यादों में...

यादों में...

(Written BY my MOTHER in loving memory of my FATHER)

"कभी सोचा न था, दिन ऐसे भी आएँगे..

जो समझती थी खुद को रानी,

वो यूँ मज़बूर एक दिन हो जाएगी.!

गुम हो जाएगी होठों की मुस्कराहट,

पूनम की चाँदनी भी नज़र न आएगी..

बाट जोहती थी जिसकी सदा,

दर्शनाभिलाषी ही रह जाएगी सदा..

पल में जो करते थे सारी ईच्छा पूरी,

कभी सोचा न था होगी इतनी मज़बूरी...

दूँ कितनी भी आवाज़, बुला ना पायेंगे,

मन को कितना भी समझाऊँ भुला न पाएंगे..

सोचा न था, दिन ऐसे भी आएँगे...

आयीं कितनी सारी खुशियाँ..

बिन आपके वे होंगी फीकी,

बीती यादों के मृदु-एहसास से,

हो जैसे भी मन जायेंगीं अब,

बैसाखी, होली, दशमी, दिवाली सब..  

प्रण कर आयी थी अमरीका,

चुस्त करूंगी काया अपनी..

नित्य टोकते जिस योग के लिए,

वो भी अब कर दिखलाऊँगी...

पर हाय! नियति ने क्या रंग दिखलाया,

टूटे सपने, बिखरे सब अरमान अधूरे..

चका-चौंध भी अब फीके दिखते,

नहीं कुछ अब मन को भाते..

दिन ऐसे भी आएँगे..कभी सोचा न था..

माँ-पिताजी दोनों गुज़रे,

भैया भी तो छोड़ गए..

आप ही का एक सहारा था..

इतनी जल्दी वह छिन जायेगा,

सोचा न था..

सोचा न था, कभी दिन ऐसे भी आएँगे..

हो लाख बड़ी मुश्किल लेकिन,

मिला समाधान हरदम तत्क्षण..

कहा था आपने छोड़ कर न यूँ जाओगे,

कभी झूठ न बोलने वाले, वादा यूँ झुठलाओगे..

सपनों में भी न सोचा था...

मना भी न पाऊँ कभी, यूँ रूठ जाओगे,

दिन ऐसे भी आएँगे.. कभी सोचा न था..

रानी थी मैं आपकी.. रानी ही रहूंगी..

स्नेहाशीष से आपकी, कर्त्तव्य सभी निभाऊँगी,

स्नेहिल-स्मृतियाँ सहेज हृदय में,

दायित्व सभी सहज ही निभाऊँगी ..

पर दिन ऐसे भी आएँगे कभी सोचा न था..

कभी सोचा न था.."

                            - आपकी रंजन💔
(Written BY my MOTHER in loving memory of my FATHER)

माँ , अब तुम उदास हो दिखती...

माँ , अब तुम उदास हो दिखती... 

हँसती, मुस्काती, संकट में धीरज धरती,
हम सबको सम्बल देती माँ...
मुस्काती तो अब भी हो तुम

पर माँ, अब तुम उदास हो दिखती... 

                         

कल देखी थी वो तस्वीर 

जो तुमने 'स्टेटस' में लगाई थी

सब के संग तुम भी मुस्काई थीं..

या कहुँ कि मुस्काने की कोशिश थी!

पर नयन तुम्हारे अक़्सर ही माँ,
राज़-ओ-ग़म बयां कर देतें हैं 
हँसते-मुस्काते चेहरों में तुम

ग़म छुपाती दिखती माँ...  

हाँ, मुस्काती तो अब भी हो तुम  

पर माँ, अब तुम उदास हो दिखती...

माँ, ये जो ग़म के अँधियारे हैं न,

बस समय के ही जाये हैं.. 

सुख-दुःख सब बस जीवन -माया 

किसी ने खोया तो किसी ने पाया ..  

आँखें तू यूँ नम न कर 
बीती बातों का ग़म न कर..
आहत मन की मरहम कर..
माना वो अब नहीं रहे, पर
स्नेह-आशीष की छाया उनकी
अब भी हम पर बरसती माँ... 
उनके आदर्शों - सिद्धांतों पर चल 
आ जीवन सफल करें हम माँ..

 

थोड़ी हिम्मत तू रख माँ,
थोड़ी कोशिश हम करते हैं..
आ मिल कर हम-सब 

ग़म ये सारे बाँट लेते हैं...  

खुशियों के ये उजियारे माँ 
बस अब दूर नहीं हैं..
दो - चार कदम तू चल माँ 

कुछ फ़ासला हम तय कर लेंगे..

तू यूँ ही अपनी ममता बरसाना 
हम तेरी सेवा-पुण्य को अर्जें.. 
सफर ज़िन्दगी का ये हम 

हँसते - गाते तय कर लेंगे.. 

 

अब दिन-रात एक न करना तुम.. 

औरआँखें मत सुजाना तुम 

न ही तकिये और भिगोना तुम...

अबकी जब भी मुस्काना तुम,
दिल खोल खिलखिलाना भी तुम माँ..

