ramadocblog

Book Review

Non fiction self help book

Rating- 5/5 in the past ad 3/5 in the future!

Of all the self help book or management training or Human Resource training are more or less based on this grand daddy of self help books!

Many of the early morning supposedly pep up messages or forwards which follow the photo of a flower or a baby or forest or some kid climbing the nearest tree and what not can be traced back to the principles highlighted in this book.

No wonder that with over 30 million copies sold, it is one of the highest or best selling books of all time!

I am sure most of the self help gurus especially the current star Mark Manson would have brushed through this book to write his one or give a talk on self help!

Now after that foundation lets come to Whats in the book and later on give a few pointers on what I think of the book! For a proper summary you can follow the Wikipedia page of the book which gives a good summary of the chapter with a neutral view point.

So the book starts with an introduction on how this one will help you with your life and who all can benefit by reading this book. I am not a non fiction reader and since this was audio book, it was much better to digest! The narrator was someone who I am sure is old and wise by voice and his diction was slow, meticulous and soothing! This of course may be my Mark Manson bias since this book was the next thing I heard after completing his two F@cked up (his words not mine!) book!

Then he moves on the things that matter to other people. How your behaviour and interest is all that matters. So the most basic thing you must understand is that if you want a person to like you or be your friend then you must genuinely be interested in him or her. You must place him or her in a pedestal of genuine appreciation and not flattery. Now that’s a thin line to tight walk and in real life may not be easy!

The author mentioned how the most important person for any person is himself or herself! No one is else is more important! That means that if you want to be in his or her good books then he or she must think in his or her perspective all the time!

Some important methodology highlighted are things like how those fast food joint employees do! Smile! All the time! He also gives examples of many people on each and every methodology he enumerates.  How a husband who was a grouch at first just started smiling at first at his wife and everyone else and it did wonders to him!

Then the other point is to be a listener! Sometimes all people want is someone to listen to and that’s all! Even if you just listen with interest and show a genuine smile then you will be called a great person to be with and a great conversationalist even if you did not speak a word!

A great thing he said in the book is that you do not have to win a debate! Even if you are right even then you must give the chance for the person who is wrong to save face and make amends! That’s a rare good advice!

One of the most important thing for any person is his or her name! So if you make an effort to learn the name properly then you may achieve great strides in the relationship arena!

One more thing I found nice in the book is to get answers in positive early on so that the final response is positive! Criticise only indirectly and praise more openly, be more receptive of other people thought and desire! Of course knowledge about that person whom you are going to meet is always helpful especially things which are close and important to him or her!

Basically be polite, don’t crib, smile all the time, be empathic to others feelings, do not point mistakes too much and try to be happy!

Of course all these are important and in real very essential but believe me I know many would have tried all these! People nowadays have become Pre trained in all these management and sales techniques. Being truthful most of the times results in problems which could have been avoided by a white lie and flattery gets you places in this world! Then again there are exceptions and you cannot have one rule for all!

Like every finger of our hand is different so are human beings! Emotional state of mind is like a flowing water which changes at every turn and when it hits a rock! So all we can do is that use our intelligence and emotional quotient in different proportions and act appropriately!

This book is the baseline reference which you can read when you are down to pep you up and face the world!

All the best then!

Everything Is F#cked: A Book About Hope is the third book by blogger and author Mark Manson

Book review

Genre Non fiction supposedly self help!

Spoilers- Nothing left to spoil! Everything is f#cked remember!?😀

Rating- 5/5 for the title, 4/5 for the starting and 2/5 for the rest of the book!

So Mark Manson wrote a blog literally saying F#ck you and it became a hit! Then he followed it up with a stretched out version of the same blog and lo! It also became a hit!

So now he has a big hit on his hands and he does not know what to do next!

So he does the next best thing which anyone will do! Read another actual blockbuster book with actual material and effort and make a synopsis of how you understood the book!
So the book he read among many others was Thinking, fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman and the way Daniel did extensive experiments to come to a realisation that we have two systems; Mark went one step further and told there are two brain! The thinking brain and the emotional brain and most of the book is an expansion of his interpretation of this theory!

Taking from one source is plagiarism while taking from many is research! Mark has done lots of research and how! Then just like the book How to win friends and influence people which is my current read, Mark gives accounts of successful people or famous people and tries to give his remix!

So Newtons life story becomes the start of his third chapter! This is after he tells the reader the uncomfortable truth that its difficult to just say F#ck all over and continue and then he adds that self control is an illusion which are his first two chapters! Then again you can feel this is what’s actually happening to him!

