Survival Instincts.

Happened to see 2 or 3 short films by National Geographics, where it was shown how a porcupine making use of its quill-spines gets away from a panther or in another when a lioness is still hanging on the jugulars how bison cow gets away fighting extremely hard and saves her own life at the last moment. Both were mind-boggling as well as eye-openers.

In Human jungle too, the survival instincts of below-average IQ individual are absolutely paramount. For someone, with a higher level of understanding, It's really difficult to survive in the world that largely comprises of averages. As soon as this average world gets a sniff, even the faintest one that you are a bit different, forget about being gifted or plain intelligent, the fangs are out and every method, plan, ploy, politics is tried to show that, how you are not so and you too are having feet of clay like us And If the greatness is accepted, mostly reluctantly, then every effort is made to show that, you are just as equal as jus! Maybe attitude condescending on my part but I am not going to be apologetic about it.

This World is not equal. Take any level, platform, parameter, damn anything we have differently endowed people [! tongue in cheek].

When the one with low intelligence is entwined with another one with better capabilities, all arms of the ammunition are used in the war, if it happens to be between spouses. Cheating, lying, stabbing in the backs, adultery, crying, low-level politics, verbal heart-wrenching duels, nothing is spared. Till the other one really is made into a spineless ball of slime, the parties don't stop. Here the survival instincts of the one with below-average prerequisites, come to the fore vehemently. It's the question of survival so the last word has to be in winning pocket, and they go to any extent to have it. There is no rationale, no remorse, no ethics no manners, no discretion, you name a virtue from the polite civilized intelligent world and its trampled under the feet with glee. 

I have come across many such couples where the intelligent partner is never given due respect. Two different individuals with different capabilities, in all aspects, physical mental, emotional, intelligence come together in a mostly hypothetical artificial institution called marriage and at the word go, they become equal! Unfathomable! Here, it's not the question, who is a male partner or who is the female one! Many intelligent women only because they belong to that gender, are not given the opportunity to show their mettle! Just to give example, many girls from my class of M.B.B.S., are not doing anything because their either spouses or In-laws did not allow them to venture. Similarly, Arts and Commerce graduates are making lives of many professionally gifted people difficult by competing with them to have the last word and just to show that who wears the pants in the house. One with discretion just gives up, but in that case, is it a good marriage?!

The real sport spoilers are the ones who have an average IQ. The ones with ultra-low IQ or differently-abled, are beyond all these humanly emotions, and mental intricacies and they have to accept all the help what normal average world could offer. Superior ones are in a different league altogether and are really not bothered about the world beyond them. They just brush aside the normal world. They don't need to fight for survival, it's there in them! Period. 

The ones those have enough IQ to, at least, understand that they don't have 'IT', do the most mischief. And then all those games, ploys, petty politics, tantrums. Well, I have made, my point. I, when get pulled in to this whirlpool, where do I stand? No answers! Maybe I give up!

Residents continued

1.Doctor: Patient ratio in India is one of the lowest in the entire world. To top it, the Government allots minuscule funds for the health. The one that reaches the actual field is still lesser due to enormous pilferage. As the health schemes by the government are malfunctioning because of these and a variety of other factors, patients have to seek help from the private sector. If we want these patients to come back to 'Sarkari' services, the system has to be overhauled drastically and must be freed from political interference.

2. Due to enormous development in the field, the outgoings have increased accordingly. Thus the investment amounts to millions. The Medical professional who already has spent 15 to 20 years for education/specialization/super-specialization and then investing in crores by taking loans, is not going to run his private enterprise on a charitable basis. By the time when a young Doctor has to go through these and other ordeals, he ceases to be naive principled self. To top it, when google trained self-educated half baked nuts wonder, 'How come you are not having 'X' machine or facilities for 'Y' investigation?' he is bound to lose his cool. Thus when not asked for, investigations are good but as soon they make a hole in the pocket, they become unnecessary, this double standard won't do.

3. If Doctor is God to you, you must have faith in him like you have, in the real [ to be frank, fictitious] one! Already he has been brought under the consumer act, so automatically you become the buyer, thus you can not eat cake and have it too. Either he is a God, so have faith or he sells the commodity so you get what you have asked for. You can not change the stance according to what suits you.

4. As said previously 'Health' is one's own responsibility. To neglect it and then put the onus on the Doctor for treatment is an injustice to the Doctors.

5. All the Medical Colleges run by the private trusts have political patronage. As they are run by the political bid-wigs, they are hardly under the control of the government. Society should rise against them, as these are money-making factories for politicians. 'I have money, so my son will be a Doctor' type of attitude of society must also be abhorred. These guys and gals are going to deal with human lives so the selection to the course must be purely on the basis of merit and not on caste and on 'How much money his guardian can shell out'.

6. Is there any instance, when the resident was being beaten, he was rescued by the bystanders or did any channel at least spell this out? Does not it amount to callous behaviour on the part of media?

7. Rather than discussing these crucial aspects of the problem, to keep on harping on the other aspects of medical profession amounts to backing these goons in their unruly deeds. So-called 4th pillar of the democracy must keep this in mind. In today's paid media this seems improbable.

8. What is happening with the middle class society is, It has the freshest knowledge from West about the diseases, courtesy Google/Internet but it conveniently wants to forget that it costs money. Today's Doctors have Ultra-modern Knowledge from West to be practised in society with African facilities and people with the tribal mindset. If one can afford a cinema viewing in an ultra-modern air-conditioned mall, when single screen cheap entertainment is available, he must also make the provisions for his 'would' be ailments well in advance. And if you can't afford private treatment, you must have faith and patience for the governmental treatment for the reasons cited above.

9. If the common man on the street is going to get affected so badly when these doctors make themselves unavailable, then it is society's responsibility to take care of them. Unsympathetic utterances by the courts are not the news to rejoice.

10. Doctors are part of the same society which itself is not blame-proof. He too is looted by the other factors of the society [ more so, Doctor hai, maal wala hai]. Political pressures at the district levels are absolutely killing. All these political social workers who threaten the doctor of dire consequences if 'their' patient is not cured, run away when it comes to the payment of the bill.

