ramadocblog

When a blind man cries
Lord, you know
He feels it from his soul…
Is the lyrics of a famous Deep Purple song…touches your heart!

As an Otologist though

When a deaf mute wants to cry…
He or she does not even know how…

And that I feel is more sad…
Specially when you know that most deafness can be treated if detected early and acted upon as soon as possible…

In many cases though parents feel that he or she will start listening or speaking the next month. That gut feeling that every mother and nowadays many father feel that his or her child should have spoke by now or at least turned to him or her by now!

Initially he or she will be proud that the child does not react even when there is a loud noise or thunder! The mother would get scared and jump while the child would not react! The father or some relative may think that his child is a boy! So strong and fearless! But the primary caregiver knows that something is not right!

Now who would bell the cat? Even when they come to us in the initial stages and we deliver the news that he or she cannot hear properly (Even that news is a big shock!); it takes some time to get used to…The stages of acceptance is the final stage in any grief including this one…

In fact many may repeat the tests; many may optimistically think that maybe he or she has some cold or fluid in the ear! Or maybe he or she has lots of wax! Of some parent would have done some research and think it may be a simple case of tongue tie which is why he or she is not speaking! Many cases do turn out to be the above though! But the story of removing a big chunk of wax to return or give the sense of hearing is not that common! More often than not, if you suspect the child cannot hear then he or she probably cannot.

The issue here is not only that he or she cannot hear; if he or she cannot get a stimulus then how would he respond? Which is why kids who cannot hear cannot speak!

And to think that in most cases both could have been treated! They could have had normal schooling! They would enjoy the music and they would hear the praise! The hearing aid or the cochlear implant gives them normalcy! Makes them a part of the sound of the world!

Some satisfaction though that they may not hear you scream or shout at them but then again when one sense is limited; others will compensate or exaggerate! They may not hear your abuse but believe me, they do feel the pain…

Just that they do not know how to cry…

Spare a thought for them and for those who sacrificed their lives for us! Like Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, PVC!

Shubh ratri…

Remember the joke about how a KG of cotton and a KG of jute weigh the same!

Well; because they do!

But (no but, no blog!); the original KG has more security than even the most secure military facility!

Now of course you have the digital weighing scale but not so long ago every shop had these stone like weights which used to measure the weight!

It was magical seeing the shopkeeper navigate the balance to equal the KG bar!

How the shopkeeper would add a few grains to make it an even Kg and then add some more much to the delight of the buyer! Of course that is just for show! If the balance is hand held, you can always manipulate! In fact you can even manipulate the weights! Normally you need to get an inspection done so that the Kg bar is accurate but then who has the time!

The most interesting ones though were the smaller weights of quarter size! Which is why you normally would even buy stuff in those measurements! In multiples of half or quarter!

You had a similar measure for the liquids which was in liters! Even that was a fascinating experience! The biggest confusion was whether to buy the oil in terms of KG or liter! The liquid oil was bought in liters while the ‘solid’ Ghee or Vanaspati was taken in KG itself!

I used to wonder whey it was like that since I had seen Ghee only as a liquid on my plate! Mom used to heat it and pour it during special functions when we used to have the first course of dal and rice! Just hot ghee salt dal and rice! Heaven!

The KG weight though is actually supposed to be a certified copy of the original KG which has been defined for more than 135 years! This is because Kg is an artificially defined weight! The horse or the elephant may weigh several Kgs! But they do not know that! They may weigh themselves in terms of a banana tree for all they care!
KG is our way of weighing so that we have a uniformity!

So since 1889 the magnitude of the kilogram has been defined as the mass of an object called the international prototype kilogram, often referred to in the professional metrology world as the “IPK”!

The IPK is made of a platinum alloy known as “Pt‑10Ir”, which is 90% platinum and 10% iridium (by mass) and is machined into a right-circular cylinder. The IPK and its six sister copies are stored at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in an environmentally monitored safe in the lower vault located in the basement of the BIPM’s on the outskirts of Paris.

Three independently controlled keys are required to open the vault! Official copies of the IPK were made available to other nations and these are compared and calibrated to the IPK roughly every 40 years!

Then in the year  2019  the whole scenario has changed! Do not worry! You still weigh in KG!

In 2019, the kilogram was redefined based on fundamental physical constants, replacing the IPK as the defining standard.