So he does not spare Newton and make up his laws of Emotions! (Clever remix I must say but then just because the lead in a movie is good does not mean the whole movie will be a hit!)

So in the next chapter he tells how to make dreams come true and in the very next one he says hope is F#cked!

Now some pages are left and he has to fill them up with things better than just F#ck which he did in the last novel so he takes on the Godmen and constructs a scheme on how to create a religion! Even Mark knows that religion is the only thing which can touch any nerve and he gives a step by step plan on how to go about it!

In between the thinking and feeling brain analogy comes and goes like a F@cked up cameo similar to a big star given guest appearance in a movie which has only one way to go: down!

Of course this counter intuitive look at life and giving no hoot is not new and this will be tried over and over again in the future but these like remixes cannot last for long!

Now I am not a big fan of non fiction book but I have made it a point to read some of them so that some reality kicks in! Only then I could get and discover gems like Homo Sapiens by Yuval Noah or Thinking by Daniel Kahneman and once in a while you do get Mark! Don’t get me wrong, the book is enjoyable and fast and does not stress you with too much philosophy (that will come in the next book I am sure!), but after a while you just want the book to end!

The best thing about the novel is still the fact that you feel good about reading Thinking, Slow and Fast by Daniel Kahneman!



This is frankly only my opinion and I am a minority because this is a very famous book and I am sure the next one will be out soon! And my guess is that that book will be named I am F#cked and so are you!

Luckily I got the audible version without paying a dime or else even I would have said everything is …!!


Have fun but don’t get carried away!

The Subtle art of not Giving a F by Mark Manson

Book Review

Non fiction apparent self help book!

Rating 5/5 for the start 2/5 for the end!

Spoilers- None! The title gives it away where the author is going!

Mark is a well known blogger with a shady past and not so clean teenage years. He was into meth by his own confession and never serious about life! This all changed when he had some eye opening incidents in his life which he describes in different chapters in the book.

Before his revelation he was a big cheat, a druggie and basically a big pain for everyone!

Two major events changed his life apparently, one was the loss of his friend Josh and the other when his girlfriend dumped him! Both changed his perspective of life and he got his life together!

So apparently his life was all F@@upped before so he got his life set and became a blogger and wrote about not giving a F!

The initial chapters are all about not giving a F! And since I was listening to audible, it was just a rant of F and F all over the room! It was like a teenager screaming the expletive over and over again till the time that it gets your attention at first and then the repetitive expletive loses its steam!

Apart from the two apparent major life story of the author like the losing of his friend and girlfriend and him getting caught with marijuana and his parents getting divorced; he also narrates some vague examples of other losers at first who then went on to become great!

One example was of the member of Metallica who was thrown out of the band to make megadeth but still was not happy in contrast to another original member of Beetles who was happy having a family and no fame!

His book starts with an example of a success which he goes to say is rare and real life is in fact, you guessed it F@@ed!
His obsession with the word F is so strong that he might as well have written F all over and it would have still made the same impact!

Any self help book is usually of two major type; one is positive reinforcement and the other is this! You tell that everyone is F@@ed so that you do not have to worry about your life and you can just appreciate it the way you are! It’s like when you are nervous on stage you can imagine the audience being naked and you will get confidence which is an old trick!

In second chapter called Happiness is a problem he tries to give an account of Gautam Buddha (getting the pronunciation and story wrong in the process!). He gives his take on what he understood of the story and gives his F@@ed up version!

In fact after the introduction you can get to know that the whole book loses steam and what could have been a mountain turns out to be a F@@ed up mole hill!

The best parts apart from the F word are the heading of chapters such as ‘you are not special’ or ‘you are wrong about everything’ or ‘failure is the way forward’ or finally ‘and then you die’.

The whole premise is to invite you for a seven course meal and then offer you F@@ed up sugar free lemonade!

This whole book could have been made into a blog which was how it started and it would have made more difference but then the word is a gold mine so it did make the best seller list and tons of money for the author! So in a way the book is way of saying F@@k you by making you spend for listening to it! Then again luckily I got the audible version via an offer by paying absolutely nothing so the jokes on you!

Read it just for fun! The whole book reminds me of an episode in Seinfeld where George adopts a new F@@k all attitude and then the whole world takes him seriously and he gets a good job and girlfriend! That was one episode since it had juice only for that much! It is also similar how in The Shawshank Redemption, Ellis is always rejected in parole board when he appears as a meek and changed individual while in the end in the interview he literally says F@@k you and gets the parole! It may not work all the time so don’t stretch it like this book!