11. In fact, society, in general, requires introspection and a lot of education, to understand what one means by democracy. That every disease can not be cured and every person can not be saved. There are limitations to human en-devour and medical sciences. Man still does not know the human body and the diseases fully.  And whose job it is to educate the common man? In Lok. Tilak and Agarkar's times it was done by socio-political leaders. I don't see anybody of that calibre in today's times. Instead of making the common man erudite, today's leader is more interested in keeping him illiterate and uninformed so that he can get away with his loot.

In spite of having the clear in-discriminatory picture, if some experts still feel that the Patients should not be held at ransom by going on strike, they should come out with an amicable solution. 'To tell them to leave the job,' is not the answer because from where are you going to get doctors to fill up these vacancies. To be frank, everybody knows that without these doctors and Doctors in general, health care and society, in general, will collapse! Even then .....

Residents again

And the cat is out of the bag. CM has cheated poor doctors by giving white lies. Yet another resident doctor gets attacked in Thane. No security provided!

After spending 47 years in the profession, having 2 other doctors in the home, going through the same rigmarole I definitely feel, the malaise is not with the doctors but with the society and the heartless, emotionless government it elects who does not have empathy, not alone for the doctors but for any other segment of the society. They are busy only in saving their own seats.

The recently concluded mass leave[strike] of the doctors was not a win for the government but victory snatched away at the gunpoint. Right from the society to press to judiciary nobody was caring for the just demand of the doctors.

Always the point discussed was the hardships being faced by the patients. But the demand put by the residents,' We want safe working conditions' was totally ignored. Was it really a that big deal?

The entire discussion by all the media strayed away from this basic point and every time what was discussed was, "How the Doctor has estranged from the society in general, and how has he become more money minded and is harassing the ones who consider him no less than a god".Somewhere along the line implying that " Aren't these assaults, the culmination of these factors?" The entire discussion kept going on, on the same lines not allowing the rational one to put his point forward, absolutely one-sided game.

We have to look at this from two different angles because they are different. 

The resident doctors who work in these institutions are young girls and guys hardly in their mid-twenties. After finishing M.B.B.S., a 5 and 1/2 years long course which they get in, after really toiling for years and getting qualifying in the toughest entrance exam securing more than 90% of marks. After going through the ordeals of like another entrance and society made ones, like reservations, they are in the position with most difficulty. It's pertinent to understand that these youths, who have sacrificed their flowery days in junior college for studies, who are mostly from cultured, educated families are not callous or negligent. They face so many hurdles even carrying their mundane activities that it's not surprising that they are exasperated for lack of safety at their working place. A tremendous amount of workload in government hospitals, inadequate hostel facilities, substandard food, lack of sleep, lack of mandatory cleanliness, understaffed departments, they themselves having fewer colleagues to share the responsibilities, but they are/did not fighting/fight for these issues, they are on the roads for their own safety. I feel this must be discussed and dealt with on the war footing.

The patients who visit government hospitals are definitely underprivileged on many accounts along with the curse of illiteracy, ignorance and undernourishment and poverty. The people belonging to this stratum of society are totally unaware of the intricacies of Medical/ Health juggernaut. The paucity of equipment, staff, medicines and the sheer number of beneficiaries, it's just beyond them. After coming to a passe when medical treatment too won't work they rush to the hospital wanting everything" Now, immediately" including results. Unfortunately, class 4 officers being permanent, are not bothered about the urgency of the situation and in many instances, the resident doctor runs from pillar to post to get the things done because he is the "Face" of the hospital and he is genuinely bothered about the patient! And naturally, he is the first one to take the brunt of the ire.

Those who advise them," To leave the job if can't work in the prevailing situation" never go for the treatment to these hospitals but rush to either Hinduja or Breach Candy. And other so-called leaders cum Social workers and ministers too!

"My health is my concern" This basic concept is just miles away from Indians. Now, Immediately, ASAP and FREE is the call of the day. A mob mostly rowdy at the word go enters the casualty/hospital with a single patient and beats up a lone doctor mercilessly and rather than raising the voice for this young doctor who might lose his eye, diverting the topic to how much Doctors earn, is plain dirty politics! To earn the goodwill of masses and just to SELL!

To be continued. 
Many points are taken from article by Dr. Mohan Joshi President IMA branch Pune

sacred thread and much more

 जानवे ह्या प्रकाराविषयी काही वाचण्यात आलं म्हणून हा प्रपंच. 

Gypsium ह्या वनस्पतीचा तन्तुजन्य भाग जो  पूर्णपणे cellulose असतॊ त्याला विणून बनविलेल्या धाग्यांपासून बनवलेली एक वस्तू . एक धार्मिक वस्तू. एक हिंदू धार्मिक वस्तू. म्हणजे जानवे. पण त्याविषयी जे वाचलेले आणि त्याला मिळालेल्या likes पाहून हसावो का रडावे तो कळेना. 

 जानव्याला ९ तंतू असतात 

१. पहिला तंतू  ओंकार . ओंकार हा स्वर  आहे . स्वरयंत्राचा विविक्षित वापर करून हा उच्चारता येतो. ह्यात जीभेबरोबर छातीचे गालाचे स्नायूही वापरावे लागतात.  कुठल्याही स्वराला अर्थ भाषा किंवा परंपरा देते. हि परंपरा नसल्यामुळे शांघाईच्या याँग टॉन्गला वा ब्राझीलच्या पेड्रोला ह्या  ओंकाराचे काहीही सोयरे  वा सुतक नाही. आम्हाला आहे कारण संस्कार .थोडक्यात ब्रेन वॉशिंग त्याच प्रमाणे स्वर यंत्राची हालचाल जरी सारखी असली तरी आणि त्यामुळे येणारे उच्चारण जरी सारखे असले तरी भाषापरत्वे दोघांचाही अर्थ अतिशय भिन्न असतो, असू शकतो. 'जून ' ह्या उच्चारणात इंग्लिश कंठ आणि मराठी कंठ सारखेच स्नायू वापरतो पण इंग्लिश मधला अर्थ हॊतॊ ६ वा  महिना तर मराठीतला अर्थ हॊतॊ निबर. त्यामुळे फक्त विविक्षित स्वरामुळे ईश्वरी शक्ती चेतावते असं मानणं म्हणजेच अज्ञान आहे. 