दिल खोल खिलखिलाना भी तुम माँ ...!

- विराट 

(Written for my Mother and in fond memory of my beloved father...)

COVID 19 महामारी बुरा दौर आना अभी बाकी : बरतें ये सावधानियाँ

        देश में कोरोना महामारी को आये चार महीने से अधिक हो चले हैं! पहला कोरोना केस 30 January 2020 को केरला में सामने आया था. और स्थिति ज्यूँ-ज्यूँ बिगड़ती जा रही है हम त्यूँ-त्यूँ अपनी सावधानियों में कमी करते जा रहे हैं!! जब कोरोना संक्रमितों की संख्या सैकड़ों में थी तो हम ऐसे बर्ताव कर रहे थे जैसे हर दूसरा करोना पीड़ित हो! अब जबकि संख्या लाखों में हैं और हर दूसरे व्यक्ति के करोना संक्रमित होने की पूरी सम्भावना है तो हम कुछ यूँ पेश आ रहे हैं जैसे की लगता है करोना वाइरस lockdown खुलते ही लम्बी छुट्टी पर चला गया हो!!

इस वक्त सर्वाधिक संयम, सावधानी और सतर्कता की आवश्यकता है।

1. घर से बाहर जब भी निकलें मास्क लगा कर ही निकलें।
2. जब तक बाहर रहें मास्क लगाए रहें।
3. मास्क सही आकार का हो और उसे सही प्रकार से लगाएँ |(नाक और मुँह पूरी तरह से ढका हो)
4. यह भली-भाँति समझ लें कि मास्क केवल आपकी सुरक्षा के लिए नहीं है...अपितु आप से अधिक आपके सम्पर्क में आने वाले अन्य लोगों को सुरक्षित रखने का साधन है! अतः एक दूसरे की सुरक्षा का सदैव ध्यान रखें!
5. छोटा हैंड sanitiser सदैव अपने साथ रखें! और समय समय पर अपने हाथों को sanitise करते रहें या साबुन-पानी की सुविधा उपलब्ध हो तो 20-30 सेकंड तक अपने हाथों को धोएँ! हाथ धोने की विधि YouTube पर सर्च करें! देखने के लिए यहाँ क्लिक करें !
6. Sanitiser का प्रयोग करते समय भी उसे हाथों पर मलने का तरीका वही हो जो साबुन मलते समय होता है | कहने का तात्पर्य यह है की जैसे साबुन हाथों के सभी भाग में अच्छी तरह से लगाते हैं उसी प्रकार sanitiser भी हाथों पर अच्छी तरह लगा कर ही उसे डिसइंफेक्ट/ sanitize करना चाहिए!
7. साबुन से हाथों को धोना, sanitizer से हाथों को sanitize करने की तुलना में corona वायरस से बचाव में कहीं ज्यादा प्रभावी है! अतः जहाँ तक संभव हो और सुविधा यदि उपलब्ध हो साबुन-पानी से ही हाथों को धोयें !
8. घर वापस आने पर अपने जूते या चप्पल घर के बाहर ही रखें या उनके रखने का स्थान सुनिश्चित कर सदैव वहीं रखें उनका उपयोग घर में बिल्कुल भी ना करें!
9. सामाजिक दूरी बनाए रखना केवल औपचारिकता भर नहीं है अपितु वर्तमान समय में महत्वपूर्ण आवश्यकता है| इस महामारी से बचने का उपाय हमारे द्वारा नित्य-प्रति बरती जाने वाली सावधानियों में ही निहित हैं!
10. दफ्तर में बार बार उपयोग किये जाने वाली या छूई जाने वाली वस्तुओं जैसे Mouse, keyboard, मेज़, कुर्सी का हत्था, दरवाजे/ दराज़ के हैंडल आदि को नियमित अंतराल पर दिन में कई बार sanitize करें या करवायें |
11. दफ्तर में भोजनावकाश के दौरान साथ बैठ कर खाना खाने की आदत को फिलहाल छोड़ दें | लिफ्ट का प्रयोग कम से
    
