I must have attended around 15-20 training workshops in the last 4-5 years, I have been in this industry... Generally the most boring ones are the non - technical ones... eg.. Quality, Processes, Leadership management, Time Management... They are all drabby.. and all that I care for while attending such summons is the lunch from the hotel or maybe whether the presenter has good enough "vital" stats herself to keep me awake from post lunch.
I had the same thots when I had submitted an "ayes" to the coordinator, (and after many threats ) regarding a Competency Based Interviewing Workshop about a week back. Though we are a growing institution, and we have to have a head count of this and that and we have to scientify and objectify.. and transparentify .. and efficientify... and blah-blah-ify our interviewing process... the fact that I have 2 consecutive project deliveries lined up the next week... made me much irritated about the prospects of losing out on 1 full day..
So I reached the venue quite a bit late... and was thanking myself to have missed out on a couple of sessions. The co-ordinator was some big shot, IIT-IIMs combined... had a jewelled "past history" and as is usual with these ppl.. an orator and a word juggler more than a teacher of the topic at hand... Of course agar idhar udhar kii baatein nahi karega to ek puura din kaise khatam hoega..
We were a group of 12 people during the day long exercise; people from all verticals of our industry and good names from our company.. from both an IT background and domain scientists.. So I was rest assured.. I could play my sleep away to oblivion card.
The presentations and the general discussions went along fine.. By 'fine' I mean the way expected... even the nice chick had "done her act of the day" :) :)
Then came the most loathed part... the part where the trainees are to perform.. You would have to mutter something... get corrected in the process.. the trainer will have the "see I told you so" smug look on his face ...
He divided us into 3 groups of 4 each with Ages, height and color seeming the only arbitration... and declared.. "You 3 panels will now interview .. 3 different candidates.. from different backgrounds and for different posts.. and at different stages of the interview.. " Each 'interview' was to take an hour or so.. With an hour more of post analysis, and objective evaluation, and eventually panel evaluation and statistics plotting..
We read up our matter.. The resumes, the directions.. the evaluation tables, the rating indexes... the roles to play.. for the technical or the behaviorial round.. or te stress round. or any other.. and how to develop questions..
But then came the unexpected...
Suddenly, out came 3 of our own senior managers themselves !!. They were to be the candidates.. We had no clue that this is going to happen.. Till before we were discussing .. "Let the buggers come.. We will flay them... " ... And now we could hear all the panels including ourselves murmuring "Sh*t, we're screwed" ..
Anyways.. this was hardly the time for goosebumps or a change of gameplan... The managers made it easy themselves .. with lots of laughing around.. and joking that this is the time when we could settle all our scores... etc..
The first panel went inside the "glass room " .. We were watching from outside...
This was a second technical round case.. and our manager was just awesome.. He made up a perfect.. UP waala accent.. in some touches... a Bihari one.. and he screwed up his conversation totally... he gave the impression .. that he knew the whole thing technically... but stuttered at every step while explaining it to the guys... and on top of it.. it was hilarous to see such a dignified and senior manager acting like the UP waala bhaiiya.. and with the "yes.. sir.. i know everything sir.. ho jaayega sir whatever you say sir.. " image .. but being equally clever, in poise and true to his task at the same time.. Everything that the candidates would ask him was replied with "yes sir, ok sir." At one time it got a bit out of hand.. the very first question.. instead of anil Patel.. the interview misread his name as Anil Patil.. and our manager gave an impromptu " no sir.. me Patel sir.. . but whatever u say sir".. We all burst out laughing from outside.. . At the end of it.. technically anyone couldnt ruffle a feather on him.. He was good... But he almost irritatedmost of the panel so much into not taking him for his communication skills.. a fact which was not required for his job profile at all...
Our group was next..
We had demarcated our job roles.. and also positions... One of us would be the Applications and Solutions Head, one for the Products and Systems, one the Services person, and finally the Quality and Process guy... 3 HRs had joined our training and one was therefore added to our group too... Since I was the youngest (in fact the next older guy in the whole group must have been 3-4 years my senior) ..., and because I had no interviewing experience in this company, I was made the Quality and Processes guy, as that was something I WOULD definitely have learnt all through my 3-4 years in the industry and cos they were quite independant of technical jargon I might have to ask. in case we were told to interview for a technical round..
We faced one of our very good scientists.. She was being quizzed for a position in shop floor manager for a transformer factory after doing something similar in the automobile industry... THis was going to be her semi final round .. . And Man was she haughty... She kept complaining about some smell... and the fact that she had already given 5 rounds.. and when was it to end.. She kept harping.. "But I have told this to you before" and again.. she was again a stunner in technical aspects... more a tall speaker... But in this case.. we at the end of the round could not really get an inch from her.. cos she would talk tall about everything else.. in absolute extravagance and pomp about the way she handled herself and her roles in her current company... and we ppl were were not at all experienced to handle any such candidate.. She conducted the whole of the interview, controlled the flow.. and we ended up talking more about her role about our company and about the onsite options.. than what we could gain from her...
The 3rd one was equally horrible from the panel point of view... For the post of a SQA, TQM guy.. the candidate ( Himself our Processes and CMM-i manager (LOL !!! ) ) was very rigid.. spoke only in terse words.. asked clarification.. from any question posed to him.. .. never spoke more than 4 lines... It was surprising that all 4 technical persons.. gave a positive feedback for him.. because.. this is exactly what you require from quality people. Just do a job in black and white.. if there are no procedures.. I am not doing the job.. etc.. Some lines that he spoke were even dumb and rash, foolhardy.. with a I dont care what happens. to the next cubicle person attitude .. but thats the characteristic required... But when thats was done.. he totally changed his attitude with the HR !! for the HR .. within moments.. he got himself a 2 months.. joining. with a 15 day leave.. with a separate round of negotiation .. later separately for the salary.. he avoided a direct bargaining to his salary in his technical round..
Interviewing is a tough job.. especially in a company.. where above 7-10 : 1 is the sucess ratio..
From the behaviorial aspects.. to evaluate the entry to the exit was itself was a handful , the hand shake (whether limp, finger tip, fleeting, persistent, soft, arm pumping !!) , the posture (slouched , cross legged , stiff, casual, relaxed ).. General Talking ( too much, little , to the point , nowhere near the point, "Ummm"s , "Actually"s, "You know"s, "aaaa"s,) the no of superlatives... ,eye contact , Past employers (negative, positive , sarcastic, euphemistic, indifference), The slabs and sheets itself took 1/2 and hour to fill.. and by time we started writing the detailed reasons.. it was already a tiresome task...
Anyways.. Had a good time.,. The best part is when you realize that these managers know exactly the way they could shape / regulate their own interviews.. control their 'panel' of inexperienced interviewers.. and in the process.. also demonstrate to us themselves.. what are the traits.. how to handle extreme cases.. how not to have any pre-conceived notions.. and how to put the cause of the company in a positive way before the candidate.. Their experience of handling 100s of interviews themselves came to the fore.. 'twas a wonderful experience..
Since this is my last post.. of 2004.. I wish every one reading this a very happy new year 2005
Plan to spend the year end at Akhil's place .. with a bunch of other friends.. food , drinks,Spaghetti , balloons, music are being stashed up... Hope to have a good time..
Adios..
Currently on the jukebox...
"I would die for you , Climb the highest mountain ..
Baby, there's nothing, I wouldn't do...
I was standing, all alone against the world outside
You were searching, for a place to hide
Lost and lonely... Now you've given me the will to survive
When we're hungry...love will keep us alive"
Love Will Keep Us Alive - The Eagles (Hell Freezes Over)
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Monday, December 27, 2004
Tsunamied...
Its really heart-rendering...
A staggering magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter Scale, walls of water more than two stories high across the Bay of Bengal, slamming into coastal communities 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away, Sumatra struck by a series of powerful aftershocks, hours after the quake.
The following is compiled from CNN and eweek...
The Destruction ....
The toll right now is 4300 for India and running .. .another 500 fishermen still missing and thats still a conservative estimate...
Some 8,800 people killed in India and Sri Lanka alone... Total count till now 13000
First step ... Join the watchdogs ..