२. दुसरा तंतू अग्नी बाळगतो. आता अग्नि आणि कापूस एकत्र आल्यावर राखेशिवाय काय उरणार आहे. 

३. नवनाग . आता रानावनात राहणाऱ्या नागासापांचे कापसाशी काय काम, काय संबंध? पण तो आहे त्या जानव्यात . 

४. सोम म्हणजे चंद्र. पृथ्वीच्या ह्या उपग्रहाची जानव्यातील उपस्थिती अनाकलनीय आहे. 

५. पितर . हा जन्म जगताना  समजता समजत नाही  तिथे शेकडो वर्षांपूर्वी वर गेलेले पितर जानव्यात कशाला येतील. एक तर पुनर्जन्म आहेकी नाही ह्यावर एक मोठे प्रश्नचिन्ह, शिवाय  असलेल्या जन्माची शाश्वती नाही पितरांचे कुणी पाहिलेय  

६. प्रजापती: ब्रह्मदेव ४ तोंड असलेला हा देव 'काल्पनिक 'मानण्याशिवाय काही पर्याय आहे. siamese  twins जन्माला येतात पण ती फार काळ जगू शकत नाहीत. 

७. वायू म्हणजे वारा . वाऱ्याची निर्मिती भौगोलिक परिस्थितील बदलांनी होते इथे जानव्याचा काय संबंध 

८.. सूर्यनारायण एक अतिशय  तप्त वायूंचा काहीही ठराविक आकार नसलेला तारा . तो जवळ आला तर जानवेच काय परिधान करणाराही भस्मीभूत होऊन जाईल 

९. विश्वदेव आता हा आणखी कोणता नवीन concept 

सगळाच मानण्या ना मानण्याचा व्यवहार . कुठलाही असंदिग्ध पुरावा नाही. 

हे इथेच थांबलेले नाही. 

४ वेद ६ शास्त्र [ म्हणजे काय]१८ पुराणे १५ कला १२ मास ७ वार २७ नक्षत्रे 

वेद पुराणे हि मानव निर्मित आहेत आणि आधुनिक मान्यतेप्रमाणे त्यांचा काळही  फारसा प्राचीन नाही  . कोणतेही मानव निर्मित काम सत्याच्या, चिरंतन सत्याच्या कसोटीवर उतरूच शकत नाही. कारण त्यात  लिहिणार्याचे चैयक्तिक बायस  येणारच आहेत. वेद अपौरुषेय मानतात. हि संकल्पनाच अनाकलनीय आहे. लिपी नसल्यामुळे ते लिखित स्वरूपात उपलब्ध  नसतीलही पण मौखिक स्वरूपात तर हॊतेंच होते.आजही कोकणी भाषेची वेगळी परिस्थिती नाहीये. भाषा आहेच आहे पण मान्य लिपी नसल्यामुळे देवनागरी आणि रोमन अश्या दोन्ही लिप्यात लिहिली जाते.  जिथे जिथे मानव टोळ्यांनी वसाहती केलेल्या तिथे  तिथे त्यानीं स्वतःची स्वर योजना तयार केलेली जीन हळूहळू कालपरत्वे भाषेचं रूप घेतलेलं . त्यामुळे आफ्रिकेत वेद आढळत नाहीत. किंवा भारतात बनलेले वेद cantonese मध्ये नाही रचले गेले. जिथं स्वरांच्या स्थिरतेचा पत्ता नाही तिथे कुठल्याही  हिंदू रचनेला अंतिम सत्य मानणं नक्कीच चूक ठरेल  

अजून काही गमती. गंमतीच म्हणायला पाहिजेत. 

२७ नक्षत्रे ताऱ्यांच्या ठराविक रचना . त्या आपल्यालाच पृथ्वीवरूनच अश्या दिसतात कारण अर्था अर्थी एकमेकांशी त्यांचा काहीही संबंध नाही. चंद्रावरून वा मंगळावरून त्या   totally वेगळ्या दिसतील . 

१५ कला : बाजारात चौकशी करा आता किती आहेत म्हणून. plumbing ची कला होती का त्यात, आज plumbing शिवाय पान  हालणार नाही. 

पंचमहाभुते : एकदम tribal . पृथ्वी आप तेज वायू आकाश 

एकेकाळी ह्या नैसर्गिक गोष्टी अश्या का वागतात ह्याचा बोध नसल्यामुळे आदी मानवाने केलेले हे वर्गीकरण त्या काळात [कदाचित] योग्य होते, [कारण न्यूटन आमच्या देशात नाही पैदा झाला] पण आता ? ४००० वर likes मिळण्यासारखं ह्यात काय आहे. कि आम्हीही अजून त्या tribal  mind सेट मधून बाहेरच  पडलेलो नाही आहोत  आप म्हणजे पाणी दोन  भाग हायड्रोजन एक भाग प्राणवायू . अंतराळाच्या कुठल्याही कोपऱ्यात गेलात तरी. चिरंतन सत्य ते हे. आता पाणी आले कि त्याचे गुणधर्म येणारच. त्याची शास्त्रीय मीमांसा न करता त्याला डायरेक्ट महाभूत मानायचं आणि तेही आजच्या युगात. हे like करणाऱ्या समस्त बांधवांनो जरा तरी विचार करा
प्रकृती पुरुष पंच विषय ज्ञानेंद्रिये वेगळी कर्मेंद्रियर वेगळी
सर्व डोलारा कंसेप्ट्स वर उभारलेला. आजच्या काळातील वैज्ञानिक निकशांवर एकही तत्व खरं  ठरणार नाही.
शिवाय ह्याला जातीवाचक tone आहेच. कोणी म्हटलंय, काही ब्राह्मणेतर जाती वापरतात, पण सर्वाना अधिकार आहे ?SC /ST वापरतात ? एक मराठा लाख मराठा म्हणून समाज फोडण्याचे काम चालूच त्यात आणखी भर
हे सर्व सोडा आजच्या विज्ञानाने जे सिद्ध केली त्याची कास धरा कारण त्यामागे अभ्यास आहे संयुक्तिक विचार आहे. आणि ह्या बळावर पाश्चिमात्य देशांनी केलेली प्रगती आपल्यासमोर आहे.
पुराणातली वांगी पुराणातच बरीं असं आपणच म्हटलंय

