The Farewell Speech

To Everyone in AHIRC family,

We, Dr. Mohit Garg and Dr. Bharkha Manwani, Casualty / Daycare RMOs are having our last day at AHIRC and so would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for your love, support and warmth that we received over the last few months. It was an honor to be a part of this hospital and we sincerely express our gratitude from the bottom of our hearts.

We surely are not going alone because we are taking with us plenty of memories worth cherishing all our lives.

Special heart felt thank you to the daycare team for everything that we went through over the past months….the emergency patients, the ICU shifts, the ambulance calls, the nights, the Code Blues, it is all worth living all over again…..We really could not have asked for a better team to work with. We love you all a lot and we are going to miss everyone. If we ever made any mistakes or were rude to anyone, we apologize for them all…Hope you can forgive us.

The world is a small place and we will meet on some crossroads sometime soon.

Regards and Lots of love,

Dr.Mohit Garg

Dr.Bharkha Manwani

The Dreamcatcher

I am a dreamer...a man on a mission…living for just 1 ultimate dream…to achieve greatness…to be remembered for who I am…to be a source of inspiration for many others and to make a difference in many lives. All my life, I have believed in challenging myself to do the impossible…set goals, work hard…at times, fail…never losing hope…starting again to finally achieve what I set out to…EXCELLENCE !

I have never limited myself to the usual mindset…I love to walk on the road less travelled…living on the edge…And looking back at the last 1.5 years of this roller coaster life of mine, I have done just that… I have been lucky enough to have been loved and respected so much all this while and it has been due to years of hard work and sacrifices.

With 5 more days to go before I bid goodbye to AHIRC, I have already started to feel all emotional and nostalgic because I ‘temporarily’ lived my dream here, on a smaller scale though…I have tasted success, applause…I have met so many wonderful people – at work, the patients, the relatives. Made some awesome friends, sadly no girlfriends here too.(Do you really exist dream girl or do I have to be in love with cars and bikes for the rest of my life?) It feels overwhelming to be appreciated by senior consultants in the past 1 week for my commitment at work, the sincerity…Deep down, they make me feel too that I will be missed as much as I will miss AHIRC and working with them.

A glimpse of the past few months (some might complain I look back in time a lot, but that’s where I derive my strength from…after all, Life is my greatest Teacher! ) has made me realize my true potential, I have gained a lot of courage to push myself harder…be more focused…for I realize it’s a long journey ahead...and a bright future awaits with arms wide open. All these years of my existence, I have been the pillar of support, the hope for my parents and other family members and I will do everything to make them proud. I’m well aware of the fact that more than mine, their sacrifice was greater.

I really pray I always remain on the high that I’m on right now writing this. May be its the effect of the awesome drives going and coming back from work every day with some street racing at adrenaline pumping speeds …the loud music, the rains.

Six months more of some serious studies and hard work before the curtain starts to rise and I get to sense what the future will be like….Dear life, bring it on now !

My First Job

Feeling the heat of growing up and becoming a professional now… could’nt miss writing about that.

It all started a few days before my internship ended. It was 9 am when I got an unexpected call from Mrs. Prabhu (job consultant) asking me if I was willing for an interview at Asian Heart Hospital scheduled for 10 am (after 1 hour). Little unsure, yet I decided to take a chance knowing the brand value associated with AHIRC… …..and surprisingly, by 10.30 am, I had the confirmation ...and so began a journey of a dream job to be the CMO of such a reputed hospital dealing with Cardio patients in emergency, which i was always interested in.
It has now been more than 3 months that I have been working here and I already feel so attached to this place…so luxurious (not less than a 7 star hotel) , great ambience…systematic work at all levels of employment…educated patients...cooperative staff…I feel so happy to look back in time. My colleagues Bharkha, Binoli, Sagar all have been great….the sisters, brothers, housekeeping…..everyone have been cooperative and caring… And to add to that, the icing on the cake are my great friends…more like brothers here..the cardio RMOs / IGNOU students Sagar, Maulik, Nishant, Ravibhai, Shiskir, Girish, Ashok and others….Hanging out most of the time after my duty in their room is so much fun…getting my taste of a good hostel life…time is spent discussing a few ‘Chindi’ consultant, patient cases, laughing on stupid jokes, watching movies, playing chess…studying…its all so simple and happy for me here…life is good !
The amount of respect I get here is immense as I’m the first person to attend to anyone who comes in an emergency. I feel the moral responsibility to make the patients and relatives comfortable and reassure them that nothing will go wrong now and things will be taken care of…I’ve shared tears, smiles, hugs…with each experience teaching me so much…Its so satisfying to be a ‘good’ doctor. Then there are the ICU shifts, Ambulance calls, Code Blue - critical patient brought to hospital, brought dead patients...which add to the work experience. I will surely miss my days at AHIRC once my contract expires in August.
Driving to work everyday…with the trademark sunglasses….hat…my ‘atrangi’ beard, loud music and me singing along at the top of my voice…100 plus speed on the empty highway at all times of my shifts gives a kick start to my day. Then the job, MBA studies and its classes, mock CAT exams…the diploma courses…I really feel I have overburdened myself...becoming a workaholic working 24 x 7 …..but at the end of the day when I see my family waiting for me at dinner with a lovely smile takes away all the stress and frustration…It is then followed by my guitar and music session before sleep.Each day is a day well spent.
Well the exams are coming closer now, and I’m looking forward to life with more vigor than before…Plan A, Plan B at the back of my mind…its time I put all my efforts to realize my vision of life…its not money for me as primary goal but peace, happiness, satisfaction, getting time for all extra curricular activities and finally sleeping with a smile on the face each day of life….which I have even now. Looking forward to welcoming the future with open arms and great expectations. :-)

Why did you break my heart?

