Durga Puja

Today is Viswakarma Puja.Usually this puja is celebrated 1 month
before Durga Puja but this year Durga Puja has come early such that
Mahalaya which is 1st day of Devipaksha falls tomorrow.On Mahalaya
traditionally over last 50-60years the famous Birendra Krishna Bhadra
started reciting Chandi Paath in his superb baritone voice over All
India Radio at 4am in the morning. I remember being woken up at 4am to
listen to the paath welcoming Ma Durga to the mortal world of her
parents.This practice has been continued over the years and though
Birendra Krishna Bhadra has passed away long back,to an average
Bengali, Mahalaya is synonomous with Birendra K Bhadra, so a recorded
version played every year as perpetuation of this practice.At
sunrise,an average Bemgali Hindu pays homage to his forebears by
performing puja and offering water to the parched souls of the
departed at the banks of Ganga or any nearby waterbody if no river is
present.The idol is installed at every mandap on the sixth day after Mahalaya Amabasya-Sasthi, wherever Puja is
celebrated bringing joy in the hearts of all true blue Bengali.

SEVEN AGES OF MAN

A time was there not so long ago,when I was not so old as I am now and not so young either when I used to think that I was very fit and strong.I thought I could work "n" number of hours without sleep or rest.I could do whatever physical and mental work that my job required.In short I could handle any situation but alas! my confidence has taken a dent in recent years as one after another of my vital organs have started to malfunction requiring corrective procedures for maintainence.First my eyes when I had an Acute Retinal Detachment, for which I had to have surgery in Chennai.Next was the turn of my Heart to develop an Acute Myocardial Infarction for which I had to undergo LIMA-RIMA Triple Coronay Arterial Bypass Graft Surgery after which I am alive to write this blog.Now the doctors tell me that due to my Retinal Laser Surgery, I have developed dense cataract of the same eye for which I must be operated pretty soon.
Well this reminds me of the famous lines from my Guru,William Shakespeare whose birthplace at Stratford on Avon, I had the extreme good fortune to visit last year.The lines are as follows:-
" All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.At first the infant,
Muking and puking in the nurse's arms;
Then the whining school boy,with satchel
And shining morning face,creeping like snail
Unwilling to school.And then the lover,
Sighing like funace,with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow.Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths,and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour,sudden asand quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth.And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part.The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
Wth spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose,well sav'd,a world too wide
Fo his shrunk shank;and his manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble,pipes
And whistles in his sound.Last scene o all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion;
Sansteeth,sans eyes,sans taste sansevery thing"
I was pondering in which stage I exactly fit in-not fully sixth since my voice is as before but my shanks have really shrunk and the part about my youthful trousers do appear too commodious fo me.
Whatever may be it,my sincerest hope and prayer to my Maker is that my history may kindly be finished before reaching the seventh stage-sanseyes,teeth,everything!!

"A MISS IS GOOD AS A MILE"- missing the Obvious!!

I am writing this to highlight what a minor slip or oversight can negate a well executed job.I had a friend and Colleague,Dr.R.Pancholi,a Consultant Pediatrician, when I was working in Telco(now known as Tata Motors) Hospital in Jamshedpur.He had brought his father for endoscopic surgery of his Prostate Enlargement-known in medical parlance as T.U.R.P.(Trans Urethral Resection Prostate)by our urologist,Dr.Pritwish Kumar Dhar M.S.F.R.C.S.
Well he had this operation on the appointed day but postoperatively,we were concerned since his urinary catheter afteran initially draining clear urine started getting reddish until it became tomato red.D.Dhar was expecting the drainage to clear up by the irrigation thru' the three way catheter.Despite giving 2 blood transfusions,his BP was behaving erratically and it was getting late at night,we insisted he should be taken up again for a fresh look.This was ultimately done and by endoscopy the bleeding point was coagulated and the blood clots washed away till return was clear.
The drama started after this in the Recovery Room where the Urinary Catheter was not draining a single drop of urine.Was this Acute Renal Shutdown which may occur due to undue stress of 2nd anaesthesia and intervention in a 76 yr.old?The tension in the air was palpable.I decided to check the connection of the catheter with the Urobag.Lo and Behold!! Know what I found?-the Urobag with its connector male portion is covered with a cap for sterility purpose was connected to the draining female portion of the Foley's catheter was connected with its cap on.I removed the cap and connected again and urine started draining like a river in flood.A minor slip which if missed could have led to much bigger intervention with disastrous result.It is said-take care of the smaller things,the bigger things will look after themselves.

