Cuneatus

    The recent death of a few animals in my locality  due to severe dehydration has moved me to tears, and I urge people to have a heart and respond.      The relevance of stray dogs in the food chain and our communities is a matter of never-ending debate among pro and anti-canine speakers. Keeping that argument aside, if evolution and the laws of nature have permitted the birth of puppies to a stray bitch, it is inhuman on our part to deprive the animal of its right to thrive on this earth. A recent ruling from the Delhi High Court penalizing the act of killing stray dogs is commendable. It portrays the humanitarian angle adopted by the legal system after analysing the importance of dogs in our ecosystem. You need not always have to do or commit something to kill someone. Being right there but not doing something that can prevent an animal from dying is a vicious  mens rea  for its killing.      I found a two-month-old unconscious ...

He liked her, but With complicated emotions While she drifted in the wind, Never to touch the ground  Unsure of his feelings, He struggled to mention Silence did hurt them, but none Dared to make a sound.  Each lived their share Of attachment and happiness Some yellow days, love smiled Like the warm sunshine.  Some grey days, some nightmares When tears were instantaneous. Sharing their stories for a while He wished - "If she was mine!" Her words were few, and only Answers to his questions.  He's smitten, she knew, but Of the unknown, she feared.  Life often changes suddenly, and Strangers get closer than friends.  All the more so when you shut Your haunted psychosphere. The girl he once loved, now resides Continents apart, and happy.  Often in her seas, his mind drifts away Dancing with her waves, but never Dropped an anchor at her seaside.  Though forever wasn't meant to be, Those days he lived a fairytale. Until a confluence comes for every rive...

It's another Jan 01 and the inboxes of all my social network sites are flooding with new year wishes from friends and relatives. Sometimes, I think if it's worth wishing them back (though, I do wish them all, maybe mechanically). There are some people whom you want to wish something specific in their lives, good or bad. But, the question is - who's listening to you? Our ears are either plugged with earphones most of the time or blocked with impacted wax that needs a forceps to be extracted out. Most often, the ear canals are just tubes with blind ends that don't reach the grey matter inside our skull. The end result of such ignominious anatomy of our ears is that we don't understand half the things we hear. Rather, we hear. But don't listen. You would exercise better control over your anger if we could take some time out to listen to the meanings of sounds. Listening requires thinking. It doesn't come to everyone. So, this morning, I was typing a reply ...

After a satisfying year at Dehradun, I have been posted to Leh. Though the journey to Leh through Chandigarh was more time consuming than it should have been, landing here makes me feel it was worth the effort. I'm living in a small room with basic amenities and no luxury. But there are larger blessings on offer. River Indus is flowing in all its glory right in front of my quarter. The constant turbulence of the river is a pleasure to the eyes and it's constant burble rings round the clock in my ears. The rocks and pebbles here are smooth and rounded. Himalayan mountains stand as mute witness to the immaculate flow of the river. I can capture the mountains, their snow-clad peaks, clouds wandering through the sunrays, pine trees in rich foliage and the Indus flowing in elegance with my eyes. I'm standing at the very place where time stood testimony to mankind, at the cradle of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Years 2016 and 2017 have proved to be the turning points in my life. Chronologically, I cleared my MD exam in Nov 2016, worked in the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Bangalore for 6 months and then came the bumper draw. I cleared the Short Service Commission interview. This was my fifth stint at the selection but the joy of clearing the interview and physical examination is certainly long-lasting. Today, I'm a Medical Officer in the world's second largest army and ninth largest employer, the Indian Army. I got commissioned to the rank of Captain on July 12, 2017. You never know what life has in store for you. Keep believing in yourself and work hard. You deserve the best.

Alexander Langmuir, expert in public health surveillance and intelligence     Alexander Langmuir, the man behind epidemiologic intelligence, gave a crystal clear definition of surveillance as it applies to public health. He defined it as the continued watchfulness, systematic collection, consolidation and interpretation of public health data, and dissemination of this information to people who are in a position to take action. Surveillance is not static, but dynamic. Surveillance system must be flexible. It should adapt itself to the changing epidemiology of the problem under surveillance. There was an era when measles in India was under event-based surveillance. But it is now realized that in order to achieve elimination of measles, we should move on to case-based surveillance where every case of measles has to be investigated and control measures promptly instituted. Though not in the literal sense, surveillance can afford to be less rigorous when the disease has a ...