What went wrong, I regret,
Guilty I feel, so upset,
Never thought, it would end like this,
You got back, is all I wished.

But why did you break my heart,
Why did you break my heart
Tell me why did you break my heart?
O Baby why did you break my heart.

By making me sad, what did you gain,
Never before was I so much in pain,
You went far, I was alone,
Opened my eyes, you were gone.

But why did you break my heart,
Why did you break my heart
Tell me why did you break my heart?
O Baby why did you break my heart.

I wanna see you so up close,
Get lost in those eyes, where my love froze,
Never again will things go bad,
I'll give back the smile, that you always had.

But why did you break my heart, 

Why did you break my heart
Tell me why did you break my heart?
O Baby why did you break my heart.

29/09/11

The Personality Contest

Happened to find the application form of the Personality contest (Official Ragging Session followed by Dinner comprising of Pav Bhaji or Chinese noodles and Manchurian along with a glass of Rasna-orange flavor, every year) for my immediate juniors which I had made around 5 years back….To this day, I remember few of the hilarious answers to the following….check it out for yourself.
Note – Inspired by the lineage of application forms seen over the years , but an original piece of work.


VENUE- PHYSIOLOGY AUDITORIUM
3rd floor, LTMMC Building
Sion- 400022
15th Dec, 2006
Respected Sir/Madam,
I ………………(Name) would like to apply as a contestant for the PC 2006. I think I’m suitable when you read my :
Name - ………… Age - ………… Sex - ……………
Height - ………… Length - …………
Sexual Orientation - …………… Girth (tough one) - ………………
Five things I cannot do when I’m erect - ……………………………………………
Five things I cannot do when I’m down - .....................................................
MY ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING NON EXPLICIT QUESTIONS :-
1-Being a virgin is letting your tool to rust and it is not a sense of dignity but a lack of opportunity. Your opinion. …………………………………………………
2- “Ek tapakti boond aapki zindagi badal sakti hai”. It is true because ………………………………
3- An original family planning slogan that you would want to spread.( Example- On a BEST bus: “Kripiya piche se chadiye” ) …………………………
4- What is better, Viva or Oral ? Why ?……………………………………
5- I know I came in this world because of a) Family Planning 2) Something Tearing. Why ? ………………………
6- “Come behind the pyramid and I will make you a Mummy”. Comment………………………………
7- Before you knew actually how children were born, you thought that………………………………………

8- Here are slogans for products only I use :

A)Reliance Condoms ………………………………………………………………
B)Colgate hair removal cream …………………………………………………
C)Fevicol lubricant …………………………………………………………………
9) If I were to die tomorrow, I would like to have sex with……………………………because he/she……………………………
Answer the following questions truthfully :
A-The Girl I like the most in class and why ? ………………………………
B-The Guy I hate the most in class and why ? ……………………………
C-I think I can win this Personality Contest because …………………………………………
HATS OFF TO THE FOLLOWING WHO’VE MADE ME THE PERSON I’M TODAY : (STRICTLY FROM THE BATCH)
MR. HOT ………………………………………
MISS. HOT ………………………………………
MR/MISS FUNNY ……………………………
MR/MISS BORE …………………………………
MR/MISS BOOKWORM………………………………
MR/MISS TEACHER CHAATU ………………………………
MR/MISS SENIOR CHAATU …………………………………
MY IMMEDIATE SENIORS ARE ROCKING BECAUSE………………………………………………………………
Your Obedient Junior,
………………………………

I dream Dreams.

It was in August 1992 that I was brought to this city of dreams….All we got was a scooter, a color television and some Rs.25,000 (salaries used to be starting from 300-400 in the eighties)….we had no idea what life would be like…..we just came.

19 years later, I’m a doctor working at one of the best hospitals in the city….life looks settled after going through all these years of hardships, hard work, ups and downs in life, never losing hope…just the dreams in my eyes…the burning desire to make it big in life, among the greats one day…I couldn’t be happier at this junction of my life.

Every single day I crave to be at AHIRC casualty….the sense of pride to dress smartly….formally…branded clothes…my trademark sunglasses...all from my hard earned money...then driving to work at more than 100 plus speeds…I feel alive every moment now…I had never thought life could be so great coming out of a government hospital….the world of losers, narrow minded souls, the corrupt officers, inhuman condition to work, no job satisfaction……I had never enjoyed myself away from creativity, always studying….Now I really feel I have arrived…..my confidence is over the roof…the desire is burning more fiercely now.

I am also so surprised that so many people from my LTMMC ‘05 batch would be so jealous that I’m doing well in life… “ Guys, your higher marks in the exams do not guarantee that you are a better doctor….It’s just your misconception that you know more than me”….I only laugh on reaching home on those narrow minded ‘un grown’ boys and girls (not mature enough to be called doctors).

Well, the studies seem to be going fine….job is awesome….business ideas in the hospitality industry popping up in my head from time to time…there is so much to learn from everyday life…Now, I have realized how easy it is to be the ‘deserving’ doctor SAHEB for people…50% of them feel good the moment a doctor opens his/her mouth….the faith, the confidence…the trust builds up right there…. I will never stop clinical medicine in spite of my MBA aspirations, it really is very satisfying.

On a lighter note, I admit to have had crushes, been in love (no relationship), had my heart broken….it’s just that career was always the priority….there was no time for love….but I guess it’s time now to find some worthy enough of my love..…(dream girl, if you are reading this, do get in touch).

Just wanting to work harder now…I want to really try out in life what I have always trusted in… “If you believe in the beauty of your dreams, then nothing is impossible”….can’t wait to see the future unfold….see what destiny I’m born with….thank you God for all these wonderful years….You really have been kind to me ‘FINALLY’….been there to give me strength always…my pillar of support…as my best friend…Love You….Hope to see happier years ahead !!