FRESH OUTLOOK!!!- A CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

This was during my years in Telco(now known as Tata Motors)Hospital in the 80s.I was a Consultant Surgeon there then.I had just returned from a long vacation and I had gone to the Surgical Male ward for my rounds.As I was about to finish,my boss then,Dr.R.V.Singh asked me to see a patient which was foxing all the other Consultants in our Surgical department.Incidentally we had joint rounds in the mornings at 8AM though we had 2 units in place,before each unit went their separate ways to OPD and OT(Operation Theatre) alternately,so that collective minds was made to bear on the surgical problematic cases.
Well,this was a young man about 28 years old who had met with a serious RTA(Road Traffic Accident)about 7-10 days back.Initially he was transiently unconscious for about 48 hours with improving levels gradually.When I saw him,it was probably after 10 days or so.I found him lying in bed,fully conscious,and as they say in Medical parlance-well oriented in time and space.What was labelled initially as a "Head Injury",here he was lying fully conscious,talking,crying and laughing which no head injury patient could do but what he had was complete paralysis of all his limbs from neck downwards.
I reasoned that with a full sensorium and LOC(Level of Consciousness)it could never be "Head Injury".The lesion had to be below the level of Brain Stem and probably in the Cervical Spine.When I gave my verdict,the other Specialists pointed out that the Xray of the Cervical Spine which had been taken did not show any fracture.
I examined the Cervical Spine X-rays but I saw all the 7 Cervical Vertebrae were not visualised in the Xrays taken.My Surgical Guru,Dr.T.K.Lahiri,M.Ch.FRCS at BHU had taught me that for a study of Cervical Spine,all 7 vertebrae should be displayed.This is difficult as the 2 shoulders come in the way when taking a lateral view or an oblique of the Cervical Spine.Proper precaution and a manouvere is required to display all 7 vertebrae.A fresh xray was taken with the correct manoueuver and lo! and behold there was an oblique spiral fracture of a cervical vertebra,exact number of the verebra,I am not able to remember.A correct diagnosi altered the complete complexion of his management.
The moral of the story is that in our everyday lives we get mired down in our individual viewpoints or of the group or caste or religion-some thing we call"Tubular Vision".When we reach a deadend,if a person from outside comes,he brings a fresh viewpoint possibly with excellent esults as in this case.

'OLD ORDER CHANGETH YIEDING PLACE TO NEW"-My new car i10 Magna

Well I had this sweet beautiful Phoenix Red Maruti 800, which I had bought in1998 in Ranchi.We and the kids had lots of fun in this car.Though the car was a base model without AC or music system,the places we stayed like Ranchi and Kulti (near Asansol) car was not at all uncomfortable.We used the car extensively and travelled far and wide.I had used the car to bring my 80 year old mother from Patna to Ranchi-a distance of about 400 kms,driving all by myself  though the notorious 18kms "ghati" of Rajauli and 2 other less lenghthy "Ghati"s en route but no less tortuous,without once breaking down or giving any trouble. I remember a couple of years before I retired in2007,I was posted in the infamous Chasnalla,close to Dhanbad where the famous coal mine occured ,which was later picturised as "Kala Pathhar" starring our own ShotgunSinha.I had to stay alone in Chasnalla ,as I retained my bungalow in IISCO Colony at Kulti where my wife stayed back as she was teaching in St.Patrick's School,Asansol.The distance from Kulti to Chasnalla was 66 kms.which I had to drive on weekends,20 kms of this was through a Naxal infested forest.I remember I had to take diversions from the normal route over hilly track and not a single soul in sight during Jharkhand Bandhs,such that that if the car broke down there,I would have had no other recourse than leaving the car there and walking but God Bless,it never let me down.

