......The Indian Ocean Diary...

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.....Thr is a screeching halt now...a welcome Holiday for Ushering in the First day of Ramadaan.....Screeching....bcos unprecedented long hrs on the wrk frnt for last 3 wks....its Left & its Right....its Up & its Down....mostly expats , both frm Male' & the Atolls , beleaguered ......the Remoteness & ailment crushing thr hearts....Bravehearts....involved in the Reconstruction of this "More Sea than land" archipelago....time to say a huge Tnx to the Team here@hosp & equal support frm the home frnt.....

......the advent of the Holy Mnth.....!!!!

.....The Holy mnth  of Ramadaan is  round  the  corner, with  salutary "Mahey

Foon" of  community  partaking  of  meals  in  final stages....with  unprecedented rush in  Mkt places ,  hectic shopping  &  feverish  cash withdrawals frm ATMs....thr  is  a  nagging Neck  &  Lumbosacral  Strain now..... as last Couple  of days  hv  been  al  abt  churning  prescriptions  with  equally  feverish  typing  on the Key board  for  the  ailing who  hv turned  up  in  gr8 strengths  throwing  the  hosp  schedule  off gear....as thr  r  long  hrs  now.....tomorn's  imminent Friday  is  the  silver  lining for  a  much  needed  recovery &  rest nd reply  to  pending  notifications.....amidst  these  mad  rush  .....M K Gandhi's  "My Experiments  with  Truth"  hv cast  a spell, tht ,its  regular  read , fires u  nd charges u up in  no  uncertain measure.....I am torn  terribly  now between  Nehru's "Glimpses of World  History"....Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe"  nd  M K Gandhi's "My Experiments  with Truth"....all unfolding  nd riveting....these ageless  books  wud  fell  me  down......!!!! ; despite  being  surrounded  by,  modern  day Communication  gadgetry , was  beyond  my  comprehension....as  , the  yr  is  approaching its  half  way  mark  , the  mandatory  Term  vacations r  to  be met ....plans  r  afoot  for  end  of the  mnth  vacationing trip, for  which  hectic  parleys  r  on  with  other  stalwarts of the fmly   viz;  Nanu  , Doel &  Archana.....as they  hv the  steering nd  definitely,  not  India  this  time , which  is  of course mandatorily slated  for routine  Nov  end Final Term .......!!!!

.....a Day finally....!!!

....the  grass topped  glade  is  moisture  laden with  the  latest  onslaught  of  a   nascent  Monsoon  footfalling: May  the 9 th.instant...with  Cyclone  "Roanu".....recently not  very  far.....the torrential downpour  &  gail  speed  winds  shaking up  the 6  th floor  as  never before.....a  few  speed boat &  ship  struggle to  make  it  fast  to  the  shore....tormenting  waves  &  blinding  rain.....the Sun : The "IRU" peeps  today  as  if  teasing  , at  ur vulnerability  &  misery....no wonder.... today  the  hibiscus  bloomed  &  the  sacred basil  turning  &  twisting  to capture  as  much  of  the  Sun....the  Pigeons , faithful  as  ever  shivering  &  trying  to  keep  warm : their  rice  morsels  on  the  window  sill  washed  away.......Doel's Term   & Nanu's Routine Exams  r  on.....the  outdoor  activities  little truncated  on  account of  both  these  onslaught....to  live  in the  midst  of  sea ......on  a land  exposed  to  the  vagaries of nature  since  times  immemorial....!!!.....as Ramaadan  is  round  the  corner  ,  the mkt  place  is  agog  with activities...bracing up  for  the  Holy  mnth....!!!....the island  routine  is  fast  & gripping ....as  the  days  hurtle  past.....!!!....  :  a  high  speed  train .... halting  on  a  Friday  holiday : much  needed for  Overhaul....!!!...  catching up &  driving ur car : hearts  out.....!!!!  in  circles  along  the  marine  drive &  city  "Goalhis" & street, may be  later  frm  Male'  to  Hulhule(airport) Island &  upto  HulhuMale' Island : the  satellite  township  al  to be linked  up  , if  the  Dragon  is  to  be  believed  , fast  progress :  On  the  Sino - Maldives  frndship bridge ,  across the  mighty  sea  linking up these islands....goin  to  the  wrk place &  back Morn , Aftnun  &  Eve  is  a  mandatory  stroll now  ,  all  for  Gud  Health....!!!....believe  me,  Male' is  one  hell  of a  place  for  fitness  freaks  with  high  levels  of  awareness.....the  grounds , the  streets , the  marine  drives  r  a fabulous  fitness  freaking  points.....no  wonder it  catches  up with  u....!!!...the  fine  spray of  rain ,  return  home,  late  Eve, soothening every  nerve  as  u  hurtle  down  like  a  cascade of  a  brooklet , calling  it  a  day  finally.....!!!!!  

