Category: Uncategorized

“Feels so weird this world is that fun!

By those who are meek everything is run! 

How many failures must you endure human!

To realise that what is write is stronger than a gun!”

The best device to have a good handwriting is…Pencil! yes!

My dad always used to ask this question to us; “Why do you write with a pencil when you are young and then write with a pen?”

the answer is…

read on!

One of the things I hate the most is filling forms! They really irritate me and when the option is that you have to fill it with your own hand then it is even more irritating!

The conventional you cannot understand  a Doctor’s Handwriting is of course a big lie since I know some of my colleagues with beautiful and more importantly understandable handwriting!

During COVID times I remember a young doctor’s handwritten notes on COVID management and history was mind blowing! Even during our graduate and post grad times we used to love some of our senior’s handwritten notes! 

The ones with great clear and legible handwriting would be in great demand!

Now the best method to get a good handwriting is if you use the pencil! I love writing with a pencil since it makes our handwriting look so good!

My handwriting is legible and average if I write with a pencil or an Ink pen or my favourite Pilot pen!

The famous Pilot pen was reserved for examinations! In the later years like the 9th and above, my dad used to give me Pilot pen to write during exams! It used to give a good handwriting and it was not messy as an Ink pen!

I love buying and having Ink pens but they are difficult to handle and take a lot of effort to maintain!

The nib constantly dries out and then filling of the ink is a tedious process! Now of course you have the pre filled ink cartridges but then to get the flow going you have to shake and then some drops will definitely fall out and create a mess!

Not to mention that by accident if you take it out in the sun, you can be sure that it will leak! I have a bunch of ink pens which are dried and lying in a corner for me to give them ink and life! That happens once in a while when I suddenly get the mood to write!

Ink pen leaks are still ok but if your ball point pen leaks then it is pure Havoc! Even if the ink pen ink leaks, it can still be washed and you can wash the pen nicely and dry it with a tissue and you can still use the ink pen. But a ball point pen if it leaks is a death sentence for the pen! The ink also leaves a permanent stain wherever it flows! It can be your pencil box or god forbid, your bag and dress! 

I hate ballpoint pens but those are the most common ones you can use easily and effortlessly.  They are cheap and easily replaceable! Not to mention, convenient!

But except a few, most people do not get that best handwriting with those pens. The newer pens have some sort of a gel ink which are like the best of both ink pen and ballpoint pens so they are really good!

For practising doctors now though writing is now limited only to the signature! Rest everything is electronic! Handwriting is of no issue since no one reads your signature anyway! So after a while if you have to write something then it is a big pain!

Then again even forms I fill electronically! I either use my apple pencil or the better Samsung pen or the best, Kindle scribe pen! You get the same feel as a paper and the handwriting is also good. 

Which is why my pen stand is full but does not get used much! Which is also why I lose my other pens at regular intervals! So many pens and finally when you have to sign then you have to borrow! 

My dad of course is one who will always have a pen with him! He takes good care of them and keeps it handy when needed! Which is why the best ballpoint pens I have got as gifts including some really good ones, I have given it to my dad since I know they will have a safe and useful time!

Now coming to the pencil question! When we are young we are still allowed to make mistakes and they can be erased or corrected! Which is why we use the pencil! 

But when we get older we must know that our mistakes are permanent or difficult to erase! Remember that blue colour part of the pencil eraser? I am sorry to inform you that it DOES NOT erase the writing of the pen! I still remember in the 6th standard when we first wrote with the pen and made a mistake and tried to clean it with the blue eraser! The page tore but the writing remained! That is the power of writing or pen! Like how the birthday celebrity Nirmala Sitharaman has double power! Of the pen and being a woman! 

Now close your ink pen tightly and keep it secure and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

“The songs of them times I know
The words were not just for show!
If you have time to kill
Just listen to your fav song and chill!”

My first and foremost hobby is electronics and tech! Any tech makes me want it! Of course I cannot afford all but then you can always dream!
The next big craze is music! There was a time when I could recognize any song or movie in Hindi, tamil and English!

Then I got the biggest shock!

read on!

I was actually carrying on the legacy of my mother who could not only recognise the song but also the singer, the music director and even the lyricist of any old Hindi song!