A) An international warning system started in 1965, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Member states include all the major Pacific rim nations in North America, Asia and South America, was well as the Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand. It also includes France, which has sovereignty over some Pacific islands, and Russia.
b) However, India and Sri Lanka are not members because tsunamis are much less frequent in the Indian Ocean. Tho Thailand belongs to the international tsunami warning network, its west coast does not have the system's wave sensors mounted on ocean buoys. The instruments are very expensive and countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka might not have the money to buy them. They are no tidal gauges. There are no buoys present in the Indian Ocean.
c) The warning system analyzes earthquake information from several seismic networks, which is fed into computer models that model how and where a tsunami might form. It dispatches warnings about imminent tsunami hazards, predicts how fast the waves are traveling and their expected arrival times in specific geographic areas. As the waves rush past tidal stations in the ocean, bulletins updating the tsunami warning are issued. Other models generate "inundation maps" of what areas could be damaged, and what communities might be spared.
Not all earthquakes generate tsunamis. The warning center typically does not issue warnings for earthquakes below magnitude 7.0, which are still unusually powerful events
Some facts ...
a) A tsunami is not a single wave, but a series of traveling ocean waves, generated when geologic forces displace sea water in the ocean basin. The bigger the earthquake, the more the Earth's crust shifts and the more seawater begins to move.
b) Most are triggered by large earthquakes but they can be caused by landslides, volcanoes and even meteor impacts.
c) Waves typically radiate out in directions opposite from the seismic disturbance. Tho most tsunamis occur in the Pacific because the ocean basin is rimmed by the Ring of Fire, a long chain of the Earth's most seismically active spots .
d) A single wave in a tsunami series might be 160 kilometers (100 miles) long and race across the ocean at 1,000 km/h (600 mph). When it approaches a coastline, the wave slows dramatically, loses its power due to the friction.. but it also rises to great heights because the enormous volume of water piles up in shallow coastal bays.
This can happen again ..
Indonesia comes in between the Eurasia and the Australia tectonic plates.. Any seismic activiy will almost always affect Indian and Sri Lankan shores..
The fault line was deep off the Sumatra coast, running north and south for about 600 miles or as far north as the Andaman and Nicobar islands deforming the sea floor all the way along this rupture, and initiated the tsunamis. Analysts talk about a 10 - 30 m vertical shift in the plates.. over a 600 miles shelf... thats huge..
In a tsunami, waves typically radiate out in directions opposite from the seismic disturbance. In the case of this quake, the seismic fault ran north to south beneath the ocean floor, while the tsunami waves shot out west and east. Hence.. India Sri Lanka or even Somalia came under its range
The Local Tamil channels show far more gruesome and horrifying images the the DD channels or BBC.. I hope the Govt. can bring relief to all those who have been injured.. or have lost their loved ones.. are without homes and have lost their source of living...
A staggering magnitude of 8.9 on the Richter Scale, walls of water more than two stories high across the Bay of Bengal, slamming into coastal communities 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away, Sumatra struck by a series of powerful aftershocks, hours after the quake.
The following is compiled from CNN and eweek...
The Destruction ....
The toll right now is 4300 for India and running .. .another 500 fishermen still missing and thats still a conservative estimate...
Some 8,800 people killed in India and Sri Lanka alone... Total count till now 13000
First step ... Join the watchdogs ..
A) An international warning system started in 1965, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Member states include all the major Pacific rim nations in North America, Asia and South America, was well as the Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand. It also includes France, which has sovereignty over some Pacific islands, and Russia.
b) However, India and Sri Lanka are not members because tsunamis are much less frequent in the Indian Ocean. Tho Thailand belongs to the international tsunami warning network, its west coast does not have the system's wave sensors mounted on ocean buoys. The instruments are very expensive and countries like Thailand and Sri Lanka might not have the money to buy them. They are no tidal gauges. There are no buoys present in the Indian Ocean.
c) The warning system analyzes earthquake information from several seismic networks, which is fed into computer models that model how and where a tsunami might form. It dispatches warnings about imminent tsunami hazards, predicts how fast the waves are traveling and their expected arrival times in specific geographic areas. As the waves rush past tidal stations in the ocean, bulletins updating the tsunami warning are issued. Other models generate "inundation maps" of what areas could be damaged, and what communities might be spared.
Not all earthquakes generate tsunamis. The warning center typically does not issue warnings for earthquakes below magnitude 7.0, which are still unusually powerful events
Some facts ...
a) A tsunami is not a single wave, but a series of traveling ocean waves, generated when geologic forces displace sea water in the ocean basin. The bigger the earthquake, the more the Earth's crust shifts and the more seawater begins to move.
b) Most are triggered by large earthquakes but they can be caused by landslides, volcanoes and even meteor impacts.
c) Waves typically radiate out in directions opposite from the seismic disturbance. Tho most tsunamis occur in the Pacific because the ocean basin is rimmed by the Ring of Fire, a long chain of the Earth's most seismically active spots .
d) A single wave in a tsunami series might be 160 kilometers (100 miles) long and race across the ocean at 1,000 km/h (600 mph). When it approaches a coastline, the wave slows dramatically, loses its power due to the friction.. but it also rises to great heights because the enormous volume of water piles up in shallow coastal bays.
This can happen again ..
Indonesia comes in between the Eurasia and the Australia tectonic plates.. Any seismic activiy will almost always affect Indian and Sri Lankan shores..
The fault line was deep off the Sumatra coast, running north and south for about 600 miles or as far north as the Andaman and Nicobar islands deforming the sea floor all the way along this rupture, and initiated the tsunamis. Analysts talk about a 10 - 30 m vertical shift in the plates.. over a 600 miles shelf... thats huge..
In a tsunami, waves typically radiate out in directions opposite from the seismic disturbance. In the case of this quake, the seismic fault ran north to south beneath the ocean floor, while the tsunami waves shot out west and east. Hence.. India Sri Lanka or even Somalia came under its range
The Local Tamil channels show far more gruesome and horrifying images the the DD channels or BBC.. I hope the Govt. can bring relief to all those who have been injured.. or have lost their loved ones.. are without homes and have lost their source of living...
Friday, December 24, 2004
A Fogged up journey and other stories
Here is wishing everyone a very happy christmas , and a happy new year 2005 (in advance)
The Delhi Fog has accounted for my parents trip to Kolkata.. and with no more non-pocket emptying flight tickets available right now.. they just could grab a 2nd AC reservation in one of the not so good trains that latitude across the country ... would be a loss of three days from their itinerary..
They say that the SLK Merc 350s arrived in Mumbai and available for a cool 5.6 million..Thats pretty good.. !! I am also waiting for the new Mits Lancer 2005.. I hope they release that in India along with the US as well in Feb... Awesome 300 horsepower.. and with the much talked Evolution 8 MR...
Bangalore is in a holiday mood.. I am sure.. all the cities are .. anyways.. . 1/2 the ppl in my office are on leaves.. Not much work being done.. and Lots of lighting on the roads.. here and there...
My close friend Mridul reaches the city on the 27th from Delhi.. so plan to enjoy with him for a day.. before he leaves for Kerala trip...
Pranay my flatmate... leaves for his new rented acco by the start of the year... . His office has shifted to the Airport Road from M.G. Road.. and I think its a tough ask commuting to his office everyday from the place where we stay... Will miss him @ home.
Anyways.. its pack-up time for this year... 2004 been warm to me... I have had my share of ups and downs.. I have progressed in life.. I have learned loads of stuff and become more mature.. well maybe.. .. .I have travelled places...and have started ventures.. met up with many new friends.. and most importantly .. I think I have learned from some of my mistakes.. and setbacks as well..
I hope 2005 follows the same trend.. I hope it gives me ample joyous moments to remember.. good places to visit and new people to meet and befriend... I hope I have a bit of failures and setbacks to learn from and then succeed. But I also hope I have a fare share of Lady Luck and the blessings of God. :)
Ciao.
Current Song: Sajjad Ali - "Sohni Lag Di"
Current Occupation : Consumption of Dual Voltage patterns and Modelling Regulation Windings :)) (Never Mind)
I look Forward to : Watching Swades at the Innovative Multiplex tomorrow ..