Reduce your expectations and you might even enjoy this one! The audio moves very fast and this was over in just three days of driving to and from the office!

Enjoying audio books!

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Book Genre – Non fiction

Rating- 4/5

This is one the few books I rate close to Homo Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harrari. Coincidently this author is also from Israel!

“It was the 2012 winner of the National Academies Communication Award for best creative work that helps the public understanding of topics in behavioral science, engineering and medicine” this is the description of the book in Wiki.

The book is an ode to his friend buddy and co researcher Amos Tversky and in many places he remembers Amos with so much pride and emotion that is is endearing that even in these days and times friendship is present!

Before you begin the book you must understand this basic theory which Daniel has namely that humans have two system of thought and response and he called them System 1 and System 2.
Now, whole through the book you will be made to realise that System one is the small inner child who jumps for the deal without a thought while system 2 is a mature adult who takes it own time to answer the thought or make a decision usually with logic!

It’s like life is a volleyball match and your body is actually two player who gets to decide in that instant who will take the ball! Now if the decision does not need too much thinking or logic like say 1 plus 1 then it’s system one which take the ball so to speak while if the decision is like driving a car or little more complex then its system 2 which takes over.
This whole system analysis is described by Daniel is a series of experiments and test elaborated very well in the book. My added advantage was that I heard the book in audible so it was relatively easier to understand! I earlier started reading this book via ebook when nothing entered my brain, system notwithstanding!

You will get many examples on when which system is active and when which system takes over! Listening to the examples while driving most of the information made sense and i knew that my system one was doing it when suddenly he will ask a complex question and I will realise that system two is taking over and I park the car to the side to be more attentive!

After introducing the basic he goes to the next section of Heuristic and Biases! It’s like how a child will identify an image as two whales and how an adult will think something else! Some concepts discussed in this are

Anchoring this was described in a series of examples! If you are asked whether this prisoner gets 10 years or so then the judge uses this anchor to give a judgement close to 10 while if you ask 5 then he or she will give a decision close to 5! It’s like when you raise the price of an object the given price will automatically be high! This is the way I understood this concept!

Availability is another concept in which if you know or have the data available of a particular thing in your mind then automatically it either becomes more common or important!

Substitution is a concept when you are asked to think about Linda a fictional character and you will either think or a commercial Bank or the bank of a river depending on your stimulation!

In Optimism and loss aversion he explains how people tend to over estimate benefits and underestimate loss! It’s like how you go one channelling money and resources over a failed project in the hope that it may recover while not trying anything new which can actually give benefit!

Framing; decision is heavily influenced by statements which are the same but you make completely different decision! Like if someone says that you have 90 percent chance of making profit then you will go ahead and invest but if someone says it will make 10 percent loss (which is the same statement!) then you may hesitate to invest! This is a common marketing ploy used worldwide!

These decision are a result of overconfidence and sunk cost and Daniel Kahneman’s opinions concerning overconfidence are influenced by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Kahneman developed prospect theory, the basis for his Nobel prize, to account for experimental errors he noticed in Daniel Bernoulli’s traditional utility theory. This was also a collaboration with Amos and here he tries to put forward his counter arguments!

His final chapters discussed things such as recent evidence which introduces a distinction between two selves, the ‘experiencing self’ and ‘remembering self. He ends by thinking about life and experiencing well being and thinking of his life as a story!

WHAT YOU SEE IF ALL THERE IS!
This is the primary theory!

This is a reference book of course and only a true economist will truly understand the contexts in the book though many controversies have also been apparently raised by the book!

In the end since this was my first audible which ran for over 17 hours which in real life would have taken me ages to read I finished in a matter of a week!

I suggest you also do the same!

TENET



Ten in either direction! That’s the simplest explanation of Tenet; a complex mixture of science fiction and physics!



As Neil starts to explain in the movie, every body has something called entropy and that moves in one direction or forward! When you have a machine which can invert this flow then theoretically you can reverse time! With me so far? Now, time travel is the most debated and interesting thing for every scientist and movie maker and though you have the fan favourite Back to the future, it has since been proven to be scientifically inaccurate!



The simplest explanation is as told in the movie and in the series Flash, going back in time does not change your past but actually creates a new future and a parallel timelines which may or may not meet! Then you have the famous Grand father paradox where you cannot in fact go back to past to kill your grandfather since that will mean that you will not be born to do that!



