Death of Two Friends

Two deaths within the space of two weeks, death of two friends. 

Hundreds of thousands of lives are being lost on a daily basis due to the deadly virus. We are passing through very testing and uncertain times. I have personally lost two good friends.

The world is in the vice-like grip of Coronavirus pandemic. Everyday brings some hope of vanquishing the pandemic or some sort of defense mechanism but the pandemic pulls us back by several steps. For now, we are caught in the Deadly Coronavirus Maze. Only God knows when we will come out of it

One of the two friends who died, MS, was my friend for a long time, our friendship lasting almost for over 30 years. Couple of years ago he had a heart attack and survived it due to timely help of a neighbor who was a medical doctor. 

According to the information I received, MS had a severe breathing problem last week and was admitted to a private hospital. The hospital informed the family that MS tested positive for Covid19. By the next day the hospital declared him dead, of severe pneumonia infection. The appointed agencies cremated the body according to Covid19 protocols.

I was very shocked when I heard the news. Especially because MS was very particular about his health, he was a pure vegetarian. He was dedicated to the daily routine of Surya Namaskar and Pranayama. 

MS and I were colleagues working for the same organization for a few years. From then on we remained friends until the last few years. We both returned back to India after spending over thirty years in the Middle East. 

I was very upset with him a few years ago when I realized his inclination towards certain political and social ideology. It greatly surprised and pained me that of all the people in the world, he could be inclined in his thoughts and ideals with an outfit that had a bunch of very narrow minded, ill educated, megalomaniac and racist persons. These persons are constantly peddling toxic hatred and splitting society in the name of religion, pseudo hyper nationalism and over bloated ethnocentrism. 

I knew MS as an enlightened, evolved, soft spoken, fair and broadminded person. I remember one incidence that had happened while we were in the Middle East. One unfortunate evening, his wife went to the beach along with her friend and their children. It was almost dusk. The sun was setting and the shadows were spreading fast along the sandy beach. It was also time for the fishermen to return to shore with their day’s catch and it was quite usual for businessmen to collect the fish from the fishermen in their vans and trucks. 

Suddenly, MS’s wife saw an SUV coming towards them at a great speed. By the time she reacted, it was too late. She tried to get up, screaming and pushing her friend and the children to safety. Unfortunately, the front fender of the SUV caught her face. Her face was bloody and mangled.

The Arab who was driving the SUV did not run away from the scene. He picked up the injured lady, put her in his vehicle and took her to the hospital. The police asked MS if he intended to file a case against the Arab. MS replied that there was no need to file a case as it was an accident. Moreover, he was thankful to the Arab gentleman for bringing his wife to the hospital on time, without any delay. That was good enough for the police. 

The Arab was quite moved by the gesture of MS. If he had filed a case it could have meant jail time for manslaughter and even a hefty fine. After that, the Arab visited the hospital everyday until the lady was discharged from the hospital. The doctors who attended to the injuries, did an excellent job in restoring the lady’s face.

In short that was a brief testimony of MS’s character. He believed in fairness and the spirit of “live and let live”. The fact that such a person had fallen a victim to the deception of a bunch of vile characters, came as a big surprise for me. Since then I consciously kept a distance from him and almost lost touch with him. It is a painful reality of the times we are living in, when selfish, egoistic, ill educated, power hungry politicians are splitting communities, families and friends apart.

Another friend, VJ, died this morning. He was battling infection in his lungs for the past few months. I met him only three years ago but it feels like I knew him for a long time. It is quite ironic that just yesterday my friends and I met each other in a virtual meeting room. We belong to the same BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) community. The meeting was quite conspicuous by the absence of VJ. One of the members informed us that the condition of VJ was not good, that he was on a heavy dose of painkillers.

This morning we received the sad news that VJ had died. I think the shock was lessened because of the information we received yesterday. Yet, I can't help the feeling of a heavy heart. 