Current Book : Douglas E Comer.. Internetworking with TCP - IP
The Delhi Fog has accounted for my parents trip to Kolkata.. and with no more non-pocket emptying flight tickets available right now.. they just could grab a 2nd AC reservation in one of the not so good trains that latitude across the country ... would be a loss of three days from their itinerary..
They say that the SLK Merc 350s arrived in Mumbai and available for a cool 5.6 million..Thats pretty good.. !! I am also waiting for the new Mits Lancer 2005.. I hope they release that in India along with the US as well in Feb... Awesome 300 horsepower.. and with the much talked Evolution 8 MR...
Bangalore is in a holiday mood.. I am sure.. all the cities are .. anyways.. . 1/2 the ppl in my office are on leaves.. Not much work being done.. and Lots of lighting on the roads.. here and there...
My close friend Mridul reaches the city on the 27th from Delhi.. so plan to enjoy with him for a day.. before he leaves for Kerala trip...
Pranay my flatmate... leaves for his new rented acco by the start of the year... . His office has shifted to the Airport Road from M.G. Road.. and I think its a tough ask commuting to his office everyday from the place where we stay... Will miss him @ home.
Anyways.. its pack-up time for this year... 2004 been warm to me... I have had my share of ups and downs.. I have progressed in life.. I have learned loads of stuff and become more mature.. well maybe.. .. .I have travelled places...and have started ventures.. met up with many new friends.. and most importantly .. I think I have learned from some of my mistakes.. and setbacks as well..
I hope 2005 follows the same trend.. I hope it gives me ample joyous moments to remember.. good places to visit and new people to meet and befriend... I hope I have a bit of failures and setbacks to learn from and then succeed. But I also hope I have a fare share of Lady Luck and the blessings of God. :)
Ciao.
Current Song: Sajjad Ali - "Sohni Lag Di"
Current Occupation : Consumption of Dual Voltage patterns and Modelling Regulation Windings :)) (Never Mind)
I look Forward to : Watching Swades at the Innovative Multiplex tomorrow ..
Current Book : Douglas E Comer.. Internetworking with TCP - IP
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Piece of mind for the peace of mind
The accounts section of my center has not been able to pay my US apartment Bills, credited through my Amex card .. over a lakh in rupees.. of arrears.. for over 3 months. They are too lethargic to do it.. and it doesnt matter to them that the company is incurring thousands of Rs .. in late payment surcharges...
The only reason I can think of the delay is that my settlement documents included dozens of taxi bills.. , customized apartment and car bills.. and detailed settlement reports.. or maybe they think that this payment is too small to have a priority.. they must have had far more important things and far less hefty docs to have settled in the last 3 months.. So there.
Each of these credit card companies.. have their own money extraction ( read extortion ) squads.. ohh yes they outsource that too.. .. and well .. pestering payment defaulters is justified to a large extent ... maybe disabling of the cards is too.. but.. as the days go by .. the surveilance and requests turn to ... scolds, shouts and abuses.. and proper threats...
Today was a day when the Amex extractionist outfit operating sumwhere from Delhi crossed the line that separates decent taunts and muffled protests to Bashi-Bazouk mouthing..
And I got red.. looked like a blo*dy 2nd grade Delhi police verification.. starting from insisting my personal address., to the permanent one.. to proper threats... and he went on for 15 minutes.. and it was hard to even convince him that i was not in position to give him a post dated cheque today since the book was at home
2 minutes after the call.. and bearing in mind what all the adjacent cubicles from here and afar had heard of my part of the conversation... I went to the accounts section.. and gave them my piece of mind..
A Royal Piece o' Ma Mind.
and never mind the age difference with the auditor or the ratifier.. or the head... or any of tiddly piddlies who had assembled there
Maybe the voice was a bit too loud.. cos I saw the guy sitting at the farthest area at the other end of the floor stare at me later... but then .. its really hard .. to get abused for sumthing you are not responsible for.. and be smiley faced lovey dovey its-a-part-of-life I- can- understand about it.. .
Have had a talk with 2 of the senior managers.. and the investigations have definitely revealed 2-3 seriously profoundly critical reasons why the payment couldnt be done.. and obviously.. I feel the need of laughing the demons laugh again so that all and sundry can hear not just in this floor by right across the GMs office two floors below......
But maybe the peace of mind hemisphere of my brawny brain has prevailed over the piece of mind side this time around.. and the only thing I can picture right now is how easily the faces of all the accountants and their printed tie bosses perfectly fit into any thickest of the thick skinned animals that wander around this planet..
every one is back to merry making and internet gossip.
So hope fer a better day tomorrow.. I am leaving office... I dont have any inclination to work late today..
The only reason I can think of the delay is that my settlement documents included dozens of taxi bills.. , customized apartment and car bills.. and detailed settlement reports.. or maybe they think that this payment is too small to have a priority.. they must have had far more important things and far less hefty docs to have settled in the last 3 months.. So there.
Each of these credit card companies.. have their own money extraction ( read extortion ) squads.. ohh yes they outsource that too.. .. and well .. pestering payment defaulters is justified to a large extent ... maybe disabling of the cards is too.. but.. as the days go by .. the surveilance and requests turn to ... scolds, shouts and abuses.. and proper threats...
Today was a day when the Amex extractionist outfit operating sumwhere from Delhi crossed the line that separates decent taunts and muffled protests to Bashi-Bazouk mouthing..
And I got red.. looked like a blo*dy 2nd grade Delhi police verification.. starting from insisting my personal address., to the permanent one.. to proper threats... and he went on for 15 minutes.. and it was hard to even convince him that i was not in position to give him a post dated cheque today since the book was at home
2 minutes after the call.. and bearing in mind what all the adjacent cubicles from here and afar had heard of my part of the conversation... I went to the accounts section.. and gave them my piece of mind..
A Royal Piece o' Ma Mind.
and never mind the age difference with the auditor or the ratifier.. or the head... or any of tiddly piddlies who had assembled there
Maybe the voice was a bit too loud.. cos I saw the guy sitting at the farthest area at the other end of the floor stare at me later... but then .. its really hard .. to get abused for sumthing you are not responsible for.. and be smiley faced lovey dovey its-a-part-of-life I- can- understand about it.. .
Have had a talk with 2 of the senior managers.. and the investigations have definitely revealed 2-3 seriously profoundly critical reasons why the payment couldnt be done.. and obviously.. I feel the need of laughing the demons laugh again so that all and sundry can hear not just in this floor by right across the GMs office two floors below......
But maybe the peace of mind hemisphere of my brawny brain has prevailed over the piece of mind side this time around.. and the only thing I can picture right now is how easily the faces of all the accountants and their printed tie bosses perfectly fit into any thickest of the thick skinned animals that wander around this planet..
every one is back to merry making and internet gossip.
So hope fer a better day tomorrow.. I am leaving office... I dont have any inclination to work late today..
Monday, December 20, 2004
Live and Let Die...
Sample these.
a. A person crippled with Alzheimer's or some 3rd state terminal cancer.. the whole body is crumbling white with months of chemotherapy.. tho not on a support system..but in a half vegetate state.. the only sounds that come out are groans.. But since only voluntary suicide is acceptable in his nation, there is no question of relieving him of his misery, till his body cant take it anymore... and relieves itself.. maybe in a couple of months.. or maybe in a year.. .
b. A well known scholar .. yet inmate of a mental asylum for 5 years knocks on the doors of justice.. "If I have the right to Live... why cant I have the right to die? " You confine me . to the strait jacket ... inject sedatives.. chain me against 4 walls day and night.. make me mad .. and still.. dont allow me to kill myself...
c. Venkatesh, a muscular dystrophy patient, expresses his wish to be removed off the life support for the last couple of months, so that he can donate his organs to the needy. His argument is that the organs would deteriorate if he were not allowed to commit euthanasia within a month. The High Court rules that under the Organ Transplantation Act only brain dead or natural death allows for donation of organs. The patient dies after some time and the organs now cant be donated.
Lets now see what standing .. the legal and social governance in nations worldwide profess...
a) In the UK there is a possibility of up to 14 years imprisonment for anybody assisting a "suicide". Oddly, suicide itself is not a crime. Only the US State of Oregon has legalized euthanasia. Direct killing by euthanasia is a crime in Germany.. Denmark has no law.. while France has banned euthanasia journals..
b) Japan has legalized euthanaisa since 1962... while an Australian state.. first upheld and then repealed the right of euthanasia..
The republic of India also doesnt give individuals the right to euthanasia..
My question to anybody is... do we really have the right to deny self willed death to people? Do we really care for the person if we prolong his/her pain for weeks and months .. just to see him breathing and reconcile ourselves? Just try staying in the same posture.. lying on the bed .. for a week ... you will feel the pain...just try imaging the pain caused by a single bed sore.. leave aside any other suffering for weeks.. .. So why cant people be given the right to alleviate themselves of suffering..
The crux of the debate is in being able to gauge for sure the difference between euthanasia and suicide.. Thinking out aloud... Assisted Death in which of the above 3 points.. can be termed Euthanasia or needs to be indentified as criminal offence (assisted suicide) according to Penal Codes Worldwide... ? the 2nd point (the case of the lunatic scholar maybe) can come under the abetted suicide clause.. Ohh !!for sure, huh??... .. .but do we really feel that its not correct to let the lunatic die? Are we sure?
Most of the reservations against practising euthanasia seem pretty solid .. Legal experts question.. a) How do you really define terminal? Most doctors are themselves not sure. .how much time the patient has... so how much is a good enough.. or rather a bad enough time in this case? a week? a month? 6 months? Cant say for sure..
b) Non Voluntary Euthanasia? The child asking for it? Ahhhaa..... I know why.... cos a lethal drug takes 1000 rupees while you can end up spending half a million in six months.. for your half dead mother.. who isnt worth a tuppence herself ...
c) Every one wanting to commit suicide will apply for euthanasia.. Its the perfect condition for people to exploit, what is forced suicide and mercy killing... killings can be doctored...
BUt The most important contention against these arguments I have is that.. in the first place.. is it really an issue to be resolved through the dictums of Penal Code and by its ostiaries worldwide? The main reason told to Venkatesh and his supportive mother in the ruling against his claim for self death was... "Sorry... we cant change the rules for a single person"...
So tell me Mr. Chief Justice.. .does everybody suffering any ailment.. get the same amount of pain.. as a death bed patient?And do you really know of acute shortage of kidneys donors in our country and the fact that kidney donation can only be done by living persons ? Or maybe can you help the medical profession generalize in a single paragraph...all the terminal causes that lead to death.. and therefore your judgment can hold good for any citizen...any patient and in any case... But If not, how can you generalize rules governing death .. for any person.. regardless of what state / condition he is in?
Yes, The main fallacy of Laws and Penal Guidelines... that render them unavailable for exercising proper jugdement in such issues is .. is that they are actually just 10 line paragraphs inside a black book... that are wanting to capture all the nuances of the profession of medicine.. or economy.. or society.. They give any wig toting individual sitting with his hammer and board.. the right to decide without any iota of forethought critical issues that the profession of medicine still finds itself wanting to present viable solutions for ... The 10 lines that Law makers doctrinate generalize the whole spectrum of medicinal research.,.. and it seems .. that we easily accept the blind lady of law.. on a higher pedestal.. than the torch bearers of the hippocratic oath.. in matters it definitely shouldnt have a preference for...
IT is the whole and sole responsibility of the Medical fraternity and intelligensia in any society.. They know. .whether they are capable enough in comforting the patient. they see lying on the bed.. and if he/she can get any better... thats only after days of medical analysis of the patient.. and not a court hearing...
Legal experts should be assisting the doctor .. if required at all.. for each of the individual cases.. and not the other way around.. and considering.. the jet pace of court summons and hearing dates.. it can be said for sure.. that many other Venkateshes will wait their futile wait for their appeal to be upheld.. and to leave this world with pride,, or without suffering...
Besides, I think from whatever I read about the matter. the medical fraternity's support for mercy killing is pretty overwhelming..
In the words of the most celebrated doctor of the 20th century.. and in case we remember our school text books... Dr. Christian Barnard, the first heart transplant surgeon :
"Doctors often make that mistake, they think their job is to prolong life but they've got it wrong there, It is to give a better quality of life. What society does not accept euthanasia, cannot believe god, a god of love and compassion would allow that.
I would not preach the practice of death, but death is many-a-times the better treatment.. ".
Its time Indian society legalizes euthanasia like many of the western and far- eastern societies wordwide.. Here is what i think of the contentions against mercy killing.
We can create a Legio-Medical organisation.. ANy appeal for euthanasia can be first studied medically .. by a panel of doctor(s).. Legal experts can measure.. whether its really a cost saving matter.. a suicidal case.. or its really a no hope situation... I think even some suicide candidates.. will themselves come up with their problems.. and be counselled... if this kind of a body comes up.. and it definitely can be a Government funded one with a amount to be tendered by the applicant.... then...if its a genuine case... even if its a non voluntary appeal... i.e. by the patients peers /relatives/well wishers.. then allow the person the right of euthanasia.
Our society and its rules. .are based on eons old pillars of tolerance and fair justice.. evolved and tested over centuries.. and far mature in many aspects than other modern societies... We proudly uphold thousands of social and medical treatises. But at the same time, in pace with the modern times.. and in pace with humanity.. we need to respect the individual and his desicion.. allow this choice that he can take for himself, maybe help him get either way... either convince him that there are better days in his life.. or help him relieve his agony ... alleviate the suffering.. once and for all...
The right to live surely needs a new addendum... the freedom against suffering.. when you can hope for something even after exhausting all your hopes... the freedom of releasing yourself...
The freedom to die...
I support making euthanasia legal in India.
a. A person crippled with Alzheimer's or some 3rd state terminal cancer.. the whole body is crumbling white with months of chemotherapy.. tho not on a support system..but in a half vegetate state.. the only sounds that come out are groans.. But since only voluntary suicide is acceptable in his nation, there is no question of relieving him of his misery, till his body cant take it anymore... and relieves itself.. maybe in a couple of months.. or maybe in a year.. .
b. A well known scholar .. yet inmate of a mental asylum for 5 years knocks on the doors of justice.. "If I have the right to Live... why cant I have the right to die? " You confine me . to the strait jacket ... inject sedatives.. chain me against 4 walls day and night.. make me mad .. and still.. dont allow me to kill myself...
c. Venkatesh, a muscular dystrophy patient, expresses his wish to be removed off the life support for the last couple of months, so that he can donate his organs to the needy. His argument is that the organs would deteriorate if he were not allowed to commit euthanasia within a month. The High Court rules that under the Organ Transplantation Act only brain dead or natural death allows for donation of organs. The patient dies after some time and the organs now cant be donated.
Lets now see what standing .. the legal and social governance in nations worldwide profess...
a) In the UK there is a possibility of up to 14 years imprisonment for anybody assisting a "suicide". Oddly, suicide itself is not a crime. Only the US State of Oregon has legalized euthanasia. Direct killing by euthanasia is a crime in Germany.. Denmark has no law.. while France has banned euthanasia journals..
b) Japan has legalized euthanaisa since 1962... while an Australian state.. first upheld and then repealed the right of euthanasia..
The republic of India also doesnt give individuals the right to euthanasia..
My question to anybody is... do we really have the right to deny self willed death to people? Do we really care for the person if we prolong his/her pain for weeks and months .. just to see him breathing and reconcile ourselves? Just try staying in the same posture.. lying on the bed .. for a week ... you will feel the pain...just try imaging the pain caused by a single bed sore.. leave aside any other suffering for weeks.. .. So why cant people be given the right to alleviate themselves of suffering..
The crux of the debate is in being able to gauge for sure the difference between euthanasia and suicide.. Thinking out aloud... Assisted Death in which of the above 3 points.. can be termed Euthanasia or needs to be indentified as criminal offence (assisted suicide) according to Penal Codes Worldwide... ? the 2nd point (the case of the lunatic scholar maybe) can come under the abetted suicide clause.. Ohh !!for sure, huh??... .. .but do we really feel that its not correct to let the lunatic die? Are we sure?
