Not shocked this time

As I bent down to take the daily newspaper, the headlines made me stick to it for the rest of the morning and discuss for the rest of the day. I felt really sorry, but why...even AIIMS seats are sold, why not PGI, Chandigarh's?

The racket of unscrupulous agents securing MD seats in the prestigious Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research by charging a hefty price to aspirants, exposed by The Tribune yesterday, is just the tip of the iceberg. It has left the Health Ministry shocked, the alumni shocked...

The paper quoted, 'Calling it a big blow to the institute’s decades old prestigious status, former director Dr SK Sharma says, “Getting a seat in the PGI is the dream of every medical student and securing one is very tough. The PGI has been known as an institution immune to all kinds of pressures. Having headed the institution for several years, it comes as a big shock that somebody has been able to buy a seat. The blot can only be washed away by severely punishing the culprits.”'

This news led me to think about the year 1991 when I appeared in medical entrance exams. I had done my best and was hopeful of the getting a seat in one of the medical colleges in the state, when news arrived that the exam papers had leaked, so re-exams were scheduled. Due to certain unavoidable circumstances, I didn't fair the next time. Hard luck or bad work, whatever to be blamed...time heals many things leaving scars. It was my first personal encounter with such circumstances and I felt helpless and hopeless at the same time. Since then, it is unusual if an exam is conducted without any paper leaks or selling of seats. 

No exams in this country are left untouched by such paper leak experts. IITs are still considered prestigious institutes of this country where only topmost brains enter even their reputation thwarted when in 1997,  a re-examination was ordered to the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) of the Indian Institute of Technology following leakage of two papers of Physics & Chemistry (combined) and Mathematics.This was for the first time in the 40-year-old history of JEE that papers had leaked. Last year CAT (Combined Aptitude Test) papers leaked, even there was news of IAS paper being leaked in Rajasthan. No matter how prestigious the exams, paper leaks have become the order of the day. 

Money can buy everything, even degrees??

What kind of skilled generation we are giving to the nation? The rich will have all sorts of degrees with nil aptitude.As if reservations were not enough to cope with, we are creating a new class of unskilled rich in most prestigious institutions.Should we now say that no more 'prestigious' institutions in India...down fall has begun or is there any hope?

 

The blue sky

Clear sunny skies are back...still we hear news of rivers overflowing the danger level.

Common Wealth Games ahead, lets keep our fingers crossed for the arrangements.

The monsoons have left roads in worse condition than before and one finds difficult to drive on such rough roads.

At home front, there is a bit of relief...the marathon of shifting clothes up and down seems to be over, and children are enjoying playing outside.

One can feel the winters approaching as fans suffice and air-conditioners are at rest.

Last week a special guest visited our house, no human but a 'langoor' to frighten away monkeys who broke our water tank on the terrace. Children from far and near came forward to shake hands with him, and he was also friendly enough...

With festival season approaching in few weeks, home projects are waiting to be executed. 'Nav-Ratras' followed by 'Dusshera', then 'Diwali' celebrations...so much to be done!

No matter what, I'll try my best not to stress out and over burden myself. There is already dearth of holidays, moreover Kukkoo keeps nights awaken...I know...I'll not be able to do much. If I try to do everything, I'll be left with two feelings. First, I'll feel overwhelmed. Then, when I'll come to know that I can't do everything, I'll feel like a failure.

Still I cannot resist the pleasure of de-cluttering each nook and corner of the house. Actually I consider that a little bit of effort once a year is delightful and pleasing for everyone...and lots of positive energy is no less a reward in return. This year my elder son is also looking forward to contribute his bit.

Last week on Thursday, when it was day of 'Ganesh-Visarjana', one of the senior lab technicians of the department lost his life in a road accident. This irreparable loss has led higher authorities to  impose an obligation from 1st October on those who drive two wheelers to wear helmets otherwise their attendance will be marked as absent. 

Other revolutionary but not novel compulsion is being imposed on public from 2nd October  (Gandhi Jayanti) onwards, and that is...'ban on plastics'. Its high time to get cloth bags with you on shopping. A decade ago, this city was so clean and peaceful. Now its totally different when one has to struggle for parking place.With so many automobiles in the city, a greener city is the need of today. It will be a good change to use bicycles in the campus (don't be surprised...remember AFMC, Pune??).

Two years back 'smoking in public places' was the target for ban on the same date...did you see any effects here? As for me, don't ask my last experience in the city's only movie theater...

To be or not to be...