The God of Cricket

NOTE- NOT AN ORIGINAL PIECE OF WORK.... The Following are few of the best quotes about the genius...the Little Master...the Master Blaster....undoubtedly the most loved Indian.... SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR.

Mark Taylor(Aus)
''We did not lose to a team called India, we lost to a man called Sachin''

Brian Lara(WI)
"I want my son to become Sachin Tendulkar.....Sachin is a genius, I am a mere Mortal."

Hashim Amla(SA)
'Nothing bad can happen to us if we were on a plane in India with Sachin Tendulkar on it.''

Waqar Younis(Pak)''He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also.

Andy Flower(ZIM)''There are 2 kind of batsman in the world. 1 Sachin Tendulkar and 2. all the others .

Matthew Hayden(AUS.)"I have seen God. He bats at no.4 for India in tests.

Don Bradman(AUS)
"I see myself when I see Sachin batting.

Australian Fan
"Do your crime when Sachin is batting, because even God is busy watching his batting.

BBC Sports
Beneath the helmet, under that unruly curly hair, inside the cranium, there is something we don't know, something beyond scientific measure. Something that allows him to soar, to roam a territory of sport that, forget us, even those who are gifted enough to play alongside him cannot even fathom. When he goes out to bat, people switch on their television sets and switch off their lives.

Shane Warne
I'll be going to bed having nightmares of Sachin just running down the wicket and belting me back over the head for six. He was unstoppable. I don't think anyone, apart from Don Bradman, is in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar. He is just an amazing player.

Anil Kumble
"I am fortunate that I've to bowl at him only in the nets!"

Andrew Symonds
"To Sachin, the man we all want to be"
What Symonds wrote on an Aussie t-shirt he autographed specially for Sachin.

Peter Roebuck
"On a train from Shimla to Delhi, there was a halt in one of the stations. The train stopped by for few minutes as usual. Sachin was nearing century, batting on 98. The passengers, railway officials, everyone on the train waited for Sachin to complete the century. This Genius can stop time in India!!"

Brett Lee
You might pitch a ball on the off stump and think you have bowled a good ball and he walks across and hits it for two behind midwicket. His bat looks so heavy but he just waves it around like it's a toothpick.

Steve Waugh
It was one of the greatest innings I have ever seen. There is no shame being beaten by such a great player, Sachin is perhaps only next to the Don.

Michael Kasprowicz
Don't bowl him bad balls, he hits the good ones for fours.

Greg Chappell
He is a perfectly balanced batsman and knows perfectly well when to attack and when to play defensive cricket. He has developed the ability to treat bowlers all over the world with contempt and can destroy any attack with utmost ease.

Barack Obama - "I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play..Not b'coz I love his play its because I want to know the reason why my country's production goes down by 5 percent when he's in batting"...

Mere Khwab

Aakhen band karte hii

Madhmast main ho jata hoon

Adhure khwabon aur sapnon ko

Main phir pura hote pata hoon.

Takdir mein kya hai lika

Bhala kaun batla pate hain

Hum toh unn musaffiron mein hain

Jo tanha, aage badte jate hain.

Pana chahta hoon woh mukaam,

Umeed se pare hai jo iss tann se

Zindagi ko aazmane ki

Ek khwahish hai iss komal mann mein.

Shram aur mehnat ke dum pe

Kash bahut naam aur shohrat ho jaye

Aas hai marne se pehle

Bass mere khwab pure ho jayein.

College days unplugged

It was the most memorable day in the book of my life so far…A day that marked the ceremony to turn to doctors from boys/girls….A day of great pride and honor for us all as well as our parents…It was the day of our convocation.

Our story dates back to 8^th august, 2005 when a group of 100 aspiring doctors were brought under one ‘air conditioned’ roof of the physiology auditorium….Following are the few distinct random memories of our journey through the past 5.5 years at LTMMC and LTMGH.

- Running down the stair case like a herd of cattle to prevent being caught by the 'evil' seniors for ragging....personally, I feel it was an awesome way to get to know them.

- Cribbing when made to sit roll number wise, feeling unlucky when the girl sitting next to you didn't look so good and feeling jealous of the one who had a chick next to him thinking they would be together for the next 5.5 years.

- Fighting for the seat right in front of the teacher during the clinics...after all we were all excited in the beginning until the enthusiasm levels reduced with reality.

- Begging your partner during physiology practicals for a drop of blood when not having the guts to prick oneself...

-Feeling excited to cut the human body and the increasing impatience as each organ unfolded.....I remember how excited each one was to hold the heart in our hands for the first time as if it was some World Cup Trophy....amazed to see the liver, kidney and other organs....confusion, bluffing remembering the slide numbers in the histology practicals...

- Standing near the washbasin and discussing the reagents, chemicals, solutions involved in the biochemistry tests during the examination and then getting scolded for the same and pretending we were there only to wash the test tubes.

- Changing slides with someone else who had a well stained slide during microbiology practical examinations.

- Being excited to touch the rabbits and hamsters in pharmacology department....studying very few drugs among the hundreds and still feeling confident for the exam.

- The Forensic Medicine Head of department scolding people in some extremely hilarious ways.....no practicals until 2 days from the final exam...changing poisons with your neighbor in the exam when the one allotted was the one that you had not read.

- Getting scolded for copying from someone's journal in pathology which itself has been made after 'generations of copying' and cursing the teacher when being given 30 % of those diagrams for redrawing.

- The boring sleepy PSM lectures, the family trips to dharavi.....the 'sandas mein jaanwar wala joke'....we all went through it all.

- Knowing the ENT terminal paper a day before the exam and studying only those 6 questions.....writing 5 of them from home and sticking the supplements in the answer sheets...and on top of that, I was caught with the chits for the last 1 answer....I smile even today thinking of that.