Although I have known VJ briefly for a couple of years, he was one of the best human beings, very humble, righteous and down to earth. He was such a family oriented person that he took the difficulties he had with his company as an opportunity to resign and accompany his daughter to few overseas educational engagements. He was quite upbeat about the trip and the places he visited and the people he had met. It is quite unbelievable that he is no more. 

Incidentally, both MS and VJ shared the same nature. Both were ever jovial, down to earth, cool minded, and full of wit and humour and both were in the field of Information Technology. They had a funny thing to say or recount a funny incidence, whatever the circumstances may be. 

I have lost two wonderful persons during this pandemic. May their souls rest in peace!

The Lost Sheep

It has been reported that His Grace Pope Francis was 'deeply pained' by Turkey's decision to reopen Hagia Sophia museum as a mosque. In his own words "I am thinking of St. Sophia and I am deeply pained.".

There was outrage from others as well. The World Council of Churches has called on the Turkish president to reverse the decision. The Russian Orthodox Church expressed dismay at Turkey's decision, accusing it of ignoring voices of millions of Christians.

The European Union's foreign policy chief called the decision "regrettable". Cypress strongly condemned Turkey's actions and called on Turkey to respect its international obligations.

The US State Department spokesperson expressed disappointment at the decision by the government of Turkey. Greece branded Turkey's move an "open provocation to the civilized world".

But why outrage at this monument alone? There is no doubt it held importance and significance as it was one of the oldest churches, built in the year 537 AD by Constantinople. It remained as a church under various Christian denominations until the year 1453 AD when it was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire.

But the truth is, this is not the first time when a church has been closed, abandoned, sold or converted.

I had the good fortune of visiting the magnificent church of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. As our tour guide was guiding through the various marvels of the Basilica, she mentioned that close to 800 churches in Italy were closed. The reason being, with no one visiting the churches anymore, it was not feasible to maintain them. Without any offerings from the faithful it was not possible to keep the churches open. It was absolutely shocking news for me, especially something like that happening in Italy with the Vatican right next door!

While in Venice, I saw a chapel being used as a warehouse for storing marble stones.

When we visited Germany, we came across a big church with tall spires and Gothic architecture. Admiring the architecture of the huge imposing building, we went around looking for the entrance of the Church to spend some time in prayer.

As we approached the entrance we saw a tall beautiful lady in a green dress standing with some leaflets in her hands. On a wooden stand next to her there was a stack of leaflets. My thought was “perhaps some program was in progress, perhaps a marriage”. I asked her if the church was open and could we enter the church. She stretched the leaflet in her hand towards me and answered with a sweet smile and a musical voice "yes it is open, we are devil worshipers and you are welcome to join us". 

I stood there open mouthed, staring at her long fair face wondering if she was joking or perhaps I might have heard her wrong. At the speed of lightning, everyone who was with me disappeared from the scene. I asked her "Are you really devil worshipers? You are not joking?". She answered in her soft voice "No, I am not joking". Still confused and not believing what I heard, I just mumbled a "thank you" and left the place completely rattled by what transpired in the last few minutes.

I have read about devil worshipers, and even seen them in movies. But this was the first time I encountered one in person, face to face. The experience was quite overwhelming. I went looking for my group and as I joined them, the topic of discussion was “why are people leaving the Church!”.

Sadly, many Christian churches are being listed on the real estate market even today by real estate firms all across the world for sale, many of the countries predominantly following Christian faith.

The churches may be closed or abandoned because money is very important for maintaining the structures and its facilities. When no faithful are visiting them, and with no prospect of offerings collection, it becomes a difficult proposition to continue the church functioning. 

But the important question is, where are all those Christians? Why are they leaving the Christian faith? Have they lost their faith in Christianity? Have they found and adopted some other faith? Where exactly are those lost sheep? 

Hundreds of Evangelists, pastors, and missionaries from the US and other western countries go to India, Africa and other countries, all through the year, some very famous, some less known. They go around preaching the Gospel, trying to find new converts to Christianity.

Why don't they go after the "lost sheep" in their own respective countries? Why don't they take inspiration from Jesus Christ? In the parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:12-14, Luke 15:3-7), when a sheep was missing, the shepherd did not say "it is alright, I still have 99 and I can get another new one". He went looking for the one lost sheep, leaving behind the ninety nine.