....Its Never too Late ....Never too Never....!!!!

....Never knew abt  MK Gandhi , until,  I read  his  autobiography  "My Experiments  with  Truth"....as  Doel is reading  "The  Phantom  Toll  Booth"  &  "The Tempest "  in her  curriculum .....I feel a  strong  urge  for  her  to  read   M K Gandhi's :....." My Experiments with Truth".....purely its lucid  reading & the  translation to  English  by Mahadeb  Desai frm original Gujrati  is  Tell  tale......the  chapterwise  contents r free  flowing  as  tht  of  the  Ganges  cascading.....now  tht he is back to Natal (South Africa) with  his  children & nephew &  wife, in tow,  to  settle  amidst odds....his  confusions, traumas  & tribulations & his reformist  experiments with  the Truth....I  cannot describe  the  Joy of reading , this  week goneby.....here, thr is  Daniel  Defoe's  "Robinson Crusoe " with  Crusoe  completing  one  yr  in the Island  as a Castaway....his faith  in Prayers & his experiments  to  grow  Corn  & weave  a Basket......his  experiment  of  drying grapes for  Raisins  paying  smartly  as  he  fills  up  his  pockets  , Gun  in  hand  goes on  a  reconnaissance  mission .....his  recent  bout  of  fever  notwithstanding....!!!....today's  day  is  wel  made  as  in the National Library , post  Clinic  , in  the  aftnun  I  stumbled  on  some books  for  sale at  throw away prices....today  was  the last  day & I  the  Lucky  Devil.....!!!!...."The Balkan Trilogy" &  "The  Secret  of  the  Code"(Da Vinci Code) fell  into my  kitty  for as  paltry  as  just  over  a  Dollar  a piece....though  Calvin & Hobbs  Comics  anthology for  the Children  a  Two  dollar....!!!!!....with  sickness  al  around  the wrk  place ...these books  hv definitely  soared  the  Spirits.....to  morrow  is Friday  a wel earned  rest  day....This  post  is dedicated  to  Mithudi  &  Tituda    cousin  elder sister & elder brother @ Kolkata whom I discovered  accidentally  yesterday on Fb.........hving shared  many  a  childhood  moment with  thm...still  fresh  in  memory....!!!!!

....a Trust to Keep....

.....sporadic Smart  showers  ....overcast....&  its raining  patients.... with  hands  totally ful...these pre monsoon mnths  herald  spurt in cases....in tht  my OP & IP r ful... home v  late   indeed....."A  Trust  to  Keep"  is  the  Mantra for me....for  goin  on &  on  here....as  people  make an entry  frm  all  islands  & atolls...pleasantly surprised  today ..... as  the  return  stroll is  interrupted.....nd  a  wrk  force  clientele gently  whisk  me away to  their  Kiosk  of Fresh  tender  Coconut....offering  me out  of love  &  respect....& I  acquiesce  to their demand ....they, feeling honored  &  I  feeling  their Pulse  of  Warmth.....this  shud  keep me  goin & goin ....the  service rendered  &  the Immeasurable  Joy, tht ,

of the Service  Provider....!!!!

....the weather last couple of days is cool with incessant rains & overcast condition thru out....as tomorn is holiday, thr is a sense of abandon....too far ....yet so near has been the week with steady connectivity with frnds nd fmly....."My experiments with truth " by the Mahatma swept me off my feet.....glad I discovered ....a trifle late though......as the Emblem of Positivity inches ahead : The Male' Hulhule Bridge over the Indian Ocean ...another book gifted to my children ...& I am head over heels again.....Trending now is "The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" unfolding page by page of a superlative treatise on Human Vulnerability , Indomitable will & Finally Conquer......lapping it up fast ,........ the Children r at their wits end as to why I am reading a gifted book meant for the Children.....the adventure is too tempting to be resisted......as the Ship wrecks & Castaway Crusoe is marooned.....a superb Life time read Over & Over again Collection.....!!!!