My paintings

Here are my few paintings I would like to exhibit them. Any body having 'Know how' how to go about it.

Me as a voter

Since the times they considered me eligible for voting, that to be exact, 43 years ago, I had been religiously voting in every election held till now, except this one! The candidates whom I voted so far, almost always lost, if got elected by chance, their party lost. So all in all my vote was always wasted. And the change occurred. Winds started blowing in a different direction, and Indian national Corrupt[ INC party], started losing foothold practically in all areas, including lowest level at municipal elections. 

But going by the accounts may be planted news in daily newspapers and mostly, bought electronic media, in this election, the picture was extremely gloomy. Right from the selection of the candidates, distribution of the tickets to whirlwind propaganda [ what else could it be called, the campaign seems to be a very mild word] every party stooped to such a low level of civility that every leader and his candidates[ Henchmen?] almost looked like tartars from the middle ages barging ahead to loot the richest corporation in India. With no bars held, it was, call it 'Tamasha, Nautanki', whatever, of first-order held at a red light area of any city. Abuses were hurled left, right and centre, contrived charges, without any concrete proof what so ever, were made without bothering about the dignity of the person, more importantly, the post they are holding. And like any civilized sober human being, I started feeling,'This is not my game.' I do not want anything out of the normal legal ways from these elected representatives as they never ever represent my class, 'Erudite, educated, well informed and legally well-behaved people.' On the contrary in my profession, even though I am in every which way, on the right foot vis a vis a patient, this rogue corporator is never going to educate the wrongly informed, ill-conceived, semi-literate abusive party worker but is going to instigate him against me!

Though I had made my mind, not to vote, even not to exercise 'NOTA' as I had done in past elections, I did go to the booth. In fact, I could have exercised 'NOTA' again, but really, does it count in a country like India where more than half the population does not understand the meaning of democracy in the first place For 'NOTA' to be effective the electorate has to mature, at least up to some level. 

There was this huge queue of low brow [Sorry, extremely personal opinion] voters jostling to get the voter's number from the clerk. She looked absolutely exasperated. Being a polling officer she had to be compulsorily polite, though every odd one, from party worker to actual voter, who could have been illiterate maid to semi-literate factory worker was trying to bother her from every angle. As usual 'Voters' lists were inaccurate.After waiting in the scalding sun for 30 minutes or so and not getting my number I lost my cool and started venturing homewards. And I got the shock of my life. 

On a big board, the information, personal as well as economic, of every candidate was displayed in bold letters. Out of 14 odd ones, only one was postgraduate, hardly two or three graduates but more than 70% were school dropouts, not completing even 10th!  One was under trial if convicted could be behind the bar for at least 3 to 4 years!

Me, my son, daughter and every child in my near circles, had to appear for dozens of qualifying examinations to get into professional courses. And here to run the profession of the richest corporation of India anybody and everybody is eligible, no qualification, what so ever is required! No wonder nepotism, corruption, bribery is rampant in these institutions and at times the decorum of the house is brought to the level of the fish market!

I could not wait for a second more and for the first time in my life I came back without voting and I don't feel guilty! 

War of Roses with masks !

There was this movie, called "War of Roses" starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, an absolutely disgusting narrative on something like a marriage that could be beautiful, serene and romantic. The relationship between these two individuals goes so sour, that one feeds the other a dish made from the meat of his beloved dog! I just abhorred and cringed.

What the heck, what this relationship mambo jumbo is all about! Over the last 50 years, I have been trying to decipher the code that garners a good relationship but that has eluded me so far. Of course in the tender age, I did not understand the intricacies of the word but I did feel the rejection. Though as kids, we all were at the same level, good looking among-st us were preferred over the darker one and sharp-tongued like me, in simple gestures like distributing sweets or buying cherished things. I went to school without an umbrella or raincoat of my own for years together. Went to school barefoot for a complete one year when I lost my foot-wares while playing at a friend's place. So the game starts very early.

In my own way, I tried to float above the waters utilizing all resources available at my disposal but this relationship bug always pulled me down. I never understood, what leads to a really good, tension-free relationship, may it be with anybody, right from your parents to your siblings, your friends or last but not the least your spouse.

Few myths those got dispelled on the journey though were eye-openers but did not help in any run, short or long.

Transparency, Faith, Open mind, Capacity to forgive, oh so many, in the end, myths only!

Transparency: I have seen many a fool, opening their entire pack of cards in front of their partner for developing healthy co-existence, at the outset One pertinent fact that is forgotten here is, that the other one in the deal, is completely Another Human Being, made from an altogether different mould, who in all circumstances is just not like you and maybe having totally different views on the subject. In fact, in many a case, that other one uses the information as a weapon, subsequently, in the 'War of Roses' which are inevitable in any liaison between two separate individuals.

Same goes for the open-mindedness. You are at ease in certain relationships but that might not be so. You might just come out with whatever you feel earnest but even in close, so-called, relationships words are twisted and you are not even given a chance to explain. Being a physician in a profession for more than 40 years once with an open mind I gave some advice to one who definitely required some psychological counselling. Rather than prodding for the reasons I was labelled and shouted at. There goes the open mind in the air!