    कम करें सीढ़ियों का प्रयोग करें और चढ़ते उतरते समय सामाजिक दूरी बनाये रखें | अगर लिफ्ट का प्रयोग अपरिहार्य है तो लिफ्ट में उतने ही लोग एक बार में जाएँ जितने में सामाजिक दूरी बानी रहे! लिफ्ट में जब खड़े हों तो लिफ्ट की दिवार की ओर मुँह कर लें : एक दूसरे की ओर मुँह कर ना खड़े हों !
12. यहाँ-वहाँ न थूकें : अच्छा तो यह होगा की बहार कभी भी न थूकें ! 
13. तनावमुक्त रहें | तनाव हमारी रोग प्रतिरोधक छमता को कम करती है | इसके लिए नियमित योगाभ्यास करें, ध्यान करें, अपने परिवार जन - सगे सम्बन्धियों एवं अपने मित्रों से बातचीत करें | मज़ाक करें | हसें | हास्य तनाव को काम करती है और हमारी इम्मुनिटी को बढ़ने में मददगार होती है |
14. पानी ख़ूब पियें और नियमित समय पर भोजन करें। भोजन करना कभी भी ना भूलें या skip करें। नियमित फल खाएँ (कोई भी फल)! 7-8 घंटे की नींद प्रतिदिन लेवें-ये सब आपकी प्रतिरोधक छमता को बनाये रखने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाते हैं!
15. अगर घर में एक ही शौचालय हो तो इस बात का ध्यान रखें कि संदिग्ध लक्षणों वाले मरीज द्वारा शौचालय के प्रयोग के फ़ौरन बाद शौचालय का प्रयोग न करें. मरीज के शौचालय प्रयोग के बाद एक्सहॉस्ट पंखा अवश्य चलाएँ ! अगर एक से अधिक शौचालय की सुविधा हो तो सुनिश्चित करें कि उनमें से एक का प्रयोग केवल मरीज़ ही करे !
16. फ्लश करने से पहले शौचालय का ढक्कन (sheet cover) ढक दें ! फ्लश की प्रक्रिया एयरोसोल (हवा में तैरती रह सकने वाली अति-सूक्ष्म पानी की बूँदें) उत्पन्न कर सकती हैं जिसमें COVID 19 के विषाणु हो सकते हैं क्यूँकि कुछ अध्यनों में यह पाया गया है की COVID 19 के विषाणु का मरीज़ के मल में कई हफ़्तों तक निर्वहन होता रहता है!
17. COVID 19 बिमारी के लक्षण जैसे बुखार, गले में खराश, गले में दर्द, खाँसी (मुख्यतः सूखी), स्वास में तकलीफ, बैठे बैठे या थोड़े श्रम से स्वास का फूलना या चढ़ जाना, सर दर्द, बदन दर्द, कमजोरी महसूस होना, सूंघने की या स्वाद महसूस करने की छमता में कमी आदि के आने पर बिलकुल न घबराएँ ! लगभग 80 प्रतिशत मामले मामूली लक्षणों के साथ स्वतः ही ठीक हो जाते हैं! केवल 15 - 20 प्रतिशत मामले में अस्पताल जाने की आवश्यकता पड़ सकती है.. 
18. कुछ चीजें जो आप अपने स्तर पर कर सकते हैं:
1. नियमित रूप से गुनगुना तरल जैसे गुनगुना पानी, नींबू वाली चाय, अदरख वाली चाय, ग्रीन टी, काढ़ा आदि लेते रहें | शरीर में पानी की कमी ना होने दें! 
2. गुनगुने पानी में नमक डाल कर दिन में तीन-चार बार गरारे करें!
3. पूर्ण विश्राम करें | COVID 19 बीमारी में मुख्यतः स्वशन तंत्र प्रभावित होता है! फेफड़ों की हवा से ऑक्सीजन सोख कर हमारे खून में पहुँचाने की छमता प्रभावित हो जाती है.. जो की पल्स ऑक्सीमीटर से नापने पर हमारे ऑक्सीजन संतृप्तता (SpO2) में कमी के तौर पर दर्शाता है! हमारी प्रत्येक गतिविधी के लिए हमारी मांसपेशियों को ऑक्सीजन की आवश्यकता होती है ! अतः हम जितना कम से कम गतिविधि करेंगे उतनी कम ऑक्सीजन की आवश्यकता हमें होगी !
4. अगर सुविधाजनक हो तो पेट के बल (Prone) हो कर लेटें:
   
   यह हमारे फेफड़ों से खून में ऑक्सीजन जाने की कुशलता (efficiency) बढ़ता है! अगर ऐसा न संभव हो तो दायें या बायें करवट भी लेट सकते हैं अन्यथा पीठ के बल लेटें ! 
5. विटामिन C की 500 mg की गोली सुबह शाम लें | आप संतरे मौसमी आदि जैसे फल खा कर भी विटामिन C की जरूरत पूरी कर सकते हैं! (लगभग 7 से 10  फल प्रतिदिन!)
6. बुखार या बदन में दर्द के लिए पेरासिटामोल (PCM) की गोली हर 6 घंटे पर ली जा सकती है... 
7. मास्क का प्रयोग, सामाजिक दूरी बनाये रखना, हाथों की साफ़ सफाई का समुचित ध्यान रखना तथा तब तक अपने आप को घर में सबसे अलग रखना जब तक कि COVID 19 बिमारी ना होने की पुष्टि न हो जाये या आप पुनः स्वस्थ नहीं हो जाते, अत्यंत महत्वपूर्ण है !

स्वस्थ रहें! सुरक्षित रहें!

डॉ. विराट कुंतलम
वरिष्ट चिकित्सा अधिकारी
न. दि. न. पा. प. (NDMC)
https://twitter.com/viraat_k
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COVID Lockdown..what went wrong? - My point of view

#Lockdown What went wrong? - My perspective! 