.....Saidpur Medical Hostel......the tale of a nascent journey....!!!

.....The Saidpur campus of Patna Univ was a massive block  of  hostels ..adjacent  to the Moinul Huq stadium .....it must hv been  a shining piece ,whn it  must  hv been  innaugurated.....the Saidpur Medical Hostel had  3 floors with  probably , if  memory  doesn't  fail : 1g, 2g , 1f , 2f   & 1s , 2s  accordingly upto 35 single  rooms  per  floor...a badminton court  within  ...a sprawling  mess  & dining & a Common Room.....the rooms  were cosy , with  furnitures  leased frm the  Medical college  Campus underground  cellar, of a  store ,in Obs & Gynae  bldg.....this particular  cellar  was  straight out frm an Agatha Cristie thriller.....eerie.....  with  perennial  water: ankle deep , lodged , with naked  Light Bulbs dangling  frm  the  ceiling, a  damp  soaked  smell   greets  you  as  you venture  underground ,to  req for  any  furniture  for  your room in  the hostel.....the  steel  almirahs lodged  records....the  babus well  entrenched  in their seat  & tables , propped  up  by  bricks  frm  the  collected  water  on  the  floor , with spotless dhotis & Vermillion smeared  fore  heads ...a  mouth  full of  Maghghi Pan( Betel leaf) , duly assisted  by  the Peons in their khakis  with  bored  expressions....the  effort was  herculean......issued furnitures  of a cot, chair , tables had  to be carried & returned  as  the case may  be....the cellar  was  cool in the  summer  mnths  & probably  it  stocked Medicines  & linen too....in  the SMH as the Eve study wud be over ....  the winter fog  greeting us as soon  as  we  stepped  out of the rooms for  dinner....a  welcome  brk , dining  with classmates , juniors & seniors.....seniors always evoked  respect...particularly remember  Hemant Verma & Pramod Ojha Boss, Sanjay & Pradip  Gupta Boss, Obaid Iqbal & Kariwal boss, who  were very kind to  us & truly respected.....I  sometime wonder  how  well  established  the  hierarchy system  of Seniors  ran in  the  Medical college  Campus....it was not forced  ...it was truly  as if  they  were the pathfinders & we looked  forward to  thm.....nd  were  our "Boss" unquestionably....giving  us a  sense  of security......as  the  fog  wud  envelop the  campus  & the Medical Hostel we  wud  be  snugly  placed  in  a  warm  hearth  of  our  Mess  Kitchen  partaking  freshly  prepared  food, served  tirelessly  by  the staff..... the  fud real  tasty   &  the  menu  very  comprehensive.....with  tireless  efforts  of Hemant Boss a  Color  Tv  had  already  been  installed before our entry  to the  hostel  .....with  Tick Tock Table  Tennis  in  the background  &  listening  to  the News cast  regularly.....Wed  & Fridays were special : as Chitrahaar  a programme  of Hindi Music Videos  wud be aired  &  come  wht  may : Exam or  no  Exam , it  ran to  packed  houses for  30 mts of wholesome  entertainment.....the Requirement  small  &  the Means equally  small  ....such  was the  level  of  Contentment  & Happiness  in those  times..Sidhdhartha Basu's Quiz Time....Buniyaad & HumLog  were  the  Mughals  of  the  Soaps  & Ramayan was  a  must  see  probably Sunday....in  tht  thr used to  be  tiffs with  Neighbouring  Hostel inmates    gate  crashing  to take  advantage  of  our  Color TV....nd the neighbouring  hostels  harbouring  the  inmates  of  other P U colleges  had  a name  for their notoriety......wading  thru  the  thick fog with  full  beam of  the brand new  LML 150 NV  BEA 2907 the hostel  cud  only  be  discerned upon  climbing  the  ramp & parking  the  bike beside  your room.....the warmth  of  your room  with porcelain  heaters ...the TV Tower  with  its  Flickering Red light playing  hide  & seek   with  the  Fog .....it  was  one  cosy destination....with  all  the  rooms sealed  up  as unquestionably,  silently  the Medicos  were burning  Midnite  Oil  for professional  excellence....!!!!