.....The Slog Overs....

......Intermittent Rainfall , cool gusty sea breeze keeps us cool,sharply in contrast to the Indian Mainland whr Heatwave claim Lives....as the last phase b4 vacation is on, there is a sense of urgency for the Service...its time to formulate a plan for al my trusted clientele, as a backup & standby for the entire June Vacation.....last week sees an intense spurt in cases, nd stil continuing as these pre monsoon mnths wil be as usual....for the CDC....the NCD clinic wil be wel taken care off by trusted colleagues, whn handing over....there wil be a lull at Consult Chamber 4 ...the door taking a much needed rest as wud I....curtains for a yr of Marathon shud I say....!!!....in a couple of days the Butterfly is slated for its  arrival....in the abdomen ....as it is its customary fare....b4 departure.....Dicken's "Nicholas Nickelby" wil accompany me as I hv just started with young Nicholas assuming charge as an Asstt. Master in Mr Squeer's "Dotheby's Hall",depressed at the state of affairs thr....the progress is slow in the siesta time aft Lunch ,post Morn Clinic, tnx to chatterbox Doel ,who happens to be the reading partner,with her Thea stilton series & occasionally Enid Blyton...not to be undone & left behind is Arnav, who is picking up reading v fast ,with "Dug the Pug","Around the World" & "Fairy tales"....as he wud read aloud, much to our distraction....luckily halfway thru he wud  doze off for a Post school, Post Lunch nap.....happy tht the children like reading nd we r a team now, I enjoying every bit of the 1838 Novel ,post "PickwickPapers"....Copious reading & Voluminous writing as set forth as a brisk agenda for 2015 seems to be moving well in the first half of the yr.....now tht is concluding......Kolkata, Assam , Meghalaya & Native Jharkhand, r in the first leg followed by NCR in the second.....sad ,wont be visiting Haflong, as the Dima Hasao Distt. of Assam, is insurgency prone...one of the most breathtaking scenic route on Lumding- Silchar rail Route.....though,visiting in June, this Summer, with Monsoon around, shud be exciting nd fulfilling; meeting kith & kin & dear frnds....!!!....1st June instant,as usual wil cross the Laccadive Sea, with beautiful Birds Eye View of Maldives Isles.....!!!!....Pearl in the Indian Ocean....!!!

.....The Ussiri falls of Giridih Dist.....

....the Madhupur Giridih Pass  hauled by the steam Loco was a regular feature adorning PF 1 of MDP RS ....1MG in the wee hrs until 8Mg, terminating at nearly midnite at MDP RS ,shuttling arduously over a plateau terrain with clocklike precision,  a trust worthy shuttler ,between the two towns of Madhupur Jn(Jharkhand) ...a Holiday Home health resort of ubiquitous Kothis ....of  well to do Bengali Gentry frm thn British Calcutta  & Giridih(Jharkhand): the Coal & Mica mining town, en route  Hazaribagh  . Early 20 th Century Calcutta was moist ,humid ,warm with brackish water , playing havoc with the health of its citizen with Industrial pollution.....the reachable  Santhal Pargana Plateau was a Plateau of Delite for many ,who wanted to escape the drudgery of Calcutta....the Health Resorts of Madhupur, Jamtara, Giridih, Simultala , Jasidih , Devghar were dotted with villas nd sanatoriums ,suiting their panacea of a lungful to inhale, inciting the imaginations of the Bangali Babus... the advantage of these towns being on the Calcutta Delhi Rly Trunk route was responsible for their development as a tourist centres ,far far away frm the maddening crowd of Calcutta....retreats ,Mathths, Temples dotting the landscape with Churches nd Mosques, for an al encompassing society of mutual thriving, with Respect, at a time whn the other parts of the World were already experiencing sectarian strife....the jewel of the plateau was the  Aborigine Santhal, whose village nd occupation of a living was as simple as whn the World was born....rubbing our eyes in the wee hrs of the morn to take the 1MG train to Giridih was  ful of thrill, for onward journey to a huge Waterfalls @ USSIRI thru dirt tracks of a Horse cart ride....with al bag & baggage of a whole day Picnic is wel etched in memory......the quite a distance Horse cart  ride amidst thick Sal jungle nd red soil of a dirt track to a huge area of waterfalls , majestically  cascading over the rocks.......cud hear the massive roar of the falls frm half a km away, the huge sal trees with its equally huge leaves , the thick Aroma of the vegetation of the Tropical green rain forest of the Santhal Parganas.....with firewood abundant ...the fire lit Cooked preparations by the fmly, frnds & occasionally relatives, was delicious ,after exploring the area ,& a swim....the water tasted  heavenly , famous for its mythical gastro corrective properties......the return journey @ 4pm for Giridih RS  was hurried.....to take the 6MG train to Madhupur  @ 5.30 pm via Mahesmunda Stn.....whr a 2mt stop was sufficient to drink the water provided by the Rly.Waterman (Pani Paray) in the RS with shining Brass water dispenser frm equally clean cool Earthenware pots......incidentally Mahesmunda was famous for its Water....nd many wud fetch a can of water frm thr......the clean ,pristine, setting of a plateau whr  we lived for  30 yrs, is  unparalled  til date....!!!.....the Imminent June Rendezvous  frm Male' to Kolkata for Madhupur , trudging the original circuit is  therefore breathtakingly Awaited .....for tht Lungful of Panacea to Inhale.....!!!!!

