Four months in Saudi Arabia and going strong

I am happy to inform my readers that I have now completed 4 1/2 months in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. After about three months, I settled down to a routine which involves a lot of walking, good exercise, simple food and frequent dinners at local eating houses, gorging off and on on sweets/chips/flavoured milks etc., light duties occasionally complicated by night calls and emergencies, late night internet surfing, Thursday-Friday weekends, friendly sojourns with fellow Indians, Pakistanis and Bangla deshis, and so much more. 


Only recently, i.e. about 5 days ago, I went to see an administered Wildlife Reserve; the experience was clearly unique, and I saw, for the first time in my life, exotic creatures such as the Red-necked Ostriches, the Oryx, the  Leppet-faced Vulture, the Reem Gazelle and the Ibni Gazelle, as also the Grey Shrike and a few other birds. This outing opened my eyes to the possibility of beautiful things even existing on places like this deserty place in the interior of Saudi Arabia.


Do keep reading here as well as on the parent site of my stay in Saudi Arabia, viz. click on http://drtaherofarabia.blogspot.com.

Two months plus in Saudi Arabia now

Most of my friends already know that I am currently employed by the Ministry of Health, Government of Saudi Arabia, as a Pediatrician in Al Moweh town in the Ta'if/Makkah region of that country. I have been working in the Al-Moweh General Hospital for almost 50 days now, and the journey so far has been full of downs and ups. Mercifully, the current level of my comfort in this country is high. I have a residence permit, my salary for the last 2 months, a fairly well-appointed house taken on rent, and blessings from Allah. The work is not very strenuous, and I get about 2 full days off every alternate week. In addition, I cook my own food, splurge money on snacks, biscuits and the like. 


I talk to my family every day, skype with them every 2-3 days, chat with my parents at least twice a week, and spend the evenings walking, jogging, networking, reading, surfing the net, watching movies, spending time at the supermarkets and so on.


I have overcome the resistance of not wanting to make chapatis; have made them thrice so far, and am enjoying consuming them. I eat sometimes at the Kerala hotel (fish curry/rice/dosai or their sambar/dosai/vegetable curry for breakfast). Once or twice, I had chicken hamburger/keema roll at a Yemeni fast food joint located near the garden - the one and only garden in the town.


I have become a lot more pious here and do my namaaz at least 80-90 per cent of the time, excluding the morning prayers, which is an obstacle I have not yet overcome. I also read the Yaa-sin chapter from the Qur'an, and read the other sections of the Qur'an whenever I can. 


I still do not have TV in the house, and therefore get bored at times. I do have about 60 movies on my laptop, many of them still unseen, and I do see them regularly, This helps to cut the time and end the evenings. On a few occasions, I invited Dr. Narendra (an Ortho surgeon who is from India) to my house for dinner and he has done likewise for me.


Nothing else of note to write here, so I will sign off this entry. I hope you liked the encapsulated history of my tenure in Saudi so far. To read more, go to my blog on Saudi Arabia. Click here.

Three months after my last post

So much has happened in my life in the last three months, that I am overwhelmed by some of what I have myself engineered, and some that Allah has chosen to apportion to me. As I had mentioned in my last post, I was selected to go to Saudi Arabia to work as a specialist Pediatrician way back in April 2011. Somehow or the other, the status of my selection did not change over nearly 7 months. It was only around mid-October that my appointment formalities were completed from the agent's end, and I was given a tentative 2-3 weeks to wind up my Mumbai affairs so that I could fly out by the first week of November. I requested the agent to give me some more time, and finally, he arranged for the ticket on 16th November.


Between 18th October and 16th November, I had to run from one place to another, sometimes to make new connections with others (e.g. opening an N.R.I. account) or to break existing relationships (e.g. resigning from all the hospitals, or calling up patients and informing them about my planned departure after a month). I also arranged for Dr. A.Basit Bhoira to visit my clinic in the mornings (he is a recent pediatrician attached to Saboo Siddiq and Dholkawala Hospitals) and Dr. Lakshmi (a new pediatrician who visits Masina) to see patients in the evenings. 


I bought two lap-tops, one for myself and the other for the family to keep at home. Also, I had to arrange nearly 60K to pay the agent, and as my ticket was from New Delhi, I had to arrange for my travel to New Delhi. Also, I urged my entire family to accompany me to Delhi and to see me off at the airport. Hence, an additional expenditure of Rs. 50K came into the picture (flight tickets for all 4 of us to Delhi and for the three of them (my wife and daughters) back to Mumbai, plus 1 night's stay in New Delhi (2 doubles)).  Thus, all in all, I spent nearly 1.8 lakhs before the planned departure. I did not have to buy any new pieces of luggage or clothes or any thing else. That was a blessing, since we had already spent so much money!


