Three subhuman incidents...

Recently three shameful incidents have once again left us grappling with the subhuman side of our society.  

All three have been caught on camera or displayed on social media extensively...

(In all the three cases, the images/videos are too disturbing to show, which is why I have gone with a blurred out image of the first incident...)

Firstly, there is that awful molestation video wherein a pack of rabid subhumans attack a couple of hapless women, who, as in other sexual assault cases, find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong company.  

If social media reports are to be believed, all the men involved in the attack belong to a certain religion, but the mainstream media placed the blame squarely at the Chief Minister's door for the incident, and did not name these vermin.  

It is all very well to blame the government of the day, but why not also include the full details?  What is stopping the media from naming and shaming the vermin?  Isn't it the job of an impartial media house to present the whole story?  

Anyway, let's hope that the government/police/courts take suitable action and bring the vermin to justice.  I hope the authorities realise that it is the lack of appropriate response that encourages the vermin to carry out brazen attacks such as these.

Second; how about some beef, roadside?  Courtesy, the peaceful denizens of 'god's own country'; those that are also the members of the 'grand old party of the country'. 

This is just the problem with banning anything.  It creates the ideal atmosphere for subaltern subhumans such as those that slaughtered the calf to come out of the woodwork and garner cheap publicity.  Who knew about that youth leader - yes, the very same who is seen in some pictures with the 'youthful' scion of the dynasty - before this heinous act was carried out?  

In all this, I feel for the innocent animal that was literally sacrificed at the altar of sinister political machinations.  Veering as I am towards veganism, I would suggest that it is not just the cows/cattle that need our protection, but all living beings.  This is also why I am not in favour of the 'beef ban' per se.  

One also has to lament the state of affairs in the most literate and progressive southern state.  By the looks of it, it is also being painted red - literally and politically - by the subhumans, and may well end up with the tag, 'devil's own country'.

I hope the animal rights activists overcome their selective blindness, and initiate action against these subhumans.

Third, but by no means the least uncouth: public humiliation of Hindu god.  

You cannot conjure up a more ironical situation if you wanted to.  Apparently members of a certain reservation-seeking group that is named after Bhima spat on a picture of Hanuman before hitting it with slippers.  Both Bhima and Hanuman, in case you missed the point, are avataras of mukhyaprana - or Vayu, the Wind God.  

Couple of quick points on this incident: here's an invitation to the subhuman group members to do the same to the pictures of a certain black stone belonging to a certain religion.  Oh yes...they may decline the invite, because they are smart enough to realise that they will be beheaded before put on trial.  Once again, the magnanimity and tolerance of Sanatana Dharma has been taken advantage of.  

The other point is about the root cause for this evil display: caste and reservations.  When we are looking at having a uniform civil code and a uniform tax policy for the entire country, why hold on to this outdated practice of favouring a less deserving candidate over a meritorious one?  

Let's hope the present government gets rid of reservations altogether.  And somebody, please file a PIL on this subhuman group.  

I am also, in the meantime, waiting for the highly secular award-wapsi gang members to start returning their worthless awards in protest against these three subhuman incidents...  

High hopes!!    

Image source: http://images.financialexpress.com/2017/05/Rampur-Molestation-ANI.jpg

Assaults on doctors: what can be done to prevent them?

Sharire jarjaribhute vyadhigraste tathapare|
Aushadham Jahnavi toyam vaidyo Narayano Harih||

(When the body has lived its duration of time, and has been caught up in the diseases therein, 

The medicine is Ganga water, and the doctor is Narayana who takes away suffering.)

The above Ayur-vedantic injunction which accords a godlike status to doctors is both at once uplifting and troublesome in our country.  

It is uplifting because it can draw aspirants to the field, motivate a medical practitioner to always perform at his or her best, and ascribe a sacred quality to the patient-doctor interaction, which is unlike any other professional interaction.  

It is troublesome because it implies that the doctor can do no wrong.  From a patient and his family's point of view, a doctor is an infallible and magical creature who can provide panacea to all maladies.  

In actual fact, there is probably no other profession that is as underrated, taken for granted, vilified, victimised, targeted and condemned as the medical profession.  