One thing is very consistent in that if you do manage to go back in time you must make sure that you do not make major changes because that will cause major errors in the homeostasis of the natural order! Also make sure that you do not encounter yourself in the past because that will cause a major déjà vu error similar to the déjà vu in Matrix and that will be catastrophic!



Then you have Maxwell’s demon which was on the first instances where the second law of thermodynamics where you have the description of the increase of entropy in an irreversible process.



Basically it means that matter and time moves only in the single forward direction and cannot be reversed which essentially means that time travel is not possible since the matter has already been gone to the next process. To change or revert back that time we need to process the matter in the reverse which is a cumbersome process indeed! Not everything can be fixed with a feviquick!



Now you must know about Feynman and Wheeler’s notion of one electron universe which was cleverly mentioned in the movie! This is in reference to the notion that electron may not move in one direction or maybe if has a counter which is the direct opposite or POSITRON which may be moving in reverse or inverted direction!



Finally a common point is when matter and anti matter comes together it causes a total destruction of earth or maybe universe as we know it! That’s a annihilation much like the band which made waves and disappeared just so fast! You can find mention of this even in Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons! Dan Brown is to novels what Nolan is to movies!



Time slowing or reversing paradox which has been the context in even his earlier movies like Inception and Interstellar! In inception dreaming within a dream causes alteration of actual time and it actually slows down in the real time! In Interstellar, the time in earth years goes in a different speed when compared to time in a body close to a black hole! So one year in that planet close to black hole can be ten or more earth years!



So after slowing time in his previous movies, Nolan goes one step forwards by making time go back! But it is not a simple placing date and time and year on a machine and going back as if you are visiting a country!

But in Tenet you need a device which inverts time so that when you reach a place out of the machine you can literally see time going backwards! And everything is inverted!

Here you cannot breath the atmospheric air and you need to wear a mask which can facilitate your inverted lungs to breath! So if it was not COVID, if you see anyone in a mobile mask then probably he is from the future!

The whole thing of course begins when the protagonist finds a invert bullet and then rest as they say is history or future since its TENET!

Two things which you must be aware now is the TURNSTILE and TEMPORAL PINCER MOVEMENT! The former is the time machine device which makes you go back in time in an inverted manner and this was the best revelation when in the end you see the protagonist fighting himself and the latter in a simultaneous amalgamation of inverted and non inverted people!



Finally you come to the same old story of a hero or protagonist or even like Sarah Connor in terminator who has been in touch with someone in the future and you have the actual Bond villain like dude who wants to just end the world! The basic story is the same! It is a race against time to stop our villain Sator from pushing the doomsday switch or annihilation!



Most of the chief names and terminology in the movie is a clever palindrome! Like the movie starts in a OPERA while the leading lady has a an affair with a man called AREPO! Then SATOR is the chief villain and the vault is in a place called ROTAS! Then of course you have TENET which is essentially ten in either direction meeting in the middle! This can be a indication to the theory that time can also move in either direction!



So that movie starts with the Opera and ends with Sator! The protagonist is saved in the beginning of the movie and in the end by Neil which is like a time repeating itself analogy!



In summary you have this, the hero accidentally discovers an inverted bullet from the future and then he is recruited by an agency to stop the super villain Sator before he makes more changes to the entropy of the system and causes an annihilation!



Happy complicated viewing!

Covid diary phase 2

This is the most important phase of COVID

The second week of COVID is when the complications are coming more and more. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is a great thing but being doctors were well aware of this and sometimes knowledge causes fear!

The reason Knowledge causes fear is that no one has complete knowledge. In spite of this dreaded pandemic being there for more than a year now, frankly though, no one has a clear idea on the proper treatment of COVID.

We treat the complications and symptoms of COVID but there is no proper treatment of COVID! Hence the fear which is actually a big issue in the treatment of COVID had crept in slowly.

So while we had this big problem of managing two kids and being isolated from each other since even though we were positive we could not be together as it increases the viral load.

Of course division of labour was something which was going on for the past one year, we cannot be working full time since it was tiring. So while breakfast and lunch was Minu; lunch/ Dinner was my responsibility! In between snacks if healthy were courtesy Minu but junk snacks (read tasty!) was mine!

Many suggested to get food from outside but we had decided that we will struggle but get the food done in house!

Our apartment is very well maintained in that vegetables, provision and medicines were delivered at our doorstep and in short time. We also used to get our parcels and food delivered from outside specially by the security.

If any COVID positive patient needs to go to the hospital then they are arranged an escort and need to wear full PPE set. In emergency of course we have a direct access to ambulance but getting bed is a big inside in Bangalore so we were just praying that we do not need one!

The 8 to 10 day blood tests are important and this is the advice we give to everyone now. Any new symptoms or fever or breathing difficulty must be taken with caution.

I developed throat pain with fever and Minu developed stress induced palpitation. Of course in consultation with other doctors we started proper medication and we also went to the emergency to get the basic investigation done. Our blood tests were a little abnormal but bit very disturbing and in accordance to that we started some medications.

One of the chief problems we tend to ignore is gastritis because of stress, abnormal food timing and the medications. This must be taken care and treated very well and you must not be stingy when it comes to taking medication for control of this.

The problem was not getting the secondary symptoms, the problem is knowledge. I personally know so many cases who from throat pain and fever and palpitation go from there to ICU on a one way trip.
It was difficult to put a brave face when someone used to call or even in front of your children. Surprisingly Minu one day had a frank talk with the kids which of course led to some excess crying and sad moments which was becoming more and more frequent lately.

Having said that, the kids and your close family and friends are your biggest positive motivators! You have to be positive for them!


So our routine was me sleeping till late morning and working till late night, me being a night owl and Minu used to get up early morning and try to sleep early. Kids had their own routine of tab phone and computer with TV in between! No other go!

Every work we did, every move we made, it was immediately followed by severe lethargy and tiredness. Taking bath was a big task and so tiring!
Since I also had tonsillitis and was doing video consultation, it was a big strain to the throat and I listening to my own advice started voice rest in a big way.
Minu also had some complication which necessitated her being in complete bed rest and reduced stress which was of course easier said than done!

Slowly the house was becoming a mess especially my isolated room which no matter how much we clean still became dirty by the end of the day!

Sleep sleep and more sleep was the order of the day and since by nature I used to sleep late, my best sleep was in the morning when the whole world was awake! But then the world did not know that I was sleeping so all the calls used to come in the morning which was disturbing though I was too polite to say! Most who know me used to call me after sending a text that they are calling me which was sweet!

Kids and dad were the most understanding and my dear brother who has always been cool as a cucumber used to call me every single day to just ask about my health! My dear Bhabhi used to everyday ask about the kids and took care of dad so well that my biggest worry was settled!
Close family and friends made sure they enquired everyday! My dear Athai who has been a big pillar of support to my dad and me after losing my mom made sure I get a peppy positive message from her everyday!
My dear periamma, my brother Narayan Anna, my close friends, Mamas and mamis and my in laws were big pillars of support!

Many of my patients whom I was simultaneously treating used to suddenly ask me how I was doing! It was magical how the whole humanity came together as one big family!

My co workers who were doctors remained official in asking my health status but the concern was the same!

Many who were in the same boat as me became my COVID associates! My dear friend Abhijeet and Prachi to name a few.

Minu and me would never forget Dr Garima who picked up our phone (I first messaged her!) In the middle of the night! And her timely help was literally live saving!

In between all this my mother in law who just two days back asked to take care of the kids became seriously ill and had to be rushed to hospital. Two doctors in the family in quarantine so my father in law all of 78 years old managed all that by himself. While we were called in all the favours in the world to get them ambulance and bed and updates! Thank God for technology that we were able to manage everything online! We even sent him food at the doorstep of his Hospital!
She is also doing well and discharged! Small mercies after so much stress!

After close to 17 days, all my symptoms got better. My exercise tolerance got real good, luckily we did not lose any weight and our sugar levels were under good control!
Just going out and seeing patients was a big relief to me! It was as if I have been released from a prison. Of course first day going out was tiring which was a shock to me since I have always been active and this was just not me!

The very first day Minu went to her hospital, I took a mid week break and we cleaned the house in stages! Clean, rest and clean!
That night when the whole family slept together was the best sleep I had in ages! Early morning phone call not withstanding!

The fact of the matter remains that we were lucky that the variant which affected us was mild or we were healthy enough to bear through.
This whole episode and experience I would not wish for my enemy, it takes a huge emotional toil and physical also.

I can never forget the body pain and helplessness which I used to feel some nights sleeping alone in that room.

Of course that just makes sleeping in this big comfortable bed with your family all that sweeter!

This was just a quick spurt! If I remember anything more will add!