In 2019, scientists redefined the kilogram using the Planck constant, a fundamental constant in physics. This change was made because the IPK, being a physical object, was susceptible to slight changes in mass over time, even with careful handling and storage! Which means that the official KG may become lighter by a few atoms! This may not affect your weight much but it does have a greater impact on other more accurate measurements!

Which is what makes the redefinition of the kilogram a more stable and accurate standard for mass measurements, not relying on a single physical artifact!

Of course sometimes words are more heavier than the KG! Maybe from a poet like Shailesh Lodha!

Now do not let that ‘weigh’ on your mind!

Shubh ratri!

This is something which you get for free but it is so irritating that you are willing to pay to get rid of!

Sometimes they are very entertaining but because they are repetitive and most of the time inaccurate, you start hating them!

Do you know that the average cost of printing a paper or a magazine and circulating it is so high that this is the only way you can get a paper for less than five rupee!
This is the only reason why FB and other social media including you tube is apparently free for you!

The reason why all the influencers and youtubers get money is because of this!

Any function or any big event can only work or happen if they are in it!

It is getting annoying right?

That is the best definition of this!

The thing I am referring to is AD! Or advertisements!

There was a time in DD history when the ads were so much that it was crazy! The movie sholay is for three hours or so! But when it came in DD, I remember it stretched to close to five hours because of the ads!


Did you know that one of the first ADS was actually by Benjamin Franklin who placed it in his own paper mentioning about a RUNAWAY SLAVE!? Now do not start getting up that pitch forks! He later was strictly anti slaves!

Or the fact the one of the ad was so misleading in that it recommended you to SMOKE! Forget that (please do!); one ad categorically said that Their brand of cigarette is DOCTOR recommended!

There was one in which you could even cure a smoker’s cough by smoking, so long as it was Old Golds you smoked, because, as the slogan proudly if somewhat untruthfully boasted, they contained Not a cough in a carload’.

As Bill Bryon states in his book Made in America; As late as 1953, L&M was advertising its cigarettes as just what the doctor ordered!’

Then you have this whole Betty Crocker phenomenon!
Even now you see the smiling lady who knows all the great recipes and bakes the best cookies! Her cookbooks and special secrets are must have! Over the years her face has changed and become modern and so has her voice! She is just too perfect to be real! Which is actually true!

Betty Crocker is not a real person!
She is a fictional character created by the Washburn-Crosby Company (later General Mills) in 1921 to answer customer baking inquiries. The name was chosen for its friendly sound, with “Crocker” honoring a retiring company director! She became a popular icon, evolving from a signature on letters to a voice on radio and television, and even a cookbook author.

That is the power of an AD!

Of course some people like Tanikela Bharani are not only real but also so talented that you don’t mind seeing some ads to watch him!

Now try closing that small close ad button on your phone and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

Vision is right up there when it comes to senses but believe me; Sound is also on the top!

In fact Sound is the drive behind an almost blind bat, the SONAR and even the USG machine!

It is all in the sound!

Then again too much sound is also not good! Which is why you have this reflex which is done by the smallest muscle attached to the smallest bone in the body which protects you even when you are asleep or unconscious (to an extent!)!

To think that all this is routine for the flying fox!

The reflex is called the Acoustic Reflex.


The acoustic reflex, also known as the stapedial reflex, is crucial for protecting the inner ear from damage caused by loud noises and for enhancing speech perception in noisy environments. It involves the contraction of the stapedius muscle, which reduces the intensity of sound reaching the cochlea. This reflex also plays a role in speech discrimination, particularly in the presence of background noise. In humans there are in fact two muscles which get contacted namely the stapedius and the tensor tympani!

Of course the primary function of the acoustic reflex is to protect the inner ear (cochlea) from potential damage caused by loud sounds. When a loud sound enters the ear, the stapedius muscle contracts, stiffening the ossicular chain (bones in the middle ear) and reducing the sound’s transmission to the cochlea.
This protective mechanism helps prevent damage to the delicate hair cells within the cochlea, which are responsible for transducing sound vibrations into electrical signals for the brain. This acoustic reflex can also improve speech understanding in noisy environments. By reducing the intensity of background noise, the reflex can make it easier to hear and understand speech, especially low-frequency sounds.

This is the reason why the acoustic reflex test is a standard part of audiological assessments. By the way this reflex is the most social! Even if one ear is stimulated, if everything is working well; both ears are contracted equally!

This is of course more important in Bats!

