Author: drsriramnathan

“The big metal tube looks so huge!

In the skies it takes refuge!

Getting to any place is smooth and cool!

Tis just a big jet and not any tool!”

With the advent of low cost flights and economy flights, taking a flight is not an uncommon thing! 

Growing up though we had only heard stories of how it was to go in a plane! My mother always used to tell us about how when we were young we went in the flight but that had never got registered in my memory so my first flight of my own was for all practical purposes the first flight ever!

Read on!

I still remember the little black dress which was a single dress which I am sure now that it was meant for a girl and not a boy which my mother made me wear for the first flight!

She used to tell that the flight was called folk of friendship and for years till now I used to remember it like that only!

Recently I got to know that it was actually called Fokker F27 Friendship! I guess it was close enough! 

Mom used to tell that I started crying in the flight and the air hostess gave me some candies! When I took my daughter on her first flight even she was crying constantly and I was moving up and down the corridor lifting and trying to console her!

My mother used to tell how the folk of friendship would sway right and left and move like a bus on air! Which is probably why for a long time she did not step on any plane till I took her on the very first one after the folk to the Holy City of Varanasi! Am sure that she would have held me in my first flight! Which is why my equally nervous and anxious mother had me holding her hand throughout the flight! I had got her a tab to play games in the flight and while landing and take off and would try to deviate her mind with that!

Her grip on my hand would gently increase with the landing and take off and it would ease slowly! The only reason she got in that flight was to see the holy Ganga aarthi in person! She would see that every day and the day when she…

Even in Banaras she just sat seeing the puja and there was a calm and satisfaction in her eye which was rare. Of course after that many flights were taken and she was really getting confident and comfortable!

So coming to my first flight on my own was when I had just finished my internship and joined a famous drug index company as a medical writer! For twenty years after my first flight as a kid, I only used to dream about going by a flight! We had almost gone by a flight on our trip to Missamari but then that’s another story!

With absolutely no flight for so long I was sent to Mumbai by flight and in the same trip sent to Hyderabad and finally back to Bangalore! That was three flights in three days! 

Those were the days when the flight tickets were like a whole book! Not the print out or a QR code of the day! No one really asked for any ID card for domestic flights at least and if you had the ticket then that was all which was needed!

It was an early morning flight and I had booked a taxi and confirmed it twice! Mom got up early and was getting ready to make some hot food and I told her that it may be provided in the flight! But still she packed a couple of her famous aloo parathas which of course were more delicious than any airline food!

Since I had packed light I had no trouble in getting through the security which those days were very light for domestic flights! The old HAL airport was small and cozy!

My bags were so light but still I checked them in since I did not know that we could carry them! I was too tensed and scared to ask!

The flight was on time and it was Jet Airways (while the subsequent ones were air India). The seats were so comfortable and only two! It was not cramped as now and mostly we used to walk to the flight from the reception. 

I may be the only person in the whole flight who was intently listening to the air hostess giving instructions and by habit I still do! I had to closely watch my neighbor who was bemused on how to put in the seat belt! For better or worse I did not even push the seat back when it was allowed in the air! Same with the top light button! Taking off and landing was so smooth but still my heart skips a beat!

Those days in flight food was something to look forward for and included in the flight ticket! The cutlery was nice and elegant and the food was good! Though I kept the aloo paratha aside for lunch! I may also be the one who read the in flight magazine page to page seriously! The only courage I showed as a first timer was when I asked the air hostess if  I could take it and to my delight she said yes! I still have that in some dusty box in my house! Of course there was no one to hold hands or comfort you when you are young! Only the very young and the very old get that! The rest have to manage on their own! Of course by the time I was in the flight number two, ّI was already ‘experienced’! So I acted as if I flew everyday! 

Actual experience is when you do a thing constantly and consistently! Like being the birthday celebrity who was the chief minister for more than 23 years which was a record!

Now fly into the flights of fantasy in dream land and sleep!

Shush ratri!

“The fine dine was packed and busy! 

But we had patience and were not fussy!

Was a server before and knew the fate!

He is called the waiter ’cause he makes u wait!”

How much do you tip? or for that matter do you tip the valet or the waiter enough? 

Once I was giving some money to my valet in an apartment when my friend told me not to do that! He said that it will start a bad precedent! 

read on!

Now if no one tips then it is understood that the valet will take care of everyone’s car in the same way! There is no preference and it will be safe! But if you do tip him then it may not make any difference at that time but rest assured that the next time he will take care of your car very well! Then again that is a double edged sword!

I used to go to my main hospital in a place for surgery and then rush back to my place. That hospital was in the main road and parking was a big issue! So routinely I used to give some money to the security there who used to make sure that the car gets its space! 