This is really difficult to decide to be or not to be available to your audience.
I wonder how other bloggers cope with this situation?
As far as I'm concerned I'm simply in doldrums.
I'm shy and at the same time a bit confident (I'm afraid, is it 'pseudo-confidence'?)
Anyways, weather is still wet, very humid here, and river Yamuna is overflowing causing flood like situation in low lying areas.
My son was already waiting outside the gates when I reached home for lunch. Both of us had real struggle to get into our own home...
Oh these monkeys!! Lots of them were spread in everybody's lawns, fearlessly roaming around. They even chased us back.
Thank God...our rescuer and our neighbour brought us safely inside. We did not look at them directly and followed our path...
But this is too much!
When will the administration wake up to do something for the safety of its people. The same situation prevailed a decade ago too. Monkeys are a real threat for the society. Children often come to hospital OPDs with monkey bites. There is risk of getting rabies (same like dog bite). A panic stricken person can get real shock.
Few years ago, there was a stirring news about Delhi's deputy mayor who died as a result of serious head injuries after falling from his first-floor terrace while attempting to fight off a pack of wild monkeys.
If you have any suggestions regarding this problem, please do comment.

Amazon.com Kindle Store Bestsellers: The most popular items on Amazon.com (Updated hourly)

Amazon.com Kindle Store Bestsellers: The most popular items on Amazon.com (Updated hourly)

Is Amazon Lying About eBooks Outselling Printed Books? « Me and My Kindle

Is Amazon Lying About eBooks Outselling Printed Books? « Me and My Kindle

Love you, Hyderabad

As soon as I reached the department in the morning, people were already in search of me...it happens almost daily these days...nothing special....just for a work or two which has been given to me the day before.

This time it concerned history......'history'... What the hell I was doing with history...

Oh no, it had nothing to do with a subject, I long before left this after my tenth boards...the dates always horrified and confused me...

But here, my job required it...in fact it was my boss's order...an order is an order, one has to follow it without a question...despite reminding myself innumerable times I don't forget to do a mistake...I questioned, and the other second I scorned myself..."Have you ever gone to Hyderabad, Ma'am?", she looked surprised and answered, "Yes, many times...".

So stupid I was to ask such a question to a person who has been to a world tour...but later had a hearty laugh with my colleague regarding history lessons being provided in biochemistry classes...it was a real hilarious session.

Anyways, everything has its benefits... so, always look at the brighter side of simply anything...just anything under the sun...I had to teach myself everyday this hard lesson.

So, my work was to search historical aspect of Hyderabad with images too...My boss actually knows I can waste my time day and night on the internet without creating a fuss...

And within one fourth of an hour I got everything done...loaded in a pen drive...

With twenty pages of copy pasted Microsoft word document on Hyderabadi history with me, I was again followed by another task..."make it concise to fit in half page."...

I should have sensed this before...who else except 'me' has time to go through all this stuff...?

The very first line of the article encouraged me to read...

"Hyderabad History is very rich and interesting, so don't worry, you will not get bored reading it."

“In the year 1959 when the Moon was in the constellation of Leo, Jupiter in its own abode and all celestial planets favourably placed, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, laid the foundation of a new city which he called Bhagyanagar after his beloved queen ‘Bhagmati’. Bhagmati embraced Islam and took the name Hyder Mahal and consequently Bhagyanagar was renamed Hyderabad after her.”

As if it were not enough, the following paragraph gave a touching depiction of the King’s love story.

“The fourteen year old Sultan of Golconda was madly in love with beautiful Hindu courtesan ‘Bhagmati’, a local dancer.”

There was also a tale of Sultan’s dangerous passion about how he meets her alive in floods and storm. His father Sultan Ibrahim was alarmed to hear his son’s misery, so beautiful women from Armenia, Persia, Arab and different parts of India were brought to entertain the prince, but none could attract his attention away from his beloved ‘Bhagmati’. (How romantic!) His father gave in, and constructed the Purana Pul (Old Bridge) a massive stone bridge across the Musi River, to make easy for the young Sultan to reach to meet his beloved. (How cute and considerate!)

By the time I finished reading the whole Hyderabad History during Qutb Shahi rule and then by Mughal Emperor Aurangzab's seize follwed by Asaf Jahi dynasty -the Nizams till 1948 when finally Indian Army (Operation Polo) overcame the defiant state. No doubt Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the then deputy Prime Minister of India is rightly called 'the Iron Man of India'.

By the time we departed for our homes from the department, most of us were looking forward to the AMBICON 2010 to be held in mid November, in the lovely city of Hyderabad...

Stretch, but don't break!

