......year ending decibel......

......as the last month of 2012 unfolds......festive mood is in the air here in MALDIVES ISLANDS......as I jot this........the gentle sea breeze is loaded with refrains frm  a street corner today.....people love their music here.....both indigenous & foreign.....the young populace of gay abandon....swinging & swaying to the tunes of the popular numbers....looks a Gr8 welcome change....for political rivalry hogged the limelite :better part of the yr....the birth pangs of an emerging Democracy....!!...interspersed however is this Nokia base model ringing...... frm my faithful clientele.....always loaded with physical complaints & askance .....for solutions.....the rains had been heavy this yr & the Rain God  yet to bid adieu.....with communicable element in full swing......my hands full....as the Sea Breeze is attaining its crescendo in tandem with the refrains of popular numbers....the moonlit Laccadive Sea beckoning us for yet another impending crossing over to Homeland 1.....the schools are in vacation & the Expat populace dwindling.....lucky this time Mumbai,Chennai,Dhaka,Kochi,Delhi routes are having the services of Spicejet & Local "Maldivian"AirBus services,augmenting Air India:the old war horse....& the promo fares are incredibly cheap.....though the peak tourism season is on....!!!

......thru the corridors of Excellence : Prince of wales Medical College...

...Patna Medical College: erstwhile,the Prince of Wales Medical College,provided challenge at all spheres....having rubbed shoulders with the finest brains of Bihar: the land of Jainism,Buddhism,Islam,Hinduism,Christianity & Sikhism,one was exposed to the moisture of Humanity to be imbibed...a teeming populace & a civilisation in a trough....having surpassed the crest decades ago of wht was one of most well administered states just aft Independence...the initial Surgery posting was a real brush with the public....& their wooes....with doc pt ratio abysmal.....felt like a surgeon in demand while doing the rounds at night....the night was ours....the 1991 Death Certificate on the very First day of Duty as an Asstt.Casualty Officer is eked in my memory....two sisters in their teens had Head Injuries frm a RTA at the MG Setu over the Ganges admitted in IGCC of PMCH,....having got a call ...had to examine one: the fatally wounded Post op case....pronouncing death in front of a crowd...& the ensuing wail is vivid...& a momentary flashing thought asked me how technically sound I was to pronounce death...?...the thought passed with the urging duty of issuing a Death certificate....my First one,on the first day & very first call of Casualty duty...& the attendants had no inkling that I was a fresh intern...but the brickwork of this great institution had already exposed me to the History of the greats & current...my emotions,my posture & gait & service on tht certificate never faltered.......











definitely,with our seniors t with all  

.....the Essence of CHHATHH Festival.....!!!!

.....we derive our origins frm Aryans who settled in the alluvial plains.......initially they were nature Worshippers...the Peepul & Banyan Tree,SUN GOD, rivers were highly reverred....Nature provided both succour & inflicted wrath....!!...our ancestors thought it prudent to stay close to Nature.....Idol worship came at a much later age...CHHATH Festivity is documented frm times immemorial.....invoking SUN GOD the Omnipotent & Omnipresent Natural Energy......the river valley civilisation of the Eastern & Northern plains were a cradle to this Pujan...Having born & brought up in the crucible of Pataliputra(Patna) which is Magadh,Mauryan & Gupta ages with River Ganga,Son,Gandak,Mahananda,Bagmati,Burhi Gandak Ajay & Damodar ,crisscrossing this great cradle of civilisation....this River bank festivity assumed importance in terms of reverance & purity....being represented by free flowing water ,soil & Salute to " Jaba Kusum":meaning SUN GOD....people of this region are subjected to this tradition of culture for centuries & I am no exception....the genetic disposition is more inclined to acquiese or should I say our acquired characters....frm all strata rich & poor will celebrate & submit to the Omnipotent representing the SUN deriving energy for well being....its also a tribute to our Mother's & sisters who largely represent & participate embracing the Rigors of Traditional Rituals....it is not the Rituals but the essence of this festival that count.....the streets are cleaner ,spruced up...the River banks bedecked  & all streets lead to the River Banks....the Evening offerings to the setting SUN & Predawn movements the following ..with chill in the pre winter air & equally cool waters all in patient waiting for the Supreme Power to Rise to accept the thougths of reverance,prayers & submission.....!!!!...the atmosphere electric & thougths pure & Holy....the run up to this festivity is stringent & utmost importance is attached to Purity of things used...be it Prasadam...which is highly popular...or Puja items....Hinduism is a way of Life I believe & this festivity highlights this point....for the Eastern Indian People who inherited primarily the Aryan traditions this region were a melting pot for Hinduism,Buddhism & Jainism..in addition to its embracing Islam..however & whatever misplaced  opinion is there for the people here I personally feel them to be highly evolved with heart & brain.... blessed is this land of festivities & Religious Tolerance....!!! 
  