- Studying only cataract and glaucoma for the entire year for ophthalmology exam every time.....surprisingly both those questions came in our final exam.

- The turmoil of final year can't be described in words....' Life ceased to exist, time paused, brain stopped functioning' for that 1 year to complete the portion....That anxiousness to 'just pass' the final year...In the end, everybody just prayed for anything above 50.00 %.

- The jubilation to finally hear that you had passed..the relief...( the sense of disbelief for me)...the tears of happiness....the jumping in joy for having done it finally...it sure feels like yesterday to me...

- The frustrating internship mamagiri....feeling great to get signatures for days you didn't attend....the sense of achievement to kick the wicked houseman's ass...the dinners together with the entire unit on emergency days.....the ' batting of patients'.....the ' Sion Jhadu'.....moments worth cherishing again.

- Exams came and went but with each passing year, the experience and memories of copying just kept multiplying exponentially....the open book exams, the micro xeroxes, the supplement passing, the leaking of question papers....we all did become masters of copying in 4.5 years.

- Among all these high pressure cooker days, what kept me going was the blog, the band, the college festivals....Also due credit to FIFA ( computer game) for being the only source of recreation....( I was never prepared to commit to anyone and be a part of some foolish college library couple) I remember playing FIFA with my hostel friends for 3 hours just before the PSM prelim exam.

Now the journey has ended ....the awesome years of undergraduate life are over....the time has come for us to part ways...who knows we might ever meet again or not..so before these thoughts are lost in oblivion, I thought to pen them down ( its 3 am at AHIRC as I write this behind someone's insignificant ECG).

LTMMC 2005 batch, we rocked !! We were united...then we parted ....but we united again to make it a lifetime's memorable experience....Dancers, artists, painters, actors, cricketers, musicians, jokers, writers, singers, politicians, computer technicians, walking railway and bus timetable.....you name it and we had them all.

As I finish writing this, I have a smile on my face and a little moist eyes as I'm filled with nostalgia and emotions.....I will seriously miss the awesome days, the friends, the teachers, the staff, the sisters, the mamas as I look back in time.....last few words.....I'm really gonna miss this place, I'm gonna miss my.....college days !!

Me...

I Have – No Fear, No Regret , No Pain

I Always- Live Freely, Think Freely, Express Freely

I Hate- The Liars, The Cheaters, The Narrow Minded

I Learnt- The Honesty, The Perfection, The Principles

Happiness is- My Family, My Dreams, My Freedom

My Aim- Spreading Joy, To Be Remembered, Being Myself.

'Kekda' couples

KEKDA (HINDI) = CRAB (ENGLISH)

The vast ocean, the sound of the waves as they rise and fall and the cool breeze have always had a calming influence on me….I often go to the beach alone whenever I feel low, confused or when I have to take a major decision in life….For me, nothing comes close to a walk down ‘Marine Drive’ or sitting alone on the rocks at ‘Bandstand’ looking at the vastness of the ocean.

For years, Bandstand has been my favorite hangout place in the city……I have been there innumerable times before, alone and many a times with my best friends from college….My keen observation of the rocky terrain at Bandstand all these years has made me inclined towards the ‘Kekdas’ we see hidden in the crevices or somewhere behind the rocks…..Here is my case study report :-

The Kekda’s are always found in a pair (hence the name Kekda Couples). They usually prefer to hide behind rocks by which they will be hidden from the view of the general public…Their specie is peace loving, usually minding their own business….They know their territory well, so they often end up swarming a particular patch of rocks and can be seen sitting in a straight line….Majority of them are youngsters who bunk lectures from college or classes to manage time for the ‘Non Committed Timepass Relationships’.

There, they sit for hours together having ‘False Dreams’ of spending their lives together….One can usually find them lost in each other’s eyes, sometimes getting intimate….smooching…A real treat for the ‘ Less Fortunate’ of similar specie who get excited to spot these kekda’s like a scientist would on making a new discovery. To prevent themselves from being seen, the Kekda’s usually carry a protective shell called an ‘Umbrella’ which is used even when the skies are very clear and there is no sign of a single raindrop....a 'dupatta' too serves as a good substitute at times.

All is not always happy when they think that they are having the best romantic time together….The ‘ Less Fortunate’ who mostly envy the ‘lucky’ couple pass lewd comments, the cold drink – chanewale vendors too try their best to disturb them purposely…..In recent times, the Kekda couples felt harassed by Eunuchs so much so that their count had decreased drastically sending shockwaves among others wanting to make Bandstand their favorite holiday destination…..sometimes, when the act of intimacy crosses the limit of decency, it becomes a nuisance to the locals who call the police to break the Lip lock…..sorry deadlock ;-)

We friends, often tease each other that when one of us gets mutated to their kind soon, he would forget the years of friendship and would for sure be found sitting somewhere behind the same rocks of Bandstand one day….but the fact remains, each one of ‘The Unfortunate’ – including me, always surely ponder looking at the happy couple…….. “Mera number Kab aayega”.

To my sweetheart, with love.

Dearest Mercedes – Benz,

It’s been years that I have hidden my feelings for you deep in my heart. But seeing you turn 125 years old today (29^th Jan,2011), I couldn’t control my patience to tell you what I feel for you…..Baby, I’m truly, madly and deeply in love with you.

I don’t know how, but over the years that I have seen you, I have always been mesmerized by your class, your beauty, the attitude and the way you carry yourself. It has been close to 16 years that I fell for you and I have chased you ever since with the intention to flirt….but you continue to elude me. While my dad would be at work in his office at Nariman point those days, I would be roaming the streets of marine drive looking for you. The very sight of you being happy in safe hands gave me immense amount of happiness.