However big or small a church, a cathedral or a chapel may be, it is a place of worship and praising God. And without a congregation, there cannot be worship and praising. So, the most urgent need of the hour for the churches, the evangelists, the pastors, and the missionaries is to get that missing congregation back into the churches, get the Lost Sheep back into the flock of Christ.

Source of References:

• World reacts: https://tinyurl.com/y8sxq5wt
• Hagia Sophia History: https://tinyurl.com/y24e7pk8
• 11 Australian churches sale: https://tinyurl.com/yylha2k9
• 21 Australian churches sale: https://tinyurl.com/yx8ws29y
• Top 10 Australian churches sale: https://tinyurl.com/yxjvqt52
• US abandoned churches: https://tinyurl.com/y478lnyg
• UK Church Auction List: https://tinyurl.com/y5xqrtn2
• Church of Scotland Sale: https://tinyurl.com/yxf8jokq
• Scottish Churches Sale: http://www.property.org.uk/unique/ch.shtml
• Italian Churches Sale: https://tinyurl.com/y5ugok4d
• Canada Church Sale: https://realestate.mitula.ca/former-church-ontario

She Who Dares Wins

The initial 50 odd days of lockdown in India due to COVID19 was devastating to many people’s livelihood, especially to the skilled labor and daily wage workers who were left in the lurch, deserted by their employers. The reason could be indifference, greed, helplessness or lack of social responsibility.

Whatever help or arrangement came from the authorities was ill planned or utterly inadequate for the size of the mass caught in an unforeseen situation.

Hundreds of job losses were reported every day. The big businesses could continue their businesses by getting their employees to work from their homes. Some smaller companies and organisations offered to continue their businesses by paying reduced salaries to their employees. Some companies had to totally close down their businesses as they could not cope with the challenges of the lock-down.

There were heart rending stories of people driven to poverty, hunger, malnutrition and abject hopelessness and even suicides. 

But there were also many stories of the brave and lucky ones who did not succumb to the hopeless situation but found ways of eking out their livelihood, some in quite innovative ways.

This is the story of Sarada from Warangal, Telangana, India. Sarada was working as a software engineer in an IT company. She lost her job due to the economic downturn due to lockdown. Losing the job was a huge blow but she did not sulk in depression or lose her positive spirit. 

Considering the situation, she found selling vegetables was a viable solution for her and her parents. Though educated and fit enough to work in an IT company, she neither had any inferiority complex nor had any qualms about selling vegetables. It was the best solution for survival until the IT job market got better.

Her story became viral on the social media and an inspiration to many people who were caught in similar situations.

So far she has done well in her new endeavors of survival. I am quite sure with her grit and positive attitude, she will come out as a winner. Who knows, with her spirit of entrepreneurship, she could even turn out to be a very successful business owner. Wishing her the best of luck!

Source: https://english.sakshi.com/news/andhrapradesh/jobless-woman-sotware-engineer-selling-vegetables-livelihood-warangal-121914

You Are On Your Own

It was just another day, as any other, of reading news of human helplessness at fighting the Coronavirus Pandemic. One particular story was no different from the dozens of sad stories that are reported on a daily basis on news media or shared on social media. The heart rending story of the struggle of common man in finding medical help, the story of despair of our health system.

In short, a young man went from one hospital to another trying to find urgent medical help for his sick father. Wherever he went, he was turned away and was told to try elsewhere. As the oxygen was running out of the cylinder in the ambulance, the man even tried to resuscitate his father, but that didn't help. Finally, the father was declared dead as the day was breaking. The ordeal didn't end there. When he tried to find a place for his father's body in a mortuary, he couldn't find one. With the help of some friends, the family preserved the body on ice. Finally, when all the arrangements were made, they cremated the body.

This story was exceptional because a man posted a video on YouTube sharing his story of horror, helplessness and desperation.