Those days we used to listen to the Cibaca or Binaca Geetmala with so much interest even if the TV was on! The time of broadcast was convenient in that you can listen to the songs while having dinner and the TV would be playing the news!

So while we kids and mom used to enjoy the Radio, my dad would see the news!

Ameen Sayani’s Baritone heavy voice would shake the table and we would eagerly wait for his top songs of the week!

Later on of course we shifted to Chitrahaar on some weekday and Rangoli on Sunday. I used to eagerly watch the former but the latter used to come early morning on a Sunday which conflicted with my sleep calendar! Though I sometimes used to still watch it in between quick winks!

There was also a once a week regional songs show which we used to watch with interest! There were some amazing Marathi and Punjabi songs there! Tamil and Malayalam songs were selective unless it is a big hit like Shankarabharanam of which every south Indian had a cassette!

Later on of course musical shows like Meri Awaaz Suno and Superhit Muquabala were very popular! Even now some of the best shows have great songs and dance! That is a sure shot to fame and popularity!

In fact, even now I have not seen the movie Aashiqui but the songs are imprinted in my blue print!

My mother was an ace in guessing the songs and music! And I had a great time competing with her! The recent songs I used to handle while the older ones she had a photographic memory! This is amazing since she was originally from a small village in palakkad! For her to learn hindi and to excel in it is really amazing!

Nowadays we as a family play the you tube quiz shows and there are areas in which my kids are really good! My son is a flag expert while my daughter is an expert in getting lyrics of English songs!

I have fed them a regular dose of great music from all languages and they like it and listen to it!
In old music and movie quizzes, I could answer the questions so fast much to the delight of my kids!

So I was under the impression that it was only I who feed them the music!
The other day in a quiz video of latest English songs, I was telling that since I do not know many songs it will be boring to play the quiz! My pride came to a big fall when I saw both of them getting the songs right in an instant while I was staring blankly at the screen and at my wife alternatively!

There were so many songs which were like Greek and Latin to me! Some singers did not even have a normal name!
Yes! It begins! Some point in time and life, Kids will know more than you! For now though when I sketch someone luckily my son almost always asks me who it is so then I am safe for some years! Like how he asked who today’s birthday celebrity Randeep Hooda was and I told him that he was a good actor!

Now listen to your favourite song and try to guess its singer and lyricist and sleep!
Shubh ratri!

“A piece of thread tied around the wrist
A bond made like no other
All you have to do is treat her well
And respect her like your mother”

The Resham ki dori…

This festival was very special and a big thing for us! In south India at that time it was not a well known or famous thing but being in KV everyone knew about it and how!

read on!

In the armed forces and in the KV, by default Hindi was the language of choice! The common language between south and North Indians now is usually English but those days the majority of KV kids were more comfortable with Hindi! Now if you think everyone from North knows hindi by default then also you are wrong!

People from North East also have the same difficulty with Hindi as the South! Only west and Proper North Indians had no problems! Then again when you have two guys or gals from same place then they would start speaking in their own language!

Apart from that exception, most used to stick to Hindi, some would still have issues but kids learn really fast! In a couple of months you would speak so well!

Also those days there were no regional DD, only the national channel and except on special days; DD was a hindi channel! In KV we have all grown up watching Pure old hindi movies only!

Those days the Bhai Behen songs and Movies like Resham Ki Jodi and Hare rama Hare krishna were a rage! Since I did not have any ‘real’ sisters of my own I used to feel really left out! Guys with sisters used to get such elaborate Rakhis much to the envy of others like me!

Later on of course some girls in the class would tie Rakhi to many and we would happily oblige! The tying of Rakhi was not a simple light thing for one who believed in the tradition and bond! It was a rigid relation for us! A real KV dude treats Rakhi with so much respect and belief that he would keep that relation for life!
Of course as younger kids we used to love getting tied the rakhi since we would then get a sweet!
Some of the girls used to get such lovely decorated Rakhis which they would have made by themselves! It was a pride and privilege to wear those!

Of course when we went to the higher classes some things changed!

One fine Rakhi day, I went to the class to find many of the boys missing! Especially the ones who were quite popular and “fit”! Again it is understood that I was neither! Then I understood that they were escaping from the rakhi! If a girl gives or ties Rakhi then your future is more or less sealed! Guys knew this and apparently had to take ‘precautions!’