I remember, along my kids and wife, how we went for long rides often to adjacent towns like Ranchi to Jamshedpur where we had moved/shifted at the beginning of my career..This car I had bought in Ranchi,which was still part of Bihar,now the capital of newly formed state Jharkhand and the number plate bore the Registration number of Bihar-BR14F 4237.At the time of purchase,I had paid Life Time(15 years)Tax.

.Life was going fine ttill I shifted to Kolkata after my superannuation in later part of 2007.I managed well for a year since I had paid Road Tax for West Bengal at the entry point of West Bengal from Jharkhand but on expiry of that period,I contacted the Motor Vehicles Department at Alipur.The RTO kindly allowed me to pay the Road Tax at Kokata but asked me to get No Objection Certificate from Ranchi.That I got from Ranchi with some delay but without much difficulty but when I again approached the Transport department,I found the former RTO was transferred and the new ARTO was a different cup of tea.First he straight way refused, as my car was not Euro 3.When I pointed out that the previous RTO had allowed me to pay road Tax here and when I pointed out that as per rules,as a Central Govt.Public Sector Retired Employee,I was entitled to transfer my car on retirement,he then asked for my Service certificate.After showing which he asked for a technical examination of the car though there no problem and even many mistris had opined that they had not seen a 10 yr. old car in such a good condition.In general,he was being difficult and also hinted that I would have to pay through my nose if I wished to have my car registered here.My relatives suggested that to avoid any further trouble,I should give away my Maruti 800 in exchange and purchase a new car.I wondered if it was worth that much trouble at my advanced age and even if I got my car registered here and sell it after use for some time after spending a fortune to get it registered here,I will get a pittance.I decided on the side of discretion and after much test driving and market surveys,voila!!! here's my present beauty!!!-a Magna i10 Kappa Limited Edition car.It has all the features I had wished for-the size not as small as Maruti but not too big to to be difficult to negotiate thru' the narrow overcrowded streets of Narendrapur and Kamalgazi and not too big &difficult to park in the streets of Kolkata.Of course,AC with vents at back &front as well,Kenwood Music system with 4 speakers front and back,keyless entry,alloy wheels,foglights,Power steering,Power Windows,leather seats etc.etc.In general I am very happy.Wish me luck everybody!!

John Milton

This morning on 20th August I had to go and see a patient who was running fever since last 2-3 days.With the panic going around the town and the whole country,the parents were very concerned that their girl had not contracted Swine Fever from her friends in college.The girl studies in 1st year BA and I found lying on her bedside table a copy of the famous classic"Paradise Lost" by the famous John Milton,which she had to study in college.
The sight of the book brought back memories of how I had wanted study English in Graduation and make English my vocation in life.I loved English-I memorised sonnets and lines of famous quotation from Shakespeare which I remember even today and can recite with ease.I dreamt of becoming a professor in English after spending a long time in Oxford or Cambridge University .
But Fate had other ideas and plans for me.My father,Dr.(Prof.)Rabindra Narayan Sinha FRCS (Eng&Edin) who was a pioneer of Plastic Surgery in India wanted me to follow in his footsteps.He put his footdown and insisted that I should become a doctor.In those days medical admission was on the basis of marks.1st divisionersin any board was quite a rarity and since I had a high 1st division,I sailed through in Medical admission.I got a furtherpnch when in my pre-medical class where English was one of the subjects,or Professor of English ,Prof.Ranjan Narayan when he learnt about my marks in English in Senior Cambridge,he qupped"What are you doing in Medical College-you should be in English Honours in an Arts College!!"
Be as it may,one never disobeyed one's father those days and here I am a doctor.Of course lot of water has passed in Ganga since I did my Medical Graduation which is 38 years ago.As they say that there is no point in crying over spilt milk but the point is that my love for English still stays.One need not be a Professor in English to be in love with English.I told my patient that you are reading Milton,I have seen where he is buried in Westminister Abbey with other greats .I also visited Stratford-on Avon where Shakespeare was born and live when I visited UK last year while visiting my younger daughter who stays n Milton Keynes,UK.I also visited Oxford where If Fate wished,I coud have studied.
Whatever-Que sara sara-whatever will be will be!