.......the Muezzin's call....!!!

........its now a fortnite of Rains & more rains :with local effects augmenting :"Hulanghu": the S W Monsoon.........Samad is sick &his 12 00Hrs prayer call was embedded in his husky voice which otherwise is robust & a part of Life now....he met me 2days back with constitutional symptoms & is under medication....but being indispensable he is devout in his work ....whatever be it....I wish him speedy recovery....Neil & Wendy in distant America are safe and sound after what happened to the eastern Seaboard ....which we all saw...they are in the Highlands in PA & I was worried about any Blizzard which would come in their way....I was equally worried about our First cousins in Pondicherry where "Nilam" was not very far having a landfall in Mahabalipuram near chennai....I could not connect Arindam though despite best efforts...Rock Cut Pallavan Shore Temple must have witnessed this umpteenth time ever since its commissioning by Narasimha Varman the great Pallava King of Southern India...the old port town of Pumpoohar where Kaveri river has its delta also must have witnessed such Cyclones.......in fact the Cyclone stories of Nellore,Ongole,Chirala ,bapatla,Nagapattinam,Tirupati ,Cuddalore are a regular feature and our Coromandel Express Trips to Madras Central Frm Howrah were often jeopardised .....so when New York was assaulted....it came as a shock.....as to what Nature can be up to....New york was never in doubt as a fullproof city to meet any thing.....but Sandy proved it otherwise....imagine Power outages in New york....it was so similar to  a Hollywood fiction.....But the Heart wrenching scenes especially the burnt out houses of Queen's reminded me of a war ravaged zone....!!!!........here the aftereffects & side effects of "Nilam" is evident & the drainage system of the City has been exposed.....my prediction 3 days of continuous rain will flood this city for sure.....there is already flooding in some Atolls....!!!....as the news frm Homeland 1 keep percolating....now assuming Tsunami like proportions after the latest Salvo of the IAC orienting us to go into a huddle & do a little bit of own research about the KG Basin...which cost the Petroleum Min .the job....!!!!....India was always the " Sonay ki Chidiya..."& the loot of her resources are unabated....at least this is the perception tht is being circulated....firstly it was the Foreign Marauders & now its our own ilk....!!!!...sitting here far far away I can feel the Winds of Changes blowing....a whisper now turning into a Roar......!!!!

....troubled times in Homeland 1.....!!!!

.........the Holy months are mired with incessant news frm Homeland 1 of the establishments there.....!!...having homes in NCR(National Capital Region)....one cant escape frm all news pouring ......I saw Gurgaon coming up.......& the evils that was ushered in addition to the Development of the NCR...this is a city where a Rickshaw driver of modest means would talk of lakhs & crores...I mean the 'Realty' is so infectious here that all strata of the society is affected....this is in addition to the utter flamboyance of wealth of the Novoeau Riche bereft of any proper education or background.....I have visited few schools there & the young fledgling gentry of students are in no way unaffected....so its no wonder that news start percolating regularly of acts of Omissions & Commissions,....since we are a society we cant escape frm any fall out or change...however apathetic one's attitude is one cant deny the sweeping changes of Gentelemanliness, Morality & Conduct.....never was the Establishment so brazen & insensitive as it is of today....the Immature & Myopic views are a laughing stock now ....for full year the Civil Society & Establishment locked horns....in fact its a foolish theory doing the rounds that Civil society or any other pressure group is different frm the political establishment.....its a joke when the print media or electronic whatsoever for the umpteenth time refers to Arvind Kejriwal as politician Arvind Kejriwal...in fact all Citizens are politicians whoever is an eligible voter capable of  putting a thought in the political process of governing the country....in the form of casting his  or her vote......the concept of fissiparous  thought of separate entities of Democracy is flawed....when will our Citizenry be more mature....is a matter of time......India is blessed with a huge landmass of great productivity since times immemorial.....with a huge Human Resource there is no dearth of talent or means....we all need to put in  or chip in with our efforts however small it is...& stop looking at someone to deliver....!!!!!!