        We went into lockdown too early probably and once we were in lockdown phase 1, we lacked the momentum/swiftness in tracing all the cases, their contacts and failed to isolate the symptomatic ones/ quarantine the asymptomatic ones well within time...and mind you by then the total no. of cases were in three figures only! Meanwhile we kept bringing stranded fellow Indians from foreign nations and let them go to their native places unrestricted! We should have made it mandatory to undergo 14 day quarantine (not home quarantine) for anyone who was travelling from abroad. After all corona virus didn't originate in India...It was clear from the begining that it has to come to India along with some foreign travellers returning home! 

        We ended/ eased the lockdown at the worst possible time! We did it when cases were still rising...it should have been when cases had at least plateaued or even better would have been when number of daily cases had started declining... Instead of containing and managing the spread of pandemic we unknowingly chose to spread it...by allowing people to migrate form one corner to another! We probably lost the resolve and buckled to the luring economic crisis...or probably got bored of staying home bound for too long...

        Issues of Migrant labourers should have been dealt in a better manner...we could have done better at this front! They could have been given daily/alternate day jobs near their residences after daily temp & symptoms screening... we could have repaired our roads in lockdown when roads were deserted or renovated our office buildings which were vacant etc ... similarly construction work could have been permitted after necessary precautions...thus creating fair daily wage job opportunities for them... all it would have taken was screening! This way the inhuman migration would have prevented and also most of the marginalised families would not have gone to the brink of starvation! We anyhow, started doing all these (at least most of these) now when we have cases in six figures!! But it easier said than done... 

        We are still far away from herd immunity (number wise)...even if mortality in our geographic region is relatively lesser than western world...we should not forget that we have a huge population base! Even 0.01 % (considering critically ill cases) would mean 1,35,000!! As on April 2020 we only have approx. 95000 ICU beds and approx. 47,500 vents (public + Private)*! So by the time we attain the herd immunity level theses resources can easily be used up if we let down all our guards! Therefore, it’s imperative for us to strictly observe the preventive measures. Given the prolonged recovery time associated with critically ill patients you can well imagine what a messy scenario it’s gonna be! 

Having said all the negative things, what we can do at our ends is simple! 

a) Observe social distancing, wear masks whenever in public and wash hands/ sanitise with >65% alcohol containing sanitiser whenever you have moved around in office and come back to your desk! This is the only proven scientific way to prevent SARS -CoV 2 infection which leads to COVID 19 disease in few cases (20-30%). 

b) Always assume that everyone is a potential corona carrier. This way you will be more likely  to stick to the precautions advocated. 

c) Remember that only portals of entry of corona virus are eyes, nose and mouth! So, avoid touching them when you are in public. 

d) Have healthy diet. Don’t skip meals (specially breakfasts). Have fruits and lots of proteins. They boosts your immunity. Have foods rich in vitamin C (amla, lemon, citrus fruits-oranges, sweet lime etc). 

e) Sleep well. Take at least 7-8hours of sleep daily. It not only helps your body to rejuvenate daily but also is essential  for optimal functioning of immune system apart from improving your longevity, apetite and memory altogether! 

f) Avoid chilled/cold foods and fluids. Sip Luke warm water frequently (hot water does no better!). Keep yourself hydrated. 

g) If you have been suffering from any chronic illnesses particularly diabetes or Hypertension, keep them in check, take your medicines regularly, maintain healthy life style...Walk! Walk for 30min daily in the park or in your society compound or on your rooftop or if none is possible you can do figure of 8 walking in your drawing room! (CLICK HERE to find out its benefits!) 

h) You can practise all things advocated by alternate system of medicines (AYUSH guidelines) - to a lesser or greater extent they will help you! 

i) Stay positive. 70-80% cases are going to be asymptomatic. There is 8 out of 10 chance that you might get infected with SARS CoV-2 and you will recover with minor flu like symptoms or may even not notice them as well. 

j) Sooner or later majority of us will get infected with Corona/ SARS CoV-2 virus! After all don’t forget, to attain herd immunity 70-80% population needs to get infected and recover! 

k) Be watchful of your symptoms (fever/cough/ headaches/body aches/ breathing difficulties/ shortness of breath etc...once you notice any of them isolate yourself from your near and dear ones (stay in one room, wear mask at all times, don’t allow anyone to come near you) and contact your doctor/ healthcare provider ASAP. 

“यक़ीनन वक़्त बहुत बुरा है जनाब,

एहसास तो सबको ही कराएगा...

बात इससे भी अच्छी यह है कि, 

हो जैसा भी यह गुज़र ही जाएगा..!” -unknown 

#Stay_Safe #Stay_Positive #COVID_Times_This too shall pass!

Dr. Virat Kuntalam

Senior Medical Officer

NDMC 

@viraat_k

*https://cddep.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/State-wise-estimates-of-current-beds-and-ventilators_20Apr2020.pdf

अर्द्धांगिनी, जीवन-संगिनी तुम..

"अर्द्धांगिनी, जीवन-संगिनी तुम..

मेरा आज तुम,

मेरा कल तुम,

मेरे रात और दिन भी तुम।

मेरी मुस्कुराहट में तुम..

मेरे दिल की हर आहट में तुम..

और मेरे व्यथित-मन की राहत भी तुम।

सुख-दुख की सहभागिनी तुम..