Most of the reservations against practising euthanasia seem pretty solid .. Legal experts question.. a) How do you really define terminal? Most doctors are themselves not sure. .how much time the patient has... so how much is a good enough.. or rather a bad enough time in this case? a week? a month? 6 months? Cant say for sure..
b) Non Voluntary Euthanasia? The child asking for it? Ahhhaa..... I know why.... cos a lethal drug takes 1000 rupees while you can end up spending half a million in six months.. for your half dead mother.. who isnt worth a tuppence herself ...
c) Every one wanting to commit suicide will apply for euthanasia.. Its the perfect condition for people to exploit, what is forced suicide and mercy killing... killings can be doctored...
BUt The most important contention against these arguments I have is that.. in the first place.. is it really an issue to be resolved through the dictums of Penal Code and by its ostiaries worldwide? The main reason told to Venkatesh and his supportive mother in the ruling against his claim for self death was... "Sorry... we cant change the rules for a single person"...
So tell me Mr. Chief Justice.. .does everybody suffering any ailment.. get the same amount of pain.. as a death bed patient?And do you really know of acute shortage of kidneys donors in our country and the fact that kidney donation can only be done by living persons ? Or maybe can you help the medical profession generalize in a single paragraph...all the terminal causes that lead to death.. and therefore your judgment can hold good for any citizen...any patient and in any case... But If not, how can you generalize rules governing death .. for any person.. regardless of what state / condition he is in?
Yes, The main fallacy of Laws and Penal Guidelines... that render them unavailable for exercising proper jugdement in such issues is .. is that they are actually just 10 line paragraphs inside a black book... that are wanting to capture all the nuances of the profession of medicine.. or economy.. or society.. They give any wig toting individual sitting with his hammer and board.. the right to decide without any iota of forethought critical issues that the profession of medicine still finds itself wanting to present viable solutions for ... The 10 lines that Law makers doctrinate generalize the whole spectrum of medicinal research.,.. and it seems .. that we easily accept the blind lady of law.. on a higher pedestal.. than the torch bearers of the hippocratic oath.. in matters it definitely shouldnt have a preference for...
IT is the whole and sole responsibility of the Medical fraternity and intelligensia in any society.. They know. .whether they are capable enough in comforting the patient. they see lying on the bed.. and if he/she can get any better... thats only after days of medical analysis of the patient.. and not a court hearing...
Legal experts should be assisting the doctor .. if required at all.. for each of the individual cases.. and not the other way around.. and considering.. the jet pace of court summons and hearing dates.. it can be said for sure.. that many other Venkateshes will wait their futile wait for their appeal to be upheld.. and to leave this world with pride,, or without suffering...
Besides, I think from whatever I read about the matter. the medical fraternity's support for mercy killing is pretty overwhelming..
In the words of the most celebrated doctor of the 20th century.. and in case we remember our school text books... Dr. Christian Barnard, the first heart transplant surgeon :
"Doctors often make that mistake, they think their job is to prolong life but they've got it wrong there, It is to give a better quality of life. What society does not accept euthanasia, cannot believe god, a god of love and compassion would allow that.
I would not preach the practice of death, but death is many-a-times the better treatment.. ".
Its time Indian society legalizes euthanasia like many of the western and far- eastern societies wordwide.. Here is what i think of the contentions against mercy killing.
We can create a Legio-Medical organisation.. ANy appeal for euthanasia can be first studied medically .. by a panel of doctor(s).. Legal experts can measure.. whether its really a cost saving matter.. a suicidal case.. or its really a no hope situation... I think even some suicide candidates.. will themselves come up with their problems.. and be counselled... if this kind of a body comes up.. and it definitely can be a Government funded one with a amount to be tendered by the applicant.... then...if its a genuine case... even if its a non voluntary appeal... i.e. by the patients peers /relatives/well wishers.. then allow the person the right of euthanasia.
Our society and its rules. .are based on eons old pillars of tolerance and fair justice.. evolved and tested over centuries.. and far mature in many aspects than other modern societies... We proudly uphold thousands of social and medical treatises. But at the same time, in pace with the modern times.. and in pace with humanity.. we need to respect the individual and his desicion.. allow this choice that he can take for himself, maybe help him get either way... either convince him that there are better days in his life.. or help him relieve his agony ... alleviate the suffering.. once and for all...
The right to live surely needs a new addendum... the freedom against suffering.. when you can hope for something even after exhausting all your hopes... the freedom of releasing yourself...
The freedom to die...
I support making euthanasia legal in India.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Scribbles over last coupla weeks
Recent most Film: "Mughal-e-Azam" - Awesome Awesome film ... My First film at the first PVR in Bangalore @ The Forum Mall.. Reminded me of good ol' Delhi.. Hadnt visited a proper good hall in 3 years..inspite of watching loads of movies (Bombay Halls are a pity.. Even the city's best halls are cramped and Bangalore halls are village class. They dont comply to even 10% safety and cleanliness norms.. ) This was a good treat I gave myself.
Too Good Dialogues...
Jodhabai : "Humaara Hindostan tumhaara dil nahi , koi laundi jispar hukumat kare"
Salim : "To humaara dil bhii aapka Hindostan nahi, jo aap uspar hukumat karein"
And Anarkali when she is given the thorns whilst Bahar gets the rose,
"Kaanton ko murjhaane ka khauff nahi hota"
Never thought I could see the hundred Madhubalas Sheesh Mahal scene in a hall.. I dont think Indian cinema has till date produced any rival to the scene..
Recent most excursion : Ooty Botanical Gardens and Lake
Breathtaking trees , well maintained conservatories, good fountains, carpet-ish lawns , exotic plantations... and a lovely weather.. Ooty has it all.. I plan for a longer vacation there...
Recent Most Book: "Indira : An Autobiography" by Katherine Frank
Chose this one over the one by Pupul Jayakar.. since I thought being a friend herself.. Pupul's view might be biased ...
Katherine does a tremendous job. There are thousands of things which you didnt know about the Iron Lady of India.. and are present from her childhood days , to her letters to her Dad, at Shantiniketan, her marriage problems, her psyche during the rise and fall of Sanjay, the wars , the emergency and the crude politics.. about Operation Bluestar and how she could sense her impending doom.
Recent Album : "Greatest Hits of Ustad Zakir Hussain" (The SaReGaMa Label one)
Love his Drut TeenTaal played during his world famous 1986 concert. Also , you can clearly distinguish the sweetness in Ustad Vilayat Khan's sitar.. as compared to the ups and downs and the question answers of Pandit Ravi Shankar.. Ustad Vilayat Khan used to say.. "Alla Rakha and Zakir dare not try that sawaal jawaab stuff with me. They know that they will pay dearly".. And for sure .. Zakir sounds pretty subdued with with the ustad !!
The Present
Current Song: Sonu Nigam's "Tanhaayee"
Current Debate: " Employee PF hiked to 9.5% . "
Current Technology: Mobile Gaming
The Future
Place To Go: Bannerghata National Park.. The closest park tpo Bangalore and I havent Been there yet
Book To Read: Where on the earth am I ? Confusions of a Travelling Man Book .. (I have to
get this Jug Suraiya book from sumwhere)
Work Stuff : Project Delivery this Monday
Ciao.,
Meanwhile :
Vinod as Duryodhan holding Draupadi: "Maine Draupadi ka cheer haran karne ka idea drop kar diya hai"
Ahuja as Gada Dhari Bheem: " Abe oye !! Tu kaun hota hai bolne waala.. Hum bhii Draupadi ke shareholder hain !!"
Vinod (Naseeruddin Shah) and Ahuja (Om Puri) fighting over the the dead saree wrapped D'Mello (Satish Shah) The "Draupadi Cheer Haran", Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), !! LOLOLOL !! Can it get any better?
Too Good Dialogues...
Jodhabai : "Humaara Hindostan tumhaara dil nahi , koi laundi jispar hukumat kare"
Salim : "To humaara dil bhii aapka Hindostan nahi, jo aap uspar hukumat karein"
And Anarkali when she is given the thorns whilst Bahar gets the rose,
"Kaanton ko murjhaane ka khauff nahi hota"
Never thought I could see the hundred Madhubalas Sheesh Mahal scene in a hall.. I dont think Indian cinema has till date produced any rival to the scene..