It was a common sight to see a trying to be happy dude with an arm full of rakhi! Once in a class seeing all Guys getting tied, I was feeling so left out that I stood on the stage and screamed, “Someone please tie Rakhi to me also!” It was a sad moment then, feels funny now! Of course now I have cool Rakhi sisters to whom I try to be a good brother whenever I can! Like a home version of windows! Slow but steady! Which reminds me of the birthday celebrity Satya Narayana Nadella!

Now get your Rakhi and treat your sister like the way you treat your mother, respect and care!
Shubh ratri!

“Hold tight keep your sight 

It is skill and not just might!

Pick your battles right

If you gotta fight then you gotta fight!”

Beat up and fight was one way while the other way to show that you are strong in a class was this!

There were dudes with DOLE And SHOLE who used to be the clear winners! In fact they used to win the moment they sit on the chair and place their half shirt folded arms on the table for this and then it began!

read on!

One of the most common games “Guys” used to play in the school was the arm wrestling! It was tough and guys like me used to stay away from it as much as possible and only form the crowd!

Breaks; class breaks I mean! Used to be used for the arm wrestling competition! The inspiration of course was the scene from the inspiration of every body builder of those times! Arnold Schwarzenegger! 

His movie which was released that time was the Predator and in one of the scenes you have an arm wrestling encounter between him and his equally buffy and brawny friend Carl Weathers! 

When they both meet with their half t shirts on and in the arm wrestle pose, the boys in the crowd would go mad! I would of course tuck my arm in the sweater more deeply!

I was under the impression that you need strength to win the arm wrestling but then we found out soon enough that the sometimes a less ‘Buffy’ dude would defeat a more muscled one!

Not many guys would arm wrestle with girls but then I have seen many girls defeating guys! 

Many of the competitions were usually straightforward and predictable and you will have clear winner and loser! But once in awhile you get the hold! This is the grip where the arm wrestle comes to a stand still! Both the opponents simply are caught somewhere in time! Then as we watched both of them would be stuck and if that happens for sometime it is usually a draw! Most average guys will accept a draw! 

In the Back benches of KV it was the ultimate decider of the alpha! We front benchers were the audience!

Looking in the history apparently it was played from the time of the Primitive man (or woman!)! 

It was a regular sport for high school and college student. A journalist, Bill Soberanes founded the sport of arm wrestling in the year of 1952 at the Gilardi’s Saloon in Petaluma, California. Soon, the tournaments were hosted on even bigger platforms and auditoriums of Petaluma!

Most articles on the early history of armwrestling mention that the sport was practiced at least as far back as ancient Egypt, and that there are hieroglyphs that back up this claim. The first purported evidence is a complex of 39 ancient tombs in a cemetery site called Beni Hasan. Beni Hasan is a grandiose structure located about 20 kilometres south of Mynia, in Middle Egypt. It contains several painted rooms that have been preserved due to Africa’s dry climate. The tomb of Baqet III (21st century BC) is now referred to as the “Fight Hall”, as its walls are painted with figures of fighters!

Most people see arm wrestling as a battle of strength, but champion arm wrestlers know that technique is critical. 

In fact, winning an arm-wrestling match has less to do with brute strength than with the way in which you place your body and torso in relation to your opponent! There are countless strategies and positions to win an arm wrestling match! Now I am against fighting or physical act of any kind and NEVER promote it! So arm wrestling is actually a better and safer way to prove your strength or technique! If you win then you can dance by saying Bolo tarara like Birthday Celebrity Daler Singh Mehndi!

Now wrestle with your brain to sleep!

Shubh ratri!

“The way to go is shown to you! 

Then another way comes which is new!

The rerouting is your speed affair!

But it’s possible not in land but in the air!”

So you are driving in your own leisurely pace in some street in Bangalore and you have put Google maps on! Then suddenly it gives you a notification that a better faster route is available!

Did you know that a similar shortcut created years ago is used all over the world! In fact the original time taken of that route was around 22 days which this shortcut reduced to 10 hours! Now that is a Google recommendation I will definitely take!

read on!

Most of the time people normally jump on the offer and then when everyone behind you or in front of you take the same offer, the short cut becomes crowded and more slower than the original route!

Of course whatever route you take in many such cities, the fate will be the same!