We can very well understand how much one would be shaken up on losing a parent. Even during those grieving moments, the man decided to create a video and shared details of the ordeal he and his family went through, for hours together, in trying to get medical attention for his father. They went from one hospital to another without much success, finally his father succumbed to his illness. 

As he explains his story, we can relate hundreds and thousands of similar cases the country has been witnessing for the past few months.

But the exceptional thing about this video is, without blaming anyone, the man coveys some very important messages: Please stop taking your health for granted. Please ensure that you take care of yourselves and your family.Protect yourselves. Be safe. We pray that no other family or child is put in such a situation. Please ensure that you take care of yourselves and your family.

This story and many such stories raise many questions.

• Why have we reached such a situation where we cannot find medical help when it is needed?
• Has this pandemic exposed the utter weakness, unpreparedness and helplessness of our healthcare system?
• This is not the first time the world has faced a pandemic or a warlike emergencies. Was our health care system prepared with expertise and resources needed to tackle the epidemic?
• This "Deadly Microscopic Thing" was not home grown, it was brought from outside through international travelers. Were enough controls in place to stop it at the ports of entry itself?
• Even after discovering few cases, did we do enough to tackle and contain it when the number of cases was controllable?

I don't know the answers to these questions and I would certainly not want to speculate on the answers. But one thing I know, "we are on our own".

It is time to think that we are back to the centuries, in a huge village with very limited medical services, the village doctor located very far away from our places. Let us think that we may or may not get the limited medical help promptly when it is needed. 

It is time to get back to "Grandma's Nuska (recipe)". It is time to get back to the time tested "home remedies". 

Above all, there never was a time than now, to become humble and prostrate to our creator. It is time to pray for yourself, your family that are near and far. 

Pray as you have never prayed before for God's mercy! We certainly need it now like we never needed before!

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Media Report: https://newsmeter.in/banjara-hills-man-denied-admission-by-6-hospitals-dies-in-transit/ 

Video: https://youtu.be/wp_6rx7tD1U

Trojan Coronavirus

We are in the seventh month of the year 2020. And what do we have to show as progress for the new year? Nothing much, to be frank.

You may be tempted to say that we have been busy fighting the deadly Coronavirus. But the truth is, all we have been doing was and still doing is, desperately trying to hide from a faceless enemy. 

Our lives have come to a grinding halt. We have been brought to our knees by a tiny, minuscule, microscopic, faceless enemy, the Coronavirus, which has been ravaging the entire world by turning the disease into a pandemic.

Coronavirus has been ravaging people across the country and the entire world for the past seven months unceasingly, relentlessly, ruthlessly. It does not spare any one, treats everyone equally. Race, religion, nationality, gender, age, literate, or illiterate, does not matter.

It is one of the most devastating tragedies that the world of your and current generation has ever experienced. This deadly faceless enemy has exposed the utter helplessness and impotency of the human race. It has rendered all the medical and scientific knowledge and wisdom gained by mankind over hundreds of years into nothing, zilch. 

There are innumerable theories on how to recognize the enemy and on how to protect oneself from it, even to fight it. But mankind is at its wits end. Every day brings a new finding or a new theory, many times conflicting with previous theories or findings.

No one seems to know for sure what we are up against. Fighting a faceless enemy is not easy. From the way mankind has resigned to more of protecting itself from the deadly virus, than vanquishing it, it seems, the faceless enemy is going to be around for quite some time.

Many scientists and pharmaceutical companies are claiming to have found vaccines as a cure from Coronavirus but nothing seems to be a definite answer yet. Some experts are predicting that it may take a year or two to find a definite cure for treating Coronavirus victims.

Every day there is a new warning, a new directive, a new proposition on how to protect oneself from it. But every day there is a new avatar of the elusive virus, rendering us utterly helpless. We are just groping in the dark, shooting at shadows.

Sometimes, your mind starts imagining crazy things. Could the enemy be an Alien from outer space, who has come to destroy mankind! Or could there be some very sinister and deadly "thing" riding on the back of Coronavirus, like the enemy soldiers hiding inside the wooden horse, a Trojan Coronavirus! That is just your desperate mind, running wild, cooking up conspiracy theories where there were none.