Thanks to all of you from the bottom of my heart who prayed and wished for our recovery! Some memory loss is expected in COVID so if I haven’t mentioned someone or something it’s probably due to that! Please don’t mind!

Stay safe…

What is your favourite memory of Bengaluru!?

The cherry blossoms lining the road looks like nature is doing a water colouring and he cherry colour is dripping on the floor and that looks so beautiful from afar!
The road which had become dry since the rain like the proverbial passenger train which was supposed to come to cantonment railway station is still delayed!

The aroma of hot hot Bennai dosa from the thindi mane or the crackle made by boondi as it is place on top of the hot bele bath!
The walks on the large lovely gardens of Lal bagh or if you are a little more posh, Cubbon park! The early morning mist which you see form your balcony and suddenly you feel you are in a hill station!

You think summer has begun and start packing away your thick blankets because it is so hot in the noon and tuck it inside the Godrej Almirah only to rush back in the night when it again becomes so cold that you cannot sleep!

You call up the AC technician to come and repair the AC and it works fine in the morning and by the time it is night you turn it off since you do not need it!

You see the latest salwar suits in Commercial Street and go from one shop to another and see so many dresses only to just have the Chats in the end of the street and leave! Of course if it is pain puri you do not forget to ask for one sookha or dry puri and act as if you have won the biggest bargain!

Then you decide to go to MG Road and Brigade Road and look out for the lates trends and designs, not to buy but to keep it in mind and buy it later from either Commercial Street or Jayanagar 4th block!

In the night you rush to the food street to taste those 99 variety dosa which after tasting a different dosa every time finally ends up tasting the same with varying degree of spice!

The day you do not take an umbrella it rains! The day you take it will neither rain nor will it be hot enough! In any case if you do feel hot you will just take the tender coconut water which should be just small to be in the lesser price bracket but still have some cream or Ganji! Getting that from the smallest coconut after drinking the sweet water is akin to getting the elixir!

Then you decide to buy a computer and rush to SP road to get the required component for your assembled computer and the only way to reach there is by walking! That was of course before you had amazon! But then the thrill of selecting your components and then it getting assembled in front of you and you getting it on is nothing compared to what you get at amazon!

The days before Netflix or Amazon when you used to rush to avenue road to get the lates DVD or CD or MP3 or the game CD and none of it was legal! Just to see one DVD having so many movies used to give you thrill! Now with countless movies and series in Netflix or Amazon you still do not have anything to watch!

One thing which remains the same in Bangalore or Bengaluru is construction! Some bridge or road or college or building is always getting built! The workers mainly from out of city or sometimes out of state will be standing in a queue o get their lunch! Their soot covered hands and face maybe adds little more flavour to the food and many times looking at them gobbling the plain rice and dal makes you wanna rush home and eat that rice and sambar which you refused to eat since it was too simple!

You know it was festival when you see the markets of Malleswaram or KR or Kailasipalayam are full of either big banana leaves or full of flowers of different kind and only then you release what to buy when!

Even approaching the Silk Board junction you do not mind the jam since then you catch up with your WhatsApp messages and call all those friends and relatives who wanted to talk to you just out of boredom and not because they were missing you! Then when they realise that there is no gossip to share the phone call gets short! Even in that if you cross the Silk Board signal in less than three signal change then you know you are going to gave a lucky day!

The ride on Pushpak when you have relatives over to show them that your are cool only to come back in the old bus saving some money! The rare auto rides of those days when by default the meter works but you have to pay one half of meter! That auto driver may be a seventh fail but his mathematical ability to calculate his fare to the last paisa will astound even Ramanujam!

Marriage season or time it is off to Commercial Street or SM silks for getting the best deals in Silk Saree and on the way getting the lunch from the Kamat hotel!
Visit to passport office means that if you finish early you can go to MTR for lunch and wait to get a seat! Your hunger would have already soared by looking at those lucky people who had already got the seat and enjoying the hot rice and sambar!

Avarekkalu season you can go anywhere and expect everything and anything to have that tasty bean! It can appear in vada, or uppuma or even in Bisi bele bath though the best combination is hot Saar with ragi mudde served only with hand! You need a special training to eat that and every house has a small wood block which is strategically placed in the corner of the table which lifts the plate only so much to soak the Mudde but not drown it completely!

Those well maintained parks with road to walk and jogs, those lights of new year and Deepawali, those big banners during temple festivals and the mad crowd at Chinnaswamy stadium or a big function at the palace ground! The destination was not important but the journey was memorable!