Once I was going after a bad rain to my work place which had a side short cut! Unluckily that works only if you have a two wheeler! You may advice that you must start early but then that was an emergency time and I just had to reach as early as possible!

After waiting for fifteen minutes in the same place without a single mm movement I gently indicated to the red Santro behind me to move back and I slowly turned and went back home to get my bike! It took me around ten minutes to reach home and get the Bike and as I was cruising faster than the car on the short cut, I saw the same car who had allowed me to reverse in the same place! The look on the guy’s face on seeing me is the look you would get on every other driver in Bangalore! 

How you take an auto most of the time in Bangalore only because Namma Auto driver knows the most deepest and most secret shortcuts available in the street! 

Many times even Google will confuse you so much about the shorter route that I am hesitant nowadays to take it! Once I took on an alternate route while going into a party in some remote corner of some Nagar when Google finally pointed to a small road for my car to cross and in between the road there was a small bridge which was big enough only for maybe a small auto! 

I was very skeptical and it was late night so I was thinking maybe Google was sleepy! I would have gone anyway when suddenly I saw that the time taken to cross just a few Km was shown in hours! Now of course since it is Bangalore that is not surprising but it was late night and that time you do not expect any traffic for such crazy time estimate! Which is when I realized that I had kept the Map in “Walk” mode! When switched it to ‘Car’ mode it finally did a U turn and showed me the proper big road! 

If I had not done that Google would have made me swim with the car!

This is why  always make sure that I put the Maps only in Car mode!

So coming to this short cut which many people take! It is not on the road which is why such a clean short cut is possible! It is on water!

Some time back when this short cut was blocked it was a big disaster! So many ships were stranded and so many days and time lost! Yes! 

It is the Panama Canal!

Now, everyone knows that the United States of America built the Panama Canal under president Theodore Roosevelt, but very few know that the French started the work. It was Mr. Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat who began the work in 1881. It was completed on 15 August 1914, two years before the target year of 1916!

Panama Canal has reduced the sailing distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific by a vast 8000 nautical miles. If we sail with an average speed of about say 15 knots, then it will be 22 long days! On the contrary, crossing the Panama Canal takes around 8 to 10 hours. The toll? Well,  a typical IMO type III chemical tanker of around 50,000 DWT pays around USD 135,000 in toll! The smallest toll was paid by Mr. Richard Halliburton in the year 1928 of USD 0.36 for swimming across the canal! There’s also a proposal to build a competition Nicaragua canal but for now Pannama canal is no 1!

Of course for now the best thing which has happened is the automatic toll deduction in car! The waiting time is so short but of course it is  big dent on the account! Maybe next time get a Robot or Enthiran for the shorter route but for now its Google Maps!

Speaking about Robot reminds me of Birthday celebrity Shankar Shanmugam!

Now try to get the shortest route to your bed and sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

“Look around and stay safe
You are alone and that’s your fate
Then again that’s life I guess
Start everyday with a clean slate”

With all the news and views of the Poor
doctor and the natural course of thing and events to fold. I am sure that the whole series would be forgotten soon enough and everyone will move on to the next big news even if this was not one for many…

Did you know that being a Physician and more importantly an emergency physician is one of the most stressful jobs in the world? In many lists of stressful jobs you will find medical practitioners are there high up above in the list!

Surgeons who operate also top the list! Of course amazing professionals like Military and Police also routinely feature high up on the list.

Then again why to beat the same old drums…

Then to change the mood and emotions I turned to the list of the most easiest or stress free jobs in the world! Imagine a job which does not have any responsibilities and gives you immense satisfaction and as a garnish on the chutney; gives you good money!

Did you know that there are people who are professional bridesmaids!? Well there are and they pay well! All you have to do is pamper the bride and later enjoy the cake! You can eat it too!

Then you have something called sommelier! Well that is one job I can never do (Now I do not think I can be a professional bridesmaid either but then it is not impossible!)! Sommelier is an official wine taster! For a teetotaler like me that is out of options but then for a true wine connoisseurs out there, this should be child’s play!
One of the least stressful professions on this list, sommeliers typically work in high-end restaurants as wine stewards, recommending wine selections to patrons and curating the restaurant’s wine lists! They literally DRINK on the job!