Whatever or whoever the faceless enemy is, the wisest thing to do is to do what Noah did. He obeyed God's instruction sincerely and cocooned himself and other creatures in his Ark until it was safe to venture out.

You too have simple rules to follow and to stay home. Venture out only if it is absolutely necessary. And hope that others too practice safe measures. No one can say when the faceless enemy will strike.

Above all, pray and hope that soon the faceless enemy is identified, exposed and vanquished.

That will be the day of redemption, the day to start a fresh chapter of your life with all the life lessons learnt during the cocooned period.

Temporarily Closed for Prevention

Washington Post reported today that the state of Alabama, US, was in the grip of Coronavirus (Washington Post Report). Seventeen thousand positive cases were recorded in the last week. The streets, parks, amphitheater, movie theaters, almost every place looked deserted.

I usually go through the comments section of YouTube media reports and videos, just to know reactions of readers. Most often than not, you can find some incredible, interesting gems. Of course there are some lost, desperate souls who spew out their toxic narratives, innuendos and expletives. I simply ignore them.

One reader made a word play on the song "Sweet Home Alabama" by changing part of lyrics "I'm coming home" to "I ain't coming home"! I am sure he was just trying to be funny.

Another reader felt happy about the restrictions being followed by the state. Another lamented that even young kids were not being spared by the deadly virus. There was one grim observation that life will not be the same again because of Coronavirus. 

But what caught my attention in the news report was the notice posted by a movie theater. I have come across establishments usually posting "Closed for Renovation" notices. But this notice read "Temporarily Closed for Prevention".

The notice expressed two things. The word "Temporarily" expressed a positive attitude that "we shall be back soon", a hope that "we shall prevail, we shall win over the virus very soon". 

And the word "Prevention", most probably a word play on "Renovation", stressed the importance of taking every possible measure to keep oneself safe and prevent Coronavirus from spreading. It is quite heartening that the establishment, instead of lamenting about the losses that would be incurred due to closure of the movie house, gave importance to saving lives. Their priorities seemed to be in the right place. 

What is the use if you have gained money but lost your life!

Coronavirus has definitely turned our lives upside down, for good or bad. While there could be many positive outcomes, the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives is heartbreaking. Many families cannot even do proper "last rites" to their dead loved ones. All they could do is give a tearful, heart breaking farewell from a distance. The state agencies are disposing the bodies according to prescribed standards to prevent spread of the epidemic. It is quite heart rending to even read about these sad stories.

No one can say, for certain, for how long this deadly virus is going to ravage our lives. Every day brings in a new theory, a new finding, some scary, some positive and many in conflict with previous findings or theories.

But all through these gloomy times, there is a silver lining. It is not the first time that the world has faced a pandemic. Every time, the world fought and won the battle. That reality gives us the confidence that we too shall overcome these difficult times. It is just a matter of time before they found a definite cure. Until then, we have to be patient, careful, wiser and above all, be hopeful. 

After all, hope is what keeps the world turning.

Bye Bye Hagia Sophia, Bye Bye Turkey

Turkey was one of the places of visit in my bucket list. I had a chance of a five day trip many years ago. My wife and I went through the brochure and found the cost quite affordable and more importantly the timing was perfect. The tour was planned to match with the national holidays of the middle eastern country where we were residing at that time. As I was working with a Government organisation, I had nine days of holidays, including two weekends. Quite enough to extend the holiday beyond the five day itinerary if needed.

I always wondered at the grandeur of the imposing Hagia Sophia monument. A friend of ours, who had visited Turkey, raved about the place, especially the monument. Since then, Turkey has been one of the important destinations in my list.

We went to the travel agent, took all details of dates, cost, visa procedures and the forms to be filled. As I scanned through the brochure, I thought to myself, "now here is the chance I was waiting for, to finally make that long pending visit". The prospect of the tour looked good.

