Warrier's Collage on February 7, 2024
Welcome To
Warrier's
COLLAGE
On
Wednesday,
February 7, 2024
Friends
Good Morning
Happy Birthday to all readers having Birthday during the period February 7 to 10, 2024.
Best Wishes 🙏
Nice Day
M G Warrier
A
Collage Cover Story
A Good Doctor's Daughter*
©️ Dr. Rajas Deshpande
We sat inside her home, not able to speak. It was a Sunday. The doorbell rang. My classmate Siya looked at me, indicating with her eyes to please answer it.
Siya had lost her father that early morning. We had just finished the last rites and returned with that feeling of emptiness of life which prevails at such moments.
Her father was a successful pediatrician, known for his excellent diagnosis and humanitarian approach. He had passed away at a very early age due to a rare cancer. He had kept working till the day he was admitted. His devastated family was staring at a long dark tunnel.
I went and opened the door.
“Doctor-saab hai kya? (Is the doctor home?)” asked a man in his thirties. Behind him were his wife and a son, about ten years old.
“No” I replied, but his wife immediately said: “Please, my son is his patient since last ten years, he has fever since last three days, we must meet the doctor”.
I requested him to please clear the door, shut it behind myself, and whispered to him: “Doctorsaab passed away early this morning”.
They looked at each other.
“How?” the husband asked.
“He had a cancer, he had some sudden complication” I replied.
After a pause. The husband asked “Can you suggest some good pediatrician nearby?”
I did, and they went away.
There was no word of feeling sorry for the doctor who had treated their son for ten years. Not even a formal gesture of condolence. Their child wasn’t very sick either, to skip the basic courtesy. For the next few days, I was at their place on and off, and somehow expected that man to return to express some form of condolence or gratitude. It never happened.
Then over a period of years, the truth gradually dawned: that this is normal. No one comes back to ask a dead or retired doctor’s family if they need any help.
Another young colleague of mine, a diabetologist, passed away recently. He had done phenomenal social work, treating many patients free, and even arranging for many patients' education. Every time he referred a poor patient to me, he called up, requested me to see the patient free. We all gladly did. We had many common patients who followed up later with me, after his death. Unfortunately none of the patients who he had called about ever expressed anything beyond “He was a good doctor. Now I go to this doctor”.
I wonder how many of these patients will ever realize that every time this doctor had seen them free, he had taken a share of what his own children would have inherited, and given it to that patient.
I am a fan of Ayn Rand. I believe that it is nobody’s duty to help me, and that I should rely only upon myself. But unless this stands on both sides, it becomes meaningless. While the expectations from every doctor are expressed in heaps, when it comes to rewarding the good results “blessings, satisfaction of saving a life and good wishes” are conveniently considered enough. I sincerely doubt whether the future generations of doctors will be able to buy their petrol with blessings and satisfaction.
Why is the compulsion of “courteous, polite speaking” only applied to the doctors? Why cannot our society learn the same? The idiotic claim (often supported by some media legal officers) that ‘a patient is in distress and so doctors must accept the anger, impolite behavior, violence or abuse’ is so stupid and meaningless! Will a judge ever accept such reactions by an angry criminal? By the way, if the patient is stressed, is the doctor also not stressed for years? Is the doctor then allowed to misbehave? If the doctors can learn courtesy, why cannot others?
It is so funny that even the great politicians who keep on throwing mud and blood upon each other, use language of threats in public day in and day out, advise doctors about how they should learn courtesy, humanity and communication.
Siya has now become a successful practitioner. After her father's death, she wasn’t helped by the government, society or the patients that her father treated. The family had to compromise a lot to complete education of all the sibs.Yet she became an excellent doctor by her own wish, her own conviction and continues to be praised by her patients for her courtesies. After all, she is a good doctor's daughter!
But her smile, when her patient compliments her, is hollow.
©️ Dr. Rajas Deshpande
Truth of a Drs life
Shared in a WhatsApp Group by Dr T V Surendran
B
Malabar Revisited : M G Warrier
During 1980's I travelled across the length and breadth of the 5 districts of Kerala (Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod) which comprised the erstwhile Malabar as part of my work. Everything has changed in this geographic area now. Excellent roads and other infrastructure even in remote villages.
We reached Kottakkal on January 25, 2024 and returned to Mumbai from Kannur on February 5, 2024.
January 26, 2024
Attended an engagement function and proceeded to Wayanad.
January 26 to 29
Stayed in Mananthavady with relatives for three days and enjoyed the pleasant weather 3500 feet above sea level.
January 30
Visited K C Udaya Varma Raja, my classmate (SSLC) who stays in his ancestral Ayanchery Kovilakam.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/a-pookalam-every-day-ayanchery-kovilakam-upholds-80-year-old-tradition/articleshow/103150992.cms
The family hosted a Sadya for us. I gifted copies of my book for him and our School Library and he gave me a copy of Porlathiri-Kozhikodinte Aadya Rajavu (Malayalam) depicting his family history :
Porlathiri : Kozhikodinte Adya Rajave - പോർളാതിരി; കോഴിക്കോടിൻ്റെ ആദ്യ രാജാവ് ( Mannar Kandy Publishers ) https://amzn.eu/d/867nGBY
From January 30 to February 4
Visited my sister and other relatives and attended a wedding on February 4. Used the opportunity to pay a visit to my father's Illam(Payyanur) and had some sightseeing in and around Kannur.