Once in a hurry, I was not able to tip him and luckily I found a space without any issues! Moreover I did not find him so I simply parked and left!

When I came back I saw my car was blocked by two other cars and it would take ages to get it out! It was a nightmare! The security was acting as if I did a crime by not tipping him!

If you tip someone then it is your baseline! So choose your tip very wisely! After some time it becomes your duty!

Or do what my friend suggested! Do not tip!

In many countries who actually take pride in the work they do and feel like it is their duty to work like Japan and Iceland; it is apparently rude to tip the waiters!

In fact in these restaurants it is expected to pay at the counter and the service charges are included in the bill!

But keeping these exceptions aside, almost all hotels and waiters all over the world actually expect you to tip!

Many times you are confused whether to tip or not or how much is good enough!

Even in these circumstances it is only a big issue if you are planning to go back to the same restaurant or hotel again! Only that sets a precedent! If it is a one time visit then what happens in that place stays in that place!

I have always believed that you must never argue with your waiter and that is the best advice I can give to myself!

Even in big hotels and restaurants people are treated differently how they look or how rich they look which is finally linked to the fact that how much can you afford to tip!

Many of my close friends and some relatives who have worked as servers in hotels in America and other places while they were students and who are now very well off, always make sure that the waiters are given a big tip!

They know that most of the times, the tip is the one which gives them livelihood and not the wage!

There have even been times when tips are more than the bill!

In America of course Tipping is a big thing! It is almost a crime when you do not tip! Apparently at the end of the CIVIL WAR, American labor force had lots of immigrants and enslaved people who were employed for minimum wages and their only source of actual income were the tips!

This system is now the norm behind mandatory tipping! The standard tip is ten percent but apparently servers expect much more than that!

One of the highest tips in terms of percentage are given in the US and Canada to servers, cab drivers and the hotel staff! This is usually ten to twenty percent and anything less than this or no tip will invite hostility!

The “keep the change” is a big thing all over the world! Most people I know would tip as much as possible but I know friends who would never tip!

They always tel that the person is simply doing his or her job and this tip causes an unnecessary complication!

They state that the service which they get for which they pay for should be the same regardless of the tip and that it is the duty of the employer to pay them well so that they do not need to ask or expect any tip!

Sometimes in some big fancy place, the valet who may be dressed in a blazer costlier than even your car (Ok, that may be a tipping nonsense!), may feel insulted if you tip him by your standards!

It is the same for the delivery boys and the postman! Previously if you do not give the Diwali bonus or the special to the post man then rest assured, you are taking a big risk!

Of course the new generation is more clever with money! Even now when helpers and drivers get tip, it is usually from the old timers who would silently stuff a couple of tens in their hands when no one is looking!

With the advent of scan and pay, tipping is actually more convenient since you do not have to carry change! You ask for their number and just scan and pay!

Once I was returning home with my boss in a railway station. He of course was in the first class AC while we folks in the normal coach! We had some extra bags so we hired a porter after much bargaining and knew that we may have to give some tip also!

Our boss had so many bags and the porters were eagerly looking forward to carry them of course expecting a big tip! My boss simply called his driver from the parking lot and told him to carry the bags!

My senior exclaimed, “That is how you remain rich!”

The rich do not tip! More accurately, they do not tip everyone! They know whom to tip and that is the biggest tip they can give you!

The middle class would come in a Maruti and tip the valet grateful that he is keeping the car safe while the rich will come in his BMW and give only the Key to the valet who then is grateful that he has been trusted with that car! 

Of course there are stories of how once a crazy rich dude was so happy with the waiter that he bought the hotel and gifted it to him as a tip!

Of course that is an Internet story which I do not know to be true! 

Some years back there was this telecom gut who fixed my internet and did an amazing job and like always I tried to tip him! He was a young dude and he told me very strictly no and refused the tip! It was refreshing to see his self confidence and pride! I gave him five stars on his review!

So now for the delivery guys and the cab drivers and many other professionals; they do not take tip! Instead they tell you to leave a good review! That helps them more than your loose change and that change may or may not be good for you and them!

A non financial tip I can give today is that if you are under the weather and under medications then try not to sketch lest it becomes hazy! Like the sketch of birthday celebrity Kailash Kher! 

Another tip is that if you are not well, then sleep well!

Shush ratri!

“The corn did not pop enough!

The puff was hard and tough!

The movie was yet to be seen!

No choice though since it was a single screen!”

Do you know what is a zoopraxiscope?`

read on!

Going out for a movie during the times of single screens were an amazing experience! One of the best experiences I had watching movie was in an Open air theatre in Secunderabad! No! Not Hyderabad! People who are associated with army would immediately know this place which was connected to Hyderabad by the famous bridge!

Of course it had lots of other civilian facilities but for all practical purposes, Secunderabad was army all the way!

One of the places had this uber cool movie theatre which was the main attraction for kids like me! The ticket prices for army kids were low and most of the time we actually paid only for the snacks!

Since it was an open air theatre, my mother used to allow us to go even alone with friends assuming that they would not dare to show any adult movie in the open!

I still remember going for the movie 100 days with a younger friend assuming that it was a nice family drama! Turned out to be a thriller and the scene in which she gets her sister’s skeleton still gives me a shiver!

Initially we used to stay a little close to the theatre so most of the times we used to simply walk to the show! By close those days is within 5-10 km! Now you tell the kids to walk for more than one kilometer and they sigh in disbelief!

The only big issue with the open air theatre was that if there was heavy rain then the movie may not be shown! Light rain still we used to see the movie but of course all used to get wet! The projector room was safe inside so many times a light drizzle would not cause the movie to stop! Sometimes in between the movie, if it started raining heavily the projector would be halted for some time! We then used to chat and play in the rain! Of course during the time if we were with our parents they would take us and leave!

If there was an amazing movie going to be played soon we all only prayed that it does not rain!

If it did rain heavily then it literally meant pouring water on our plans!

So many times we would be ready to go and if it started raining, my careful parents would drop the plan! I would tell them that it is only a light rain and they would still play the movie! Later my friends who braved the rain or went alone would tell me all about the movie adding to my misery! I still remember how we missed to see the movie Parinda starring my favourite Jackie Shroff! 

Some of the best and worst movies I have seen in that theatre! Sometimes for a good movie we would be scouts! If the movie is good only then our parents would come for the next day show! 

Now since this was an exclusive army theatre, it was not open every day and it did not have any morning shows! Maximum it would be open once or twice a week for a couple of shows while other times the stage would be used for other functions!

Another big issue is that if you sit in the back, you may have a higher viewpoint but the speakers would either make you go temporarily deaf or give you a headache!

Sometimes in the special days we would get to see some good Hollywood movies which my mother would avoid and we would either go alone or with dad!

By the way those chairs were like the chairs of a school with absolute no cushion or cover! They were mostly wooden! Since they were at the mercy of the elements! I can almost hear my kids screaming that the seats are hard and uncomfortable!

Or the popcorn is not hot or having enough butter! Our standard snack was an old packet of potato chips made with questionable oil and if you are lucky then a single samosa which was the tastiest thing in the world! By the way the movie was good too!

Now coming to zoopraxiscope! Well (initially named zoographiscope and zoogyroscope) is an early device for displaying moving images and is considered an important predecessor of the movie projector. It was conceived by photographic pioneer Eadweard Muybridge in 1879 (and built for him by January 1880 to project his famous chronophotographic pictures in motion and thus prove that these were authentic)!

In short it was the precursor to the movie projector! or the great grand daddy of the projector! Another great, this time among musicians was birthday celebrity Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna! 

Now he may not have many movie songs but then his songs will definitely bring back those lovely old memories!

Shubh ratri!

A quick sketch done in a hurry!
“What to drink and what to sip!
Have it with chips and a little dip!
Have it after you say hello or ola!
Tis the same! Be it pepsi or coca cola!”

One of the biggest secrets in the world is apparently the recipe of coca cola!
or is it?!

Coca-Cola has been around since 1886, and try as desperately as they might, no one has been able to replicate its distinct taste. But as far as I am concerned, every cola drink which includes even the local Cola drink tastes the same with some difference in the sugar levels!

So the legend is that Inventor John S. Pemberton kept his recipe a secret and even refused to write it down for fear of people copying his success; it was finally jotted down when Ernest Woodruff purchased the company in 1919. The physical recipe then made the rounds between New York’s Guaranty Bank, Atlanta’s Trust Company Bank, and finally the World of Coca-Cola, which is where it resides today. It is currently housed in the so-called Vault of the Secret Formula, and it remains a very closely guarded trade secret!

Well that sounds like a good story! But imagine that the formula of a drink which is available and made in almost all parts of the world is known at a time to only two people! It is not like your marriage anniversary!

So apparently the idea that the secret formula for Coca-Cola is only known by two people who are never to be allowed near one another in case of some disaster resulting in the recipe being lost forever is one of those pop culture staples people can’t help but perpetuate!

Even the company likes to propagate these stories which gives it recipe an exclusive flavor and some mystery!

One of the most important this is that the number of people who know the recipe is definitely more than two as the sheer volume of the syrup being produced every day, with slightly differing ingredients in different parts of the world, necessitate that quite a few people need to know, at the least, large portions of the ingredients (and appropriate proportions of each) in order to keep supplies flowing!