During the national holidays, one of the most common topics of conversation with friends was, the holiday plans. I was so excited about the tour that I started sharing my holiday plans with my friends. And that turned out to be a mistake. One of my friends asked me "Did you check out the weather prediction?". I said "No. Why?". He said "You better check it out. It is usually quite cold out there this time of the year".

And, the prediction turned out as my friend had warned. I don't generally like extremely cold weather and extreme weather was predicted for the days of the tour. My wife and I deliberated over this disappointing finding for a few days and finally decided to call the trip off. Instead, we spent the holidays in Dubai, our usual weekend/holiday getaway.

So, Turkey remained in my bucket list until a few days ago. It was reported in the news media that Turkey's President had passed a decree to return the status of Hagia Sophia museum building to that of a mosque. Various reasons were given for this bold move. It was hailed by many Islamic nations. There has also been a lot of outrage and criticism from various quarters of the world. However, the government of Turkey looks intent on implementing the president’s decree.

As for me, would I still be interested in visiting Turkey? The answer is “no”. Turkey is off my bucket list of places to visit

An incident happened when I was a kid. I was always wary of passing by mosques, especially during prayer times. Most mosques had high rising walls around them and a bunch of kids would sit on the walls with heaps of stones placed next to them. Their purpose was to keep the “Kafirs (Infidels)” away from coming anywhere close to the mosque. To me that picture was always quite unnerving. So I stayed away from going anywhere close to mosques.

I had a friend, who was my neighbor and one of my best play buddies. One day, I don’t know what came over him, he invited me to go with him to the mosque for the prayers. After all his unrelenting coaxing, I agreed with lots of hesitation and apprehension. That was a big mistake, one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

We walked together to the mosque, with my friend leading. As we approached the entrance, a barrage of stones were pelted on me. Luckily the stones did not find the intended target, except for one which came quite close to one of my eyes. I ran from the place clutching my face, which felt like it was on fire. Luckily no harm was done to my eye or any part of my face except for a deep gash very close to my eye which took many days to heal.

That day I vowed never to take a chance again to go anywhere near a mosque. I lived in the middle east for over 37 years and during all those years, I kept away from going anywhere close to a mosque. Couple of places where we stayed were quite close to a mosque but I made sure I kept away whenever it was time for prayer.

I had visited mosques a couple of times for offering condolences to colleagues on losing their loved one’s or to attend marriage parties. But during all those visits I was on tenterhooks. The stress I went through cannot be put into words. But I successfully maintained a poignant or happy look, depending on the occasion.

There were many beautiful and grand Mosques around the country. Many a time I was tempted to take photographs. I did take few photographs, stealthily, from a distance, through my window, especially on a rainy day when the sky was filled with thick clouds in the background of the mosque or when the dome and minarets of the Mosque looked beautiful with the full moon shining brightly in the background.

Some of the Mosques allowed visitors irrespective of nationality and religion. But I never dared to visit any of them. Getting anywhere close to mosque scares the hell out me even today.

So, as far as I am concerned, it is Bye Bye Hagia Sophia, Bye Bye Turkey!

The Politician's Speech

During my school and college days, I was fortunate to have a bunch of good friends. One of our favorite past times was sharing jokes. One popular joke was about a politician, a minister of something, who loved giving long speeches.

Once this politician, went to one of the third world countries on a friendly mission. As part of the mission he had to address a large gathering of people and pass the message of goodwill and friendship of his country. Before being seated on the podium, the minister hugged the local dignitaries with such warmth as if they were his childhood “buddies”.

After the master of ceremonies introduced him to the crowd, the minister began his speech with his usual “elan”. He thanked the dignitaries for inviting him to their great country and how he was happy to be in their midst. There was clapping from the dignitaries on the podium. There were scattered clapping and faint murmur from the crowd.

The minister then got into his charismatic demeanor with his outstretched hands and benevolent smile, he started his long monologue in a hushed tone, “I bring good news to you! The good news is, I am extending my hands of friendship to you, to redeem you from your poverty, your squalor and misery”. The people in the crowd stared at him with grim faces, but there were some murmurs, a little louder than before. The minister thought he heard the people chant what sounded like “Oom Galagala”. The minister thought to himself “hmm...that is good, the crowd is warming up to my speech”.