This is the Bangalore or Bengaluru we remember. The Bengaluru we love! The retirement paradise! The garden city! The city of malls especially Whitefield which is like new Bangalore now!

And now we are in the midst of a ravaging second wave which is not showing any mercy. The most outside friendly city in the country is now getting hit by this foreign virus. Everyone is helping everyone else! You have people arranging food and oxygen and ambulances and what not!
Helping is a genetic flaw in a typical Bangalorean!

We will survive and conquer this tsunami; all we need is time and hope.

Then all the things we like about our city we can once again enjoy!
Just for the sake one fine day we will take that toy train in cubbon park and enjoy the sights of the city in move having recovered from COVID…

Keep fighting Bengaluru, we are rooting for you…

Day 1 to five

When Minu got tested and was found positive, I knew that I will most probably be positive too! (Even in that in our house it’s ladies first! Gender equality you see!)

It’s not only because we are close but I was having mild cold. Then again I was ignoring the cold since in Bangalore everyone has some allergy and I am both the patient and doctor when it comes to allergy!

But when the body pain was more! ( A working person and someone who works out every day will have some body pain or the other!); I decided to get the testing done anyway!



Immediately I took all precautions and rushed to compete my rounds and make preparations for my absence for some time!

Then got some provisions and vegetables and medications for tiding at least one week though frankly it’s not needed as our Sandeep Vihar AWHO apartment is well equipped with protocol ans provisions!

Now don’t get ballistic on me on why I did not immediately isolate myself! I was on my way back from hospital when I got the news and in any case if contact with COVID positive patient was the deal then ever since the second wave has started, I have been diagnosing at least one to two COVID patient every day and as far as I am concerned everyone is positive unless proven otherwise. So please do take precautions like we do for every person and patient.

After that free advice and no disclosure agreement which you agree in principal lets move on with the story!

Of course the dreaded positive news came soon enough and I got a confirmation soon after by the government message and call both! Even though it was automated call, it was still nice to listen someone comfort you! I am part of COVID health volunteers and also treating doctor so it was a nice change being on the other side of the call!
We get this call everyday and we respond promptly.

Of course with two kids we had planned the isolation protocol to some extent! Many of course volunteered to take care of them but we decided we shall fight it together and take it one day at a time.

We both had got the first vaccination done and now just when we were supposed to get the second dose the positivity struck negatively!

We also got call from an automated system enquiring about our symptoms and comforting us! It’s nice when the state makes an honest effort! I know some volunteer doctor is going through the work load and trying to make time to call us! Since I had been doing that!
Have reduced calls for now and doing video and online consultation so that financial setbacks will be a little less (it will still be there but then health is wealth!)

For now we are fine with all the medication and rest. We have divided our work and room! ( Have been doing this for one year now!)
Of course it meant that we couldn’t allow dad to come and have food with us and with mom not there anymore that was the most difficult thing to do. Then again he came down and we spoke and waved at him via the balcony!

Bhabhi and bhai immediately went into elder mode and sent for ayurvedic medicines and advice on taking care of the kids! Friends also did the same! Nice to have caring people around!

We work and get little tired but otherwise we are doing ok. Will keep everyone posted once in a while and not daily since that’s boring!

Stay home stay safe and keep us in your wishes and blessings…

The best thing about Langar or going to Gurudwara is the super tasty food which is because it has been blessed by Wahe guru and this is a common phenomenon! Whenever we make food for any festival or whenever we get prasad from any temple or Gurudwara; it turns out to be so tasty!

It is interesting to note that we do not taste the food while cooking for Pooja or prasad but most of the time if you make with true devotion (read follow the instruction carefully!) then it will turn out to be tasty!

I have also believed that food or for that matter anything is in demand if the quantity made is less and you have to work for it!

Like you have to stand in a queue to get the prasad or when you see how little it is there, the craze and desire increases! It is also understood that most of the time we usually keep fast when we do puja or go to temple for any occasions! That hunger adds to the already increased desire!

Also the aroma slowly stimulates the acid secretion in the body which we call as the cephalic phase of digestion and this is dependent on many factors such as the sight, smell and your relative hunger!

Now coming to the Lungar Ka kada which for South Indians like my mom and me is a genuine rare prasad and for ages we were trying to replicate the recipe!

For an expert chef like my mom, it must have been an easy task but somehow the whole task gets some obstacle or the other!
Either it becomes too watery or too thick!
In all cases though the best thing is that the taste remains good! Of course not as good as the langar!