Biggest Non Violent Agitation

I was reading a blog by my friend,Satyanesan,about his experiences in what he believes as the biggest non violent agitation in free India in his institute at Shibpur.This reminded me of a historical non violent agitation in which I got accidently involved as a bystander and later as a witness in a independent Commission of Inquiry conducted by a Honourable High Court Judge of Patna.Of course,I was in no way directly involved but this was my only experience of an agittation which later assumed a national character.

This was in early 1970s, probably 1972,I was doing my Compulsory Rotating Internship in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in what was then known as Prince of Wales Medical College Hospitals ,one of the Premier Hospitals in the country that time.Now it is plainly known as Patna Medical College probably in line with its humble status now.The O&G ward had been temporarily shifted for renovationwork in the old built by the British ,to a vacant plot in front of the Pharmacology Department and next to the Children's Hospital.Now the Hospital,popularly known as PMCH, with its various clinical departments,is longitudinally situated parallel to the River Ganga,which runs from West to East along the North side of Patna.Those who may remember the period, was the time Smt.Indira Gandhi was striding tall after the resounding victory in the 1971 war which led to the liberation and creation of Bangladesh.Of course as there is a saying"Power corrupts and Absolute Power absolutely corrupts".Of course,I cannot believe she personally was in anyway corrupt but when somebody becomes powerful,flunkies and sycophants collect and try to gain an advantage.We had somebody saying"Indira is India" etc.One will remember the Emergency which was imposed later in 1975 with severe curtailment of personal liberties.

Whatever may it be,this led to a reaction and we saw the advent and rise of the great Socialist,Jaya Prakash Narayan who later started what is popularly known as JP movement.As a part of that movement ,we had the Patna University Student's Union presided over by the famous colourful former Railway Minister,Shri Laloo Yadav and the Secretary of the union was Shri Sushil Modi,who was former Deputy Chief Minister belonging to BJP.Now they are in opposite camps but they were in office bearers of the union

To come to the point of this blog,this particular day, there was a big congregation in Patna College,the centre of activity,though Laloo Yadav studied in BN College.I do not remember the exact issues involved but there was a great agitation which led to the police firing Tear gas,followed by actual firing as a result of which several people got injured and had to be admitted in PMCH.There was great tension in town over the students' agitation.I had gone for my evening round to the O&G Ward ,where I was posted, despite protests from my mum but a newly qualified Doctor has great zeal and ideals.

It was about 8 pm and I had decided to return home early,skipping my regular "adda' with my friends who was posted in other departments.Suddenly there was continuous loud banging on the main door of the ward which we had kept closed due to the uncertain conditions outside.The door was opened to let in my close friend,Dr.Prabodh Kumar Jain who was apparently injured.He said he was going for his evening round in the Rajendra Surgical Block when in front of our ward, he was pounced upon by policemen.After telling the nurses to make my friend lie down,I quickly stepped outside to check whether there was any risk of their stepping inside which would disturb my other patients.I saw a few uniformed policemen going away.I returned to apply first aid to my friend, who luckily was not seriously hurt.By this time there was a big uproar and soon lot of party people arrived to take my friend away to be admitted in the Private ward known as Cottage Ward and make political capital out of this episode.