And you forgive, feeling that 'That's the end, whatever happened, happened. Let's move on !'

Like Julia Roberts says to an Avant-Garde shopkeeper on Rodeo Drive, Hollywood in 'Pretty Woman'; 'Mistake, Big mistake' In any relationship between two individuals 'Ability to forgive ' is considered as weakness. More so in married couples. So it's always a big mistake. It gives the chance to others who have erred, to commit the same crime again, and this time more blatantly. There is no fear to be caught and if caught, other one is always ready to forgive.  

Faith and respect are next in the line. Bookish words. Absolutely. Faith, something you develop over the years but it takes only a few sentences to shatter it. What has gone in, to erect that monumental edifice of relationship comes down in seconds. And it's so fragile. Breaks even with the whisper of a rumour! In how much earnestness it is proclaimed is also a subject for research. Many times it's just a hollow word thrown on your face without any meaning whatsoever. Respect is a twin of faith, what goes for faith goes 100% for respect too.

Long back I myself had written ' If one wears mask inside the mask what's the point ?'

But unfortunately, the world loves masks. It's a done thing to have a facade. So if you drop your one, even with good intentions you had it! To be successful in any relationship, you must have a million masks, to use one for every situation even with the near and dear ones!
In any relationship, where you have to think twice before saying anything, weigh the words before uttering them, don't feel like saying something discreet, that relationship is not honest, neither transparent nor open, and tell me a single relationship where this game of hide and seek is not played with gusto! Masks everywhere, on each face and if one slips, invariably there is another one beneath that's equally garish and equally unreal!

Play with colors !

Once when I was into it, every thing started looking as if a painting by that great artist above. Colors started yelling in my head to give them escape on the canvas. And I painted painted and painted.

Dusk always brings not only mixed bag of emotions but plethora of colors on the canvas of western skies. I was longing to express that warmth from within on board. But it did not turn out to be that simple as was seen within. I was new to the medium, Acrylic, and it posed many unforeseen problems for me. Though they get dry much faster than the oils, mixing of colors to get the right, rather exact shade becomes too difficult. By the time you are ready to mix, the first  coat  has already gone dry and you are left high and dry ! And mixing with the dried coat is  impossible ! So the balance of time is extremely important. As soon as the first layer of color is about to get dry you have to be ready with another shade, in ample amounts, to start mixing. Here the strokes of the brush are very important. Once you start having another hue, you can not go back to adjust the previous tone otherwise everything gets mixed up and you get a totally different shade you never wanted ! 

Sky posed one, waters posed another problem.All the shades if  not done properly ,look flat .So for the reflections, the waves , the play of colors on the waters I had to use different techniques, thanks to my young teacher, and then it showed what I wanted to. Stormy sea in the background with golden hue, a stretch of sands in between with reflection of setting sun in its all regalia, full with warm colors.! The ghats and the canopies I drew and painted but looked static. To add the play of light and shades to them, made my enthusiasm take a back seat. But temporarily ! After lot of thinking and mixing of the colors I got the correct effect I wanted, but my hands took a toll as I had to keep them steady for a long, long time. After adding the small details I was happy with myself and felt, yes, it does give you inner peace !

The same place , same ghats at different times. I saw it on the frame of my mind and felt I must do it. This was bit easier, as by this time the use of brushes was easier in hands, had got the feel of colors and some more technique. And I was happy with myself. Is it not what you really want ? To be happy with yourself ?

The folds of the cloth worn around the head gave me much headache.Rather than working on it as whole, I went on painting in pieces and got the results I wanted.The old lady is sick so the bluish lips. The eye which is visible shows life, while one may get the feel of other behind the semi transparent cloth of headgear, tried hard to get the effect. Deliberately left to paint the eye of other lady to keep the feel of 'Painting' which I never wanted to be realistic !

Famous sculptor Late B.Vitthal once had taught me that'The colors in the back ground have to come from colors you use to paint the main figures.' I used the tip and the figures stood out. I do not want to go into details of the last one, How is it ? You tell me.

My tryst with colors will definitely continue but what the hell to do with the life around you that's trying to engulf you all the time , how to deal with that journey ?

Tryst with the paints

After decades I took paint brush in hands after a friend practically forced me in to it . On seeing my half finished painting, an Estonian who was residing with us then, commented 'Is it a therapy , that you are painting?' Though I was not surprised it made me think.Yes in a way it was therapeutic.

When you are in mid sixties it's taken for granted that you have made truce with the life and here after, it's going to be tranquil waters , you just have to sail through waiting for your final adieu. But if life behaves that predictably why call it life ! I had to face such a situation where my foundation shook me so hard that it left me  absolutely numb.I was left in such a state of affairs that whatever I lived so far, as if did not matter.Just went down the drain. The values which I cherished for years made me come to a pass where those values seemed redundant, outdated and totally useless. I went on cursing myself for days together and found no answers, from within and from nobody outside and I was like a blind left in the lands of vivid colors and lights. Time heals all wounds but it takes its own time which nobody really has.

And this friend became that torch for me who helped me overcome my hollows, my emptiness that weird feeling in the pit of tummy,with this god given gift of creativity.

I painted in the past too. But then the circumstances were different.It was just a past time then. But now the entire relevance had changed changing me along the way.

This time around I started feeling happy with every stroke I made on the canvas.

First efforts looked juvenile on the board but the subsequent trials started showing on the board that I had envisaged in the mind .  
Years ago I had taken few of my painting to Late Smt. Praffulla Dahanukar, a great artist and more over a great human being , whom I knew through Late B. Prabha another great artist till times immortal. After seeing my efforts in oil on canvas she had said, 'Doc, you have got it in you but it requires a bit of polishing. I'll arrange for a help, you just tell me your timings and he will come to your home to teach you the intricacies of the craft.' In those days spare time hardly came by and I did not want the bindings on my Sundays. I made some excuses and slipped away. What a fool I was !
I did not want to commit the same mistake again this time around. So went on searching for the guides. It turned out, unfortunately that these so called Art schools either consider you absolutely juvenile or ask you to copy . They just do not understand what it means by 'Originality.' After visiting at least 3 to 4 schools I chose the one,nearest to my home, that was singular criterion to choose.Distance from the home ! My instructor was not as senile as me but turned out to be a young nubile college student who understood the need and taught me many techniques which definitely helped.
And thus it started my tryst with Paints yet again with vigor and  vitality !