Recent most excursion : Ooty Botanical Gardens and Lake
Breathtaking trees , well maintained conservatories, good fountains, carpet-ish lawns , exotic plantations... and a lovely weather.. Ooty has it all.. I plan for a longer vacation there...
Recent Most Book: "Indira : An Autobiography" by Katherine Frank
Chose this one over the one by Pupul Jayakar.. since I thought being a friend herself.. Pupul's view might be biased ...
Katherine does a tremendous job. There are thousands of things which you didnt know about the Iron Lady of India.. and are present from her childhood days , to her letters to her Dad, at Shantiniketan, her marriage problems, her psyche during the rise and fall of Sanjay, the wars , the emergency and the crude politics.. about Operation Bluestar and how she could sense her impending doom.
Recent Album : "Greatest Hits of Ustad Zakir Hussain" (The SaReGaMa Label one)
Love his Drut TeenTaal played during his world famous 1986 concert. Also , you can clearly distinguish the sweetness in Ustad Vilayat Khan's sitar.. as compared to the ups and downs and the question answers of Pandit Ravi Shankar.. Ustad Vilayat Khan used to say.. "Alla Rakha and Zakir dare not try that sawaal jawaab stuff with me. They know that they will pay dearly".. And for sure .. Zakir sounds pretty subdued with with the ustad !!
The Present
Current Song: Sonu Nigam's "Tanhaayee"
Current Debate: " Employee PF hiked to 9.5% . "
Current Technology: Mobile Gaming
The Future
Place To Go: Bannerghata National Park.. The closest park tpo Bangalore and I havent Been there yet
Book To Read: Where on the earth am I ? Confusions of a Travelling Man Book .. (I have to
get this Jug Suraiya book from sumwhere)
Work Stuff : Project Delivery this Monday
Ciao.,
Meanwhile :
Vinod as Duryodhan holding Draupadi: "Maine Draupadi ka cheer haran karne ka idea drop kar diya hai"
Ahuja as Gada Dhari Bheem: " Abe oye !! Tu kaun hota hai bolne waala.. Hum bhii Draupadi ke shareholder hain !!"
Vinod (Naseeruddin Shah) and Ahuja (Om Puri) fighting over the the dead saree wrapped D'Mello (Satish Shah) The "Draupadi Cheer Haran", Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), !! LOLOLOL !! Can it get any better?
Monday, December 13, 2004
Things I miss from Bombay
In General:
a) Marine Drive, during the rains, The Sea Breeze at Band Stand, Carter Road... etc..
b) The local train: One hand on the Middle rod at the door,both feet on either sides, the other hand on the Top of the door and the cool breeze on your face as the train gains speed between each station.. Belapur and Vashi Railway Stations!! The Clock at Bombay VT.
c) Egg Bhurji - Pav (Scrambled Eggs with bread) with friends at 1 am in the morning at Thane Station..
d) The 500 mtr. sprint from Sterling Cinema or the Taxi flagging at Rex after watching the last show that ended at 12:40, to reach Victoria Terminus, buy tickets at the counter and catch the 12:50 last train on the Central Line thats already begun moving out.
e) Good Plentiful Rains... sometimes ...
f) Ganpati Bappa ! ( but defintely not the 100s of orchestras, synths and drums that used to play till 1 am right beside our apartments)
g) Small 50 seat movie halls...
h) The sugary Marathi accent, and of course the screwed up yet so funny and pleasing Hindi that ppl speak.
i) Finding 100s of busy people at even 1:30 am in the night...
j) All the Birthday Bashes !! Right through the year. From the Mongini Cakes @ Office to parties thrown by close friends and myself
k) Occaisional Song sessions in the bus while on the way home from office..
More Specifically:
a) Some Friends and loads of time with them: Akhil, Himanshu,Mridul, Maheep, Sameer, Aparna, Abhishek, Nachiketa, Aumkar, Dipsy, Shalaka, Julie
Unforgettable fun and laughter at the Vasant Leela apartments with Akhil and Himanshu,
b) The everyday dinner after office with Akhil, Himanshu, Abhishek, Aparna and Dipsy.
c) The C.B.D. Belapur duplex penthouse with a view to the Thane creek on one side and a hill on the other with Mridul and Maheep
d) Career Talks with Nachiketa, Kishore Kumar with Aumkar,Just about anything talks with Shalaka !!
e) Unforgettable Outings like Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala
f) The deep breaths of Hot Chocolate everyday (lasting just 300 metres) while passing through the Cadbury's factory flyover @ Thane
g) The Mulund Bandra AC bus !!
h) The 2 hour swimming sessions and Tennis with Akhil and Abhishek on the weekends
i) The workplace: Not exactly, but some colleagues definitely.
j) Some of the few theatres and shows and concerts watched.
k) The walk from my home at Shubharambh to the office bus pick up spot on the July with the clouds descending over the hills beyond Tikuji-Ni-Wadi resort
l) Some other attractions @ Shubharambh : "Tilwali" , "Shabbo", and "Bedkar (the Society President) ki Beti" 's long hair :)
m) The Company Quiz club's everyday quizzes and rankings..
n) The Chitochat with Office Pals. Sameer..
And almost all of the Last 3-4 months .
a) Marine Drive, during the rains, The Sea Breeze at Band Stand, Carter Road... etc..
b) The local train: One hand on the Middle rod at the door,both feet on either sides, the other hand on the Top of the door and the cool breeze on your face as the train gains speed between each station.. Belapur and Vashi Railway Stations!! The Clock at Bombay VT.
c) Egg Bhurji - Pav (Scrambled Eggs with bread) with friends at 1 am in the morning at Thane Station..
d) The 500 mtr. sprint from Sterling Cinema or the Taxi flagging at Rex after watching the last show that ended at 12:40, to reach Victoria Terminus, buy tickets at the counter and catch the 12:50 last train on the Central Line thats already begun moving out.
e) Good Plentiful Rains... sometimes ...
f) Ganpati Bappa ! ( but defintely not the 100s of orchestras, synths and drums that used to play till 1 am right beside our apartments)
g) Small 50 seat movie halls...
h) The sugary Marathi accent, and of course the screwed up yet so funny and pleasing Hindi that ppl speak.
i) Finding 100s of busy people at even 1:30 am in the night...
j) All the Birthday Bashes !! Right through the year. From the Mongini Cakes @ Office to parties thrown by close friends and myself
k) Occaisional Song sessions in the bus while on the way home from office..
More Specifically:
a) Some Friends and loads of time with them: Akhil, Himanshu,Mridul, Maheep, Sameer, Aparna, Abhishek, Nachiketa, Aumkar, Dipsy, Shalaka, Julie
Unforgettable fun and laughter at the Vasant Leela apartments with Akhil and Himanshu,
b) The everyday dinner after office with Akhil, Himanshu, Abhishek, Aparna and Dipsy.
c) The C.B.D. Belapur duplex penthouse with a view to the Thane creek on one side and a hill on the other with Mridul and Maheep
d) Career Talks with Nachiketa, Kishore Kumar with Aumkar,Just about anything talks with Shalaka !!
e) Unforgettable Outings like Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala
f) The deep breaths of Hot Chocolate everyday (lasting just 300 metres) while passing through the Cadbury's factory flyover @ Thane
g) The Mulund Bandra AC bus !!
h) The 2 hour swimming sessions and Tennis with Akhil and Abhishek on the weekends
i) The workplace: Not exactly, but some colleagues definitely.
j) Some of the few theatres and shows and concerts watched.
k) The walk from my home at Shubharambh to the office bus pick up spot on the July with the clouds descending over the hills beyond Tikuji-Ni-Wadi resort
l) Some other attractions @ Shubharambh : "Tilwali" , "Shabbo", and "Bedkar (the Society President) ki Beti" 's long hair :)
m) The Company Quiz club's everyday quizzes and rankings..
n) The Chitochat with Office Pals. Sameer..
And almost all of the Last 3-4 months .
Friday, December 10, 2004
After Thoughts of an incident
Went to the Cauvery Water Sanctuary a couple of weeks back... and had the experience of my lifetime
Saw my friend Rahul get sucked in a tremendous whirlpool of water .. and inside of the rocks of a mountain while we were enjoying a lovely afternoon bath at one of the tributaries of the Kaveri.. across a cascade of small large water falls.. falling from heights... forming pools... merging togther... and away..