Let us, for the time being, leave aside the mess that is medical education today, the incompetence of the chief medical governing body of the country, non-availability of postgraduate seats, and non-recognition of foreign postgraduate degrees, and look at the immediate problem that is facing the medical fraternity today: assaults on doctors.    

It is the second troublesome aspect of the injunction above that is largely the reason behind the spate of attacks on doctors in the recent times.  Of course, attacks on medical personnel is neither a new phenomenon, nor is it unique to India.  But why do these attacks occur?  And how is it that other countries seem to be very successful in managing this problem?

For this we need to understand the problem at a deeper level.  Let's consider some of the issues at play. 

As a disclaimer, let me also add I am not justifying malpractice of any kind.  The medical professional is not above law, and not for a moment am I suggesting that there are no cases of medical negligence at all.  If anything, the medical field is one of the most error-prone professions and is definitely not an exact science.  There have been horrific cases of medical negligence, and unethical practices that need to be addressed through proper channels.  Even then, taking the law into one's own hands and resorting to violence are definitely unacceptable.

There are, no doubt, several measures that doctors and hospitals can take to help the victims of wanton attacks.  Representative bodies are already looking into these, and considering legislative and legal alternatives as well.

The purpose of this article is not to 'firefight', but to look at how to mitigate the risk of attacks altogether.  In keeping with the oft repeated medical truism, 'prevention is better than cure', the purpose is to look at preventing these attacks from occurring in the first place.  

So, who are likely to be assaulted?
Statistics suggest that junior doctors; on-call doctors; those working in high risk areas such as casualty, ICU, CCU, PICU and NICU; doctors working in lonely setups and remote areas; and those in government setups are most prone to being assaulted by patient's attenders.

Who are likely to assault?
Those with a short-temper; proneness to violence; those in nexus with powerful people; people from lower socioeconomic strata; and those under the influence of alcohol and other substances.  

What might be the possible risk factors for assault?  
Sudden and unexpected bad news, such as disease and death; loss of a child; deaths from road-traffic accidents; failed resuscitation attempts; and death on the operating table.  

When two or more of the above situations coincide, the imminent risk of violence is very high.  Analysis of the individual cases of assaults that have occurred thus far will confirm this.

What can be done to prevent these attacks?  
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are a few suggestions:

1. Communication:

Medical profession is concerned with the human condition, and involves daily interaction with patients and their families who have varying levels of awareness about medical matters.  

The Medical Council of India includes the topic of communication skills in the two-month foundation course that precedes the medical undergraduate course, in addition to making it a part of the core competencies expected of Indian Medical Graduates.  

However, to what extent this implemented across various medical colleges, in addition to the core subjects that comprise the medical course is not known.  From what I have seen, junior doctors are not very competent communicators, and what they say in certain situations may easily be misinterpreted, or worse, may sound derogatory and patronising to a patient or his relative. 

Take for example the phenomenon of grief reaction.  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has described its five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.  While the entire process of grief and bereavement may last up to six months, the first two stages, denial and anger, which frequently occur together, can lead to an immediate flare up when the news of death is broken to the patient's attenders.  The need to ventilate the sudden outburst of shock and angst takes over, and the nearest 'punching bag' - the doctor who gave the bad news - has to bear the brunt.

It is also worthwhile remembering that grief does not have to progress according to these stages.  Each one of us is unique, and so are our reactions to adverse situations.  Therefore the initial emotional shock may manifest in any manner, depending upon the presence or absence of the risk factors listed above.

Therefore there is a very real need for training in communication skills to be inculcated at an early stage in the medical career.  Trainees should practise these skills again and again to get them right in real life situations.  

Breaking bad news is an art in itself, which not many doctors are good at.  It involves several steps that are frequently not followed: setting the scene, assessing the patient's/attender's knowledge about the illness, breaking the news gently, taking an empathetic approach (for example, generous doses of 'I am sorry', and offering water/tissues), and providing further help/assistance as necessary.

2. Hospital policies:

Issues such as working conditions, infrastructure, working hours per day/week should be looked into.  High risk areas of hospitals should be equipped with counselling rooms with CCTV monitoring and presence of security personnel, especially at the time of breaking bad news.  

There should be a zero-tolerance approach to violence towards medical personnel.  In all cases of assault, as a standard practice, legal route should be pursued by the hospital administration.  Statistics from western countries suggest that successful prosecutions go a long way in reducing the risk of violence towards medical personnel.  