Demonetization: Some more !

How deeply rooted this corrosion has gone can be evaluated from the news from Nashik. Why FM and RBI categorically kept District Co-Op banks out of scenario becomes amply clear. The farmers who may probably be contemplating suicides till recently have suddenly started depositing money in 1000s. Now from where did this money come? It's a common knowledge that these banks are mostly run by political parties in Maharashtra, without exception Rashtrawadi. Its speculated that this money came directly from the directors. So the heavyweight politico the one, who shared platform in Pune the day earlier with PM, came out strongly against the demonetization very next day. Probably realizing where it's going to hurt, a bit late? It's much deeper rot than seen by the eyes.

These are teething problems for the operation of this magnitude. An educated person must understand it. For the country of 125 crores, the problems are bound to be there, it depends on what shades one uses. I am from the era who saw 2 wars, China and Pakistan. In those days even matchboxes were sold in black. Sugar used to be out of stock for months together. Once even battery cells were on ration. But we survived though scathed but survived. Compared to that these hardships are negligible. English and to a certain extent even vernacular press having vested interests, is exaggerating them with a definite ulterior motive. English press? They WANT to see government in poor light. That's their bread and butter And without being bothered about the real issues they force their own views down the reluctant gullet as the common consensus. Take for example this observation:.

The point is also that different banks are behaving differently and have different denominations of cash with them. Bank managers are taking arbitrary calls because there is a cash crunch. New notes are not being printed at the rate they need to. This is what points to a failure of planning and implementation. For fans, this is a temporary inconvenience. For many who need immediate cash, it's a critical failure.

So let's stop giving anecdotal experiences as representative of some general experience. because for every one you give I can give a counter one. There are enough people facing extreme hardship. let's not trivialize them on the altar of faux nationalism and anti-corruption sanctimony. 

And let's face the fact - this is unplanned, poorly implemented, and shows the government in a terrible light. 

Which fact, what fact, the one these people want to project or the real, real fact? It goes on further:

Intentions without execution is an illusion.

Let's see with deeper perspective. Indian common man was/ is never as disciplined as his western counterpart. For such type of extremely enormous operation the subject has to be erudite to at least some extent, can we expect this from the common man on streets from India? He seldom contributes to society as his civic duty but expects more than 100% from the government. It has percolated deep down due to the failed experiment of socialism, where your jobs were secured  but it did not depend on your performances. The rot is omnipresent. So why the bank employs should be exceptions? After the entrance of multinational banks the scenario has at least improved a bit, but in the times between 'Nationalization of banks' and 'Entry of Foreign banks', it was pathetic. That's real India or India we got in the legacy from Congress culture.

I won't call him Messiah but somebody with different views, thoughts and methods to execute, is on the horizon so let's cooperate. and Yes we have to start somewhere. Can not bury the head in the sand like an ostrich when a storm comes. This and other measure were/ are long overdue and have to be dealt with as early as possible to have a relatively better society, money and other ethics wise. 

This class never likes to bring PM, read Mr Modi in the picture lest they would be labelled as Modi haters so they go around the subject clearly circumventing the fact that ultimately HE is the target! See how they react...

'Why is any comment on demonetization linked to the PM? How does he enter the picture? Is he supposed to do everything? My comment was about messy and unplanned implementation which is someone else's responsibility. Any critique of the haphazard way this has been thrust down our throats is responded with - how I am pseudo, intellectual, higher class etc. '

Surprisingly who so ever came into my contact in my clinic even from the poorest class never cribbed about hardships. I deliberately used to broach the subject. Even maidservants coming from nearby slums for whom many a time I waived of fees because they didn't have enough cash, too did not crib. This entire overdo definitely lands at the doors of the PM because that's the purpose at a higher level and your writings are used for that. Now tell me, hacking of RaGas twitter account is used as a political ploy to avert cashless rather computerized society. Come on which era are we in now. Criticism of democratization, Mamata raising doubts about Indian Army, RaGas and Congress' accounts getting hacked exactly on the dot of time, don't you see a bigger game in this. The entire play is definitely staged to discredit every step taken at the governmental level, though the so-called learned class may understand the intricacies but in finer print read Modi. One can't be that naive.

Why not have little objectivity? This ordeal is going on for more than 3 weeks. Not a single bank looted so far. Queues are mostly disciplined. Banks and staff are working keeping their heads cool. Not a single common man on the street with a hockey stick in his hands, only tainted politicians and that's all over India Similar type but a natural one in the USA and during Katrina cyclone every shop was looted within 3 days. The chaos is only in the mind of English press, opposition and again I'll say pseudos because again the common man on the street is braving it head-on.