The water seemed pretty placid.. just some occaisional turbulence... and now when I think of it... it looked calm on the surface.. but was almost like how you see boiling water.. churning water from down to up.. yet.. pretty calm on the surface...
The last thing that he told me was.. "The water seems deep... " Then I just saw him suddenly take a dip in... then at the next instant I saw his head at the farthest corner of that waterpool... and then again a dip.. and then Underneath the rocks and he surfaced at the bigger pool... exactly in the opposite direction of where he had been headed first... then then into the huge boulders.. as if he was some small insect who had been sucked in into a basin .. or a drain... right inside of the rocks of the mountain ...
I had no clue.. what had gulped him.. where had he disappeared.. just saw the river . with its swirling currents of the mini pool.. Negative thoughts came to my mind immediately.. and then concern about whether i would even be able to even see him again .. in whatever form fate had left him? was there a huge water body inside the mountain.. where was this water going?
I scaled the rock to see the other side.. and I saw the water merging with other smaller bigger streams... a 10 foot fall... and a bigger pool..
Was he there in that pool? No... This one was pretty scary, I could see rough edges all throughout the pool bed.. a fall could have ripped any man apart..
Then again ... i could see no exit.. but even here the water seemed to have an outflow.. from somewhere inside of the rocks... I hoped that I could get a better calmer pool ahead but the dreadful realization was.. if he hit any part of his body on the rocks.. with the speed of the torrents.. he would be sliced into shreds..
I was stunned.. I didnt know how to react.. I shouted at my other friends..Akhil and Kalpana.. to come along.. and ask for help (which was atleast 15 mintues away.. ) but they were equally in a shocked state.. in the melee Kalpana tried to move towards the direction of the boatmen / fishermen.. and her foot hit a sharp rock and split it open. with blood gushing out of her foot..
I somehow summed up courage to scale this higher bigger hill-of-sorts in front of me.. and see what was there at the other end... I scaled up around 60- 70 feet..
and looked the other side..
And then I saw him,
A Big pool.. with a half of the whole waterfall's water... coming from all directions... with waves.. showing the depth and volume of water that lay underneath... and a massive flow into the biggest waterfall of that area ... maybe a drop of a 100 odd feet.. ending up in a big lake.. from where we had started our climb to see these cascades.. the dinghymen were at the other side of the lake.. Even If we motioned at them from the cliff tops.. it will take them 15 minutes to cross the lake and then start scaling the cliffs and come to any rescue.. I was uncertain they would even attempt to help him..
But then i saw him going along with the flow... towards.. his doom... the biggest waterfall...i started shivering at the summit.. just looking at him downbelow at the pool.. flowing with the current.. just crying out hoarse.. his name..
being hysterical... I didnt know what to do.. I thought I would just see him fall.. and disappear.. I muttered what all prayers i knew..
But then it started to happen .. I sincerely feel it was something impossible...
He made deft moves... fought against the current... He fought for 5 minutes and reached a shore..
Believe me.. there was ONLY ONE possible foot hold.. a rock jut out in that 100 meter radius pond... and the rest were all sharp perpendicular cliffwalls.. and he managed to swim right next to it.. It was God's Grace.. Nothing else.. The whole water body didnt have even a single other hold... it was all huge mountain walls.. and water inflows...
he heard me ... infact for the first time now... telling him that the rock was just 4 hands to the left... and then he managed to grab it with his left hand.. and as soon as he did that.. he took a dip...
I couldnt see him anymore...
seconds went..
half a minute.. or maybe 20 seconds.. or so..
Then I saw him again... his head came up.. and he grabbed the rock with both hands...
I asked him
"Rahul , theek to hai?"
He nodded...
I shouted back..
"Can you hold on?"
He motioned that his head was spinning and then gestured.. 2 .. he spoke for the first time
"2 mintues"
I couldnt understand why two minutes... I thought that was it... I kept shouting to him.. to keep holding on.. to the rock... to grab more of it...
then with a final thurst.. he put half his body.. till his stomach... on the rock... and lay there motionless on his chest..
there was a moemtary sense of relief. I now knew he wouldnt be drowned... unless he had some spasms or sumthing.. . constant attempts to keep him at conversation.. were done.. sometimes i felt he had blacked out... anything internal could have happenned..
I realised the real threat...
Then from that cliff itself.. I started waving frantically to the fishermen.. maybe 1/2 a km away.. and across the shores of the lake below.. Akhil was doing the same.. from a different hilltop They saw us.. 5-6 men came..
in 10minutes...
with their circular dinghys...
An old 60 year old was one of them.... and I have seen loads of AXN mountain climbers on the telly.. but I dont think any of them could have the deftness or even the guts to do what he did...
With awesome dexterity... he scaled from the cliff head... the 60 feet height that separated me from Rahul... Sometimes relying on thorny shrubs for foot hold or just small crevices where he could place his fingers.. and swing there looking for the next foothold down below..
He reached rahul.. placed one of his foot on the rock...
Moistened his small everfamiliar.. checkered towel with the cold water of the river... and started massaging my friend...
I felt as if God had worked the miracle.. now he had sent the angel....
He massaged him for close to 15 minutes... slowly.. Rahul came back to about normal... He told us from down below.. .. there was no head injury... he managed to stand
35 minutes after the incident.. the fishermen took Rahul to the place I was standing and shouting him advices... cheers.. questions and all junk talk.. from... up the hill cliff
And when he met. me.. He just broke down... I felt like too... The overwhelming feeling I could get was of joy .. that he managed to overcome every peril that I had seen before my eyes ... and innumerable times in this half an hour, at every stage,at every moment, when I, far away from danger myself, just a hapless spectator, had given up my hopes, had despaired, he had overcome it..
And it was only then I realized the importance of his "Just 2 more minutes" answer ... His calf muscles had become big hard rocks... They were Red.. and had protruding veins... The main reason for this dip once reaching the moutain wall was cause he had had a fit of cramps.. and that had brought him down... and still he had managed to rise up.. His feet were a pity.. contusions everywhere.. but that was what had saved him maybe when he had gone under the rocks the middle pool to the bigger one.. He must have gone feet first...
Kalpana is okay now.. maybe her wound required a couple of stitches.. or could do without.. he blood loss stopped after sometime.. she managed to cover it up properly... We were in no position to help her...
Me and Akhil still remember the incident... and feel we thought we had lost him forever...
Rahul has gone to his parents at Alwar... he could get the next day flight itself... He needs a bit of a rest .. atleast for sometime.. and I am amazed at the force he would have put inside of him to fight the current... Human strength is unimaginable.. .These incidents bring them out time and again.. He described how in the first moments when he was inside of the big pond ... how he saw his whole life.... and his parents.. and everyone... and how the whole life flashes before you.. when you are at the brink... at the corridors.. and when you still put in your best.. .collect all your energies.. for the glimmer of hope that you see... maybe the hue of sunshine.. from deep beneath the waters... And how Hanuman chalisa or any other devotion .. can power your mind and with it your body... to achieve the unachievable..
I am proud of my friend.. I am sure he wouldnt have realized the extent of this battle.. but from above the cliff ... whatever I saw of him and his fight for his life... made me sumhow think of the magnificient inner strength and the will power he has in his person... to survive... to make it... to achieve it.
Life is back to the normal... I promise not to be that foolish anymore... Fun and Frolic are the essence of my life now.. I have excursions every weekend.. but its important to have the extra step of caution.... and that is what we overlook all the time... I have some resolutions and learnings:
a) Never Underestimate the Power of Mother Nature.. Anywhere.. anytime
b) Local people... in tourist locations.. might be poor people and hagglers.. greedy ppl who want to empty you of any money the think they can get out of you... but always ask them for advice.. and pay heed to those... say when on a mountainous terrain.. near the sea.. inside of a jungle... or even religious or crowded places...
c) Learn Swimming Properly
Its been some time now.. I hope and wish Rahul all the best.. Its a second life of sorts.. for him..
And for me... the experience of a lifetime.