3. Legislation:  

According to a recent report, 53 cases of assault on doctors have occurred in India over the last two years, but there hasn't been a single conviction.  Contrast this with Australia, where a prison sentence of up to 14 years is meted out to the offenders.  

But then again, why would there be any convictions, if the representatives of the highly honourable judiciary of the land issue statements such as:

'if doctors do not want to work without security, they are not fit for the profession',

and

'you are not factory workers who resort to such protests...shame on you!'

This is rich coming from a system that is known to be corrupt to the core, sits for decades on hundreds of thousands of pending cases, and finally delivers judgments which can only be described as gross injustice, or in some cases, ludicrous.  It has been rightly said that there is a lot of law in the courts, but not enough justice.  

Many judicial office bearers are high on ego, and are a cantankerous lot who make loose-cannon statements such as those listed above.  They frequently take a highhanded, judgmental and condescending attitude towards all that they look down upon from their lofty perches.

It is time that the legal eagles and their bosses are asked to account for their shortcomings.  

I hope the government of the day will bring about some amendments to reform the legal system, and will also strive to improve the lot of the doctors.  

I am forwarding this write-up to the Prime Minister's Office as a mark of protest, and as a request for his affirmative intervention in the matter.  

Please also read other articles on harsh rules governing the medical field and who should become a doctor in this article and video.

References:

1. Ayurveda-vedanta: The Vedanta of Life Science, Atmatattva Dasa, Tattva Prakasha, Volume One, Issue Nine - November 9, 2001 (http://veda.krishna.com/encyclopedia/ayurvedanta.htm)

2. Vision 2015 document, Medical Council of India (http://www.mciindia.org/tools/announcement/MCI_booklet.pdf)

3. 53 doctors attacked in two years, not a single conviction, Mumbai Mirror, 22 March 2017 (http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/53-doctors-attacked-in-two-years-not-a-single-conviction/articleshow/57761708.cms)

4. The 5 Stages of Grief and Other Lies That Don't Help Anyone, Megan Devine, 12 November 2013 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/megan-devine/stages-of-grief_b_4414077.html)

Book conversations: The Cyber Effect

Dr Mary Aiken, a leading expert in the field of cyber-psychology writes an apt book for the time we are living in.  In this she describes such baffling new age terminologies as catfishing, bots, cyber-bullying, online syndication, internet gaming addiction, and the dread inducing Deep Web.

Never heard of these terminologies?  Then grab hold of this book to know more.  And it is not sufficient to know about them, but be you also need to be prepared.  As Aiken puts it, to beat an online criminal, you need to think like one.  Because it is not just about your cyber-safety, it is also about the safety of your near and dear ones, especially the children whose vulnerability to online scams and abuse is enhanced in the cyberspace.  

Aiken readily admits that this is a developing field, and the rapid advance in cyber-technology makes it very difficult to keep abreast of the evolving threats.  Therefore evidence based studies are hard to come by in this field.  Instead she relies on an intuitive approach and educated conjecturing to understand and name the cyber-phenomena.  

This book has helped me be more aware of the cyber-risks.  I have also started motivating medical students, who are tech savvy, but unaware of these risks, to be more mindful of them.  Recently, when they were preparing for a seminar on behavioural addictions, I made sure they also included internet addiction in the presentation. 

I have also recommended the book to a software professional friend of mine (we work together for a mental health charity) for probable locally relevant collaborative applications such as cyber-counselling and cyber-awareness.   

Image source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41eiZGlyyCL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Book conversations: The Girl on the Train

Ever wondered what goes on in all those houses whose backyards you gaze at, as the London's tube that you are sitting in rolls onto its destination?  

Hawkins takes this basic premise and adds the thriller/mystery element to it to come up with an engaging tale of secrets, murder, abuse and memories.

The main protagonist, Rachel is an atypical lead, in the sense that everything about her is rather depressing and dilapidated.  She is divorced, she is fat, not too good looking, she loses her bearings quite often, and to top it all, she is hopelessly alcohol dependent.  

Still, one can't help sympathizing with her, and hope that everything works out well for her in the end.  And that, I think is what Hawkins has admirably achieved in this novel.  Perhaps because of these very flaws, Rachel comes across as a relatable character. 