जीवन-संगिनी, अर्द्धांगिनी तुम।

मेरा धैर्य तुम,

और करती अधीर भी तुम..!

मेरा साहस तुम,

और मेरी बड़ी दुर्बलता भी तुम..!

मेरा आन तुम,

मेरा शान तुम,

रखती सबका मान तुम,

करती रिस्तों का सम्मान भी तुम।

मेरा भाग्य तुम,

मेरा सौभाग्य तुम,

क़िस्मत को जो कर दे बुलंद

मेरे हाथों की वो लकीर भी तुम..!

मेरी सहभागिनी, जीवन-संगिनी तुम.."

                                              -विराट्

The Dangerous Habit of Living in Denial..

It hurts when we don't support, in what so ever way we can, the causes which have or can have greater impact on our society, our nation and our Home- The Blue Planet EARTH..!

Yesterday was world Earth Hour (28th March 2015 from 8:30pm-9:30pm local time). It's being promoted by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) every year since 2007 when it started in Australia as an awareness initiative against Global Warming.

All we had to do was Switch Off our all non essential lights for 1hour starting from 8:30 pm local time! But did we?

I didn't..because I forgot! And why I forgot?? probably because I didn't give it that much importance.

I was also hurt by the fact that we all have all the time to send/forward so many useless nonsense jokes/pranks on all social media sites. But, I don't remember seeing any regarding this important issue in my frnd circle..which disheartens me! 

We can't be aloof about climate change for long. Because it's inevitable.. unless we pledge to act now! 

"We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and the last generation that can do anything about it!" -Barack Obama 

6 Reasons why every 'arrogant' bachelor should Cook!

I started cooking (full-fledged cooking! I mean...I used to cook maggie and stuff like that earlier as well..) few months back - Last week of October or early November last year. Prior to that I have always been getting food cooked by some maid or was lucky enough to have with me my mummy or  my cousin who are expert at this art.  Last year in October my cousin shifted to her new house and I was having trouble finding maid for cooking due to my work timings and also due to the fact that I am a lone bachelor (will not be for very long though! ;) !! 

So, unwillingly though, I decided to cook myself. And today I can tell you this was one of my best decisions of my life. Learning to cook was a great fun. It also has given me great confidence and brought within me a kind of humbleness/ humility. Here is what all I have learnt from my experiences: 

1. Cooking is not EASY.

Yes, it's not at all easy! It's a full fledged work! And now that I have done it for a while I realise, what someone once said to me was absolutely right that a housewife's introduction shouldn't be "ye kuch nahi karti, ye housewife hain!" anymore. I've started cooking only few months back and I know this is not all that a housewives do...It's just one aspect of her daily chores but after having gone through this I must say it is indeed a very significant and demanding one. So in my view being a homemaker is not at all any lesser job than the so called fancy job of yours!

2. Cooking is not that "Big Deal" thing as well.

You also come to know this fact after you are in the kitchen for 2-4 weeks and after you have burnt few dishes and few fingers of yours as well, ruined some recepies and after you finally got the measure of salt and spices to be added to some particular dish you start to have this feeling that cooking might not be as simple as a walk in the park but its not a 'rocket science' as well. So, it's not a big deal after all.

3. Cooking is a Great Stress buster.

At least for me. It works. I think mainly because when you are naive at something you tend to focus bit more consciously to get things right as you are not used to these kind of work. So your all attention is on the job at hand only and not wandering all around in the universe...and after a period of an hour or so you really feel relaxed as your mind was doing what was in your control instead of worrying about things that may or may not be in your control. This brings happiness feeling of achieving something, specially when your chapatis puffs up like a big spotless sun-melon!!

4. Cooking makes you a multi-tasking expert.

Well, not from the day one I suppose. In fact, during initial days all I could do was just one thing at a time. If I was boiling milk I used to keep staring at the milk in the container until it got boiled and I have turned the gas off. And today, I can use all four burners of my gas simultaneously with different things cooking on each of them.  

5. Cooking reminds me of my Mom.

This I didn't know till few weeks back, although I was cooking for almost 4 months now! Very recently I think last to last week, when I was done with my kitchen's rituals and when I had rearranged all the stuffs to pre-cooking stage in my kitchen, I washed my hands and was checking my twitter account when I smelled my hands- in that very instant all I could remember was my mother - her hands too smelled exactly the same...! I belong to that generation of people and come from that family background where we didn't have the luxury of servants. My mom is a working lady. And she is a homemaker too. She used to cook and occasionally, feed the two of us (me and my brother Kunal) with her hands...! It was a priceless memory lost somewhere in my mesencephalon and I am glad that I have revived it and it was possible only because of cooking. 

PS: Now I never forget to smell my hands after cooking.!!

6. You can always Experiment/ innovate.

As long as you are bachelor and you are cooking for yourself alone or some 'chaddi-buddy' friends, you can experiment with whatever you are cooking whether be it cooking rice with few mint leaves in pressure cooker, cooking maggie with oregano seasonings with hint of garlic butter added right after turning off the gas (awesome) or cooking maggie with scrambled eggs (Awful- never try) and many more such things. And sometimes something amazing comes out of your experiments. So, while there is no one to judge you or rate your cooking keep experimenting and keep learning.