.......Ma Durga's Arrival....

.......Morrtay asetechhen Ma....Dukhkho horon Koritay....Ma has arrived....Mahalaya will reverberate in "Indian Ocean Heights" from now on.....we r all up beat....!!!! ...the Puja Marketing just concluded or may be will extend...with me going for it last...just as it happened to my Late Father....one month before Mahalaya we used to arrive in KOLKATA by 8Dn Toofan Exp.with as much thrill  our Little hearts  could hold......!!.....two full days of whirlwind shopping .....close encounter with the maddening PrePuja rush.....the eateries, the theaters nd the Bus & Tram rides....we used to follow up ritualistically...with our parents marshalling us....Sasthi will be a new dress so will be Saptami,Astami nd Navami...and Bijoya Dasami being repeat of the dress worn in sasthi Day....!!!..the Bus & Tram rides were scary nd adventurous in one breath but the seldom Taxi Rides were momentous....the return 6 hr Journey back to Hometown was one of deep satisfaction nd excitement....the adequate DP vacation ...the dew clad fields nd flower collection early morning were routine with occasional football practice in the dew with a slippery laced Futbol which needed extra care to be greased nd maintained for the moisture it soaked....then there were frequent trips to Pandals under construction....such was the abundant resignation ...which is unparallel till date.....with the advent of the Puja barshikis   .....there were lot of hectic activities in reading also to be done.....then the Puja music albums in the form of EP & LP records were an added attraction.....but the best part was the dishes churned out from MaMoni's Kitchen...with the sisters chipping in.....Bijoya Dashami would prove how popular my Father was with host many employees coming to meet us nd Ma had to service full 1week past Dasami...Durga 
puja Festivities were a fillip to our studentship in that we went back to hostels fully recharged......!!!!!!

....Raamaadan & RakshaBandhan....!!!!

......the Holy Months r underway....the air reverberating with chants invoking the Divine...the brother once again ...& the sister yet again donning the Garbs to tie that everlasting bond of RakshaBandhan...today is Doel & Arnav's Day...!!!..with us facilitating ....thick & thin were the vows exchanged...nd should & must withstand the ravages of time...!!!!....I called up Shantidi( Gablooda's sister) who had been tying the Rakhi always & Nupur & Ranju di (my own elder sisters) & sought their blessings & affection....!!.Shantidi's Rakhi was the first to arrive by Post nd on my wrist now...a reassuring symbol of Trust nd Love always & ever.....Archana was in touch with Gablooda & Babloo(both elder brothers)she being youngest in the family...today being Thursday it will be a vegetarian fare at home...we follow Tuesday(Bajrangwali Day) & Thursday(Ma Lakshmi & Brihaspati Deva Day) stead fastly as vegetarian days....the spiritual moorings in the form of rituals keep us stable & on an even keel in  foreign waters....!!!!..the Dec .Holiday trips will be to OOtacamund Nilgiris to visit & inhale the fresh air of Homeland 1...wherein we intend to visit Hebron ,Good Shepherd ,Breeks Memorial & Lawrence Schools to have a feel for the kids...who will inevitably join any of these in near future with me nurturing Bangalore as a transit base  which is currently a transit point to Maldives Islands from Gurgaon...as the clock is spinning feverishly ...we again are upbeat for the rest part of the year having successfully completed the first half with GOD's mercy & bounty......!!!!!