He continued, his voice rising few decibels, “I can understand your hopelessness, your desperation, because I have been there. I perfectly understand what it means to live in such misery”. The minister paused for his message to sink in. More people joined in chanting of “Oom Galagala”. Some grim faces broke up into broad smiles as they chanted. The minister was extremely pleased. Glancing around, left to right, right to left, the minister said to himself with a pleased smile, “now I got them where I wanted”.

The minister was sweating profusely from the extreme heat but it did not deter him, he continued with his long speech, every now then mopping his face and forehead. He started telling the crowd about his great philanthropic work, his caring for the poor and the downtrodden and innumerable development work. He went on to churning out string of his success stories back home. Every time he paused, the crowd went into rapturous chanting of “Oom Galagala” which got louder every time he paused. 

Soon the whole crowd joined in, some clapping in excitement, some thumping the person next to them on the shoulder or their arms. Even the dignitaries on the podium could not control themselves any longer, they too joined in, chuckling with every chorus of chanting.

Finally, the minister decided to stop as one of his aides was signalling him about time. The minister was very pleased with himself at the impact he had created with the crowd. He thanked the crowd for their patience. As the minister sat down, he asked the dignitary sitting next to him, what “Oom Galagala” meant. 

The dignitary answered, covering his mouth, trying to suppress his laughter, “it means, bullshit”!

Freedom Comes With A Price

Nothing in life comes for free and freedom is no exception. As someone has said, freedom comes with a price, paid through blood, sweat, tears and often with death. Most importantly, it comes with responsibilities and accountability.

India, our beloved country, has come a long way since it was ruled by various kings and rulers. For over two hundred years the country was under the yoke of the colonial power of the mighty British Empire. 

Early revolt against the British was started by Rani Lakshmibai, Mangal Pandey, Dhondu Pant, Ramachandra Pandurang Tope and many others.

Later the freedom struggle was continued relentlessly by Surendranath Banerjee, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi,  Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sarojini Naidu and many other brave and patriotic Indians. 

Finally, it took the bravery of the frail old man, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi along with others, to dare the mighty British Empire and to tell them to "Quit India". 

Today, after 70 years, as we again celebrate Indian Independence Day, the day of redemption from the British Colonial rule, we should not forget that the freedom of our country did not come for free. It needed sacrifices and struggle of many brave men and women. 

We should cherish and value our precious national freedom. Every citizen of India has the responsibility and accountability to protect the country from evil divisive forces that every now and then try to tear our country apart in the name of religion, community, caste, race, regionalism and ideology. 

Let us not fall into the trap of these hatemongers and merchants of chaos. Let us not let them entrap and ensnare us into believing the distortion of our national history. Let us not let the struggles and sacrifices of our freedom fighters go to waste. 

"Unity in Diversity" is the creed and strength of our nation, that bound every citizen together. It is envy of every other nation in the world. Let us continue to live by that creed. Let us practice and cherish our own chosen faith, culture and ideology in it's own sphere. Let us not malign others.

National freedom does not come for free, it comes with a price. Let us be loyal to our country. Say "NO" to divisive forces. 

"One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors" - Plato

How do you know!

Humour is everywhere, in that there is irony in just about anything a human does - Bill Nye, American Televison Presenter, Science Communicator, and Mechanical Engineer.

It was one of those visits to the hospital for my routine blood test to be done. While registering for the tests, the clerk asked me for the name of doctor who had referred for the tests. When I said "none", she gave me an incredulous look. I explained that it was my periodic checkup. She added "self" in the doctor's column. The pathologist took the blood sample and told me to come back two hours after having breakfast for the postprandial blood sample. 

I proceeded to the hospital canteen, had a sumptuous breakfast, which was not bad at all. To while away the couple of hours, I entered the outpatient area where I saw plenty of seats available in the large hall. Few people were already awaiting their turn to see the doctor. There were many doors with doctor's names all around the hall. 