Dr. Virat Kuntalam (Follow me on Twitter @viraat_k)

Happy New Year

For me this whole year was some sort of roller coaster ride... with so many highest highs and equally even were the lowest low...! But over all, like they say, all is well if it ends well...

If I were to sum up the whole year I would say I did reasonably well professionally...made new good friends who were just my colleagues once, earned respect from colleagues and sub-ordinate staffs, gained admiration of my superiors, and most of all, it was the love and affection of patients which blew me over...!

While my professional life was full of highs...(except for a few lows too!) my personal life was a bumpy ride... with me hurting so many of my near and dear ones...! Though on most of the occasions it was purely unintentional.. but still the fact remains unchanged that I did hurt them and hurt them pretty badly.

Sometimes it so happens that you are so pissed off with yourself that you don't even treat other people well... it's not that you are mad with the person standing next to you or the person you are conversing on phone with...but still you behave rudely...you talk rudely... and they think its them who are at fault...when the fact is its actually your frustration with yourself that coming out...!!

A while back, I read somewhere, "People will forget what you said, people may forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel." this is so true..everyone should remember this...I need to remember this all the time.. for there is no greater cruelty than to make someone feel awful..specially when you are aware of their feelings..

Problems aggravate when you become habitual in taking people for granted...you need to cherish the people who care for you...not take them for granted...as if what they do for you is their duty...! Be wise, and always have this knowledge that if you are cared for then you are certainly very lucky! Stand for them. Take good care of those who care for you..for you can only repent once you have lost them to your arrogance..!

May this New Year brings more happiness and wisdom to all of us.. 

True Love...

Handle with Care...

Few weeks ago, I was among my colleagues, and during casual chit-chat somebody asked…What is true love? And the weirdest and the most unexpected answer which came, we all knew it for sure, was a mere sarcasm and nothing else...but in our hearts we all wished it be true... Not just for the guy who said so, but for all of us so that when we say, "My true love is My wife!" we better mean it...from the core of our hearts!!  

True love is such a cliché...For some, its what Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennett shared amongst themselves in the famous romantic novel Pride and Prejudice, for some its the chemistry shared between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen of Twilight Saga epic…and for some it’s the on screen chemistry of Varun (Humpty) and Alia (Kavya) of Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania fame…! 

For me, its none of the above…!! For me true love is not something...which should be such a rare commodity…or which has to be looked for in epic novels or movies or out of the world stories… For me it has to be present amongst us only…among common ordinary people…leading daily ordinary lives!!

I believe, true love is...when someone who despite knowing your darkest of dark secret, which you literally are ashamed of to share with anyone, doesn't judge you or label you with some permanent tag but gives you a chance to  improve yourself… When someone whom you have hurt beyond all measures knowingly or unknowingly, not only forgives you but loves you back unconditionally… When you have found someone with whom you are not afraid to share your funniest of funny ideas, weirdest of weird fantasies...who are aware of your most irking of habits yet ignores it... someone who sleeps with head on your chest despite the fact that you actually snore like a pig and you on the other hand, lying on bed at night with eyes closed can proudly sport a subtle smile on your face for you know that there is someone lying just next to you with his/her arm around you, who is always there for you no matter what! 

If you are amogst the luckiest few then you probably have found 'the One' and are currently spending your life with him/her deeply satisfied and madly in love...despite having all the daily discord, disagreements and what not!

And for those of you who are not as lucky as the above mentioned ones...I would still call you guys lucky if you did have 'that one' in your life at some point of your life but unfortunately you two are no longer together for what-so-ever reason/s!! Its an amazing feeling...isn't it? To know that you have/had someone who at times understands/ understood you even better than you understand yourself!! Cheers to all those who have even faintest of idea about whatever nonsense I am talking about...!! :-)

And for those who don't have 'the one' yet in their lives I feel sorry for you...! You have done everything but lived! You may have worked/studied/played etc but not yet lived!!! So, I guess, its time.... Take a break...Get out, explore and LIVE..LAUGH...LOVE...ENJOY!!! 

Virat (@viraat_k)

New Delhi

Swachh Bharat: My Litter, My Responsibility!

               Today while going through the different newspapers, felt really good and somewhat accomplishing that this 'Swachh Bharat' initiative got such a support from all sections of society. I had this gut-feeling yesterday while I was standing along with our Prime Minister at Valmiki Sadan, where he interacted with the Safaai Karmchari of NDMC and from where he started this movement, that it would definitely turn out into a mass movement!

I am not saying this just because I am still in awe of his persona or I was lucky enough to physically meet our Prime Minister (by the way I had never imagined that!!) but rather I am convinced by his belief as well as by his actions that together we can make India clean and much better place. And when he said, "yeh kaam sirf aapka nahi hai, hum sabka hai!" (this is not just your work, but of all of us!) while interacting with safaai karmchari of NDMC! and soon after that he borrowed the broom and started sweeping the pavement along with them. This only shows that, not only his words but his action too are in sync with his beliefs! 