My farewells to the entire family on my father's side as well as both families on my mothers' side took the form of either meeting them all on a social occasion, or individual visits to Sakinafaiji in Pune and Zehrafaiji at Marol. In addition, I met Moizmama, and called up as many others as possible, including friends, doctors etc. 


My mother was quite apprehensive about my going to a foreign land and tried to dissuade me whenever possible. However, I convinced her that everything would turn out fine. Eventually, she compromised with me and asked me to keep in touch with dad and her from time to time. Of course, I said, and that was that. 


The other resistance had come from Nishrin, who was worried that she would not be able to manage the affairs and both my daughters single-handedly. I told her that the main purpose of my going was to earn some extra money and to provide an opportunity for her (and the kids) and me to live apart from each other and thus gain a measure of emotional, financial and social independence. A sort of "training", one might say, for us to live without each other should Allah snatch one of us away from the other during future life. (This last reason I did not vocalise openly, but you can see the wisdom behind it. So many husbands do not "independentise" their spouses, and this leads to immense difficulties for their spouses in the event of death or disability of the husband.)


For those who want to read a day-by-day account of the stay in Saudi, I recommend that you visit and read my other blog on this very topic. I make entries daily and I am sure some of the entries will interest you immensely. To visit this blog, click here. 

Sharing lots of news and views

Returning to this blog after several months, I find that I need to share a lot of stuff. First of all, Facebook has transformed the way I surf the net, post news, post photos, share interesting things and so on. Little time is therefore available to do anything else. Indeed, this blog post is also written while I wait for some recent photos to upload to my page on facebook!


However, I agree that blogs have their place in cyber-space and cannot be totally replaced by facebook. While blogs offer creativity, facebook apps do, too, but within the parameters set by the applications themselves. Also, Facebook is a social platform, while a blog is a mouth-piece to air one's own views and shares.


I appeared for, and cleared, an interview for the Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in late April, 2011. Following this, there has been a long wait as the agent sorts out my application, and now, as I write this on the 18th of October, I am still awaiting my visa to travel to that country and join as a specialist pediatrician in Taif city, a hill station in the country. A lot of my well-wishers do not want me to leave my practice and go, but it is only I who realises that going there would improve my family's finances tremendously and also allow me to pursue my own hobbies of photography, nature watching and international travelling ... all pretty expensive and out of reach at my current income levels. As of the contract that I signed, I would get paid 150% more than what I make here in India, and it would all be tax-free.

Thus, as of now, the idea of going there is on, and I am waiting for it to reach its logical goal of success. As to what kind of life my  being alone in Taif brings, Allah alone knows ...

My elder daughter Inas joined Hotel Leela near the airport as a Hotel Operations Trainee in July, and is busy with this since the last 3-4 months. A stipend of over 10K per month has kept up her spirits, and only last week, she did a major splurge and bought a blackberry curve phone for herself. Her duty hours are so long she barely finds the time to do any other work than travelling to and fro (each way, the journey takes over an hour and a half), working at the front desk for anywhere between 9-12 hours (although the duty is stipulated at 8-9 hours) and sleeping for 6-8 hours. Food and other routine tasks take up most of her other free time, and it is only when she has a day off that she is able to surf the net, go and buy things or visit with her friends. As a family, we all respect her hard work, but it sometimes makes her testy and short-tempered when socialising with us; also, she regularly makes excuses and avoids doing not only some household work which we keep for her, but also her own personal work ... which is a pity.

Hannah, my other daughter, is busy with her XIIth standard studies, and she is constantly running to one tuition or the other ... and mind you, she is doing commerce, not science. She does, however, have the time to chat for long periods on the home's landline number, and with her Whatsapp and free internet, she is forever busy chatting with her friends on her mobile phone. Aside from this, Hannah has become a good eater of food, and it is interesting to see her eat well and opt for designer foods.

Nishrin is very much busy with her own salon work, and there is nothing much to report about changes in her life. She did lose her paternal uncle last month, and this made her a bit morose and serious for a week, but things are back to normal now.

My parents and brothers and their families are all right, and there is nothing new to report there.

My nature trips continue, and I try to go at least one, and possibly, two trips each month. In October, I went to the Ovalekar wadi butterfly park on the 16th. I have added photos of that trip to my facebook profile and you may visit the photos here. There is a chance that an account of this trip may get published on http://www.ghumakkar.com, an Indian travelling site.