If only two people know this then it is really crazy! In fact in a Coca Cola ad it was actually claimed that these ‘two’ people who know the recipe do not fly in a single plane together!

Even the accountants and other people who take care of the inventory and components responsible will of course have an idea!

The other thing important to all this is that whether every person who knows the recipe all up and died at the same time is irrelevant.  As you might expect, contrary to versions of the rumour, the recipe is written down and stored in a cartoonishly large vault in Atlanta, Georgia.  It’s also possible (and very likely) that Coca-Cola maintains copies of the recipe elsewhere, whether in part, with different people having access to each portion, or as a whole!

So the actual mystery is how the story of only two people know the secret is the point in time when only two people knew the recipe! The first person John Pemberton showed the final recipe to would have made two. After that, it’s pretty clear at least several people have known it at any given time!
As for who the two were, Pemberton modified his “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca” to make Coca-Cola (partially as a response to the banning of alcohol in Atlanta, Georgia in 1886- the drink contained alcohol) with the help of Willis Venable and Frank Mason Robinson. One of those two seemingly would have been the second; this would have likely quickly become three, and more ever since!

In fact even in 1891 Pemberton had sold the original formula to three different companies, meaning even more people knew it at this point!

Coco-Cola has good reason to claim it was never written down in that there are a few copies of the recipe for some version of Coca-Cola in existence, or at least claimed to be that.  For instance, in 1996 the great-grandson of John Pemberton’s employee, Frank Robinson, (who, incidentally, named Coca-Cola and created the cursive logo) had what he claimed to be the recipe written in his grandfather’s own hand. That hand-written document was the subject of a divorce settlement as Robinson’s wife claimed he had given it to her as a wedding present!

Further, in order to fully replicate Coca-Cola, in the United States at least, you’d need something only one company has access to, coca leaves!

Back to the origin of the rumor- when Earnest Woodruff  and a group of soon to be ridiculously rich investors bought the company outright in 1919, they did so using  money secured by a loan!

As part of the collateral for the loan, Woodruff had Candler’s son write down the formula for Coca-Cola. It was then placed in a secure vault at Guaranty Bank in New York. According to Coca-Cola, the formula remained under lock and key until Woodruff once again took ownership of it when the loan was repaid in 1925. Rather than destroy the formula as Asa Candler had done, reducing the risk of it falling into someone else’s hands, Woodruff opted to keep it and had it put into secure storage; this time in an Atlanta bank vault at Trust Company Bank where it sat for 86 years!

Of course today, all of the people privy to such information are likely under strict instructions to never reveal they know it, lest they want to stare down a life-destroying lawsuit from one of the most powerful commercial entities on Earth, not to mention perhaps losing their jobs if they still work there!

So my only advice is that there may be very few people who know the recipe but if you do know that please keep it to yourself! I am more than happy just remembering my anniversary on time! That funny note reminds me of the fun movies starring birthday celebrity Mamukkoya!

Now don’t drink anything cold and sleep!
Shubh Ratri!

“We are side by side always but never meet!

We both lie under the sky in the blistering heat!

That heavy load passes by so soon!

The rail track then gets that amazing tune!”

Have you heard of a place called Missamari?

No, I am not making it up! It is a nice little place in Assam with army base and a beautiful place at that! 

read on!

We were happily spending our time in Bangalore with friends and most close family nearby! Our hometown in Kerala was near and Chennai (Madras those days!) was next door! Then suddenly one fine day dad got a post telling about his promotion and transfer to this place in Assam called Missamari! At first we all thought that it was a joke since no one in and around me has even heard of this place! 

From bangalore the train to Assam is not even direct! There was a train which used to start in Bangalore and via chennai and hyderabad and Orissa used to go to Kolkata (Calcutta those days!)! It was one of the longest train journey of those times and the train was usually booked well in advance!

Of course we had the army hold so booking at least for my parents were confirmed! Those days we had something called the Waiting list and RAC! I am sure even now we have this but those days, flight was only for the uber rich and very limited! There was actually a plan to catch a flight to Assam from Kolkata but then that is a blog for another day!

Now being the children of Army personnels we are used to shifting! Our whole life is packed in a big army trunk and we are set to go! The close friendship of four years was closed in four minutes! In fact staying in Bangalore for more than two years in itself was a miracle! 

My close friends of K V ASC with whom we had made such close bonds were broken in an instant! Though we did exchange address and stuff, for all practical purpose of a child in the Grade 5, the friendship was done. I still remember some friends and have got in touch with a couple but my closest friend Tapan Kumar is lost in the digital world! He was a good artist and we had made a pretty good team! We had formed a union of thin and weak but more in number kids and had overthrown the class bully! Then again that is a blog for another day!

Still now those days when the class bully used to make us salute to him in a typical Hitler style makes me squirm and smile! 

So the news was met with a mixed bag of sadness in leaving a beautiful place with close friends and a happiness to see a new place with a magical name! And the fact that we may fly! Also dad would be the second in command which is like the deputy CM of a place which is mainly controlled by the army! 

It was not a field posting but almost! In field posting the official cannot get his or her family! Since it was not a field posting it would have been a place which had families and easier to reach! Or so we thought!

The first hurdle was to get the RAC confirmed! Since mom and dad had confirmed seats we had at least place to sit! My dad told us that we can sleep on the floor! Did not know whether he was joking or not! Luckily we had lady luck shine and the birth got confirmed! The first class in those days was when you have four berths and you can close the door! It was like our own mini mobile home!

We used to love the train tea and the tasty idli vada! Now of course I am assuming that the lack of hygiene made it very tasty!

The TT used to see the tickets and some other official would ask if we needed food!

Eating railway food in a moving train is an experience! We would already be so hungry and the aroma of the food would make the stomach motor running!

It may not taste that good but we did not care! Going from one compartment to another in between the carpet like bridge was a different thrill!

The constant sound of the train over the tracks is actually very loud but we still used to get sound sleep in the night when the seat becomes the berth! When we were younger no one allowed us to sleep in the top while growing up it was the norm!

The biggest temptation we had to resist was to not pull the chain! It was simply so inviting! We always used to wonder what would happen! My friends whose imaginations had not limit used to tell that the train will stop suddenly on pulling the chain! Since we had never seen it happen it was a mystery! That big long train journey from Bangalore to chennai to finally the big smelly station of Howrah was an epic adventure in itself! 

Now from Howrah how we reached this little place called Missamari is…yes! A blog for another day! Have patience! Like how birthday celebrity  Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, also known as Tenzin Gyatso;[c] né Lhamo Thondup; has and propagtes!

You may of course know him as Dalai Lama! 

Now say a silent prayer and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

This sketch was done in the OP in less than five minutes!

“Poor Tom went out without an umbrella 

Luckily it did not rain, t’was a wonder!

He heard the weather man say it will!

Tom knew trusting that would be a blunder!”

The good old days of reading newspaper is long gone! One habit which everyone used to encourage kids was to read the newspaper! It not only improved our general Knowledge but also our language!

Reuters which was a pioneer in news is even now one of the leading news agencies in the world! But did you know that an Indian news agency is the largest in the world!?

read on!!

Now of course the limited print news paper does not feel like news but the screenplay of the next soap opera! There is hardly any news or news paper which is unbiased and neutral. Most papers and news channels are leaning to one side and if you want to know the actual news then you must take an average or simply do not see them!

The creation of whatsapp has made the propagation of fake news like a pandemic! You cannot trust anything in Whatsapp or social media! So much so that even the videos are biased and one sided! 

In all of these you have already decided what you want to believe and support and all these news and videos do is give you a partial assist! 

A ton of proof may sometimes fall flat while other times an ounce is enough!

Now when it all started, news and journalism was an institution which was known to be unbiased and direct! Now the TRP decides the direction of the news! The accusation is given front page while the error and apology is relegated to an obscure corner of some vague inner page!

Even crime is reported based on the area and audience! Every leader and person is not judged by his or her action but by his or her reach and popularity! or the his or her current opinion or the opinion of his followers!

In our class when we had a chapter on the news agency Reuters, many wanted to become a reporter for the right reason! Now you have the zeal to become one for becoming popular and getting a right to boss over others! It is a media circus all over and the reporters are highly paid actors with varying emotions with deficiency of truth!

Then again you have some who still report the truth but then they are so few and so rare!

Now as far as the history goes, Paul Julius, baron von Reuter was a clerk in his uncle’s bank in Göttingen, Germany

Reuter made the acquaintance of the eminent mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was at that time experimenting with the electric telegraph that was to become important in news dissemination!

In the early 1840s he joined a small publishing concern in Berlin. After publishing a number of political pamphlets that aroused the hostility of the authorities, he moved to Paris in 1848, a year of revolution throughout Europe. He began translating extracts from articles and commercial news and sending them to papers in Germany. In 1850 he set up a carrier-pigeon service between Aachen and Brussels, the terminal points of the German and the French-Belgian telegraph lines!

Moving to England in 1851, Reuter opened a telegraph office near the London stock exchange. At first his business was confined mostly to commercial telegrams, but, with daily newspapers flourishing, he persuaded several publishers to subscribe to his service. His first spectacular success came in 1859 when he transmitted to London the text of a speech by Napoleon III foreshadowing the Austro-French Piedmontese war in Italy.