     I'm one among hundreds of post-graduate students who were admitted into our courses late in the year 2013. Consequently, there has been a lot of confusion regarding our eligibility for the regular examinations and the validity of our masters degree if at all we pass the exam. MCI has set its rules straight in its post-graduate medical education regulations that were formulated in the year 2000 and subsequently amended. According to the regulations, prematurely terminating the course and obtaining the degree thereafter are deemed invalid. (Image courtesy: Google Images and the blind artist who created this. icanbecreative.com acknowledged.)      In the light of these factors, today I have finally come to a decision that I am going to boycott the regular exam which is merely six days away while I'm writing this post. Our university has been largely insensitive to the concerns of some three hundred and odd students who were admitted during August...

Of late, I have been participating in a lot of competitions by public health institutions. But, the evaluation process has taken me by surprise, especially those of the essay and e-poster. I do not wish to disclose if I won an award or not. Downloaded from Google Images But, I would be posting here an essay and a poster that were done for the competitions, which, I feel they should reach a larger audience. You need not be a public health practitioner to read this. If there is an interest, you are likely to spend your time reading my subsequent posts. 

The World Health Organization gave a beautiful definition to the perpetual enigma that we call 'health'. This definition is like a suit that covers almost all parts from head to toe, but is the body really in there? The more I learn from the books on medicine and sociology, the more elusive it seems to define health. Let me put before you the international definition from the WHO, the people we consider are the ultimate authority over these aspects as they even guide countries to promote and protect the health of their citizens. They say, 'Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.' There is nothing more to ask from God. Infinite thanks for keeping us alive and disease-free. More than a thousand discussions have been held to refine and redefine health, and well-being in the course of it. Thank God for disease has a definition. Diseases fall under three groups: the ones that come and go...

It gives me a strange feeling reading all of my previous posts after a long time of more than 6 months. My last post was in December 2015.  Downloaded from Google Images There has been a lot happening and I have been busier than ever. I accept the fact that nothing is a good excuse for not writing. I have been mentally jotting down a long list of the stuff I want to post here.  As you would find here, my posts are not focused. I write about music, humanity, public health, etc. Hereafter, I would try to stay focused on a particular theme and write a series on that theme.

Suffering is the same, be it human or animal or a plant. It takes a change of perspective and patience to put ourselves in the plight of an injured and helpless animal. The pangs of a hurt animal has affected my peace of mind many times. I remember the lines of a renowned philosopher whose name I fail to recall now. He said: Street dogs are living examples that inspire us to never give up on struggle. The urban surroundings have specific seasonal hazards for the poor animals that live their days away in a series of several regular struggles for sustenance. I'm sharing here an experience that I had with a pig family today. Pigs of all colours - pink, black and spotted ones, roam on our streets eating from garbage dumps and sewers. What started as a menace, personally, has now grown into harmonious living. I often feel empathy towards these huge creatures for their daily fight against scorching sun and hunger. Being fat and timid, they are frequently chased by the stray dogs. Thei...

The picture I have posted here shows the wall of a stairway in the district hospital on which pan is spat upon. This is sordid proof of the pitiful state of our district hospitals run by the State Government. This is a reflection of the degree of carelessness and disregard that citizens have towards the governmental institutions. This picture speaks representatively of the attitude of millions of people. It is worth noting that the district hospital of Shivamogga is currently being renovated with state-of-art in-patient facilities, pharmacy and queuing. The behavior of people brought out through this photograph compels me to ask two major questions:  Did the folks of the town deserve this hospital infrastructure? Can this situation be improved? Answer to the first question lies embedded in the responsibility the government has towards the people it serves: provide facilities to ensure health and well-being. The second question is largely and too complex to fathom. Its ...

This raag has been intriguing me since the time I heard stories associating this raag with the musical maestro Tansen developing fever after King Akbar compelled him to sing it. Ghulam Ali rendering Raag Deepak Here is a link where you can listen to Ghulam Ali singing a composition in Deepak. The story says that after much coercion from Akbar, Tansen agreed to sing in Deepak. While he was halfway through his singing in the court, Tansen felt febrile, followed by profuse sweating and perceived high temperature in the atmosphere. He grew increasingly restless and ran out of the court due to intolerable heat that the Raag generated. Fortunately, the women at his residence started singing in Raag Malhar. Singing in Raag Malhar brought the rain and relieved Tansen of his discomfort. It is said that after several incidents of the extinguished court lamps having lit by the powerful rendition in Raag Deepak and the potential of the Raag to generate extreme energy in the atmosphere...

We should never expect someone to behave in a particular way. No two people are the same. Even the twin children have different emotions and likes. But, each individual is special in his/her own way. Only when we appreciate the goodness in each other do we respect them and learn our first lesson in optimism. When I respect someone, it means I admire the goodness in that person. We should not stereotype anyone. Rather, we should accept people in the way they are. Life would be a lot simpler that way.

People may throw a million false accusations on you. They may ignore you to the extent when you start feeling that you were better dead than live. People may argue upon every point you  try to prove. People may disagree on every statement you make. People may choke you, throw stones at you, repel you, spit on you, crush you. But, remember - there is your will power that can not fail. You have to overcome all hurdles with courage. Dogs bark, but humans do not bark back at them. We cannot throw stones at every dog that barks. When you have a goal, you got to have a high degree of will power to keep going, no matter how bitter the criticisms are. Nothing can hurt a strong heart and mind. So, stay focused. The goal gets nearer when you keep walking forward. Cheers!

( The names of all children written about in this post are not their actual names. )           Summer camps are those few days of fun every parent looks forward to. Parents expect that their kids should not while away their precious holidays at home. They enroll them into various arenas that could possibly, nurture their talents and make them smart, productive and proactive. Their long-term goal is to ensure that their kids grow into responsible individuals in the community, and the camps are places where children learn as they play. Summer camps have several train-the-brain activities for kids, inculcated with fun exercises that impart desirable social skills in them. In the beautiful district of Shivamogga, three voluntary organizations and a self-help group have joined hands in organizing, for yet another year, Chinnara Loka (World of Kids), a summer camp at Parisara Adhyayana Kendra (Center for Environmental Studies), a se...

How ethically just is it to set a rule on how many children can a physically and mentally sound human being have? How clear is the line of regard for culture when there is an advisory to regulate the reproductive tradition that has been practiced since the birth of a society? If birth-control guidelines were not a violation of the basic human right to freedom of deciding on the number of children they need, then what is it? Governments in the third world countries have established the practice of treating children (rather, products of conception) as a commodity that can be paid to do without. National contraception programs have encroached into the beds of impoverished hamlets and dictate terms on conception. And as if the lethal verdict was not sufficiently delivered through hospitals, armed doctors invade the villages and severe the reproductive tubes of the women who were missed at the hospitals. India's history of contraception starts from mid-twentieth century when people...

Malayalam being my mother tongue, my knowledge about the history of performing arts and theatre in Kannada is shallow. I would share here some information about an eminent theatreperson of Karnataka, T. P. Kailasam. I'm thankful to my friend, Dr. Thippeswamy for having introduced me to the theatre songs of Kannada's yesteryears, penned by T. P. Kailasam. I watched a video on YouTube showcasing the best compositions of this illustrious performer. The song Namma Thipparalli Balu Doora has such a happy feeling to listen that after a day of having listened to it, you would continue tapping your feet to its lyric and music. I browsed for more information on this renowned Kannada song and to my astonishment, I found out that the tune of Namma Thipparalli Balu Doora was borrowed from an English song of the times of First World War, "Its A Long Way To Tipperary". This song was regarded as a war song during WW1. The music and spirit of this song inspired T. P. Kailasam dee...

The night has fallen. We sleep through it because we believe that there is a dawn waiting at the other end. You can never take anything bigger than nature for granted. Our entire existence is a clockwork on strings of subtle, inconspicuous and unexplored beliefs. In spite of the paradox that our concerns about uncertain tomorrows have largely marred the reality of today, we have made advancements. Now, that's the power of hope; hope that as it has always been, this night, and these hard times will also end, and a new dawn awaits everyone.

He was self-programmed to dispose what he used up, but Some sins are so deep that you can’t hide with your eyes shut. He befriended the dark, trusted its length and silence He left no clues behind, and hoped to wash the stains of violence. It was eleven on the dashboard, the wipers cleared windscreen visibility Not fear frosting on his temples, from femicide out of phrenic fragility. Blood is darker when it clots after it spills somewhere It leaks out of the corpse and rain can’t wash it everywhere For the first time ever, fetish landed him in a gory scene. Stacked into trunk of the old Suzuki, flesh in six bags of polythene. He dropped at her house late in the evening, she never knew him He saw her first at the party sing and set rolling his romantic prelim. He was enchanted, her beauty did, Mystified his senses, animated him Captivated his thoughts, and he couldn’t forbid. That she loved him too was a sinister whim. Oceans in her eyes...