Yesterday I thought, let him relax today, tomorrow I'll bother him. Poor thing, he needs a break...
Thanks to the school administration...at least a day's gap is there in between each exam, otherwise it would be .....beyond imagination!!
Today, after a brief nap when I sat with him and his books, he was not able to answer a single question properly. I should have been prepared for this shock.
Then what did he do? I thought hard...still was not able to recall. Now , I was angry with myself...what kind of mother am I? I cannot even take care of one child, how will I cope when both will need help...now, the guilt feeling creeped in...
This has become every day's story...Every time I resolute to perform better, the worse I am than before...some thing inside me was very upset, and I needed to do something.
I sat down with a pen and a paper, and noted down activities of the day...
Morning...when I was leaving for the department, I had asked him to brush teeth and take bath...at that time he laid leisurely on sofa with his 'POGO' TV channel.
After an hour, when I had to come back to take lecture notes, he was still with POGO...
I had given him some snacks and again left giving him some more instructions.
During lunch break when I was back at home, he still needed bath, but I didn't pay heed, as some thing else prevailed my mind.
In short, I was simply not to be blamed...and now, my direction of thoughts diverted towards my husband...I could find no fault in him as he was doing his best for everyone...Right from the morning till at night I never saw him complaining, ready to fit in any role...his contribution cannot be questioned...apart from certain silly mistakes which he does in the kitchen...like, he'll make tea but will forget to put lid on the container...many other things which should be taken for granted...
I controlled my frustration and tried to console myself, still the whole evening is there...I'll do my best...

It was EVS (Environmental Sciences) exam...it seems to be mixture of Social-Studies and Science subjects of our times. I remember vividly that when I was in third standard, I used to sit in a corner and learn my lessons loudly many times till I felt confident enough to go and tell my parents. I wish my son also did the same...but it's not his fault...I don't give him even 50 percent of time what my parents did. Moreover, mere presence of mother at home makes a difference. Sometimes, I yearn to be at home, to be with my children, play a full mother's role...By the time I'm writing these notes, I'm at peace...he knows his answers and I think will write with minimal spelling mistakes. The moment has changed making me feel happy that yes, I can do both the jobs...its tiring, seems difficult...but is not invincible...

Oh yes, I've to wake him up early morning to revise again before leaving for school.

Life need not be perfect...Good Night!

 

Don't Quit.....But What?

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Author Unknown

I have read this poem innumerable times, learnt it by heart and tried to grasp what it says as much as my mind would permit me to, and every time a message has been conveyed to me. This time it's different...

We often ask children, 'What will you become later in life when you grow up?' And most of the time they answer it regarding whatever career that interests them.

To desire for something and to get the other thing is the way of life. When your heart, soul, mind and body all are working in one direction, then a worthy goal is achieved.
The role of a parent to help child in his quest for achievement depends on parents' own experiences in previous life. Something which fascinates from a distance may not be as charming when it comes to handling it.
A person who has longed to become a doctor may not stand the sight of blood or a dead body. An administrative officer who had always dreamt of having power to change the world for better may feel helpless at the hands of politicians. A teacher may feel disheartened with his unrewarding pupils.
The list is endless, but it is evident that they were inadequately prepared to deal with the circumstances. They knew how to get there but to sustain posed difficulties. And in this process of getting accustomed with the system they made compromises. The purity of spirit was replaced by lust. To remain ahead became the sole aim.
When one is exposed to more and more materialism, energy is diverted towards possessing endless things. In such environment our children know only to boast of their lavish lifestyles and latest commodities they possess. Everything in the market when easily available and affordable, person loses interest in striving for a reasonable goal.
Our children have come a long way. They are more aware of the world around them, thanks to the internet which just provides the answers by typing a few key words on the search engine. Most of them shy away from meeting people and involve in social activities. They face different problems with both parents working. Their schedules are ever busy right from getting up in the morning till they sleep at night. Apart from academics they're expected to join various hobby classes like music and dance, calligraphy, sports, personality development etc, etc. The emotional bonding which joint families still enjoy act as a cushion for various stresses in the minds of the little ones helping them in the long run.
'Survival of the fittest' holds true in every age and time, but in quest of survival let not our morals and values be lost. Let it not be the price to be paid for our materialistic progress.
Best of Hard Work!

 

Door bell

The door bell rang......by the time I reached the hall, there was an uninterrupted buzz...zz followed by no more residual sound...
The sight which caught me after a lot of grumbling and cursing was  of my dear maid...did I say, 'dear'? yeah...she was standing at the entrance to give me a shock...what?? 

But instead of using my yelling powers, I chose to remain calm...after all, my peace of mind was also at stake... 

She had to go to her place urgently and will be back possibly in a fortnight...

This was yesterday and now, when today is merging into tomorrow...I sit with my laptop yearning to see her counting each work-session without her...my dependency on her is being painfully realized by me...

My plannings for the week made earlier are under doubtful execution...

I wonder about my worthy contribution in son's first term exams...

And Kukkoo...unaware of  worldly changes, is busy practicing crawling...he simply amazes me with his enthusiastic practice sessions in the mid of the night, when he jumps from one pillow to the other completing his target without mindful of anyone's sleep...
He's in the process of erupting his first baby teeth and just tries to gnaw anything and everything...and to prevent him from chewing unusual objects is a never ending job...he just finds one thing or the other which interests him...observes it in his hand for a second or two and later reaches it to its final destination, that is 'mouth'. It's really difficult to bear with this 'oral phase'.