                       One more thing makes me believe that this dream of Swachh Bharat is not just dream but an achievable reality! Let me elaborate it a bit...by default we all inherently love cleanliness. It's just that our standard of cleanliness varies and also the extent of surrounding that one sees fit to keep neat and tidy varies... Even someone who is homeless and has to spend nights on footpaths love cleanliness for he does clean the area where he is going to sleep! I would even go to the extent and say this - Everyone Loves Cleanliness and No one likes things in shabby state!"

                       Its this deep rooted love for cleanliness govt. needs to tap on! We all keep our houses clean. We set beds in morning, sweep and mop our floors (or get these things done by a paid maid)... this again only proves that we love clean surroundings. Similarly, in societies that are better maintained and are frequently visited by civic bodies (like garbage collector etc) are not only clean from within but also outside the houses! 

                  So all that is to be done is just provide basic facilities to society and the domain of cleanliness will gradually enlarge and soon will engulf the whole nation! Well I am aware that its way easier said than done... while authorities need to worry about infrastructure and support issues, we as individual need to work a bit on our own to help improve the situation. We all need to make conscious efforts not to litter on streets, parks, footpaths, roads etc. just the way we don't litter in our homes! 

                       Also, one more thing that we can do is segregate the garbage at our homes itself... its far more easier to segregate a kilo or two of garbage at source than nearly 10 million tonnes of garbage at final disposal point. (The figure is derived from the fact that on an average household garbage produced per person per day in a city like Delhi is nearly a kilo. Multiply this with population of Delhi and you will get the daily garbage produce of our city!!) And this, segregation thing, is quite doable!! 

                          Nearly 74% of daily household litter consists of Paper/Cardboards (30%), Vegetables (23%) and Dust, Cinders and misc. (21%). While vegetables can be utilised as organic compost in kitchen garden (if you happen to have one) and others can be bagged into one and disposed to garbage collectors. Even if you don't have a kitchen garden all you need to do is make separate baggage for vegetables (organic) and the other contents (inorganic) of this 74% part of household garbage. Luckily, we are a country which recycles a lot of inorganic wastes! 

                         As far as the remaining 26% of garbage is concerned its produced in small quantities in regular households. It mainly consists of Glass (10%), Metals (9%), Plastic (4%) and Textiles (3%). These can be stored for sometimes at the source of production itself (that is, household) and disposed off in a while say every fortnight or month. This way a lot of burden will be taken off from final disposal sites and hence will improve waste disposal management. It's high time now, we all need to step up for this cause which is for our own good. Let's make it a policy..."My Litter, My Responsibility!" Let's stop blaming civic bodies for not installing adequate numbers of litter bins in public place...trust me they are not needed! As astounding as it may sound, Japan one of the cleanest country is among the country with lowest number of garbage bins in public place per 1000 people.

So, lets do it...let's make Our Home, a Clean Home; Our Neighbourhood, a Clean Neighbourhood; Our Village, a Clean Village; Our City, a Clean City; and Our Nation, a Clean Nation...!
Together We Can, and together WE WILL...!! Let this cleanliness drive not just be a 2nd October symbolic thing...let's inculcate it into our habits and also into our children's habits. 

Come on, Let's realise Mahatma's saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness!"

Jai Hind!!

Dr. Virat Kuntalam (@viraat_k)

Medical Officer,

New Delhi Medical Council

Parliament Street, 

New Delhi 110001

The Learning Enemy - Ticking Time-Bomb within us...!

                    Have you ever imagined why defence and offence strategies of our security forces are so Top Secret!? It’s simple because we  don’t want our enemies to be prepared for what all we have in our stock!!! 

                   Same principle applies to the vast world of microbes (pathogenic - disease causing microbes to be specific). We would not like the Salmonellas (typhoid causing bacteria) Vibrios (cholera causing bacteria), E. colis (many gut and urinary tract infection causing bacteria) and many others to be prepared for the gamut of antimicrobial agents (mainly antibiotics) that we today have and which we use in patients suffering form these diseases.

                 Therefore, need of the hour for we as doctors is to use antibiotics (for that matter any antimicrobial agent!) judiciously and cautiously… It’s really distressing to see the use of higher/next generation antibiotics for simple infections that too without any evidence (e.g. Culture sensitivity reports etc). But we all health care providers are more or less aware of this monstrous problem…and frankly speaking bit scared too…at least I am.. Specially after the emergence of ‘SuperBug’ few years back…!

We medical professionals need to USE ANTIBIOTICS WISELY, NOT WIDELY!

                   So, with this article I basically intend to enlighten the 'non-medico’ segment of the society. Why today? Because, Indian Academy of Paediatrics has undertaken this MISSION AAA (Avoid Antimicrobial Abuse) and is celebrating the Rational Antibiotic Use Day (28 September 2014) and Antimicrobial Awareness Week (28 September 2014 - 05 October 2014).