Returned to Mumbai on Monday February 5, 2024.
C
Cover Story : Vathsala Jayaraman
Educational Reforms abroad
American University teaches Bhagwad Gita
Bhagwad Gita has become compulsory for every student joining Seton Hall university in New Jersey, USA. This is a catholic university founded in 1856. The faculty consists of Muslims, Buddhists, Jews in additions to Christians. The translation of Bhagwad Gita by Stephen Mitchell is the text. None of the teachers is Hindu.
The university wanted a transformational course that will influence the character and life of the students. So it wanted a course that seeks answers to perennial questions like the purpose of life, why are we here, where are we going "The journey of transformation"
One third of Seton Halls more than 10,800 students are non- christians. Many non-catholics also study here. It has significant number of Indian students.
This is a core course for all students, whatever the discipline.
This is secularism. Whether Indian universities will take a lesson from this.?
America becoming increasingly spiritual as predicted by Swami Vivekananda 130 years ago.
Vathsala Jayaraman
D
Collage Extra
A book in Malayalam on palliative care by Dr E Divakaran
Book Review
Santhwana Paricharanam* / സാന്ത്വന പരിചരണം ദർശനം ജീവിതദൗത്യം - BY Dr. E. Divakaran / ഡോ. ഇ. ദിവാകരൻ മൂന്ന് ദശകത്തോളമായി പെയ്ൻ ആൻ്റ പാലിയേറ്റീവ് കെയർ രംഗത്ത് പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന ഡോ. ഇ. ദിവാകരൻ സാന്ത്വനചികിത്സയുടെ ദർശനത്തേയും പ്രയോഗത്തേ യും കുറിച്ച് പലപ്പോഴായി എഴുതിയ ലേഖനങ്ങളുടെ സമാഹാരമാണിത്. സാന്ത്വനചികിത്സാരംഗത്ത് പ്രവർത്തി ക്കുന്നവർക്ക് പ്രചോദനവും മാർഗ്ഗദർശനവും നൽകുന്ന വയാണ് ഈ ലേഖനങ്ങൾ. സമൂഹത്തിൽ സ്നേഹവും കരുണയും വീണ്ടെടുത്ത് മനുഷ്യത്വത്തെ പുനഃസ്ഥാപി ക്കാനുള്ള ശ്രമമാണ് പാലിയേറ്റീവ് കെയർ പ്രസ്ഥാനം. പ്രകാശത്തിലേക്കുള്ള കരുണയുടെ പാതയാണ് ഈ പുസ്തകം.
* The book priced Rs200 is available @Amazon.in
E
Collage Spirituality
Mathru Panchakam : Shankaracharya
https://www.hindupedia.com/en/Mathru_panchakam
F
Remembering S S Tarapore
Former RBI Deputy Governor S S Tarapore left us 8 years ago.
Link to Obituary published by Business Standard in February 2016 :
https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/obit-s-s-tarapore-1936-2016-the-diminutive-colossus-116020200494_1.html
For me Tarapore Saheb was Guru and his encouragement initiated me to writing in the media. Copied below is his Foreword to my first book“Banking, Reforms &
Corruption: Development Issues in 21st Century India"* (Published by Sampark, Kolkatta)
FOREWORD
Central bankers have traditionally been reticent and generally stayed out of the public gaze. More recently, central bankers have been more forthcoming and engage in public debate. Given these traditions, it is not surprising that most retired bankers do not air their views in the public domain.
In many ways, Govinda Warrier is an exception in that he is ever willing to engage in public debate on issues of relevance to the common person.
His interests are wide ranging, from monetary policy, banking, fiscal policy, HRD issues and senior citizens. He expresses his views with great conviction but with his predilection towards pragmatism which enables him to see a better way of conducting policy. His writings reflect
the current economic debate and students, policy makers, opinion
makers, bankers, economists and the discerning public would greatly benefit from reading this cameo of economic issues.
I hope that Warrier's efforts would encourage other retired central
bankers to join the debate.
S S Tarapore
Economist
Mumbai
February 12, 2014
*Now available as eBook titled "Chasing Inclusive Growth" :
Chasing Inclusive Growth: Reforms for Financial Inclusion : https://amzn.eu/d/iQwr3GP
G
Silence in Gita
What is not spoken may tell as much as, if not more than, that what is spoken. How can we sense the message conveyed through silence? By considering three things: context; (missing) content; and cause
https://gitadaily.com/understanding-the-message-of-silence/#:~:text=Cause%3A%20The%20Gita's%20silence%20points,for%20all%20time%20to%20come
Bonus
Power of Silence : Speaking Tree
https://m.economictimes.com/opinion/speaking-tree/power-of-silence/articleshow/107468043.cms
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