Sometimes he cruises around the furniture and suddenly falls down...

I've to get down to his level to make his surroundings safe...updating 'child proofing' has become the part and parcel of routine...still apprehension persists...

In my little bed I lie:
Heavenly Father, hear my cry;
Lord, keep Thou me through this night.
Bring me safe to morning light. Amen.

Extended Monsoons...

While coming down the stairs, I was awe struck by the picturesque beauty that had beholden the place. Monsoons had made everything look green. I was watching the most beautiful time  of the year for our campus.

It’s almost mid-September and every day Lord Indra showers his blessings on us. However, as beautiful, refreshing and poetic the monsoons may be, they bring with them their share of troubles. It was sunshine at nine in the morning, the sky was clear,....within few minutes dark clouds covered all over with heavy downpours. I had to clear the clothes line in haste...

Eye flu patients are increasing in every OPD, children seem more affected. I realized it’s so easy to preach everyone around to keep washing your hands (in case one has touched some infected object) and drink plenty of fluids to avoid cold and flu...whereas I doubt the cleanliness of the water supply...fear of water contamination has made it obligatory to boil and filter it...otherwise our campus’ water supply is considered safe for drinking. I had never before thought about possessing an RO (Reverse Osmosis) apparatus...

I had to ask ‘mali’ to put bowl of kerosene oil in between plants to avoid pests in my garden. Lots and lots of earthworms are spread around the porch and garage and I’ve to do efforts to let them go back to the soil to fertilize it...

Monkeys mischieves have become the order of the day...Every alternate day, they break open water tanks placed atop buildings...these days they’re also enjoying rains. They are so many in number that a single ‘langur’ brought by the administration is unable to frighten them...Only ‘Ram’ knows when people will get rid of this ‘Vaanar –Sena’?

 Yesterday evening, I had a chance to see two successive rainbows at around 5 p.m. just opposite the shining sun! If you have your experiences this season do share in the comments.

N'joy  and take care, Happy Rains!

Janmashtami celebrations

When I woke up, it seemed it was too early to get up...tried to figure out what the clock said,...,dim light helped me doze off again...by the time tea was brought before me, I was told its eight thirty..."don't worry, you can sleep more...its holiday...". Oh yes!!! ....no duty, no hurry...kids were still asleep...clouds outside caused delusion of very early morning.

Both of us came outside to have glimpse of what our 'mali' (gardener) was up to...Last few days' downpours had made the lawn outgrown, weeds needed treatment. I felt peace with myself...I wish a mid week holiday should be a routine...every day rush just soaks up energy...meditating on my own philosophy of how to make best use of today...I wondered what should be done...

Laundry basket was vacant,... which added bliss,....kitchen was within norms of tidiness...I decided to do a bit of surfing...lets see what feed back on my newly constructed blogs and articles...

Wow, I was amazed to see the results...'The day ahead' was performing good, with audience from US more than India and page views more than seventy...it really made my day!!...Infobarrel's latest article on children manners fetched me maximum views...then coming to off beat 'Raksha Bandhan' gave me a comment (all sites mentioned in the side bar). 

Yeah...I'm enjoying my new found hobby...in fact it has become an obsession for me! 

After all the morning sessions, we headed towards 'Sai Mandir' at the outskirts of the city...there was rush as expected...still the atmosphere was spiritual with 'Sai-Dhun' in the background. 

After coming back, the rest of the day passed as usual...lunch, afternoon nap, in between interventions by dear Kukkoo...it was a relaxing day frankly...me and hubby had kept ourselves from 'fast' this year, with simple excuse of hectic Kukkoo episodes. 

At eight in the evening, had a visit of 'Kailash Ashram'. It carries nine years' old memories of 'Giri Ma', when we used to frequent it often. When I entered her room, I still felt her presence...certain souls remain with you forever...

I saw one of the old devotees, a lady sitting in the hall, listening to sanskrit shlokas from a boy. He seemed to be around ten years old...too learned for his age...We also sat beside them...It was amazing to see my both kids watching everything intently without any intention of chaos. The lady gave us an inviting smile and involved us in her story about dilemma regarding truth and lie...

The major event was yet to come...At home, the Lord was still to be born! At midnight our 'Laddoo Gopal' was bathed, worn new 'chola', and swung by each of us in tiny 'palna'. After Aarti 'Om Jai Jagdish', we had our 'prasad' of 'panchamrat' (milk, curd, sugar powder, honey and natural butter) and 'churan' (cooked wheat floor with added sugar and 'tulsi patta').

It was a satisfying experience...World is beautiful...Thank you, thank you, for this day, O Lord. Good Night.