Then last year after a similar function we decided to make the kada! I got the best quality atta and ghee and with mom guiding from behind we set upon making the kada!

It was coming very nice and the part where we add the brown roasted atta slowly to the sugar water was really coming out well and I was constantly stirring! Then I asked mom whether we need to add Kova? She had asked me to buy and keep and so she told me to add a little.

The moment we added the kova, the whole mixture changed consistency and became hard as a rock! It had lumps now and it was impossible to cut!

Another defeat, but the taste was good nevertheless!

We looked at each other and said simultaneously in our own ways, “Next time!”

Of the many painful things to do after she passed away was to clean the place and her fridge!


There in a corner was two packets of good quality Kova…

When finally I had the mental strength to make the kada in an ode to mom, we cooked the kova first for some time and I used a filter to strain it (I had no idea who was guiding me! I just felt that I need to do this!)

Believe me, I did not even take proportions of atta and water which is very important in making Kada! And lo it came out better than ever! Guess it works only if you have a person of influence (read mom!) up there!

The tips to note are these

– Cook the kova separately with sugar and strain it so that it does not form lumps
– Keep on stirring the mixture and do not leave it for even a second
– Use lots of ghee so that it remains soft
– Use atta as per the quantity as if it gets more then the whole halwa becomes hard
– You can use little less sugar since the kova is there and also the stirring is easier!!


So this is for you mom, and as usual your representative Kashika (my daughter!) loved it!

Dhrishyam 2 not a spoiler!

What is Dhrisyam 2 about? It is just about a father who wants to protect his family no matter what which is his primary aim.

It is also a movie in which most wanted George Kutty to win (even in the second part where his apparent rise in life gets some jealous tongues wagging!). Even if many believe that the family has killed the young boy, the audience still wants him to win!

The general public though is not very kind to the survivors, till the time the family was an oppressed lot they had good public support. But when George won the first battle (read Dhrishyam 1!), he became a winner and the mother and father of the boy became the victims in the second part!

Public memory is short lived and the sympathy is immediately for the family who have lost their only son and not for the family which though escaped the prison but are still living in perpetual horror and fear. The crux here is that the problems of the winner family are known only to them while everyone can see how miserable the mother of the son is!

The way Jeetu Joseph has bought out this change in opinion is simply remarkable and an echo of the harsh reality that is life!

In real life also everyone likes the under dog! Even in a road traffic accident especially in India, the sympathy is always given to the two wheeler and not the four wheeler regardless of who is at fault!
Human behaviour is deep rooted with competition and that makes envy a vital part of the human DNA! A simple matter like friendship also follows this pattern only! You immediately have sympathy and concern for anyone who is suffering or at a loss but the moment someone tastes success then you have the fame but you will not get sympathy or concern!

No wonder why many do not advertise their achievements or many do so in the social media just to evoke this envy! The whole idea of my life is better than yours! When in fact everyone has his own share of problems which they may or may not reveal to the outside world!

Coming back to the movie you must not see the patriarchy or misogynistic attitude here because the story of a strong and intelligent father and the supposedly weak daughter or wife! It could have been any story but the final aim of the movie is to show how the weaker George kutty who in spite of his new found wealth and riches is still not powerful enough to take on an ex IG of police at least by influence! He has to then use his mind to be one step ahead of the whole team! The role could have very well been played by Meena and the tough inspector could have the father as well! Of course that is something to look for in the future movies but for now lets take the central message!

The very fact that the son was a police officer’s kid is may be the only reason that the whole department was behind solving the murder! If it was any other kid they would have long forgotten it and may not have wasted such precious time and resources to nail the culprit!
Even this proves that justice is served on a platter only to the rich and powerful!

Amidst all this everyone has conveniently forgotten that Varun was a spoilt kid who took a objectionable video and resorted to blackmail! He even hinted sexual blackmail not only to the daughter but also to the mother! In spite of knowing all this, his mother who herself is a woman does not have an iota of sympathy or guilt towards the girl whose life has been destroyed by her son one way or the other! Of course we can always argue that the girl must have been more brave and not get intimidated by Varun but that is so easy to say and write but in real life especially in a small town in Kerala is very difficult! It’s like how I always tell my patients to ignore the tinnitus and then I also add that its easy for me to say but believe you me, it is very difficult!

So all the debates aside, don’t feel guilty if you are rooting for George Kutty! You are just supporting the actual under dog and being human that’s all!

Happy viewing folks!