To make the story short,this incident along with other similar injuries to other people, created such an uproar so that Govt.had to constitute a Commission of Inquiry which was to be conducted by a sitting Judge of the Patna High Court,Justice U.N.Sinha. I ,though not a direct eye witness, was an immediate witness,hence the importance of my evidence and statement.A famous barrister,Mr.Basanta Bannerji was the lawyer for my friend,Prabodh whom we had nicknamed as Bhojpuri Sahib.He briefed us before our appearing for giving evidence and he told that the Govt.Prosecution would try to prove that that there was a great hullabaloo on the road because of the problem in the day and he got caught in the melee.When my turn came ,I told in the examination-in-chief,the sequence of events .On completion of my statement,Prosecution Attorney got up to cross examine me.As predicted by Mr.Basanta Bannerji,the prosecution attorney laid a map of the whole area.He pointed that adjacent to our ward next to the Children's hospital,there was a narrow "gali" leading to the Mandir on the ghat of Ganga and at the mouth of the gali ,there was a "Paan" shop around which there was always a crowd of people and on the road in general at thatperiod of time.He had told me to answer in yes or no to his queries and he had me confirm the fact that at period of time, there was always a crowd of people in front of the paan shop ,the ghat and also people going to the mandir to pay homage and attend kirtans.This sequence of yes-es was continuing till out of frustration at the distortion of facts that I burst out that "yes,usually there was usualy a throng of people hanging around but that particular night due to the fear pervading there was no crowd or throng anywhere on the road."On hearing this,the Prosecution Attorney's assistant clapped his hand on his forehead because of my last statement,I completely knocked out the hypothesis his boss was building.Finally on my statement that I had seen some uniformed policemen going away at 8 night,he so very innocently asked,"Well,Doctor,one final question on that particular night,was it a moonlit night or mooness night?"I understood the catch and very nonchalantly answered"It really did not matter since the whole area was lit up by very bright fluoroscent lamps" thus demolishing his ploy to declare me a liar as to prove I could not have had seen in the dark.At the end when he saw all his attempts had failed,he made a statement that I had lied to help my friend to which I violently protested that I was not and I was not in that profession which some people in the room were, that makes lying a byword in their lives.I was shocked that my evidence was taken to be a lie by the Prosecution but I was told later that this was the form in cross examining-they have tell that and I was right in denying it.

Anyway my association with the agitation was this much.This agitation was a prelude to greater things to come -Railway strike in 1974 ,imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi and later to be revoked with the loss of Indira Gandhi at the next polls.Thus this JP movement which was non violent in nature set the ball rolling.

So,my friend Satyaneshan,I wonder if you will revise your opinion of the agitatio in your institute being the biggest in ndependent India.

"Can you see any smoke coming out?"

This was in the late 70s when I had just joined Telco (Now known as Tata Motors) Hospital at Jamshedpur in what is presently Jharkhand just after my post graduation in Surgery from Institute of Medical Sciences ,Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi.Though there was a residency scheme in which we as residents had to work our way through side by side with preparing our theses in our respective topics and studying theory for our final Master of Surgery Degree,working in the practical field in especially in an Industrial Hospital was completely a separate cup of tea altogether.
My boss then was a FRCS surgeon Dr.AK.Dhar and he expected us junior surgeons to watch him when he was in the O.T.Well, this time he was doing a Sigmoidoscopy - a procedure where the the optical rod like tube is inserted through our bottom end to see the lower portion of our Gastro-intestinal tract like anus,rectum and sigmoid colon especially.
Though this procedure is done under local anaesthesia and does not cause pain,the procedure is rather uncomfortable and makes the patient tense.So Dr.Dhar in order to relax the patient thought he would try to relax the patient by diverting his mind by asking some other question.He said"Well,Mr.Singh,are you a chain smoker?" At this the patient replied at what left us bemused"Doctor Saheb,can you see the smoke coming out?"