In echolocating bats, the acoustic reflex acts as a protective mechanism, attenuating the intensity of incoming sounds, especially those produced by the bat itself, allowing them to hear faint echoes without being overwhelmed by their own vocalizations.
Bats use echolocation to navigate and find prey by emitting high-frequency calls and analyzing the returning echoes. These calls are relatively loud, and the acoustic reflex helps prevent the bat’s own vocalizations from damaging its hearing!

By reducing the intensity of self-produced sounds, the acoustic reflex allows bats to maintain their high sensitivity to faint echoes, which are crucial for accurate echolocation. The acoustic reflex is a relatively fast mechanism, with a latency of a few milliseconds, ensuring that the attenuation occurs quickly enough to protect the bat’s hearing during the brief interval between vocalization and the return of echoes. Of course even this tiny gap can cause trouble in the long run!

So while the acoustic reflex provides significant protection, it may not always be completely sufficient, and bats may still experience some level of hearing loss, particularly with age or due to prolonged exposure to loud sounds.

Old age though should not limit anyone! Fauja Singh was one such exceptional personality who became a legend after the age of 80! How he ran!

Such a great tragedy

Heartfelt condolences

Om shanti…

It is a little concerning that the correction of the shape of your nose is technically called a RHINOPLASTY!

You may think that the Rhino is the final look everyone is going for!

Do not worry! The root here is the word Rhino which actually means nose! In fact a nose specialist is called a Rhinologist!

The animal Rhino is a short form!

It is of course short for rhinoceros, which is derived from the Greek words “rhino” (nose) and “ceros” (horn)! The emphasis on the horn!

Now did you know that they are one of the heaviest animals now on land but still they are dwarfs when you compare them to their ancestors!?

Some son’s can never become bigger that their father apparently!

So rhinoceroses are some of the largest remaining megafauna: all weigh at least one ton in adulthood!

Their thick skin are like impenetrable armour! In the marvel series there is a villain Rhino who has similar capabilities and that armour is his weakness since he cannot tolerate high temperature! Also the suit makes his movement to be restricted in that he can move only in one direction and cannot change it suddenly just like our actual Rhino!

But you would be surprised to know that the present Rhinos are dwarfs when you compare them to their ancestors who were the largest mammals!

That species was Paraceratherium and the exact size of Paraceratherium is unknown because of the incompleteness of the fossils. Paraceratherium means “near the hornless beast”

The shoulder height was about 4.8 metres (15.7 feet), and the length about 7.4 metres (24.3 feet). Its weight is estimated to have been about 15 ton!  (33,000 to 44,000 lb). The long neck supported a skull that was about 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) long!

Bigger and heavier than our Rhino! But still it got extinct due to multitude of reasons like climate change, low reproduction rate, and invasion by other species. Our Rhino is also susceptible to extinction since many feel there are some medicinal value in its horn! How horny…I mean corny can you get!?

Then again there are those who do not any Rhino…Plasty that is! One such natural actor with grace and beauty was Bangalore Saroja Devi! A great life lived with glamour and grace! She will be missed!

Heart felt condolences

OM SHANTHI

Do you know what is an electric eye?

Not the famous song by Judas Priest!

That “Electric Eye” of course was an allusion to the book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, in the use of the name of the pseudo-omniscient camera that watches over the community at all times.
In the novel which is so popular now because of its so called predictions which are true; you have a camera that can ‘see’ people who rebel against the goverment or the ruler and they conveniently ‘disappear’!

This is not that electric eye though it may be closer than you think!

How about Iconoscope? No! It is not an iconic scope!

Well, how about electric telescope? Then again many advanced telescopes now are electronic only! They can see stuff so far and well miss out a few of them much closer to home!

How about radio vision? A radio with a vision!?

Well, now you are getting close!

This is a device which has made you an idiot! One of the most iconic inventions of the century which when first invented was predicted to be a big failure!
In fact as mentioned by Bill Bryson; it was dismissed as a fad!

Now there is no house which does not have this invention! Some have one in each room! Mobile is a close and calculated guess but it is the grandfather of the phone!
Then again it itself is the son or the grandson of the radio!

Though apparently it has been in vogue along with the radio albeit in a limited way. The issue was of course hardware! Now you may not imagine even a single day without this ‘iconic scope!’

In case you still have not go it; I am referring to the Television! or the TV!

Radio was also an iconic invention which took the world by storm! There was no house without one in the olden days since TV signals and reception was not available everywhere! Of course now you see the people on TV presenting news are always well dressed and groomed; but there was a time when even those who presented news on the radio wore a Tuxedo!