On the day of the Sunni Eid

Many of you must be fed-up to see images of people hugging each other on the day of Eid. Of the Azad Maidan ground full of devotees bowing with choreographic precision while offering the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers. Of young boys and girls running across the town, playing, screaming, collecting the "Eid" envelopes from their elders and relatives, spending the cash on hand-held brick games or street food or getting trinkets and make-up kits.

So, here I am, with an unusual take on what happens on Eid day in the streets of Bhendi Bazaar. For the last 20-odd days, hundreds of street-wise entrepreneurs had set up eating or sales stalls on both sides of the main roads at Bhendi Bazaar, selling halim (goat's trotters in a heavenly gravy), cheap cosmetics, kurtas and ladies' tops, undergarments, handkerchieves and what-nots. The stalls are all erected under bamboo roofs and inside,the there are cheap wooden tables that are covered with white cloths and upon which the sales stuff is kept/displayed.

During the last week, and esp the last days of Ramadan, the roads are choc-a-block with hordes of Muslims who shop for dresses, shoes, and all the other stuff that is on sale here. Traffic moves at a snail's pace, or even slower, and this, combined with the heavy rains that we saw this year, creates a lot of chaos that has to be seen to be believed.

And then, it is chand-raat. The night before the Eid when the frenzy reaches its acme. Stalls remain open through the night, and close at almost 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. By 9:a.m., the Eid prayer congregations have dispersed, and then, this happens:

The dismantlers arrive by noon, and by 3:00 p.m., the stalls have been all demolished. There are plastic bags, muck and newspapers lying all around the place. The bamboos are removed, the strings are all thrown nearby, and the bamboos are all stacked up on a side. A truck moves from one dismantled stall to the next, folding and taking away the tables. A hand-cart hovers nearby too, stacked with large folded sheets of plastic that formed the sides and the roof of the stalls. 

 And the roads and footpaths will be reclaimed by the locals by the next day, and life will return to "normal". 

 Only, this - this that I have described and shown, is also NORMAL for this part of the city!

Just take a look at the final picture and judge for yourselves. This is a very sorry state of affairs. Those that have earned their money from here must take responsibility in cleaning up the place.

That's all for now.

Ramadan nears end, and other musings

Yes, Ramadan will soon end. I have been fasting only intermittently, not the least because I keep getting spells of hypoglycemia towards the afternoon. These spells have been symptomatic and have led to an unusual amount of feeling chilly, sweating and palpitation with some degree of weakness. It appears, therefore, that the lack of exercise coupled with fasting is not doing any good for my diabetic state.


Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign led to him fasting for 288 hours straight; he was only drinking water and had lost 7 kg, and was extremely weak and dehydrated according to the doctors treating him at Medanta Hospital, New Delhi. His demands have been acceded to, well almost, and he has stopped his fast amidst shouting and cheering from thousands of his fans today morning.


Inas began work at the Hotel Leela nearly 2 months ago, and is currently away at work. She is finally experiencing what it means to be really, really busy. 


Hannah isn't too keen on fasting or prayers. She was preparing for a stage show on behalf of her college since the last week. Well, the performance was finally given by her team at the Kaleidoscope festival at the Sophia college today morning, and Hans is confident her team will win it.


Practice picked up last week. Today onward, it has shrunk a little, -but it may pick up again later next week.

Accidents Do Happen

Yes, they do, and they do not forewarn us when they do. My brother's daughter and my own elder daughter stumbled while negotiating a rough road patch last Sunday while riding a scooter. My daughter was driving, and had a helmet on; my niece was the pillion rider, and she did not wear a helmet because we didn't have a spare in the scooter. They were on their way to Colaba to do some shopping, while the adults, that is, us, were enjoying ourselves at a group get-together just ahead of their destination, at Colaba.

I got a call on my cell, and Inas, my daughter, practically in a panic, asked me to rush to "St. George's Hospital" as Nuriyah (my niece) had had an accident, and was bleeding profusely from her head wound. The call threw all of us sitting at the get-together in panic, and both us, and Nuriyah's mom and Dad rushed to the hospital, where we took over from the kids (my younger daughter Hannah was also there, as she had also  been going with the other two girls to Colaba, albeit on a second scooter).

It took us more than two hours to get all her  body X-rays done, and for the head wound to be stitched. In view of the fact that she had bleeding from both the head wound as well as the right ear, we suspected that there was a breach of the internal base of the skull, and perhaps a fracture of the temporal bone and the mastoid. Hence, a plain CT was imperative. Hence we decided to take her to Saifee Hospital (Click here.)

