The Indian System...

No matter how advanced or modern we become, no matter how inadvertently we may follow the west... but there is something in Indian family value system, in our culture... which always remains alive in one form or the other... no matter what the circumstances are...

Just today I witnessed one such example while enjoying my tea in the Hospital canteen. I was sitting on the far left corner of the canteen and diagonally opposite to me towards my left hand side, near the 'aqua guard' one of the Registrar from Dept. of Psychiatry was sitting with 4-5 relatives from his native place. Guessing from their age they appeared to be his mother/aunt and uncles...The Registrar in question had a really bad cold, sore throat and was persistently coughing which was a typical "Brassy-harrasy" type cough...

Those who know me really well would have guessed that I was already thinking about his throat and a possible cure for his problem... In the mean time an another resident entered the Doctors Canteen... shook hands with the Registrar...and asked "Kuch lete kyun nahi??" The tone, timbre, pitch and volume of his voice was exactly, I mean it when I say exactly, the same as that of famous analgesic-decongestant advertisement... And every one laughed on the table for a moment... And then the resident went away and sat in the far right hand corner of the canteen under the exhaust...

The registrar was still coughing... then one of his aunt suggested, "Why don't you take some 'Badi eliachi' and a Clover it will really help you"... the registrar smiled and said " theek ho jayeega... aap chintaa na karo.." but the lady was rigid on her request and finally he had to call Amber, the attendant in the Doctor's section of Canteen and requested for the 'Badi eliachi' and clover... Amber brought it and gave it to the registrar... who chewed the herbals...

Though the desi medication was not very effective and the Registrar, more or less, remained symptomatic... but what touched me was the fact that despite sitting in the apex institute of no. one state in health sector of the country and despite knowing exactly the cause and treatment of his ailment didn't refuse one of his elders request... I think it was only the respect for the elders and family-values, which compelled him to comply to the request, what his logical mind would have rejected. And the fact is these things get inculcated into our soul since childhood, and its amazing that despite going against your knowledge against your learned behavior your mind is still at peace...

There are many more such moments occurring all around us everyday that reflect the great family value system in an Indian family. Thing is, we need to appreciate it...