Flags and Songs

“Ah! Look at them!” I remarked.

“Today is Kannada Rajyos…ttttava magale” Appa said, as always never getting it right. Any ‘Utsava’ is always an ‘Ustava’ for him and I like making him say that. No matter how hard we try at home to correct his pronunciation he does not get better. I find it cute, his tongue rolling problems!

This was on our way back home this afternoon; a caravan of auto rickshaws was passing by us. When it comes to auto drivers in Bengaluru, there are two things one can always associate with them. Firstly their immense love for the veteran actor and director Shankar Nag which in a way defines the idea of fandom, secondly the de facto flag of our state Karnataka which flutters on their autos with much passion and pride.

Come first of November and the entire city is painted yellow and red, to add to the revelry we have the iconic song of our Annavru, Dr Raj Kumar which is nothing less than an anthem. I know you are already humming it as you are reading this! ‘Huttidare Kannada naadali huttabeku’ I must have heard it a dozen times today and definitely have sung a line or two along. One cannot resist it I tell you.

So what makes these days, flags and songs so special. Is it that we are overly patriotic about our State? A month ago or so we saw the other end of the spectrum with the Cauvery water issue which is better not discussed here. On Kannada Rajyotsava there is something beyond the usual flag hoisting and march past that happen in government bodies in Karnataka. Celebrating such days while we scoot away with our daily humdrum gives us a sense of identity and belonging. This day is not just about the formation of the State in 1956. It no longer is so simple, we are in a state of constant transition. I doubt if we can call it great though. People of this city now seek collective refuge and comfort. I was speaking to an auto driver outside my hospital today. Surprisingly his auto looked a little sober for the day. I asked him where is the flag on his auto. He replied

“Yar Madam adikella kaas karch madthare? Mansali mathe kelsadalli idre saaku!”

[Meaning to say who will spend so much money to deck the vehicle up, let it be in my heart and work! ]

He did not seem any less of a Kanandiga to me.

 The procession :-)

ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವದ ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

#Kannadarajyotsava2016 #Karnataka #namoorujana #nammabaavuta #autorickshaws #soBangalore #celebrations #Shankarnag #autodriversofBangalore #suchislife #livingtoday

 -R.

The Scavengers

This post is in the list of Blogadda's Tangy Tuesday Picks of October 4th, 2016 

"Everyone must be his own scavenger"

-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi-

My two cents to Baapu today, the only thing he can do is this, leap out of this beautiful street art and do the needful. I have been commuting through Bannerghatta Road of Bangalore for the past two years; and I must say that once upon a time this place looked a tad bit better. This is somewhere on the five hundred metre stretch from Shopper’s Stop to the Jeddimara junction, right on the main road, travelling on this road is as good as getting a breath holding test done to check your cardiopulmonary reserve. I stopped by and clicked a picture today for it is something which perfectly defines our defiance amidst all the celebrations. People have thrown enough garbage for Gandhi to do his part, to be his own scavenger! 

Today on the birth anniversary of Gandhiji and Shastrji our Prime Minister and our government with all the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ wants us to make this unfathomable dream of a clean India come true. Before we catch hold of a broom and pose for a photograph and send it across as requested, well there is a lot of introspection to do.

Every time I pass by this place, I think of the Samaritan who drew this on the wall, I think of his or her effort and of all the people who may see it. I wonder how many of us can figure out the intention behind this art. It is to create a new mindset and to educate people but look at all the garbage around! Ironically ‘Shramdaan’ happens only on days such as today and constructing ’Shouchalyas’ remain only as winsome advices from film stars. A while before I clicked this picture a man was happily taking a leak and a few others were tip toeing around awaiting their turn. Nature calls in the wee hours of morning you see. Civility demanded I turn around and look at the other side, that's the most I could do!

Normally it is impossible to walk on this stretch of the road, with children defecating on the footpath, garbage and filth piled at every twenty feet of distance and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike workers half willingly cleaning and scavenging the area. And mind you this is all on one of the busiest roads of the Garden City and Silicon Valley of India, the situation elsewhere in Bengaluru I bet isn’t any different. I wish the Palike of our city and the people of this locality looked into this matter, at least today. Look at our Baapu smiling on the wall despite what he has been offered! Before we think on what is the best tribute we pay our leaders and country, we as citizens are duty bound to sustain what we have already been provided with, knowledge or amenities. Somehow in India, this never seems to happen. Lakhs of villages and hundreds of cities are now declared Open Defecation Free. Bless the data and statistics, let us include them in our bag of achievements. All the advertisements and campaigns in fact are nothing but a veil of development; our Indianness is here to stay for a long time to come. 

So what am I complaining about? Well I could have gone ahead with an enthusiastic team today [of which there is no dearth especially on such occasions!] to clean this place and sent a picture to Modiji, put it up on social media and all. You know with the masks and caps and tees and boots and brooms in hand but which fellow Indian can assure me that after a couple of months this place will not bear the brunt again? I cannot wait till the next Gandhi Jayanthi or any other Jayanthi for that matter to go ahead and clean my Bengaluru. I am writing this with a larger issue in mind, of personal hygiene and a sense of personal health. One cannot expect one’s neighbour to come and scoop up what one throws on the road. Unless every individual realizes that his own cleanliness comes before his own happiness and somebody else's too, all community efforts are futile. Let godliness stay where it wants, to each his own. When it comes to cleanliness, nobody can better our lives. We have to do it ourselves, it's a responsibility which is strictly personal, just like one's belief.

-R. 