I swear on you darling, all these years, I have had crushes on BMWs, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Harleys and other beauties but nothing could come close to my love and commitment for you, and it will remain for years to come. Never has it happened that you have zoomed past and I have not turned back to take a second look envying the lucky person owning you.

You have given the world the first front tire breaks, the seat belt, the traction control, the ABS, the first diesel car and countless other technologies which I can’t recollect as I write this love letter of mine…but I always agree to what your father said, “ There is a Mercedes in every car”. You have been a source of inspiration to everybody else….living by example…a pioneer in safety, comfort, class, luxury, beauty and sex appeal….It’s been 125 years to your birth but you look as elegant and pretty as before. I have always looked forward to your new designs and makeovers to blow me over. Though you have always looked gorgeous being a C class, E class, S class, M class, SLK, AMG, etc….but for me, you looked like my dream girl being an SLR Mclaren. I had you as ‘her’ on my desktop wallpaper for close to 3 years and would be lost in her sheer beauty every time.

Baby, I feel that I have a connection with you, may be from my past life. I know that I don’t have the money or the resources to make you mine now…..after all, loving you will be a costly affair... But sweetheart, I promise that I will do everything to make you mine one day….and keep you happy in every way I can...pamper you like my queen….We just need to be patient and hopeful to unite one day.

Sweetheart, consider this as my official ‘proposal’ for lifelong commitment because the day that I’m supposed to be on my knees, holding a ‘briefcase full of cash’ to ask you out looks a little distant to me as of now.

I will be waiting for your arrival in my life….and I hope you make the right choice too by becoming mine one day. Love you forever, always……yours and only yours…..Mohit

End of Ignition Band-Age

The following might have been the last original song performed by Band Ignition... but the dream remain unfulfilled... I miss the days of the IGNITION BAND-AGE... :-(

Looking down the memory lanes
The days of fun and fights on games
The time, that is gone
Will not be back again...

We loved to entertain, today and in past
Our hearts danced too, when you had a blast
Time simply passed, like sand in hand
Last goodbye from the Ignition Band...

Those days of joys and nights of fun
We're gonna miss you everyone
Time has come, for our new start
Hope you keep us deep in your heart.....

27/01/11

Mosquito borne diseases - Street play.

The Following is a street play written to be performed for the illiterate poor people of Vaitarna where I was posted for my rural posting…..it turned out to be the first Marathi play I participated in and was quite significant because “Mala Marathi yet nahi” – I don’t know Marathi.
 

A day in Vaitarna Government School

Teacher – Mohit - Present Mam

Salman - Present Mam

Katrina - "Mam she is absent",says someone.

Deepika - Present Mam

Kareena - Present Mam

Ranbeer - "Mam he is absent",says someone.

John - "Mam he is absent",says someone.

After all attendance is taken….

Teacher – Does anyone of you know why Katrina, John and Ranbir are absent since last 2-3 days ?

Mohit – Mam, John has gone to his masi Bipasha’s house…..Ranbir and Katrina are down with high fever.

Teacher – What ? Did they go to some doctor ?

Mohit – No Mam, their mummy says ‘sardi hai’ (its cold), they will be fine in sometime.

Teacher – Cold for 3 days.... Children,today we will study not from the books but I will teach you all something for your good….You can tell it to your parents, neighbors…but I want full participation from you all….Ok ?

All students together – Yes mam.

Teacher – Good….Mohit, now you tell me, why do we get fever ?

Mohit – Teacher, if we take bath in cold water, if it is cold weather outside and we are not wearing full clothes, or we don’t dry our head after taking bath…..we get fever.

Teacher – Yes, you are partly right…..anybody else ?

Salman – (Raising hands and jumping to show off ) Mam, I had heard that most mosquitoes cause fever.

Teacher – Yes, very good Salman, this is what I wanted to hear.Children, since we stay in a village with lots of greenery around, there are many mosquitoes that live close to our household…..Today we are going to discuss about them and how we fall ill because of them..Are you all interested to know ?

All students together showing interest – Yes Mam.

Teacher – Deepika, Do you know how do we get malaria ?

Deepika – Mam, through mosquitoes.

Teacher – Very good…..now you tell me what other illnesses can mosquitoes cause ?

Students don’t know..

Teacher – No one ? Alright….listen carefully.At night, when you don’t put mosquito repellents and you go to sleep, mosquitoes will slowly come through your window…It knows where it can find sweet sweet blood…..so it will come, bite you and suck your blood to have a stomach full grand meal.

All Students – Ohhhhhh….

Teacher – Now if Mohit’s blood is sweeter than Deepika’s, what will the mosquito do ?....It will inject Deepika’s blood in Mohit and drink Mohit’s blood…..Now if Deepika is suffering from malaria or any other disease, wont Mohit also get it ??

All students – hmmmmm and laughing on Mohit and Deepika.

Kareena – Mam, which all diseases can be transferred through a mosquito bite ?

Teacher – not 1 but many…..malaria, filaria, dengue, chikankunya…….many more.

Mohit – Mam, how will be know if we have the fever caused by cold or fever from mosquito ?

Teacher – Very good question…..In fever caused due to cold, actually the symptoms are mild grade fever, headache, weakness…..but in fever caused by mosquitoes, we have major symptoms like very high fever, chills, severe body ache, vomiting, extreme weakness, joint pain, rashes, don’t feel like eating anything….Is it all not a reason to worry ?

All students – hmmmmmmm…

Teacher – So children, tell me what should you do when you have such symptoms ? Do you wait or……

All students together – We should go to a doctor……

Teacher – Very good everyone.

Salman – Teacher, where do mosquitoes hide ? I don’t see them in day time….Also where they lay eggs, on flowers like butterflies ?