Now of course the TV is also slowly getting replaced by the Phone and other ‘screens’! The day of usual TV broadcasting and programs such as the days of the DD are numbered. Enjoy the idiot box before that!

Or maybe the radio! Of course that’s been replaced by Electric EAR! Which is either Alexa or Siri  Then you can listen to songs penned by Vairamuthu!

Shubh ratri!

Do you know what is Ram ventilation?

No! It is not named after me! (delusions of grandeur much!)

Then again this makes the animal ‘RAM’ around!

On a related note! Do you know that there are some living beings who simply have to move all their life! The moment they stop; they die! There is literally no rest for the wicked!

Lets us not Ram around the bush and get to the point!

So Ram ventilation is a method of breathing used by some fish and sharks where they swim with their mouths open, allowing water to flow over their gills for oxygen uptake. This process relies on the forward motion of the animal to force water into the mouth and over the gills, rather than relying on muscular contractions to pump water.

The mechanism involves the animal swimming with its mouth open, creating a pressure difference that draws water into the mouth and across the gills. Now as water passes over the gills, oxygen is extracted and transferred to the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide is expelled.

Some fish and sharks, are obligate ram ventilators while some fish, like tunas, have evolved specific gill and skeletal adaptations to enhance the efficiency of ram ventilation.

But Ram ventilation comes with a price!

The sharks must swim constantly in order to keep oxygen-rich water flowing over their gills, but others are able to pass water through their respiratory system by a pumping motion of their pharynx!

This allows them to rest on the sea floor and still breathe. However, sharks do have to swim to avoid sinking to the bottom of the water column. The ability to move up and down freely in the water column is, in fact, one of the extraordinary adaptations of sharks.

Sharks, do not have a swim bladder like bony fishes, instead, they rely on lift generated by their large pectoral fins, much like the way an airplane’s wings provide lift and also sharks have very large livers that contain a high proportion of oil providing them with additional buoyancy! Of course when there is a species which has something valuable you have humans trying to get it!

Which is why Shark liver oil is in demand!

It has been long used in Scandinavian folk medicine to treat multiple ailments, including wounds, cancer, heart disease, and infertility!

Nowadays, it’s sold as a dietary supplement that promises to deliver these same health effects. Research on SLO attributes its multiple health benefits to its high alkylglycerol (AKG), squalene, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content.

Then again you can also learn from the fact that may be the reason why Shark is so fit and strong is because it is on the move all the time! This is just Ram speaking! Then you have Raj speaking or rather Rajkumar! In this case; ShivRajkumar! Do check out his OM and AK47! Movies that is!

Shubh ratri!

Mustard may be one of the most universal things ever! If you like the sauce though then you must thank an ARMS RACE between plants and caterpillar!

The availability of these small seeds determine whether you will be making sambar or palya or not! These small items like the Mustard, some pieces of dal like Urad or chana, turmeric and jeera are the small things which are always in less quantity but you cannot start your cooking without them!

It is so amazing that we use them to test whether the oil is reached a proper temperature or not! The splashing of mustard seeds is the standard mode of operation in every kitchen in india! After a good meal, my mother used to even eat those pieces of splattered mustard! She used to tell that it is a great carminative!

The chutney is incomplete without a tempering of mustard! The same with those amazing pickles or vegetables!
The chief difference at least in my house between Sambar and rasam was the seed! If it is mustard then it is sambar! While if it jeera or cumin seeds then it is rasam! With Jeera though you must not wait for the oil to heat too much since they burn the jeera and do not splatter!

In many parts the oil is the way to go! The oil is an acquired taste though since many may not tolerate the smell. Though you can use a little salt to reduce the odor which is not bad but if you are not used to it then you may not like it!

Then you have the SARSO ka saag! Which is the go to dish in the old movies of the North!

One western Fad which is now everywhere is the mustard sauce! It is also an acquired taste! It is sour and a little bitter! Some swear by its taste though! Many cannot get enough! Since I am not a foodie; I can take a little and that is that!

But it is the lead in the taste! It is a pungent and dominant taste with a little bitterness and sourness to boot!

But did you know that the taste is so strong because plants were developing a weapon!?

The zest taste is a game changer for many and must have! The fact though is that it tastes like that because it is a natural insect repellent!

Despite humans’ taste for mustard, it evolved as a pest repellent. Mustard plants start by making compounds known as glucosinolates, which in turn produce pungent mustard oils when chewed or crushed.

This was prompted by relentless nibbling from butterfly larvae, but as caterpillars evolved new ways to cut the mustard, plants had to up the ante — thus, growing zestier and zestier over time!