               Most of the common illnesses like Common Cold, Flu, Diarrhoea are basically caused by viruses…and hence use of antibiotics are redundant. They will not help you get back to office any sooner…! And so, for you- as patients its of utmost importance that you get over this inherent urge to buy prescription medicine over the counter from the pharmacist. ALL ANTIBIOTICS ARE PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES meaning thereby, its illegal to buy them without a valid prescription… and its rightly been that way.  Text below will make you understand why its important.

                      In 1953, there were more than 7,50,00,000 cases of malaria per year! And it was a huge public health burden. Govt. of India launched NMEP (National Malaria Eradication Program) and there was free lance use of DDT to kill the mosquitoes. It did work, temporarily though, bringing malaria cases to all time low of  50,000 cases per year in 1962!! But in next 10 years the number of cases rose 12times…leading to catastrophic failure of program. This happened because of the natural selection! Use of DDT killed the susceptible mosquitoes but spared the once which were resistant to DDT and in next 10 years these multiplied and led to increase in cases of malaria. Had other strategies would not have been undertaken, malaria and death due to malaria would have risen back to same 1953 level. Life subsists and so does mosquitoes and malaria. And by the way, this led to change in approach by govt. which reflects in name of malaria programs over the years: started with NMEP---> National Malaria Control Program (NMCP)---> Intensified Malaria Control Program (IMCP)!!

                        There was a period when we, kind of, lost our track as we were so goal oriented.! In order to decrease the cases of malaria and malaria related death we started giving presumptive treatment of malaria to all cases of fever suspected to be due to malaria, specially in malaria endemic regions. And we used Chloroquine the most common drug for malaria. As expected, it did bring the cases down initially but soon number of cases started to rise due to development of Chloroquine resistant Plasmodium spp. (parasite that causes malaria) but fortunately, this time we were intelligent enough to see the trend early and literally stopped the presumptive treatment. Now we use anti-malarials only in proven cases of malaria (either by microscopy or by RDT- rapid diagnostic test Kit). 

                        Another example where inadequate treatment (mainly premature stoppage of medicines prescribed) leading development of such a dreadful disease is: Tuberculosis!! Once easily treatable under DOTS (directly observed treatment short-course) program, TB is now rapidly transforming into difficult to treat MDR (multi drug resistant) TB, even more difficult to treat XDR (eXtremely drug resistant) TB and now there is TDR TB on the horizon...! (totally drug resistant, though WHO avoids the use of acronym TDR as it gives hint of hopelessness!). This is all because we as patient don't stick to the prescribed regimens...the moment we start feeling well we tend to forget about medicines...and leave the treatment mid way!! And remember is a contagious disease. If one has MDR TB, one will spread MDR TB!!! 

                  Similarly, when we take antibiotics irrationally we put selection pressure over microbial population. Sensitive microbes die…resistant ones survives…and now whole resource is available for the resistant ones which flourish rampantly…and the worst part is Resistant bug replicate into Resistant BugS!! 

             Also, Its important to take antibiotics for prescribed duration and in prescribed dosages. Most of the time you start feeling better just after few doses of medicine. Its because majority (NOT all) of disease causing bacteria are killed by the first few doses of antibiotics (provided right antibiotic has been prescribed!!). But you need to take the complete dose of medicine so that the infection is completely eradicated. If you take meds for sub-optimal duration there is always risk of relapse of illness with greater severity. 

REMEMBER, If we SAVE Antibiotics TODAY, They will SAVE us TOMORROW!!”

                    Other important thing is, microbes are enormous in number. Just 1gram of your faeces may have somewhere around 100 million-1trillions of them!!! And even though rate of mutation (random change in genetic material of an organism leading to change in its characteristics) is very low, mere number of these little bugs make it a significant event for them. Its nature’s experimentation for betterment of the organism. 100 experiment may fail, 1000 may fail, may be million experiments fail…which is unfair for them…but they are in trillions..!! Someday some random iteration in genetic material may work… and nature’s experiment continues creating newer forms of bacteria…some of which are inherently resistant to our antibiotics…but as long as these are in the company of their own 'cousins and nephews’ we have no problem as they have to compete with trillions of bugs to grow and survive with limited resource! 

Problem occurs when we use antibiotics irrationally and sub-optimally! This creates favourable condition for resistant ones by wiping out the billions of competitive sensitive bacteria…now all the resource is available for these dangerous bugs and they multiply!!! 

The other worrisome fact is we have already made antibiotics which act on all known targets of bacterium…there are hardly any novel antibiotics in pipeline. Also, in past decade or so there were only a few antibiotics which were produced. On the other hand bugs have developed resistance to all known antibiotics…fortunately they all are not present in same single bug so far…but if we continue like this with antibiotic abuse that SUPER BUG is not very far from reality…!

            So, irrational-sub-optimal and rampant use of antibiotics must stop. Otherwise, there will be so many superbugs that we probably will not be able to contain them! Instead of self medicating seek the expert and get optimal treatment…

Stay active…stay healthy…Do well!!!

Dr. Virat Kuntalam

Medical Officer

New Delhi Municipal Council

Parliament Street, New Delhi 110001