Demonetization

I am a consultant physician. And regularly come across hard cash. The heartening note is I always get my full fees even now in hundreds and some times in 2k too. Lately new Rs. 500 notes too are getting circulated freely. And when was the poor keeping 500 and 1000 rs loose change? Did you get 1000 Rs change from ric when your meter showed 100 or so even in pre demonetization era? Their entire transaction in 24 hrs does not amount to that. Those transactions were always in 10s 20s and 50s and why they should be in short supply now. If they are, then somebody is playing big mischief to see to it that the scheme and so the PM is discredited. I had been to busy bank like CBI GHATKOPAR today and my entire work got finished within 30 minutes. Everybody seems to be in a hurry to see this person gone at any cost. So they are cribbing right since his ascendance to the chair. Especially the English press and higher middle classes. Poor on the street is happy for the step taken because he knows against whom this is directed. He himself can never dream of that kind of money so he is ready to face the hardships. Only pseudos have problems. Sorry, no personal offence. For a mammoth and hardly literate nation like India, it was never to be an easy task. If the ones who hoarded the monies would have got the slightest whiff, the whole purpose of operation would have been lost. Just think of Sharad Pawar, Mayawati, all Yadavs and all our local भिडूज् to get to know of this move. I really still wonder, in spite of being on the anvil for the last 6 months or even more, entire political thug society could not even get a faint scent of it. My guess. Otherwise, why should they cry this hoarse? Think of those people, who suffered these type of hardships even more in WW ll for more than 6 years. And within 25 days you give up. Everybody wants these steps to be taken but nobody wants to pay the price on personal front. Imagine, our political bigwigs are fighting for the IT penalties to be revoked for those who were, maybe, are hoarding black money even now. And why not, this could be the first step. More may be in the offing. Have patience. Everybody must be given due time and respect. We had bad governance of 70 years, something is being done to get rid of this corrosion of the Indian psyche for the first time. If you can not help, at least don't be a crab and pull the legs of India lover. I am deliberately not saying patriotic. Immediately the emotions worn on the sleeves come out, especially of intuc class.

Diwali

Diwali came and went leaving an unexplained void which always makes me uneasy as if I am missing the train. Difficult to pinpoint the things amiss but the feeling of something left done, lingers. Every year since childhood, like childhood I eagerly wait for Diwali a festival which satiates all your material senses, at least it was or is it still, supposed to, no guesses. But every passing year the lustre which was the hallmark of my childhood Diwali is getting lost in, is it cynicism, overzealous cry for the protection of environment or has it plainly lost its relevance?

Being Marathi and having spent my early childhood in Mecca of Marathi culture, Pune, the drums of Diwali used to beat for us well in advance as we used to have Diwali vacations for weeks together, ahead of Diwali. The plans used to be plenty. From making paper lanterns to build forts of Shivaji, to buy crackers from various stalls at extremely negotiable rates.  

Ready-made Chinese lanterns were unheard then. To make your own lantern was the call of the day and it was carried out with full gusto! The typical Marathi Diwali lantern was made from bamboo sticks tied to each other with twine in such a manner that though made from many squares, the end result was a hexagonal skeleton of sticks on which semitransparent coloured papers were pasted. To add to the beauty and at the same time to hide the sticks, golden paper ribbon, cut like lace was pasted on the edges. No lantern was complete without that tuft of paper strips hanging from below making waves in the winds like unfurling flag! To hang it high, so that it could be seen from a distance, too was an act of joy, as it required the participation of many hands! The golden glow of the electric bulb hung inside, heralded the arrival of Diwali,  festival the supreme!

Building the Shivaji fort, 'Killa' as we used to call it, had tremendous scope for boundless creativity in us youngsters. To bring bucketful of soil from the open ground nearby, to give the mound shape of the rugged fort, with ramparts and observing towers in tow, to make a thousand steps from base to the main gate with the help of half-torn matchbox was so engrossingly creative, that I and my like-minded friends used to get lost in time, even forgetting meals at times!  Oh, what it did not have. Specially made roads, fences for houses, temples, a small rivulet flowing through the village with tiny bridges, oh it was picture perfect when the small toy, soldiers, postman vegetable vendors were put at right places with a small replica of Shri Shivaji enthroned on the top of killa, in his 'Darbar'.  Models of houses, bungalows, schools, shops and cinema, everything made from cardboard paper along with either a small toy train or 'fat fat' boat plying in small lake specially made for it, for the company! No fort was complete without greenery. so the selection of seeds was most important. Millet like seeds used to grow fast, so fast that they used to drop their heads at the crucial juncture, in mid-Diwali as the stem used to be very delicate. The second option was the mustard seeds. They were preferred for their beautiful small leaves, clove-like in shape. But they too did not stand long. Most handsome looking were wheat sprouts, tall thin, sharp and tough, they held their regal ensemble throughout Diwali and looked graceful as tall grass. But wheat seeds took many many days to germinate so the timing to sow them, required meticulous planning, well in advance, otherwise, your 'killa' used to remain bereft of lush fresh greenery!
When kids were busy with their stuff, mothers had different battle to fight on the turfs of the kitchen. Practically from every household emanated crisp partly burnt aroma of chickpea laddoos being roasted in pure ghee for the special occasion. The waft of aroma used to shout from the rooftops ' What are you waiting for, Diwali is just around the corner, pull up the socks, hurry! Hurrey !' It was followed by pungent 'Chiwada' and melting in mouth 'Karanjis' .' Chakali' made by mixing many pulses and grains in exact proportions, was the queen of the savoury. The housewife who could roll out crisp, round, light brown chakalis with a hole running along its entire course was considered 'the Chef of Chefs'  Diwali hesitated to step in the kitchen that was devoid of  aroma of roasted besan. That household, in fact, was aeons away from the flavour of the festival! 'To order the entire dish from a sweetmeat maker at the corner' is a much much late development. To everybody his own, but I still long for that aroma!

If we take care of the pollution, all year round by curbing the taxis, the buses the trucks those emit smoke full with carbon monoxide and tar, we can definitely accommodate the minuscule pollution of Diwali. During a three day strike by dilapidated old taxis the pollution in Mumbai went down by a whopping 33 % and we have data to prove it. In fact, I, at one level am ready to buy the cry of the saffron brigade that it's now, as if 'Every Hindu Festival' is the biggest polluter, be it a Holi, or a Ganapati. What a Diwali without crackers! Tomorrow these zealots might ask us to stop breathing, we give out CO2 you know and use O2, depriving poor earth of it!  Catch that fellow for pollution, who invented 'Fire'!  
I miss the noise of sutali bomb, I used to burst at 3 o'clock in the morning that let every household in the vicinity know ' Hey Diwali is here, what are you doing, still sleeping? Get up Enjoy !' Electric Sparklers ignited while having the ceremonial bath on Diwali days lifted the beauty and happiness of the occasion to a different high altogether!  
Marathi Diwali differs from Diwali celebrated elsewhere in India on many an account, It comprises of six days, unlike only two days, as in north! The day one is the day of Cow and Calf. In the temple near my home ', Mother-Daughter Duo' was specially brought by the priests to be worshipped by women having kids. A special offering made from Jaggery and chickpeas was offered after anointing the both with vermilion. After coming home, the mother used to prepare lamps made from dough that were lit facing south. They burned on till next night. This was in respect, paid to 'Yama' the god of death and was known as 'Yama Deepdaan'.
I come across many wandering cows even on Ghatkopar roads but this concept is lost somewhere on the same roads which are lost to the swarming crowds! The woman has left the home to be on par with man, in the outside world, but has left many of these traditions to languish in the annals of past just to be reminisced and leave them at that, with a passing chuckle! Why should I feel bad, I myself could not pass on these rituals to my own children! 