....We r challenged ,yet we seem oblivious....sad too many people died despite being aware & alerted by the Recent Temblors at the region.....I was horrified ,to note how insignificant meaningful coverage the latest Earthquake cud garner....there is a Challenge thrown by Mother Earth,....with the Nepalese Parliament shaken...whn ,the ground beneath us was sliding.....our Parliament was discussing Land Bill, its merits nd demerits....a 10 Richter will flatten Delhi, Lock ,Stock & Barrel....wht is the Contigency plan for the Nation's Capital & other vulnerable parts, of the Country........its War time now ....now tht the Nature is our Adversary......as today's Temblor proves, how vulnerable we r ....nd how our homes r castles of cards.....matters which really matters for the masses need to be taken up...as many will sleep outdoors tonite...I think the Quake situation is a National Emergency....for al Nations in the Region....Big Bro @ MFP was sombre today...definitely the toughest also seem to be rattled....We must mature as a Nation & priorities prioritized....

.....150th Publication of The Indian Ocean Diary "ROJNAMCHA"....

On "MOTHER'S DAY" today...feel humbled, priveleged to attempt the 150th Publication Of the Indian Ocean Diary so close to the Heart, the Journey of an Indian Doctor's Service in a remote land....1976, my Ma was instrumental in my departure for St.Xavier's School, Sahibganj, as a Boarder, ful wel she knew wht she was doing.....setting her kid son in a dinghy frm her stream to the Mainstream.....can feel wht a decision tht must hv been for her....she must hv wept, missed nd her days off colored in my playful absence at her home.....only to see in the yrs to come how rt she was in strengthening her kid son to face the world.....the farsight shaped her fmly withstanding the ravages of time.....with prayers in her lips nd sacrifice of her valuable youth ful time rearing all 5 of us.....managing her ever busy husband's schedule of a public life, She stands thr epitomising al the finest qualities of Womanhood.....!!!!....Saluting her on this day, with gratitude ,tht without her presence, my pen wouldn't hv moved, my Heart wouldn't hv moved, my thoughts wouldn't hv flowed nd be paralysed for ever.......always feel... nd can't wait to give her a big Hug this June whn we meet...."....Ma Mujhe Apni, Gale Se Lagale, Aanchal mein Chhupale, Ki Aur Meraaa, Koi nahin.....".......Saluting Her nd al Mother's On this auspicious Day.....!!!!

.....picking up the threads.....

.....Everyone affected by the recent 7.9 Richter Temblor, seems to be gradually picking up the threads of Life both in India & Nepal, which claimed a huge no. of lives.....the Finest & the Meanest Human qualities came to the fore dealing with the situation.....the finest rendering a helping hand & the meanest looting people, already weakened by the onslaught.....Ur nxt door neighbour nd ur locality r ur best frnds , the calamity proves beyond doubt....united in Grief.....the entire sub Himalayan terrain of ours wil frm now on be shaky, philosophical nd Clueless as to wht is in store...the Plates r just too much with the Indian plate moving v fast northwards in the last 40 million yrs....colliding with the Eurasian plate.....I believe this is still the frontier to be conquered by the Scientists nd Geologists....by far the biggest challenge.....look at the movement..... NE to West India.....the genesis of Everest nd the Himalayas lies in these collision.....nd incredibly at our doorsteps.......the moot point is the lack of a Forecast & significant evacuation.....the Cyclones &Tsunamis r alerted.....evacuation effected...nowhr is the chance of an Earth Quake Alert, as we r lacking in the knowhow......its time for the World body to delve deep nd secure the Earth nd its Populace....finding water in Mars nd beyond is fine......but wht of the decimation & its Lurking menace at home.....God Forbid.....a 10 Richter will flatten all of us .....nd its time to tighten our belts with landmark Legislations, Policies ,& War Time  Research towards building a safe home & hearth for all.....