#october2nd #gandhijayanthi #lalbahadurshastrijayanti #soIndian #swachhbharat #defiance #cleanonlyforaday #campaignsofIndia #NaMo #whowillcleanthiscountry #happygandhijayanthi #celebrations #nationaldays #narendramodi #hamaraBharathmahankyunkihummahan #sobangalore #trelltalebangalore #myblr #namoorujana #bangalorediaries #India #failinginitiatives #Indiatoday#thingsthatiamnotproudof #swachhbharatabhiyan #bbmp #bengalurumahanagarapalike

Of Grass And God

When there is a festive occasion at home and my folks are busy putting things in order I have this habit of asking questions about the procedures that are being followed so fervently. They always answer them with a lot of patience, accepting or refuting their explanations thankfully is up to me. Today is Ganesha Chowthi, the fourth day of Shuklapaksha of Bhadrapada celebrated with much grandeur across the country to honour Ganesha's birthday, and like any other Indian God he has his special requirements. Twenty one seems to be his favourite number. Twenty one names, twenty one flowers, twenty one leaves and twenty one sit ups. I had returned home from the hospital this morning and the first thing Amma reminds me to do is this customary exercise, so holding my ears with crossed hands and reciting this sloka I began.

"Benaka benaka...

Ekadanta....

Pachegallu...

Panipeeta...

Muthinunde...

Honnagante

Inthopuva Sri Siddhi Vinayaka

Devara padakke namo namasthe!"

Up and down, twenty one times!

“Why ‘Garike’ hullu Amma?”

I asked looking at the fresh green grass that was offered to him and as always was thinking of something else.

“Governments rise and fall, machines rust away, great buildings crumble, but mountains still stand, rivers flow to the sea and the earth is clothed in grass and verdure. Nature gives. And takes away. And gives again...”

So writes Ruskin Bond in his book‘The Book of Nature’. And here we were offering the same grass to God. A friend of mine had opined over a conversation just yesterday ’Nature is God’ and that echoed strongly now.

There are two versions to the story behind Ganesha’s special liking towards this grass. Apparently an Apsara in heaven wanted to marry him and she disturbed his meditation, he declined her proposal and in return she cursed him. He started having some burning sensation on his forehead and this grass came to his rescue. The second story is more interesting, Ganesha devoured a demon named Analasura who was troubling Yamaloka. This demon had the power to emit fire, so when he ended up in Ganesha’s stomach he gave him hell of a time. Thousands of sages offered this grass to Ganesha which reduced his discomfort. And therefore it is concluded that if you were ever to give Ganesha one thing, it has to be this ‘Garike hullu’.

Mythical I know but this was not what Amma told me today. She looked at me with some sort of amusement, it was more than the gratification she got because I was listening to her like every year.

“Hmmm…because he has an elephant head right and elephants are herbivores…they love eating grass…what Zoology have you learnt in school Oppi! Now go eat the Kadubu I have made!” she said and continued her effort to please Ganesha.

She heard the conflict in my head, maybe.

-R.

For The Sweet People

“Daktre nange sugar ide!”

This is something I get to hear from every fourth person I meet. ”Doctor, I have sugar!” With India being the diabetes capital of the world, a spacious home to about 60 million people living with this disorder there is a lot more that needs to be done in this regard. As a  doctor I would like to share a few thoughts today on World Diabetes Day. 'Healthy Living And Diabetes' is the theme for the period 2014-2016.

 

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Diabetes has no longer remained a problem of the rich. A day ago one of the house keeping staff of my laboratory came to me.

“Madam! 279 Madam! Is it because of the Diwali sweets?”

I gave him some serious advice. I told him to go for a check up, for some more laboratory tests and for a dietitian consultation, but the indifference with which he responded only made me realize that this diabetes problem is a tough one to deal with in this country. It requires a multifaceted approach. Do visit the Diabetes Foundation Of India to know more on what is being done in India.

 My concern is that there are innumerable myths around this non-communicable disease. I would like to throw some light on the most popular.   

• SUGAR is synonymous with DIABETES.

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 No. Diabetes has reached such magnitude that we need to be a tad serious about it. Sugar does not mean diabetes, let us get more rational and scientific. 

• INSULIN is worse than TABLETS. 

 

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No. Treatment has to be monitored by a diabetologist. Do visit one before getting into self medications. What works for one patient may not work for the other. 

• I only have to STOP EATING SWEETS.

 

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No. Diabetics require a diet. There is nothing like no sweets. We all are born with a sweet tooth, aren’t we? And that too with so many festivals that have to be celebrated every fortnight! But yes, we need to watch what we eat, when we eat and how much we eat!  

• My PARENTS DON’T HAVE DIABETES, So I WON’T GET IT. 

No. Although there is familial predisposition there is no science behind this baseless thought. Diabetes is a lifestyle disorder, mind you it is a DISORDER and not a disease.  

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• I HAVE 'ONLY' DIABETES.  

NO. This is a major misconception among diabetics. You know that constant feeling of self assurance 'Nothing is wrong, it is only diabetes' The first step towards living with and solving a problem is accepting it followed by gaining knowledge about it. Diabetes can lead to multiple health issues, if I were to list it as a risk factor for the number of other diseases I can begin and end a major medicine textbook.

 

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 Some diabetics do good and live with it like they have no problem at all, what I see in them is the difference in attitude - diet, exercise, medicines, health updates and most importantly 'HAPPINESS'- Hakunamatata! :-)

My mother is someone who believes not in fighting with diabetes, but in living smart with it :-D

She was the one who reminded me this morning.

 “Aren’t you going to wish me today?” she asked.

“Why?” I questioned in reply looking at her adorable smile.

“Today is World Diabetes Day, it is kind of my day” she said.

And we laughed.

We had gorged on this last week. Haha! :-)

-R.