Teacher – No child….Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water….any water collection….in your plant pot, useless tyre, box, ponds….Now do you all understand why we get most fevers during monsoon ?

All students – Yes Mam…

Deepika – Teacher, where do they go during day time ?

Teacher – They usually hide in store rooms, behind hung clothes, in bushes…anywhere they can hide and play Hide n’ seek.

All students laughing.

Deepika – Mam, water is very important in day to day life..how can we prevent breeding ?

Teacher – Very simple….you should not allow stagnant water to accumulate near your homes….Make sure you have neat environment and cleanliness at your home and outside…In big ponds, people put some kerosene oil which forms a layer on the surface of water and eggs don’t get proper air for their growth…..and you all know ? there is a fish called Gambusia which eats mosquitoes children….

All students – Oh….

Teacher – So children, what did you all learn today ?

Mohit – About how we should not take fever lightly….do to a doctor immediately and take proper medicines….

Teacher – So will you all go home and tell your parents and neighbors about what you all learnt today ?

All students – Yes Mam…

The bell rings, all students get up to show respect to their teacher……

Teacher – Next time, we will again talk on something educational like today…..and all of you will also tell me what you told at home….Thank you class.

Fruits of Education - Street Play

The following is the Second of the Educational Street Plays written for the people of Vaitarna....

Narrator - One night in a farmer's home....

Sumati (Wife) - What happened ? Why are you so sad ?

Ramprasad (Farmer) - Nothing, everything is fine...

Sumati - Look, I'm your wife..when we got married, we promised that we will go through happy and sad phase in life together....equally share the burden of life...You have to tell me.

Ramprasad - You are aware that the unseasonal rains this year have ruined our crop...so many of the farmers in the village have committed suicide….we too don't have enough money now...no savings...there is no problem from Suraj's (Son) side...he will become a farmer too...help me pay off our debt...As for Neelam (Daughter), we will get her married early...you keep her involved in household chores...she will be a good wife to her husband....what worries me is how are we going to survive now ?

Sumati - We would have not been in such position is we would have been educated a bit, at least we could have worked in some small government office in the village or may be we could have managed our daily finances better....

Ramprasad - Education doesn't matter....Am I educated ? No....Yet I am able to feed you all and take care you three....Look at Vishal, he went to the city for education, got into bad habits...wasted the money and now he spends the whole day drinking…Now you tell who is better off ?.....don;t worry, things will be fine….

Narrator – One day, his son Suraj falls ill. He is having high fever with chills and altered consciousness…Ramprasad takes Suraj to the local government small hospital.

Doctor – Malaria has set into the brain (cerebral malaria)….He has to be taken to a higher centre in the city for further treatment..we have done what we could best within our limited resources.

Narrator – Forgetting his worries, Ramprasad and Suraj head to the city…The poor farmer felt amazed looking at the city….the dressing of the people…girls and boys given freedom to wear what they want….At the hospital,

Ramprasad – Doctor sahib, I have come from a distant village…this is our referral letter…

Doctor ( a beautiful young female) – Your son has to be admitted immediately.

Narrator – while Suraj is admitted in the hospital, Ramprasad takes good care of him….medicines…love…

Ramprasad – Suraj, son you wait here….I will go and get some Nariyalpani (tender coconut) for you..afterall it is ‘Amrit’ for our family….it is what gives us all that we have…money,food…life.

“1 nariyalpani do”(Give me 1), to the shopkeeper….take this 5 rupees.

Shopkeeper – (Angrily) Which village are you from….It costs Rs.20 in this city.

Ramprasad – What ? I grow them on my land….we sell each for Rs.2 and you are asking me 10 times the price !!

Shopkeeper – In the city ,everything is expensive….buy it if you want to otherwise go away !

Suraj – (Looking at his father’s sad face) What happened ? Baba, why you look so sad ?

Ramprasad – Son, would you believe this..I bought this Nariyalpani for you for Rs.20…we sell each for Rs.2 and this shopkeeper gets 10 times the price…the middleman takes the major chunk of it..we slog day in and day out…live in such poor conditions….with no money, no food for days…..and these middlemen and shopkeepers make huge profit at our cost…I wished now that I had understood the value of education before, at least you could have come to the city and looks for higher avenues…

Suraj – Baba, don’t worry…its never too late for a new beginning…Once I’m well, we will go back to our village…I will learn the basic math and accounting and let us see where we can start.

Ramprasad – That’s a great idea….Son, you will be support for the old age…But let me share something with you….looking at the educated, decent female doctors here, I too feel that I would do injustice to your sister if I  don’t let her study…..she needs to come out of the village,see the city…I don’t want her to suffer like we did…being uneducated when the world took advantage of us …

Narrator – 3 days later, they return back to the village…

Sumati – By God’s grace, our son is fine now….my child….Hey, why you look in anxiety ?

Ramprasad – (Tells her everything about the city)….Now I have decided that our children should be educated too….I will ask a math teacher to come and teach Suraj….and I will arrange to send Neelam to the city for education…I want her to be a doctor…I will spend all my savings on their education, meanwhile I will find out the actual role of the middleman .

Narrator – Slowly, Ramprasad found out all the information about how the middlemen would buy so cheap from the villagers and sell at high price to take away all the profit…meanwhile his son was studying hard to get his accounting right….daughter had managed to get admission in a medical college in the city.

Suraj– Baba, I suggest we buy a tempo on loan and from now on, I will go personally and sell off our coconuts….why don’t we completely get away with the role of the middlemen…my accounts say that will be more profitable and money saver for us…

Ramprasad – Good idea son, I’m grateful that you are by my side…I’m proud of you my child.

Narrator – Ramprasad, Neelam and Suraj, all worked very hard in their respective fields…..soon the farmer started making huge profits and became a rich man….bought himself more land, labourers and trucks…selling most of the village’s coconuts himself and giving a major chunk of the profits to others as well…The farmer suicides had stopped too….Im 5 years, neelam had grown up to be a doctor and returned to the village to open a hospital in her parents name.
One night, 5 years later…

Sumati – Do you realize, approximately 5 years back….we were in such messy conditions financially, no food, no money….Look, God has been so kind to us to give us so much happiness…

Ramprasad – Do you remember what I had said about education that night ? I was all wrong….It is not God who has done wonders for us but Education….All this happiness and pride would not have been there had we not taken the correct decision to educate the children at the right time….(with tears dropping from his eyes) One day before I die, I want to use this money to open up a school in the village so that other villagers too understand its importance….

Inside 'Insight'

INSPIRED BY DAY TO DAY REAL LIFE INCIDENTS

I am Atmaram, a poor, old, uneducated farmer from a distant village in Vidharba, visiting a city for the first time in my life. Unfortunately, my 24-year-old son, Baburao, is suffering from recurrent episodes of sudden breathlessness due to his asthma, and we have come to the well-known government-aided Mumbai General Hospital for his treatment. This is my story.

No sooner had the ambulance stopped in front of a casualty of the well-known government-aided Mumbai General Hospital, we rushed our son to the emergency medical services (EMS). My wife still sat in the ambulance, weeping. The EMS was full of patients; two doctors were attending to around 20 patients stuffed on 12 beds, to be precise, and I stood numbly watching my son gasp for breath. "Doctor Saheb, emergency aahe," I shouted. "Kaka, awaz mat karo. Yahan sab patients emergency ke hee hain," he replied bluntly. My heart sank. Waiting for those 3 minutes until he finally came to check on Baburao seemed like an eternity to me.

He came, checked my son’s chest with his stethoscope, and panicked and shouted, "Staff, intubation trolley ready, Karo." Baburao was shifted on a bed, curtains drawn. "Baba, central line, ECG, madam," he shouted again. My heart beat fast. I couldn’t understand what had changed so drastically in those 5 minutes. Everyone, including the sister and the other doctor, rushed to check on my son. Time stood still for me.

After 10 unforgettable minutes, I could finally see my son: rubber tubing down his throat (endotracheal tube), a thin tube through his neck (neckline), and blood all over his bed sheet. "Saans aur dhadkan chalu hai," said the doctor. I felt relieved. Bad thoughts had corrupted my mind all this time. My wife didn’t have the courage to see my son in that condition. She almost fainted.

Baburao was then put on some computerised machine (a ventilator), dripping as we waited for him to stabilise. Blood samples were taken, X-ray and ultrasonography (USG) chest forms were filled out, and they were handed over to us. We were happy to see him wave to us from a distance. Baburao was better now and had to finally be shifted to the ward. I struggled to find the registration counter for the admission papers and the blood sample laboratory too. My old, weak legs don’t have so much stamina to run around at this age. Nevertheless, I was determined that everything would be fine and that I would take my son back to the village soon.

Baburao was then put on a trolley this time, with an intern ready to accompany us, but there was no servant to help us to the X-ray, USG, and finally to the ward. Our crucial 15 minutes were wasted waiting for the servant to arrive. The X-ray didn’t take much time, but we were surprised to find the USG door locked. "Kaka, 5 minutes ruko," the intern said and left in a hurry. He came back with a call book, this time sending the mama with that book to the Resident doctor’s quarters. A call was sent to the radiologists. The call was accepted. Mama had returned a long time ago, but there was no sign of the doctors. The intern went again to check on them. They finally arrived, yawning, 45 minutes after the call was first sent. I was angry deep in my heart.

All the work was done, and we proceeded towards the ward. Another shock awaited us. The ward was full too, and there were no beds available. Baburao was then put on a mattress on the floor. No doctors were around; no treatment or medicines were started. The staff nurse said, "Ab tumhare doctor subah aayenge, notes dalenge, and tabhi kuch hoga". By this time, my wife and I had calmed down too. Baburao was calm now, no longer breathless.

The following 4 days began daily with the senior doctor’s (Head of Unit or lecturer) round in the early morning, the registrar's or houseman’s round in the evening, the usual blood tests, and the sputum tests. Those four days were like going through hell. Every morning, blood samples were taken and sent for expensive tests in private laboratories. The IV line had to be changed twice since it got blocked due to a clot. Some inexperienced students would do that. It’s so difficult to see your son being pricked so many times. He couldn’t bear the pain. I couldn’t help but ask myself why he was used as a guinea pig for training them. I was also made to run around a lot for reports and medicines. Why can’t they ask for everything at once? The ward doctors would sometimes hand me blood samples of other patients who had no relatives around the clock. Extra IVs, bivalves, and medicines used to be ordered. One was put in my son's hands; the rest would go in their stock. I still remained quiet. My money was draining, but my son’s improving condition asked me to keep mum. I also used to feel harassed by students who would come every morning in 2s and 3s, ask us the same questions every day for their case study, and make us run around from one room to the other for their case presentations. I was so angry that my son had to go through so much. Also, it feels odd to be stared at by 20 students at once, with Baburao being used as a specimen. Yet I was always composed.

On the 5th day, Baburao developed a high fever since morning. For us, he was in safe hands. But around 11.30 p.m., he suddenly became breathless again. I panicked, and so did the staff nurse. No doctor was present in the ward at that time. I ran to the ward next to ours. A young doctor lay asleep in the clinic room there. I asked him to rush quickly. "Tumhare doctor dusre hain, who mera patient nahin hai? Kaka jao ward mein, doctor aate hii honge. Sone do abhi," he said. I was shocked! A young, educated doctor, my son's age, was talking to me with no respect at all, least bothered about my son’s life. I didn’t understand what was happening. Quietly, I walked to our ward, and standing at the door, I was shocked to see what was happening.