I do like the format: the narrative taken forward through the eyes of the three women, told at different times and adding to the unfolding mystery.  Then there are the leitmotifs: the trains and alcohol.  In fact, the two go together, as Rachel continues to drink throughout while travelling on the tube.

There is enough of the mystery element to keep you engrossed till the end.  The revelation and the sting in the tail are well depicted.  

In the end, it is London's trains that remain with you; another character unto themselves in the book, with their screeching, undulating movements as they run back and forth along the tracks behind all those similar looking houses.



Image source: https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/01/16/17/the-girl-on-the-train.jpg

Article on vegetarianism/veganism

My article on vegetarianism/veganism, written in a Q&A format that addresses issues raised by non-vegetarians to justify himsa to procure aahara. 

http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/ethical_living/dont-nv-non-vegetarian-diet/

Book conversations: The Ivory Throne

We have all been intrigued by the news of the treasures underneath the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.  This was the carrot on the stick for me, for taking on the onerous task of perusing this nearly 600 page epic.  It took some doing, but I was not disappointed.  In the process, I was enlightened on the life of one of the most underrated and unrecognised royal figures of India: Queen Regent Sethu Lakshmi Bayi.

Manu S. Pillai takes on the gargantuan task of retelling the story of the Travancore Royal House and comes up trumps.  Even though this is said to be his debut release, his proficiency in digging up voluminous historical records, chasing up those who know about the said history, and coming up with an engaging account of the royal family is not entirely surprising considering he has worked with the likes of Shashi Tharoor, who we know is an adept in this very field.

Throughout, Pillai's fondness towards Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi is evident, as he goes about highlighting the goodness of her character, and her farsighted public works as the Queen Regent - something, he points out, even Gandhiji was in awe of.  This is in contrast to the character of the Junior Maharani and her family, who come across as petty and scheming.

Palace intrigue, black magic, petty royal disputes, underhand political moves, colonial mores, and alleged profligacy - they are all there in ample measure, as the narrative makes an epic sweep of the history of late 19th and early 20th Century South Kerala region.  

While nobody wanted a princely dominion to remain outside the nascent republic of India just after independence, it is nevertheless sad to note the gradual isolation and obviation of the Maharani.  (Apparently her elder daughter first moved to Malleswaram in Bengaluru from Kerala - I would love to know where exactly, as I happen to live there.)

In addition to learning about the Queen, there are three less known pieces of information that stand out for me from the book: 

1. the early history of Kerala, when Vasco da Gama and his Portuguese sailors resorted to piracy in the Arabian sea before they could gain access to the markets of Kochi
2. the unfortunate decline of the matrilineal system of family leadership after the British occupied India and forcibly applied their puritanical rules on the society 
3. Raja Ravi Varma's role in the royal life (he was the grandfather of the Maharani), and the fact that he was not a 'raja' at all!

A little bit more information about the Ivory Throne itself would have been helpful.  And Pillai talks about the ongoing temple treasure strife only towards the end, and points out that the matter is pending decision by the Supreme Court.  It would be interesting to know what the verdict would be, especially since the current royal family that is involved in the legal imbroglio happens to be from the Junior Rani's side of the family. 

Overall, a highly revealing and engaging scholarly work that is worth your time.

Image source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MD21vjoTL._SX311_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Book conversations: How to be a Literary Sensation

Krishna Shastri Devulapalli does to writing what Rishi Piparaiya does to flying, with an equally unpronounceable surname!

And the humour in this one is as good.  

But I guess the joke's on me.  Because - yes, I admit it - I took the title on its face value.  

Literally literally, if you like.  And came a cropper.

The crossed out 'financial' replaced with 'artistic' should have given the clue.  But I did not take it.

The book has nothing to do with how to be a good writer.

The first half is about Devulapalli's encounters with colourful characters from his life.

And the second half takes a dig on just about all aspects of a writerly life - including the 'gas generated at lit fests', and his pet peeve: books on the theme of 'loss and redemption'.  

There are several laugh-out-loud (LOL, silly!) moments.

I definitely won't be a 'literary sensation', but at least I had a good laugh.  

So go for it if you have had enough of loss and redemption.  (Whatever the hell that is, by the way... I mean BTW).

Image source: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tSV1yfyXL._SX323_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg