meant only that it was a happy song about katherina . In sharp contrast was another song about Mommy (that word is universal for mother )which through its slower tempo and choice of chords progressions and tone evoked even in a six year old boy that its a sad song about someones mother .

Years passed . These days i go through not only melody but the lyrics and even music videos , the biography of the singer and the history of the song etc . I am surprised that when you analyse the music from latin american music to old western music not only the moods conveyed are the same but even the themes are similar in lyrics across the globe . Frankly i was surprised since the general concept of "western " is fast music with no head and tail of the lyrics .

Frank sinatra songs Strangers in the night is a description of two people who goes on from being strangers to being a couple forever . His another song My way shows the confidence as well as sweet arrogance of living life on ones own terms . Reading the biography of Frank sinatra adds an extra dimension to these songs which also reflected his offline persona ..

Another singer of yore was Brenda lee who at 4 feet 9 inches was an amazing singer . Her song "All alone am I "shows in all melody as well as lyrics the feelings of a woman just out of love . And her Rockin around a christmas tree shows how the lyrics and the human voice can work wonders celebrating a universal festival . The guitar like slur in that song vocals is too good .

Without going further back in western music lets go down to south america the land of latin music . Recently when i tried google translate of my favorite latin american bachata music solo por en beso . I wasnt surprised to find the obvious . Its description of a kiss and love . The tempo and mood makes it obvious . But what i couldnt fathom was the mention of "religion " even there . I was surprised to find the ever dividing religiosity even in latin america which is predominantly a catholic country unlike ours with numerous religions and castes . Again i understood the themes are similar across the globe .It is even mentioned as an impediment of love even in a latin american romantic song .

I had sleepless night in the bus listening to the lambada song in college bus excursion .For a fan of pop music that was first time i was listening latin music . I saw the music video years later and saw only the mini skirts and gyrating hips . But recently i realised the message is racial harmony in the music video . The hips are still gyrating so for the moralistic please dont see the video.

Still dont know what katherina did in the original goan song but go west or southwest across the globe music is enchanting and messages are the same .

And i would say music is better than any of contemporary religion .. It enchants , unites and gives harmonious messages .. Heal the world .. Make it a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race... Michael Jackson .. Heal the world ..