Then you have Video Game testers! Yes! and NO! It is not just playing any random game all day! Contrary to popular belief, video game testers don’t just spend their days leisurely playing video games all day. They carefully test new games before they hit the market, checking for any bugs, spelling mistakes, plot inconsistencies, or problems with the sounds or graphic! They also have to be good in gaming and communication skills and ideas!
It is not enough that you play well, you must also give suggestions for new levels or new games! But still, they literally play during work!
Imagine such a dude or gal working at home and his or her spouse screams, “Do not play games at home!” And she or he has to believe when he or she says that he or she is WORKING!

The list is big and that is the blog for another day! But hands down the easiest job in the world is to find fault and criticise others according to Dale Carnegie, the author of the classic How to Win Friends and Influence people! You can even ask Deadpool how he made Wolverine his friend! A quick sketch with my son of his choice…

“She took care of you when you were ill

To make you fit she moved moutain and hill 

Then how could a human be so evil oh my…

Could you not hear her scream or see her cry…”

This Independence day all I feel is intense sadness

A young promising doctor at the end of a 36 hour shift is raped and killed in her own hospital and there is no voice from anyone else apart from doctors and select few…

In all my medico groups I saw the support and understanding to her plight and anger and sadness but everywhere else it was just another independence day with a message with our flag. 

As a Bharatiya I am glad that we have reached this position in the world that we are treated well and especially Indian doctors are respected all over the world! but…

But there is no one to feel sad about the poor young doctor who was treated worse than an animal and I am sure that if one day if a big mob is coming for any one of us, no one will come to rescue you. 

I have understood in the life with a thousands of friends in social media, a doctor has only his or her own family and close friends. In most aspects he or she is alone…

He or she may feel bad when you are not well or do not respond to his or her treatment, he or she will suffer with you, be happy when you are happy but when he or she himself is sad, he or she must put up a smiling face and take care of your troubles.

If he or she cannot contain or control his or her emotions then he or she is known to have attitude or the common comment would come in the Google review, “He or she did not talk or behave with me properly”

With conditions of the duty room worse than a pigsty and absolute worst restrooms which is the norm for any great duty room; I am surprised that humans who are going to be doctors still carry on…

With all these I am amazed at the mental and physical strength which my juniors who are interns still have to do their job everyday with a smile and hope…

Remember that those who did this to the poor young doctor are wicked men; as Chanakya used to say, “There is poison in the fang of the serpent, in the mouth of the fly and the sting of the scorpion but the wicked man is saturated with it”

“Clean was the bed and very warm
Night was young, no cause for alarm
Lying down looking at the roof
Wondering why sleep was so aloof!”

There was a time when posters in the room were the means to get you up and going! Now of course they are memes and reels! One such poster had words like, “Money can buy you a comfortable bed but it cannot buy you sleep!”

I have often felt that if anyway it cannot buy you sleep, it is better to be sleepless in a great mattress than on the floor!

Did you know that one of the most costly material for the mattress is actually a charity or hand me down by a duck!?

Now before you think, what the…duck! Read on!

Sleep is a luxury and lucky are those who can sleep at the drop of a hat!
In my college days I know of people who could sleep while sitting or even standing! There was one guy who could sleep at any time of the day and all he needed was the book in front of his eyes!

I am one of those who need a good bed and a good mind to sleep! Of course if you are really tired then sleep is natural and comes soon enough!

But then if the place is new or the bed is not comfortable then after sometime the sleep just refuses to come back! Some people prefer soft mattress or bed while some others like it hard! A balanced bed is what is recommended!

As far as I am concerned, the most important for me is not even the bed but the pillow! Because of my neck issue, I prefer the neck support pillow and that is the only way I can get a good sleep which itself is a luxury most of the time because of a million things running in the mind! The ability to simply switch off your thought process and sleep is a God given gift which only a few can have!

When we were in army quarters the beds were the rope ones which used to get soft after sometime and our Bhaiyya used to come every three months or so and make it tight! If not for him, the bed would start sagging so much that it used to resemble a hammock!

Later on we got the coir or cotton or spring mattress!
When our parents used to get new beds or mattresses then we used to feel very happy since then we would be getting theirs!

Then when I reached my medical college with a thin bedding…well, that is a blog for another day!

So of all the materials for the bedding, this is a material found in the nest of a duck and is supposed to be very expensive!

It is called Eiderdown, sometimes referred to as the “down of the gods,”.
This exquisite natural filling is world-renowned for its prodigious quality and unparalleled softness!

Eiderdown, or eider down, comes from the Common Eider Duck, a large migratory sea duck. The common eider duck ranges along the northern coasts of eastern Siberia, Europe and North America. Approximately 85-90% of the worlds eiderdown comes from Iceland, 10-15% comes from Canada!

As a bedding material, what sets eiderdown apart from other types of bedding, is its amazing softness and its distinctive insulating properties. Each tiny cluster of this down possesses an intricate and unique structure that creates tiny pockets of air, allowing it to trap warmth more efficiently than any other material while remaining very lightweight. This extraordinary fusion of qualities provides a level of insulation unrivaled by almost any other material, natural or synthetic!

It also has a natural resistance to moisture and dust mites which cause allergies. It is thought to promote a cleaner, healthier sleeping environment, if cared for properly!

Harvesting must be timed precisely to ensure ethical practices while not disturbing the birds or compromising their nests or habitat. Moreover, Eider ducks are meticulous nest builders and use their own down to insulate and protect their eggs and chicks against the harsh Arctic cold. This means that only after the ducks have completed nesting and have abandoned their down can it be collected ethically!

The amount collected is also closely regulated by governments and then carefully hand-sorted based on quality. Due to these factors, coupled with limited nesting areas, and concerns around the decreasing population of the ducks, eiderdown becomes an extremely scarce resource!

Now I have never slept in an Eiderdown mattress but I would rather have a good pillow! Good reminds me of the good or Bhala dialogue by celebrity of the day Kanhaiyalal which goes like, ” Kar bhala, so ho bhala”!

Now select your mattress or pillow properly if you want a good sleep!
Shubh Ratri!

“She did not want to break his heart

So she spoke in a tongue apart

Lil did she know that lingo didn’t goal!

Cause that was da one closest to his soul!”

There are some people in the world and I would like to add myself in that list who know and speak more than three languages and they are called Polyglots!

Officially a polyglot is someone who has a deep love for languages, and is able to speak, use, and understand several of them. The term “polyglot” is often used to describe people who can speak more than three languages. If you speak two languages you’re bilingual, if you speak three you’re trilingual. If you speak more, you may be considered a polyglot. Polyglots are certainly rare and interesting people: only about 3% of the world’s total population can speak four or more languages!

Polyglots are thus like superheroes or heroines for that matter!

So, many years back when I was in Kolkata, the OT assistant of my hospital had come from Chennai for a surgical workshop and he knew only Tamil! The people who helped him set up his equipments knew only Bangali! I used to help them out whenever I could since I knew both to an extent! But when I was not there, they used to communicate in; wait a moment…English!

Even in most international trips to exotic places where the local language is prevalent, all said and done, English is the mode of communication! Luckily no country in the world can actually claim it to be theirs truly so it is for now a universal language!

Now I can speak and understand English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi, Sanskrit and now Arabic! I can also understand many words of Marathi and Gujarati! 

But when a Keralite comes to me I do speak in Malayalam but I tell them that I am a Tamilian! When a Tamilian comes then I do speak Tamil but I tell them that I am from Bangalore! This is because if I tell a malayalee that I am from Palakkad and I speak my accented Malayalam he or she would actually think that I speak bad malayalam in spite of being a Keralite! But if he or she thinks that I am from Tamil Nadu and still speak good Malayalam then he or she would be impressed with my language skills and more importantly be happy that I am making that extra effort to understand him or her! 

That is the power of expectations! It is always better to lower expectations! 

Being a Polyglot is like having a super power! Specially for a doctor since you can actually understand what the patient is trying to to say or feel in his or her own language! Lots of emotions are usually lost in translation! 

I still remember this news item of a reporter who was delivering news in four different languages and that was a great feat indeed!

One of the most famous Polyglots of India was the great PM Pamulaparthi Venkata Narasimha Rao! He had wide interests in a variety of subjects (other than politics) such as literature and computer software (including computer programming). He spoke 17 languages! 

Now that is a big number but Polyglots love to learn new languages and this quest for leaning keeps them learning more and more! If knowing 17 languages shocked you then be prepared to learn that there was a person who knew 100!

If various sources are to be believed, the most proficient polyglot in human history would be Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong between 1854-1859, who was reputed to know around 200 languages, among which he could communicate in 100 different languages! Of course now there are no video or audio records of him speaking so many languages but then even if the number is not 100, I am sure that it may be above 50 which is still an amazing feat!

Actually many polyglots like me have realised that after 3 or 4 languages, it is easier to learn a new language since many words are similar! Of course when you are tensed and busy sometimes, one language creeps into another when you speak which is why practice is important! 

Once I spoke to a patient in Arabic and after five minutes, he said, “Maafi angrezi, fi Arabi?” Which means that he does not understand English, only Arabic! Which I thought I was speaking! I guess the accent was still not fine tuned! Without the proper accent it is difficult and you do become Jack of all languages but Master of only some! 

As a polyglot, I love learning new languages! Language is a hobby and when you love it then you do not have any boundaries! 

So my count is over 10 and PVNR is 17 while historically the most is over 100! But who is the current record holder?

Officially though you go through the web, the record to beat is not 100 but 59! Ziad Youssef Fazah is a Liberian-born Lebanese alleged polyglot. Fazah has claimed to speak 59 languages and maintains that he has proved this in several public appearances in which he supposedly communicated with native speakers of a large number of foreign languages! Of course some forms of English needs only a twist and you are there! Like you add some ‘Mate’ and lo! You are Australian! Which reminds me of the birthday celebrity of the day Christopher Hemsworth AM!

Now wish yourself Good night in the lingo of your choice! 

I like to say Shubh ratri!

“She was dancing in the middle of the flight!
She was joined by another doing it right!
They were forcing us to watch you know!
It’s ok! It’s good! It’s the pre flight safety demo!”

Do you routinely watch the pre flight safety demo?
What is the relation between that and a flight which took off in 1928!?

Intrigued?

read onm!

When the flight is new or the destination is new or if it is the first few flights, many or all of us would like to watch the demo!

My first adult flight alone, I remember seeing the whole demo in both english and hindi! It was literally the same thing but I acting like a good student was even memorising the exit gates and the lines! I mentally even remembered where the life jacket was stowed!

I used to switch off the mobile the moment I was in the plane and only switch it on when I was out! Even getting off was only after the cabin crew told us that we can get off!

Some international flights with the LCD screens in every seats have the demo which is pre recorded and very colourful! Some of them apparently have beautiful 3d graphics!

Most of the times though I have seen that people just do not watch or do not care! They almost never listen to the instructions and keep on merrily play with either their phones or speak in loud voices when the intercom is even telling them that refueling in going on!

Safety makes us complacent and this is a dangerous thing! A flight is one of the safest things but every point is important and that is why the mandatory pre flight check up and the pre flight safety demo is really important!

Another thing we must understand that they are not our waiters or servants! They are designated flight cabin crew who are there to help us in every way!
Now did you know that this whole demo which is a very essential part of the flight is due to an international aviation law and treaty which mandates pre flight instruction for everyone?
Or that this treaty or rule was actually because of a crash which happened way back in 1928!?

So on 24 July 1928, a KLM-owned Fokker F.III operated a scheduled passenger sightseeing flight from and back to Waalhaven Airport in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The plane with the pilot and five passengers on board stalled shortly after takeoff and crashed after it struck boats in the Waalhaven harbour next to the airport. One passenger died while many passengers though were saved but lost a lot of time while the airplane sank.

The pilot wasn’t properly trained for this older type of aircraft. The passengers weren’t aware of the emergency hatch, and all could have survived had they used this emergency exit.

It was after this accident that internationally it was suggested to tell passengers before the flight where the emergency exit is located!

Better visibility inside the cabin of the emergency exit was also advised. The accident also resulted in better procedures by which pilots are assigned to fly certain aircraft types!

All said and done let us not wait for the bomb to go or accidents to happen before we start training for safety!

Looking at both the sides of the road before you cross is to be done every time! It does not change! That is how for every aspect of safety! So next time the poor cabin crew is giving you great advice which could save your life, the least you can do is look at them! Anyway most of them look good if not great! Great of course was the father of Indian space research and birthday celebrity Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai!

Now start your pre sleep cleaning and sleep!
Shubh ratri!