I went around looking for newspapers or magazines to while away my time. There was plenty available for the taking. People don't read these things anymore. Actually in public places like hospitals and airports where there is a long wait, you don't really need anything else to occupy yourself. There is plenty of human drama on display if you care to watch. 

I found an empty row of seats and settled down,  making myself comfortable. Few moments later a couple sat in the seats in front of me. The man plonked himself with a thud. The woman sat down, took out her mobile phone and got busy swiping at the screen. The man clasped his hands behind his head, slid deeper into his seat, put one foot over the other and started shaking his foot vigorously. Couple of times the woman paused at what she was doing and gave that "if only I could burn you down" kind of look at him. The man continued with his preoccupation totally oblivious to the woman's glaring. 

After some time the man got up and walked towards one of the unmarked rooms, probably that is where the doctor's assistants were stationed. He came back and while sitting down he said "the doctor is late by couple of hours, it is going to be a long wait for us". The woman gave him an incredulous look and retorted "How do you know? Nonsense! He will be here promptly at 9". With that she went back to her smart phone, continuing with her screen swiping routine. 

How many times have we heard these questions, "How do you know? Who told you?". You are with your friend and someone you knew, especially someone in high position, comes along and you acknowledge each other with a greeting or with a brief chat, and pat comes the million dollar question "how do you know him? ".  How do I know? Just as you know things,  just as you know people! Why should it even surprise you! 

What makes people ask these questions? Perhaps some people either have a questioning attitude towards everything or they have an attitude of "how come you know it when I don't". Whatever the reason, it is quite annoying.

As I sat wondering about it, the man looked towards the woman and her screen swiping routine, looked to the left, then to the right, then got up and went towards the lift. Just then a group of men and women came in and occupied seats in one of the adjacent rows. Someone from the group went towards one of the rooms with a file and came back after sometime. The file passed around few hands, followed by some discussion. Someone took out couple of Tupperware that went around as they helped themselves to the eatable stuff.

I tried to figure out who could be the sick person from that group. They all looked quite gay, no I don't mean as "being gay", they looked gay, jolly, chatting in loud, excited voices. It is interesting how hospital visits have changed over the years. Invariably the patient is accompanied by a battery of well wishers, either family members or friends. 

Even outside the hospital, you can see groups of people perched on the grass lawn in circles. Soon plates pass around and the "toshadaans" (food carriers) are opened and food passes around. It is quite heartening that people are able to find it convenient to accompany a sick friend or family member to the hospital, especially in these times when everyone is so busy with their own personal things. More than a hospital visit, it looks as if they were out for a picnic. No wonder "Health Tourism" has become so popular over the years. 

The man came back holding a packet of chips. He sat down and with slow dramatic actions opened the packet and offered it the woman. She glanced at the packet, looked at the man, and without any response went back to her routine on her smartphone. The man went back to his earlier comfortable posture and started munching the chips. 

Time ticked by and suddenly the woman got animated as if she was woken up from a trance, saying "so much time has passed, hasn't the doctor come in yet?". The man answered coolly without even turning his head "may be it is not 9 o'clock yet". The woman gave him that "if only I could burn you down" kind of look again, got up and went towards the doctor's assistant's room. She came back and sat down muttering "the doctor is late by couple of hours". The man did not even flinch, as if he did not hear a word of what she said. The woman went back to her smart phone, continuing with her "Gorilla arm" routine. 

I couldn't help chuckling to myself at the whole hilarious scene I was witnessing. After a while, I felt my back hurting. The steel benches they have in the out patient area are not bad, but not that comfortable enough for sitting for a long time. You try to settle down comfortably, you keep slipping out of the seat. I got up and went to explore other areas of the hospital where perhaps they had more comfortable seating. 

The Nephrology department looked good, it had plenty of sofas which looked inviting. But the Executive Health Check Up area was more tempting, more grand with plants all around, and beckoning sofas, almost like a reception of a star hotel. So, I decided to wait there and while away the remaining part of my wait, watching some more live human drama.