I could see 'our doctor' trying to give chest compressions to Baburao. My wife was crying uncontrollably while standing next to the mattress. For some reason, I feared the worst. After three minutes, he checked his pulse and breathing. "Kaka, aapka beta nahin raha", he said in a sad tone. I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked, numb, and senseless. There was no word for what I felt in my heart. There was no one to console me except my wife, who herself was in tears. We had lost our only son, our only hope for the future.

Baburao’s body lay in the ward for the next 2 hours. While our doctor filled out the death certificate (DC), the mama wrapped my son’s body. It all looked like a routine for them—no feelings, no remorse—nothing had changed for them. The sad face that had informed me of my son’s death was now smiling as he spoke to 'the other Unit’s' doctor, the staff nurse. DC read: – Systemic infection in a known case of bronchial asthma.

After this life-changing, bitter experience, I have lost all regard for the heartless doctors. I didn’t even find a single genuinely caring doctor there who deserved our respect. We miss Baburao a lot. We break into tears thinking about him. I often wonder, staring at the open sky from my kaccha house and finding Babaurao among those stars, if doctors really deserve to be treated next to God. Ask me I will never.

Vaitarna Diaries

It has been 2 years that I saw the movie “Into the Wild” and I was so impacted by the story that I always wished I did something similar, MINUS COMING BACK HOME ALIVE. People who know the real me are aware that I’m a person in search.… search for some answers, the questions to which I’m still not yet fully aware of….the purpose of my life….may be enlightenment….knowledge….thrill….danger or adrenaline rush. I follow no set rules and I do what I feel is morally and ethically right….

Happiness is not something one can keep, but one can only pursuit it….and here I was doing just that, on a trip being alone, away from home for the first time in my life….a chance to be a real free spirit.

The following is the day by day HIGHLIGHTED account of the most awesome time I have ever had till now :-

Day 1 - Chose to stand on the foot board instead of sitting inside the already packed jeep during the 16 kms trip from Khardi to Vaitarna feeling the cool breeze on my face as we traveled “on a road built on potholes and cow dung”, in the garb of nature.

On reaching the quarters, explored the 20 doors and windows till I zeroed in my would be room…spent a good 45 minutes to throw away the broken bed, mattresses, newspapers….remove spider webs, shift my bed….everything set and soon my presidential suite was ready….looked beautiful with my limited resources…Evening was spent studying, listening to some good music, meditation and planning out things I would be doing there…

Day 2 – 6.30 AM, set out on foot, alone to explore the neighboring places…didn’t know where I was headed to but I continued to walk…after all the fun is in exploring the untraveled roads…I walked further away from our quarters and soon I could see the Modak Sagar dam….I couldn’t control my instinct and I ran as fast as I could towards it…I was mesmerized by the sheer beauty around me….the beautiful rocky river bed through the mountains on one side….birds chirping….flying, trying out their stunts right below my eyes…the river on the other side, the sun rising from behind the mountains….I had never seen anything so beautiful….I ran across the dam, arms outstretched, eyes closed….it did feel I was flying…..that high was followed by an hour long chitchatting with the local policemen who let me hold on to their rifles….bullets….it sure was fun.

I continued wandering to the nearby forest….ate wild ‘ ber ’, tamarind…chased butterflies…swung from a banyan tree…helped a wood cutter with his work…looking forward to the days ahead.

Day 3 – Day began with the planned health regime over the dam, but climbing down 200 stairs to the foot of the dam made it so special…the rocks, the river, the slide of the dam so up close…couldn’t believe I was here…I had never thought I would be having so much fun, all by myself.

For the first time in my life, I realized how beautiful an echo can be….sounds great when it gets reflected from 3-4 directions of the surrounding mountains. Evening was spent playing cricket…teen patti with the poker chips along ;-) and eating stomach full of everything we could get our hands on from the canteen…

Day 4 – Today, the week long festival ‘ saptah’ ended…In 4 days itself, I feel attached to the villagers who now identify me as their doctor…Also, we had been having lunch and dinner (dal bhat and potato vegetable – everyday to be precise) at the temple everyday sitting on the floor with 200 villagers in the 'pangat'…

Today, I decided to serve them first instead of eating before….The satisfaction in doing that was immense….the regards for me in their eyes rose even more….I can never forget that smile on their faces.

Evening, played with 2 cute little stray dog puppies, right outside the community health center. Now, working on scripts for 2 street plays, one on ‘Diseases caused by Mosquitoes’ and the other on ‘Effects of illiteracy and women education’……It really takes so little to be happy.

Day 5 AND THE DAYS AHEAD – The exploration and the wandering is over now. The day begins with jogging, exercising and meditation on the dam surrounded by the beautiful scenery and nature in full bloom for company…get fresh, breakfast at a small local canteen (serves only tea, vada pav and missal pav) and then, off to work…Evening is spent studying, plating cricket, cards, listening to music and of course talking NON SENSE for hours…The first taste of hostel life had simply been awesome.

BACK HOME NOW FOR 3 DAYS (3 weeks of posting remaining) – The days spent in Vaitarna have been a beautiful learning experience for me. I have already got what I had set out to achieve…peace….motivation….satisfaction…love…calmness…I really have ‘rediscovered’ myself ‘again’ (grammatical error by purpose).

I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD EVEN COME DOWN TO THESE LAST FEW LINES…..AFTER ALL THE DEFINITION OF ‘ TRUE HAPPINESS ‘ IS DIFFERENT FOR EACH OF US…..NEVERTHELESS, THROUGH THIS POST, I HAVE DONE MY BIT ON WHAT I TRULY BELIEVE IN –

“HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED” – INTO THE WILD.