Tag Archives: Health

Ye Duniya!

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You might have heard this beautiful song,

In these current times that we all live in,

this song seems to find a chord,

I see kids wearing masks while playing sports,

youngsters running around with their masks on,

Courtesy the virus,

We all have pulse meters in our houses,

As a fact,

The rate goes up once we wear the masks,

I wonder,

the kind of effect it might have while playing sports or simply running,

the kind of effect the strings of these masks might have on our ears,

the kind of effect it might have if we wear it for a longer period of time,

I wonder whether it’s worth it,

the lives we all seem to be living,

not discounting the fact that precautions need to be taken,

but doesn’t any form of extreme approach needs a rethink,

a think to ponder over?

Source for the Image: https://www.health.mil/News/Articles/2021/10/06/Mask-mouth-does-not-exist-dentists-say

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Going International, are You?

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A common thing that can be seen with the middle and upper middle class in India is,

Parents want to send their kids to international schools,

Thinking they will get the best of education,

Will fraternize with the cream in society

and

Going forward, will have all the opportunities in the world that one craves for,

But

In doing so,

and

In pursuing the aspirations one has for their kid,

They toil in day-in-day-night to earn that extra buck to match the fees,

At times affecting their own health,

That they do not tend to find and spend quality time with their own family and kids,

Having impressionable effects for kids in their tender age,

Yes,

The state of government schools in India is questionable,

Yes,

The parents want the best for their kids,

But

Do parents really know what’s best for their kids?

or

Least, trying to figure out what could be the definition of the best?

If not,

Why not delve into the fundamentals of what it could mean,

Rather than following what everyone is doing,

May be the answer lies in the uncommon!

Source for the Image: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/international-schools-in-bangalore_00393200/

Let Go You-Bama!

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The moment I hear the phrase, “let go“, I am taken back in time and am reminded of the movie Zindagi na Milegi Dobara where just before the sky dive, Hrithik Roshan tells Farhan Akhtar, “let go, Imran, just let it go!”

When I think about it, there it was letting go of the fear, yet it has very deep connotations and implications for all of us in our day-to-day lives,

no matter which part of the World we reside in,

no matter what religion we practice and

no matter what field or sector we are working in.

Day-in-day-out, we try to do best for ourselves and our loved ones whom we refer to as family or friends,

we try to be successful in whatever we do, be it personal or professional,

we try to have fun, which by the way was supposed to be a natural way of living, though we have found a way to make it hard enough to explore and practice,

we try to use our time to the best of our skills and capabilities, intending to get a better house, a better car, at times even the best breed of dog to be bred at home;

yet we see the life drifting away at a mindless pace, where we don’t even get the time to contemplate and realize that we are not gonna take everything that we are accumulating at this point in time, with us.

So, difficult it is to let go, be it our identities (religious, caste, creed etc.),

be it our set of possessions (a pair of trousers, gadgets etc.),

be it our so called loved ones, to the extent, that at times we tend to suffocate them supposedly for their own good, not realizing that we are in fact doing more harm than good, by imposing all the societal stuff,

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Not realizing that not letting go, on the contrary, is

making us fret more,

get frustrated more,

get angry on a frequent basis,

become comparative and in turn jealous more often than not,

making us go through the consequences of bad health;

Yet we continue to do so, without stopping for a moment to give it a thought, whether it’s all worth it.

After all, the beautiful time that we have been bestowed with, in the form of human, do you think, it was supposed to do all the above?

Well even if you were to argue really hard in its favour, few might say, to some extent,

Yet you know, deep down in your hearts and minds, that it’s all a game that you have been taught to play by the society, which giving up right now is more of a challenge and fear, arising out of the conditioned insecurities.

The only question that you need to ask yourself is, do you consider yourself important enough (to the likes of Obama, Bill Gates etc.)  to not let go?

For if it was not that, you would have by now, actually decided to let go. I guess, even they have, to some extent, that is! 😉

Source for the Image: http://www.lovethispic.com/image/20870/let-go

Trusting the Trust!

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Trust, somehow, has always been and will continue to remain the basis on which every transaction or interaction takes place in our society.

Be it the coming together of two individuals in the form of a marriage,

Be it a patient going to a doctor for treatment,

Be it buying something online,

Be it the very communication between individuals where the parties accept what the other party has to offer in terms of advice, suggestions etc.,

Be it the evidence that is presented in the court of law,

or

Be it the advice that parents give to their kids which they follow,

I can go on and on with the examples of the very application of this 5 letter word Trust, which has had its etymology which mean protection, comfort, solace etc.