The spread of undersea cables helped Reuter extend his service to other continents and finally it became one of the leading news agencies in the world!

But the largest news agency in the world is the Press Trust of India (PTI) which is a nonprofit cooperative owned by over 500 Indian newspapers!

PTI was founded in 1948 by Indian newspapers to establish an internal news agency. It’s headquartered in New Delhi and has over 500 full-time employees, including 400 journalists! PTI also has correspondents in major capitals and important business centers around the world. PTI also exchanges information with several other news agencies, including the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, The New York Times, and Bloomberg L.P.! 

Of course what I do nowadays is that if I want entertainment I see the news while if I want some serious truth I see some old movies! Like some of the movies directed by birthday celebrity Adoor Gopalakrishnan! 

Now stop watching the news and increasing your BP and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

The last two sketches were my personal favourite and best! Really happy with them! 

Hope you liked them too! 

“Late to bed and later to rise!

Being a night owl may not be that wise!

But the only thing that matters is success!

Then all concepts will become a mess!”

So are you a night owl or a day reader? 

Apparently the best time to start your day according to Robin Sharma’s 5 am club and according to this study and article by London school of Economics; the best time to study is in the morning!

read on!

Luckily this study came recently because I have spent my whole life studying in the night only! Even during exams I used to sleep late and get up and go for the show so to speak!

So now according to scientists, the brain is most alert and teachable at 10 am–2 pm and 4 pm–10 pm! it has been advised that if you would like to optimise your attention span and practise deep learning, then science advises you to study between the hours of 4 am and 7 am. This period is best for deep focus. This is probably the best time to study in the morning!

Of course even if the study has come now, since time immemorial, we have always been urged to get up in the morning! 

The early to bed and early to rise is a proverb which has been drilled into every kid since ages! Anyone who gets up late or sleeps late does not have a good habit and is most probably spoilt!

So what are the apparent Advantages of Studying in the Morning?

So the concept is that our brains tend to be the most efficient and alert in the morning after a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast!

This puts you in a state where learning will be easy also apparently the morning time is often the best time to learn new theories and grasp complex concepts!

It has also been said that the ample amount of natural light available in the morning can also help you stay alert and focused and also the early morning light is also highly beneficial for your eyes, it makes your retinas strong and your eye muscles able to process a lot of information or look at a computer screen! And finally a morning study schedule is likely to be in line with your circadian rhythm and will help you maintain your sleep schedule.

Well the theory is sound and it does give results! Many successful people are early getters and they swear by it!

Then there are some who read till late and get up even more late! When the sun is literally hitting your face and heating your room is when they get up! Day starts in the noon and ends with the dark moon!

If you ask about their success then even they swear that in the still of the night the things get in easy! Plus the biggest advantage is that when you start a thing in the night and finish it, the sense of satisfaction makes you get a good sleep! Trying to do that in the morning makes some people anxious and then the sleep is not good! A feeling of completion is usually when you work in the night!

In fact in our medical colleges you would not find many rooms unlit in the night! The light stays on till late night while some lights get on early in the morning! In between the duties and classes, it is more convenient to many to read in the night!

Many people though now have also claimed that reading in the morning makes you retain the stuff more and also makes you more active earlier in the day!

It has also been seen that as you get older, you start to prefer the early night sleep and getting up with the sun! Many elders in the family still follow the getting up early in the morning and the staying up late is frowned upon! They get up early and by two hours their work of the day is done! 

Practically though, once it is in your system to sleep late then getting up early is a difficult task so as Robin Sharma says you have to develop this good habit so that your life will get on track! 

So for all those night owls who spend the time watching the soaps and OTT series late into the night, sleep early and get up so that you can take on the world! By the way this advice is mainly for me so do not get angry!

This constant tiff between the older early getter and the younger late sleepers has been beautifully shown in the movie called Samsaram Adhu Minsaram starring the birthday celebrity Meenakshisundaram Ramasamy Viswanathan aka VISU! It was my mother’s favorite movie and the role of the father has been played so well by Visu!

Now decide whether you are an early sleeper or not and sleep when you can!

Shubh Ratri!

“No sleep no rest! Gotta learn with the best! 

The duty is long and the chiefs is stern!

You have to be everyone and then some!

Just a few memories of the year of the intern!”

Today’s blog is of course on Doctor’s day! This is an extension of a series of questions asked in one of a special doctor’s group!

read on!

What made you become a doctor?

I was inspired by my distant uncle who was the only doctor in his village! When he spoke everyone regardless of age, simply listened! I wanted to earn that kind of respect! Of course my parents and especially my Mother wanted to see me as a doctor! I would have done anything at that time to make my parents proud and like typical south Indian parents, they usually do not show their pride openly but I knew!

Why did you select ENT?