Yes, that's what I probably miss. My own children, I could not bring them in this fold of traditionalism to a great extent. 'What's the problem Baba what's the need to have a bath in those unearthly hours, I am not getting up. Whatever !'
I, probably our entire generation has failed to carry forward what our elders wanted us to do. Yes, I am guilty, and that bothers me! Definitely!

Oslo :4

  

Of course, this photograph is not taken by me. To have such a type of view, one requires a vantage point, that too situated at a distance and at a higher level. But the one below is definitely taken by me and it too shows the grandeur of Oslo Opera House.

Comparisons are odious but I could not help to compare it with Sydney Opera House. The concept is definitely lifted from the Sydney Opera house. [ My observation was not taken well by the tour guide. Afterwards. Naturally, he was proud of HIS opera house more ! ] Both are on the bays, built-in white marble with copious use of glass. But Sydney Opera house is 8th wonder of the new world while Oslo Opera house represents the architecture of the new era which mostly is in rectangles and is DRAB! It is based on the concept of an iceberg, rising from the water so they have this floating structure in the glass just next to the opera house in Oslo-Fjord. Does it look like an iceberg? I sprained my neck in different positions but hardly saw iceberg in it!

Exteriors are half glass, half marble and white granite. It reflects the light so much if you are on the rooftop ,it makes impossible to laze around without shades! The tiles have dots which initially we thought as inscriptions in Braille script, but it turned out, they represented the punching cards of the workers who worked on the building site. The entrance is far from opulent mostly functional.

View from the top, I always like. Panoramic view of any city gives you a rough idea about how the city is laid out. 

This is the Holmenkollen Ski tower as seen from the rooftops of the opera house.

Sharp at the stipulated time we were let in. The ambience was just wonderful. While exteriors are in marble and glass, interiors are mostly in wood that gave golden hue to the entire foyer. The staircase that led to higher balconies is much talked about and is really a piece of woodcraft. The tour was extensive and the guide well-versed expert on the subject. The first bit of information he gave itself was intriguing.   

Entire staff, the maintenance of the building, overall general management is looked after by the Government, rather its agency and it works with clockwork precision. More than 400 people are employed as permanent workers which include all backstage workers, like set makers, carpenters, dress designers and tailors along with the normal, electricians and plumbers. The more surprising fact was that all the events staged at the opera, including even the commercial ones are sponsored by the agency either partly or fully depending on the product. Part may go up to seventy per cent! I pitied our Marathi theatre, its producers, backstage artists and in general everything! The entire economics of the Marathi theatre in comparison with only this one venture looked like peanuts. But I am still proud of it, as, in spite of these and many other innumerable shortcomings Marathi theatre thrived and is still thriving and is an institution to reckon with! All the figures were really mind-boggling. It has three stages and the main one is big enough to accommodate Shivaji Mandir and Bal Gandharva put together! The sitting capacity too is more than 1300. Interesting to note is, even the royals have to buy the tickets like commoners and are not given any special preference, they have to watch the opera along with the common patrons! Acoustics, Seat arrangements, entrance fees, blah blah blah so much of information, my hard disc refused to store more! We were not allowed to take the snaps of the inside, of course, so I am pasting a one from an official site just to have the idea of how majestic it is.

The tour was really extensive so left me tired and exhausted. But as I have already said before, I had another lease of life after completing the round, around the circle of life, so these momentary interludes were not going to count. Oslo here I come! Again!
The next stops were far from the opera but we had a day pass for Tram so it was not a problem. Oslo Cathedral is just near the station and near the tram stop. Much farther away was Ice Palace. Here I loved being backpackers. Going through the maps, then finding the correct route of Tram, the exact location of the place, chances of missing it, making mistakes, all parts I find extremely interesting and enjoyable! 'Get Down, enjoy the monument, Get back to the Bus' type of conducted tours bore me to the hilt!



The Oslo Cathedral is the official Cathedral of the Norwegian Royal Family and dates back to 1600. It's used by the present Government also, for the official public functions. Rather than what it practices, I have always enjoyed the architecture of the churches. Very high ceilings almost reaching the skies, big organs behind the sanctum sanctorum, huge glass panels with murals, everything is just so good to look at. This too had all those things, nothing less, nothing more!

The Ice palace turned out to be in the hind lanes of the University. We had to search a little, but in the end, after wasting 30 minutes we found it. It was so because it was situated in a very obscure building and it was a nondescript enterprise on a very small scale. But it was an experience far beyond expectations. One has to wear thick Snow coats, caps and gloves before venturing in. A smallish hall was cooled well

below-freezing temperatures for ice sculptures to stay.  It was really beautiful once you go in. All the furniture, compartments are made of ice and there is a smallish exhibition of ice sculptures. They serve you a peg of wine on the house but in a glass made of ice. Wine at that juncture you desire the most, but to take the sip with frozen lips is a different task altogether. It was difficult for me to stay there even for more than a few minutes because though the body was well taken care of, it was extremely chilled air that hampered the breath!

Before anything serious could happen, we left the palace to say adieu to Oslo. Whatever days we spent in Oslo were worth more than a thousand words, here I have tried to capture them in the best way I could. Ta-Da!