When we talk of protection, comfort or solace, on most occasions, we are referring to a 2nd or a 3rd party who is there to look after the very aspect, and possibly the need for an outside intervention not concerning the parties involved.

Which makes me somehow wonder, that trusting the trust in itself has become an act which is let’s say, has become more difficult than trusting an outsider/3rd party unknown to the very parties, assuming that the 3rd party will have all the sense to derive comprehensive conclusions, on the basis of presentation of few facts and evidence.

The very basis of justice has gone into the hands of the 3rd parties, who, at times, are completely oblivious of the situation at hand, yet have to depend on a drama that somehow unfolds in front of their eyes in a court of law. shutterstock_250176199

As a consequence, we are seeing, increase in the number of cases being filed, decrease in the level of patience and adjustment that also seems to reflect one stabilizing factor in every society and most important of all, leading to mental instability and deterioration of mental health coefficient of a society as a whole.

Be it the greed,

Be it the jealousy,

Be it the hatred,

or

Be it the fear,

All the above lead to reduction in our ability to trust and leads to disintegration of the fundamental reason why we all exist together.

Don’t you think, it’s high time, we start to trust again, if not for the very act of it, than surely for maintaining the much required stability of our societies?

For, if trusting the trust becomes an act beyond our reach, then we are headed in just one direction, which we all refer to as destruction, first of self and of course of the society.

Source for the Image: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trust-business-relationship-marketing-space-michael-cherry

F.A.T. Syndrome!

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For some it could mean a distorted Body Mass Index (BMI), for some it might mean a big fat wedding, but for the gentleman whom I happened to meet yesterday simply out of no where and who seemed to have mastered the Art of Living (not the one founded by Mr. Ravi Shankar) but the one which we seemed to live in as a society on a day-to-day basis, wants to define it as, F.A.T.=For All Time, and seems to suggest that we as a society have got affected by the ever so pervading For All Time sake Syndrome.

Wondering what it could mean, well, to start with, it means a fancy intuition about everything’s gonna last for ever and ever, and living your life according to the same belief.

Which might translate into:

Filling up our bank accounts like never before for your generations to follow,

Accumulating loads of assets which gives you so called materialistic happiness,

Loading up your bellies with more than required calories, which in a way also is suggestive of the fact that you are creating an imbalance between what your body demands and what you and your heart supplies to the same, leading to different kind of complications when it comes to your health and well being, 

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Working 20 hours a day for someone or something that you wouldn’t otherwise care about, if it was not offering you the kind of remuneration it does and as a consequence creating a whiff of negativity and chaos wherever you go to, just because you are kind of not happy with the life that you might be leading, 

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On the contrary, one could have a not so negative connotation of F.A.T. as well. It could mean for all time sake:

Taking a cue from the ancient past and looking at what we as a society used to value at some point of time in our histories, 

Looking at the role models of the previous as well as our own era, who have lived their lives with values and ethics which one would want to emulate, 

Getting inspired by those who are dedicating their lives to making this planet a better place to live in, 

Emulating the sustainable manner of living, which not only brings happiness and prosperity to our planet but would also allow our future generations to derive benefits from the same. 

After all, for all time sake, isn’t it a good idea to leave this place a much better one than what you were given by your prior generation?

Source for the Image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF7TqzPP38A

Doc! Is it time?

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An extremely moving conversation that I had with one of the most renowned doctors in the country and a part of which I would definitely want to share with all (for I believe it’s one of the most important food for thoughts you might want to delve deep into) about what happens when a patient is courageous enough to ask whether it’s time.

“You see, the word doctor in itself is derived from something which means ‘to teach’. Often people think, it’s very convenient for a doctor to witness someone dying in front of their eyes.”

“Trust me, it’s the most difficult and the most moving of things, no matter how habitual we become of the same, feeling utterly disgusted with the lack of capabilities we docs seem to possess coupled with the plethora of agony and emotions that we get to witness on a daily basis”

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“And when a patient is courageous enough to ask, whether it’s time, it leaves us no scope and puts us under a situation which is dreaded by every doc worldwide, no matter how logical and practical it might sound to be.”

“On the basis of the little knowledge that we docs seem to have, we do have a probable guess about the chances, yet who are we to deny that miracles don’t happen.”