Among all the specialities and subjects ENT, Ped and Surgery were my only taste! But among these three subjects, ENT was the only one in which I got the highest marks in the class! So I thought that I would be the best in this! Also this is an end speciality at that time! Now of course with the amount of specialisation this is a huge field! You have a myriad of patients and you can do surgical or medical practice! You see kids and see old people! In fact more than fifty percent of Patients who come to the OP can actually be seen by the ENT specialist! 

What principles or Oath do you follow?

My basic principles is that all patients are equal and no one is special! In the same line everyone must remember that doctors are MERE MORTALS!

They may ease your pain and make you feel better but still they are all humans! So if you reduce your expectations all will be good!

Investigations are only additional tools! 

MOST IMPORTANTLY only if a patient is happy can the doctor ever be happy. A failure affects two person the most; the patient and the doctor! But in the end I have understood that you cannot make everyone happy! You have take a hundred oath but finally at the end of the day all you have to do is look at the man or woman in the mirror and not feel guilty with your actions and your work is done! 

Are you happy with your decision?

I am extremely happy with my decision! Though there have been challenges, it would not have changed my decision! In spite of being the topper in Mathematics and Physics in my whole school I did not write a single engineering examination because I was focussed only to become a doctor! Though there are many things in this field I want to do but then all in good time! 

What are the challenges faced?

All said and done the drive of making money is a big strain on doctors especially during the early years when he or she is trying to catch up with his peers from other profession! Unless he or she stops the comparison he or she will never be happy! Lack of support from state, peer pressure and inadequate compensation is a big lacunae! 

What is your thought about the future?

The future is always bright! Progress and development is unstoppable! But all said and done, at least for some time to come, in spite of the AI revolution, the Human doctor is for now an irreplaceable profession!

What are your regrets/ complains?

Regrets will be many like the fact that your time is limited and that there is a level of expectations which you have to keep! But overall the regrets are small when you see the satisfaction on a patient’s face when your treatment has worked!

What is your aim as a doctor and a human?

My aim is to have a balanced life between family and hospital! You cannot work all the time and you should take care of your own health also! A doctor doing continuous shift and being tired is actually a big risk to everyone! Only a mentally and physically rested doctor can give a good result! DO NOT encourage such doctors! Remember that life and hospital will go one without you! NO one is special! There are a hundred people ready to fill in your shoes and do your job! So work well and take rest also!

My advice to juniors! “If you love your job then it is no longer a job! It then becomes a happy part of your life!”

I have loved being a doctor and more importantly made many people happy! 

A humble sketch of the legend in whose honour we celebrate the Indian doctor’s day; Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy 

Have a good night folks!

Shubh Ratri!

“It can light your mind if you think!

Or can make some lamps blink!

It can make you feel warm!

And slowly you will feel it’s charm!”

One of the most important piece of glass in every household before this invention was a magnifying glass! Now, it was not used to read stuff but rather used for an entirely different thing which also needed light but of the sun! Moreover it changed because of an accident! 

read on!

So this was before the invention of the one thing which has become a part of our life in ways that we could not even imagine! Though in most places it has been replaced by the modern electronic version but still there are some places it is needed for a light!

Yes! Matches!

We cannot imagine starting our day without the fire! And for fire we need either matches or lighter! As kids we used to love play with those matches! Getting burnt was the norm! How long can you hold it was the game! The most exciting game was getting two and if you are lucky three lights from a single matchstick! The trick was to immediately put the tip in water; wait for it to dry and light again! Two was easy! Three was epic! Four was unheard! 

A pre deepawali cracker was lighting all the matches together! It used to look like a mini bonfire! 

But in the olden days, there were no matches! It has been told that those days light was started by rubbing wood or stones together but the more better and intelligent way would be using a lens to concentrate sun’s rays! Of course the latter needed sun or else it is no fun!

All that changed with the invention of the matches!

Now the person in question for the start of this invention was John Walker. 

About the age of fifteen John Walker was apprenticed to Mr. Watson Alcock a surgeon who was physician to the Marquis of Londonderry. There is not much detail of this period of his life but he worked as an assistant surgeon and it was claimed by his great niece that he was a “fully qualified doctor”. However he did not remain in this profession for long and it has been suggested that he could not stand the sight of blood which is nice in that if not for that we would not have a light!

After abandoning this profession he went to where he studied pharmacy with wholesale druggists in Durham and York. In the nineteenth century the science of pharmacy was still in its infancy with the transition from natural cures to scientific prescribing. And when John Walker came to open his shop he was thirty eight years old and in addition to a wide experience of botanical studies and herbal healing he had a sound training in the use of drugs in human and veterinary practice and a keen interest in chemistry.