Saw my friend Rahul get sucked in a tremendous whirlpool of water .. and inside of the rocks of a mountain while we were enjoying a lovely afternoon bath at one of the tributaries of the Kaveri.. across a cascade of small large water falls.. falling from heights... forming pools... merging togther... and away..
The water seemed pretty placid.. just some occaisional turbulence... and now when I think of it... it looked calm on the surface.. but was almost like how you see boiling water.. churning water from down to up.. yet.. pretty calm on the surface...
The last thing that he told me was.. "The water seems deep... " Then I just saw him suddenly take a dip in... then at the next instant I saw his head at the farthest corner of that waterpool... and then again a dip.. and then Underneath the rocks and he surfaced at the bigger pool... exactly in the opposite direction of where he had been headed first... then then into the huge boulders.. as if he was some small insect who had been sucked in into a basin .. or a drain... right inside of the rocks of the mountain ...
I had no clue.. what had gulped him.. where had he disappeared.. just saw the river . with its swirling currents of the mini pool.. Negative thoughts came to my mind immediately.. and then concern about whether i would even be able to even see him again .. in whatever form fate had left him? was there a huge water body inside the mountain.. where was this water going?
I scaled the rock to see the other side.. and I saw the water merging with other smaller bigger streams... a 10 foot fall... and a bigger pool..
Was he there in that pool? No... This one was pretty scary, I could see rough edges all throughout the pool bed.. a fall could have ripped any man apart..
Then again ... i could see no exit.. but even here the water seemed to have an outflow.. from somewhere inside of the rocks... I hoped that I could get a better calmer pool ahead but the dreadful realization was.. if he hit any part of his body on the rocks.. with the speed of the torrents.. he would be sliced into shreds..
I was stunned.. I didnt know how to react.. I shouted at my other friends..Akhil and Kalpana.. to come along.. and ask for help (which was atleast 15 mintues away.. ) but they were equally in a shocked state.. in the melee Kalpana tried to move towards the direction of the boatmen / fishermen.. and her foot hit a sharp rock and split it open. with blood gushing out of her foot..
I somehow summed up courage to scale this higher bigger hill-of-sorts in front of me.. and see what was there at the other end... I scaled up around 60- 70 feet..
and looked the other side..
And then I saw him,
A Big pool.. with a half of the whole waterfall's water... coming from all directions... with waves.. showing the depth and volume of water that lay underneath... and a massive flow into the biggest waterfall of that area ... maybe a drop of a 100 odd feet.. ending up in a big lake.. from where we had started our climb to see these cascades.. the dinghymen were at the other side of the lake.. Even If we motioned at them from the cliff tops.. it will take them 15 minutes to cross the lake and then start scaling the cliffs and come to any rescue.. I was uncertain they would even attempt to help him..
But then i saw him going along with the flow... towards.. his doom... the biggest waterfall...i started shivering at the summit.. just looking at him downbelow at the pool.. flowing with the current.. just crying out hoarse.. his name..
being hysterical... I didnt know what to do.. I thought I would just see him fall.. and disappear.. I muttered what all prayers i knew..
But then it started to happen .. I sincerely feel it was something impossible...
He made deft moves... fought against the current... He fought for 5 minutes and reached a shore..
Believe me.. there was ONLY ONE possible foot hold.. a rock jut out in that 100 meter radius pond... and the rest were all sharp perpendicular cliffwalls.. and he managed to swim right next to it.. It was God's Grace.. Nothing else.. The whole water body didnt have even a single other hold... it was all huge mountain walls.. and water inflows...
he heard me ... infact for the first time now... telling him that the rock was just 4 hands to the left... and then he managed to grab it with his left hand.. and as soon as he did that.. he took a dip...
I couldnt see him anymore...
seconds went..
half a minute.. or maybe 20 seconds.. or so..
Then I saw him again... his head came up.. and he grabbed the rock with both hands...
I asked him
"Rahul , theek to hai?"
He nodded...
I shouted back..
"Can you hold on?"
He motioned that his head was spinning and then gestured.. 2 .. he spoke for the first time
"2 mintues"
I couldnt understand why two minutes... I thought that was it... I kept shouting to him.. to keep holding on.. to the rock... to grab more of it...
then with a final thurst.. he put half his body.. till his stomach... on the rock... and lay there motionless on his chest..
there was a moemtary sense of relief. I now knew he wouldnt be drowned... unless he had some spasms or sumthing.. . constant attempts to keep him at conversation.. were done.. sometimes i felt he had blacked out... anything internal could have happenned..
I realised the real threat...
Then from that cliff itself.. I started waving frantically to the fishermen.. maybe 1/2 a km away.. and across the shores of the lake below.. Akhil was doing the same.. from a different hilltop They saw us.. 5-6 men came..
in 10minutes...
with their circular dinghys...
An old 60 year old was one of them.... and I have seen loads of AXN mountain climbers on the telly.. but I dont think any of them could have the deftness or even the guts to do what he did...
With awesome dexterity... he scaled from the cliff head... the 60 feet height that separated me from Rahul... Sometimes relying on thorny shrubs for foot hold or just small crevices where he could place his fingers.. and swing there looking for the next foothold down below..
He reached rahul.. placed one of his foot on the rock...
Moistened his small everfamiliar.. checkered towel with the cold water of the river... and started massaging my friend...
I felt as if God had worked the miracle.. now he had sent the angel....
He massaged him for close to 15 minutes... slowly.. Rahul came back to about normal... He told us from down below.. .. there was no head injury... he managed to stand
35 minutes after the incident.. the fishermen took Rahul to the place I was standing and shouting him advices... cheers.. questions and all junk talk.. from... up the hill cliff
And when he met. me.. He just broke down... I felt like too... The overwhelming feeling I could get was of joy .. that he managed to overcome every peril that I had seen before my eyes ... and innumerable times in this half an hour, at every stage,at every moment, when I, far away from danger myself, just a hapless spectator, had given up my hopes, had despaired, he had overcome it..
And it was only then I realized the importance of his "Just 2 more minutes" answer ... His calf muscles had become big hard rocks... They were Red.. and had protruding veins... The main reason for this dip once reaching the moutain wall was cause he had had a fit of cramps.. and that had brought him down... and still he had managed to rise up.. His feet were a pity.. contusions everywhere.. but that was what had saved him maybe when he had gone under the rocks the middle pool to the bigger one.. He must have gone feet first...
Kalpana is okay now.. maybe her wound required a couple of stitches.. or could do without.. he blood loss stopped after sometime.. she managed to cover it up properly... We were in no position to help her...
Me and Akhil still remember the incident... and feel we thought we had lost him forever...
Rahul has gone to his parents at Alwar... he could get the next day flight itself... He needs a bit of a rest .. atleast for sometime.. and I am amazed at the force he would have put inside of him to fight the current... Human strength is unimaginable.. .These incidents bring them out time and again.. He described how in the first moments when he was inside of the big pond ... how he saw his whole life.... and his parents.. and everyone... and how the whole life flashes before you.. when you are at the brink... at the corridors.. and when you still put in your best.. .collect all your energies.. for the glimmer of hope that you see... maybe the hue of sunshine.. from deep beneath the waters... And how Hanuman chalisa or any other devotion .. can power your mind and with it your body... to achieve the unachievable..
I am proud of my friend.. I am sure he wouldnt have realized the extent of this battle.. but from above the cliff ... whatever I saw of him and his fight for his life... made me sumhow think of the magnificient inner strength and the will power he has in his person... to survive... to make it... to achieve it.
Life is back to the normal... I promise not to be that foolish anymore... Fun and Frolic are the essence of my life now.. I have excursions every weekend.. but its important to have the extra step of caution.... and that is what we overlook all the time... I have some resolutions and learnings:
a) Never Underestimate the Power of Mother Nature.. Anywhere.. anytime
b) Local people... in tourist locations.. might be poor people and hagglers.. greedy ppl who want to empty you of any money the think they can get out of you... but always ask them for advice.. and pay heed to those... say when on a mountainous terrain.. near the sea.. inside of a jungle... or even religious or crowded places...
c) Learn Swimming Properly
Its been some time now.. I hope and wish Rahul all the best.. Its a second life of sorts.. for him..
And for me... the experience of a lifetime.
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