“On one hand, by letting the patient and the family know about the probables, gives them time to spend the same in the most meaningful of manners in which they can; on the other hand, what if we are wrong about the probables, what if miracle was supposed to happen but didn’t, what if the patient wanted to undergo the treatment, yet we deprived him/her of the same, and many such questions tend to haunt us day-in-day-out”

“At the end of the day, it comes down to a very basic question, what are docs there for?Are they there for relieving one of their suffering, do they exist because one day, they might be able to become capable of creating miracles? Or there existence in turn enables them ‘to teach’ one how to die in the most joyful manner and to facilitate the same.”

“After all, the only certainty in our lives is death itself. For patients, ‘letting go’ might be the toughest of tasks they have ever done, but for doctors, may be they were meant to become a friend, philosopher and guide in the last stages of the bliss, very fondly referred to as life, bestowed upon every individual by the creator himself/herself.”

Source for the Image: https://pixabay.com/en/photos/doctor/

Success=====!

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Let me see what this means:

Success=====Wealth?

Success=====A luxury car?

Success=====A house on the Marine Drive?

Success=====Traveling in business class?

Success=====Dining in a 7-star?

Success====Owning a 5000 Euro Louis Vuitton bag?

Success====Fame?

Well, going by what the world perceives, going by what the society tells us, going by what we have been socialized into believing, going by what we are praised or followed for, the above, in all possibilities seems to be true.

People who are totally conditioned to the point of believing each and every word of the same, would go all out in arguing what else it could mean, for money can buy them loads of stuff, fame can get the who’s who among others bow their heads in respect satisfying the egos which most would refer to as the inner self.

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Now let us consider an alternative to the above narrative:

Success====Starts with peace of mind?

Success====Well being?

Success====Playfulness?

Success====being joyful in the moment?

Success====living life to the fullest?

Success====experiencing the wonderful nature?

Success====being pleasant within=good health?

Wonder, whether the alternative view leads to the former one or vice-versa?

Wonder, whether the ability to be joyful within, leads to enjoying the fruits of one’s hard work and wealth that comes along with the same?

Wonder, whether good health enables us to enjoy time that we spend with our near and dear ones along with the materialistic possessions that we tend to identify ourselves so strongly with?

Wonder, whether we need to redefine the way we all perceive success?

Wonder, whether the world that is, was not meant to be conquered but to be experienced?

Food for thought, haan!

Source for Image: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/success-is-subjective-term

Wired Zindagi!

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Ever wondered how many wires you are surrounded with? If the wires that brought you some light in your houses and the cables that brought your ears echoing with voices from your friends, family and colleagues; were not enough, the likes of the laptops, smart phones etc. ensured that you would be surrounded by the wires all your lives, be it the chargers or be it the adaptors.

First thing first, when you reach your offices or work stations is to take out the very lifelines that bring you your bread and butter out of your bags and spread them all over your desk or lap to engulf you in the world of internet.

As every other thing, this wired zindagi  has its own set of pros and cons. Pros, that you remain well connected, are able to do your work more efficiently and get better compensations for being able to do so, which allows you to spend more and more, especially with the kind of discounts coming through on Amazon and Flipkart.

Cons, being, you spend most of your time surrounded by these wires, not being able to give the same

images to your loved ones and many more, but the worst of all being, this phenomenon having a huge impact on your health, be it your eyes or your back.

Food for thought, with wired zindagi comes huge costs, time to make it less wired?

Source for Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wired_logo.svg: 

Don’t Drink and Poo!

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A decade back, I would have never talked about it even in my dreams but today, courtesy of working in the health and sanitation sector, I feel compelled to narrate this incident. Just yesterday, a very dear friend of mine happened to narrate to me a story that changed his life for good.

As a youngster, I am sure you must have gone to parties or discos or farm houses and might still continue to visit the likes. And at times these places tend to be located a little away from the city where you wouldn’t generally find any kind of habitation or people especially during the late hours.

My friend happened to visit one such place with some of his friends, a farm house, located nearly 100 km away from the city. They had a blast. They got extremely drunk and while returning, one of my friend’s friend got a direct call from the nature to the extent that he couldn’t afford to control the same for another 70  km left to be covered.

No matter, how fast they drove, it would have taken at least half an hour to one hour before they could reach home. So, they decided to find a place where he could cater to his instinctual urge. Finding no community/public toilet, they decided to take a halt at a hamlet and thought of requesting local folks to help them find a toilet.

To their surprise, they couldn’t find any toilet in the entire village and he was left with no other option but to venture into the bushes. The bushes came along with its own set of challenges and fear. There could be snakes searching for their prey, there could be thief eagerly waiting to bounce at the opportunity of making a buck or two.