A lot of his experimental work was with light producing agents including phosphorus. In addition to these experiments he also made a wide range of medicines for man and beast! Many of these “cures” would be banned today as being dangerous!

The experiments that led to his breakthrough came in 1826-27 and he was working at his home on the Quayside with combustible paste that he was developing perhaps as material to be used in percussion caps for the gun trade!

He knew the mixture would flare-up but was not explosive. The eureka moment came when he scrapped the mixing stick on the hearth at his home and it “spluttered and caught fire”. This was the breakthrough – not the flammable compound but realizing it would ignite a spill dipped in it!

By 1827 John Walker was selling these “friction lights” or matches to the public at 1s 2d (6 new pence) per 100 in a tin case with piece of sandpaper to ignite them. Originally the matches were made of pasteboard but 3 inch splints of wood were soon substituted – the friction head was added to the stick by dipping!

These matches were very popular in the town, with one early customer being the Stockton to Darlington Railway, but their fame soon spread. John Walker did not patent his invention as he thought it would benefit mankind however other inventors were not so benevolent and did protect their “spin off” developments! Unfortunately sometimes the selfish get the loot and get away with it!

Thus with the others especially “Lucifers” rapidly gaining a well established market John Walker ceased production in the early 1830s. But still Lucifer as they inspired name is a big cheat and a copy! 

The modern safety matches though were made by a Swedish chemist named Gustaf Erik. These matches used red phosphorus, which is not toxic, on the striking surface, making them much safer than previous matches. The match head was coated with a mixture of antimony sulphide, potassium chlorate, and sulfur, which could be ignited by rubbing it against the red phosphorus on the box! When it comes to safety then these are really safe! And of course they light up so well! 

Light in every way is the song Vande matram written by birthday celebrity Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay! 

A quick scribe of the legend!

Now store those matches safely!

Shubh Ratri!

“The icy monster has an icy heart!
It may not feel emotional or make art!
But come sun and the heat will be felt!
Then the emotional warm heart will melt!”

Now this story may seem familiar! A queen in a snowy place and a magic mirror created by trolls shatters, causing pieces of it to lodge in the heart and eye of a boy!
If your answer is FROZEN or Snow White then you are not wrong! But if you are really FROZEN to facts then the actual answer is the original story, “The Snow Queen!”

surprised!?
read on!

Published in 1845, “The Snow Queen” begins when a magic mirror created by trolls shatters, causing pieces of it to lodge in the heart and eye of a boy named Kai.
Seems nightmarish!? Well it was! In this Andersen’s story,the little boy named Kay gets shards of glass from a broken magic mirror embedded in his eye and heart. The glass somehow turns to ice, which — for reasons that aren’t clear — leads to Kay being abducted by a mysterious woman in white who swoops down on him during a snowstorm!

Here also you have a sister who in this case is called Gerda!
Like Frozen’s Anna, Gerda the sister also has to save her sibling by launching a search-and-rescue mission to retrieve him from the Snow Queen’s palace, which is guarded by an army of bear cubs, snakes and porcupines!

In fact The Snowy queen has also been the inspiration to many other famous stories and adaptations including the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe! It is presumed that the White Witch from C. S. Lewis’s novel may be inspired by the Snow Queen, as she turned Narnia into a snow-covered land, is also depicted as wearing a white fur coat and first appears riding in a sleigh, and kidnapped a boy!

Recently the author Karen Foxlee has used it to inspire her children’s novel “Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy,”!

Now Frozen was a blockbuster which launched a sequel and a whole set of very profitable merchandise which was based on the close bond of sisters! But when it was in the initial stages, Anna and Elsa were not even sisters!

They weren’t even royal! Also Anna was not a princess!
Elsa was a self-proclaimed Snow Queen, but she was a villain and pure evil — much more like the Hans Christian Andersen tale!
It was initially a story with an evil female villain and an innocent female heroine, and the ending involved a big epic battle with snow monsters that Elsa had created as her army!

In the original ending, Prince Hans ends up being the real villain, who triggers a massive avalanche and ignores the fact that the storm also puts Anna, Elsa, and all of Arendelle at risk! And Anna must now convince Elsa to help save the kingdom!

Then the makers thought to themselves, ‘Does it always need to be true love’s kiss that solves that problem? Does it always have to be the man who comes in and rescues the female? Could it be something different?’
With these questions in mind, the whole story was changed and it actually lead into a revolution of sorts with a story which was not a typical Disney Fairy tale!


So the filmmakers of Frozen bought Gerda in the character of Anna and to the faithful reindeer who comes to Gerda’s aid in the character of Sven who turns out to be a delightful character! Delightful and funny also was birthday celebrity Jatin Kanakia!

Now unfreeze the alarm and sleep!
Shubh Ratri!