So the next time you add a liberal dollop of mustard just remember that it was rejected by a caterpillar! Now now! Don’t feel bad! At least you are not a castaway!

Which reminds me of Tom Hanks!

Now have some warm milk without mustard and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

Who is a teacher?

Well he or she is anyone who inspires you!

Age and experience are only the added bonus!

If someone is good and wants you to become more good than he or she then he or she is a teacher!

Some teachers are stern; they may not praise much but they know your potential and they want to you get better! While some others praise and encourage you in every step! It is a fine art of balance when an abundance of both is not good for the student!

There have been amazing teachers who themselves have actually not succeeded but then again they know how to fail! So they can teach you how not to fail! Which is why many times you have a very successful student but an ordinary teacher! And then you have those who have reached the pinnacle of success and want you also to do the same! 

In the world of Rat race; when someone is teaching you whole heartedly then he or she is a great teacher and a great human indeed!

On the day of Guru Purnima. I pray to all my gurus or teachers! 

My chief KKR is probably one of the best Otologist in the country with a special interest in Larynx! His discipline and determination has made him a legend! There are thousands of ENT surgeons in the county and the world who have been his lucky students including me!

There are scores of stories about our chief and that can fill a book! Here is one simple one!

One day after a major case we were going for rounds and our ever observant chief saw a nursing student reading a book on tracheostomy care! Chief can do laryngectomy in his sleep and tracheostomy is child’s play for him! But like a curious child he eagerly asked about the book!

The very next day he ordered and got the book for our library! He said that this book for nurses has such amazing details on post tracheostomy care! He told us that we must read it! He of course had finished reading it that day!

That is when we realized how he is one of the best teachers in the country! It is because, he is always willing to learn! 

The best thing is that life and people are always teaching you! All you need to do is be a student for life! Only then you can learn!

On this Guru Purnima I humbly pay my gratitude to all my teachers with special dedication to my dear chief Prof KK Ramalingam! and hope that I remain a student for life.

Mata pita guru devo bhava!

Shubh ratri…

Do you know what is Reilly’s Law of Retail Gravitation?

or optimal positional isochrones?

You have in fact been the ‘victim’ of this science! And much more!

These are rules and regulations for making or constructing a Shopping mall!

Just when you thought that let us just go to the mall and enjoy the cool breeze and the ambience; you are actually falling right into the trap!

Shopping mall design is a science!

Have you gone to such malls and found out a kind person offering you a shopping cart!? That is the biggest trap! You will never buy less now!

But did you know that when it was first introduced, no one took the cart!

Of course the cart was to help shoppers deal with the increasing volume of goods on offer!

Now although a grocery store in Houston had for years been offering its customers the use of children’s wagons with a basket attached to help them manage their purchases, it wasn’t until 1936 when a store owner in Oklahoma City named Sylvan Goldman invented the modern shopping trolley which he called a basket carrier that bulk-buying became a possibility!

Bill Bryson in his book Made in American says how at first, customers showed great reluctance to use the new contraptions. So the clever Goldman came up with an ingenious plan!

He employed half a dozen people to push the carts around all day, pretending to shop! When others saw these ‘customers’ shopping with ease; they in their FOMO rushed to copy and they were hooked!

Now coming to some popular laws!

At their conferences, mall planners bandied about new concepts like Reilly’s Law of Retail Gravitation which is essentially, the mix of stores necessary to keep people moving!

Another such law was called the optimal positional isochrones! This is just another way of saying that the best location for a shopping center is near a highway interchange!

The owners actually want you to come but not stay in a place! They want you to move around! They want you to feel that though the mall is large; there is always some rush! In fact in most places benches are built without backs so that people wouldn’t linger on them!

Most food court tables given just enough space and comfort to induce a sense of discomfort after about ten minutes!

To think that one of the pioneers of malls called Victor Gruen had actually envisioned people sitting with cappuccinos, reading newspapers on gripper rods provided by a thoughtful management, or playing chess beside whispering fountains! Of course none of this would be profitable!

The profit is when you come, use a cart, spend and leave!
So next time you go to a mall; skip the cart! In fact the fast track less than ten items was also to make sure that those who spend less can be shown the door faster! Now now! Do not feel cheated or depressed! If you do, then you may want to go to a mall!

Of course you can save some money by treating your sadness with some music like say by P Unnikrishnan!

Try! It’s free! Or is it!?

Shubh ratri!