But he didn’t have any option but to fight his fears on this very occasion. So, he decided to walk a midst the bushes to look for a suitable place where he could take it all out of his system. After roaming around for a couple of minutes, he finally found a place, where he could see some light in the background.

As he was about to begin with the rituals, a huge shadow came from behind and he became seriously terrified. In order to calm himself down, hallucination was one reason that he could think about for what he was perceiving. But this reason couldn’t last for long as the very next moment, the shadow spoke to him: “what are you doing here?”World Toilet Day 2

Relieved that the shadow was indeed a man who knew the language, all his senses that had become numb due to the overdose of alcohol came right back and he got up from the posture that he was in.

Turning round, he could see a man with his lath standing in front of him. Taking note of the situation, he realized that he was about to poo right next to this man’s house, who had seen him approaching and had come outside of the house.

He knew that it was in his best interests to apologize to this man, which he did. The man replied, “This is not the place, we go to another place which is around 1 km from here” and the man provided directions as to how he can approach the place.

The path that the man had shown him was an isolated place. There was no electricity and it was extremely dark. The urge was high enough to motivate him to venture into the unknown. After walking for another 20 minutes, he finally managed to reach the place of his redemption.

To his horror, the place smelled very bad. In the moonlight, he could see a couple piles of excreta lying everywhere. He felt like puking but he couldn’t have afforded to wait. With no option in hand, he sat down at a place which he refers to as the only possible place. As he was about to conduct the ritual, he could feel something on his leg.

He took out his mobile and realized that a huge object was trying to crawl up his leg. He took out his mobile to see what exactly it was. The moment he put on the torch, he just froze seeing a huge snake trying to crawl up his right leg.

Finding some courage, he caught the snake and threw it away. Thereafter he ran as if a 100 m sprint was going on and managed to reach the place where his friends waited for him. Without narrating the event, he got into the car and had to hold on to his instincts for another 45 minutes.

On reaching home, without bidding good bye to his friends, he ran to the door and went inside. His friends found the behavior a little different from what is expected. But they decided to call it a night.

It was only when they met again the next morning that he could explain things to his friends. On one hand, they all broke into laughter, but on the other hand, a thought struck all of them and suddenly they all stopped to ponder over a very major issue that seems to plague the have-nots in our society, which is lack of toilet facilities, leading to all sorts of health and sanitation issues.

There are more than 600 M people in India who do not have access to toilets, leave alone clean toilets.  It’s a pity that even after nearly 7 decades of independence, we have not been able to provide them with a basic facility like providing a toilet, which makes me wonder why no one thought about it before PM Modi started the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and if it was indeed thought over then why the hell it wasn’t implemented.

Without trying to conduct a post mortem for what has happened in the past, what I would suggest to all of us is to do our bit when it comes to helping the have-nots to achieve a dignified way of living. It could be donating a toilet. It could be donating money. It could be anything that comes under the ambit of charity and trust me, by doing so, the kind of satisfaction one will derive will be no less than what one derives in any sort of meditation.

Banka BioLoo! Sanitation Personified!

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Long time no see! Ya, the past couple of months have been no less than a roller coaster with destiny taking me to all nooks and corners of the land which we all refer to as India.

From Kolkata to Jamshedpur, from Delhi to Hyderabad, it has been quite a journey meeting new people, hearing different perspectives and opinions, getting to know the World of management consultancy and ending up with a social entrepreneur.

But there is one meeting that I would want to refer to in particular and that’s with Mrs. Namita Banka, MD of Banka BioLoo Private Limited. To put it simply, the lady is energy personified. She cannot sit still. She needs to be on the move and doing her bit. She has big plans and she wants to make it big.banka-bioloo

She can be referred to as the symbol of a modern 21st century lady who believes that things can happen. Her belief makes her do things which in times to come will surely change the way the sanitation industry is going to operate in the coming 2-3 years time.

She has been a pioneer in WaSH sector with big media houses such as CNN and Bloomberg giving recognition to the efforts that the lady has put in. With a plethora of awards to her name, she is all set to change the lives of those in need.

With a co-founder like Mr. Akhilesh Tripathi with immense amount of operational experience and an intellect par excellence, and providing the much needed support to her vision, don’t be surprised if Akhilesh ji and she becomes a household name in say 2-3 years from now.

In my blog, today, I salute the lady and many more who have contributed big time in changing the lives of the deprived lot in our country thereby ensuring that the efforts result in creating an equitable World.

Source for Image: http://iseeindia.com/2013/11/09/banka-bioloo-giving-a-clean-and-dignified-india/