I contacted a surgeon I know, Dr. Saleh Dhansura, and after taking his advice, we all went to Saifee, where we got a C. T. scan done within half an hour. It confirmed the temporal fracture, but revealed also, that there was a thin layer of subdural hemorrhage inside Nuriyah's skull. Hence we got her admitted under Dr. Dhansura's care.

By the time the C.T. was done, and actually, even before that, Nuriyah was neurologically all right, thus allaying my fear that she would have some deficit or seizure or God knows what else. She was put on IV antibiotics, IV fluids and kept Nil-by-mouth (NBM). A medico-legal case was also registered, and I learnt later that the constable was with Nuriyah's mom late into the night to take her statement. The image below is that of Nuriyah on the day of her discharge.

Eventually, Nuriyah stayed in hospital for 3 1/2 days, and we took her home on Wednesday morning after a repeat C.T. scan showed that the bleed inside her skull had resolved completely.

Inas, my daughter, sustained abrasions on the top of her right foot (see above), and these haven't healed yet as I write this. She has started work at the Hotel Leela near the international airport, and is away from morning to late evening. When she returns, her foot has swollen considerably. I started her on anti-inflammatory tablets and an antibiotic. She should improve soon.

That's all for now.

10 Good Reasons To Not Live Near Relatives

Occasionally we may have the opportunity to live close to some of our relatives. It could be our parents or a sibling. Or it may be members of your extended family, such as aunts and uncles, or cousins. Living close to our relatives is not always a positive thing. Here are ten reasons why such a choice can have negative results.

 

Privacy – If you have relatives living in your neighborhood, they are more likely to pay more attention to what you do or don’t do, than the average neighbor. They are also more likely to share that information with other relatives, as well.

Interference – For some reason, relatives are more likely to give unrequested advice on how you should live your life or raise your children. Having relatives nearby can mean unwanted interference in your personal life.

Expectations – When you live close to relatives, you can’t use distance as an excuse for not spending time with them. There may be a greater expectation of involvement in their lives because of your close proximity.

Appreciation – ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ is the old saying. When relatives are located nearby, we often don’t appreciate our time with them as much as we would if our access to them was more limited.

Holidays – There can be expectations on their part or your part, that you will spend holidays together, because of living near each other. This expectation can cause misunderstandings and friction when both families don’t share that same expectation.

Birthdays – Having relatives who live close by can mean lots of birthdays where you are either expected to attend the celebration or at a minimum provide a gift. If you lived in different towns, the expectation would not be as great.

Unexpected Visits – When relatives live close by, it can be very convenient for them to stop by and visit without giving you any notice. Some people are comfortable with these types of visits, but many people prefer to be consulted before visitors show up on their door step.

Favoritism – Other relatives can easily make charges of favoritism being shown between the relatives that live near each other. This can cause unnecessary friction within the extended family.

Guilty by Association – Just because a family is related to you, doesn’t mean that they will have the same kind of lifestyle or reputation that you have. Your family may gain negative associations from others in your community simply because of your family connections.

Offense – All the things listed above can lead to members of your families being offended by the actions, or lack thereof, by your two families. This kind of emotional drama can be an added source of stress.  

 

There can be many benefits to having relatives living close to your family. Unfortunately, there can be negatives as well. Choosing to live close to relatives is a decision that should be considered carefully.

Copied and forwarded from this link.

Vacations have begun in India

The arrival of mid-April is the time when schools and colleges finish with their terms, examinations and all, and close for the summer break, which is approximately 1 1/2 to 2 months in all. I still remember that when I was a schooler, my school used to wind up around the 11th of April. Most times, due to the financial problems my father had, we would stay at home, though a few times, we did take small trips to places around my home city Mumbai; for example, we went to Pune, or Matheran, or places similar to these. Once or twice, we went afar, such as our trip to Aurangabad/Ajanta/Ellora and one trip to Kapadwanj, our native place in Gujarat, where we stayed for over three weeks in our ancestral house.

When I had daughters of my own, they studied in a school that did not allow children the same privileges we had; the school would continue to function till the 1st of May, when the report cards would be given out and the official vacations would begin. Considering that the children had already finished their final examinations nearly 3 weeks ago, the school management's insistence bordered on obstinacy at best and a kind of devilry at worst. I remember how bored my daughters would get, and how stupid it all looked. Both of them have now completed school, but the school in question continues with the same policy it had in those years when my precious kids went there.

Vacations are also the time when people go out of their home city, and as a result, there is a sharp fall in my professional work. Today has been a dismal day, with hardly any patients in the clinic and barely a few calls on the cellular. With such practice, it becomes difficult to maintain internal calm and be philosophical about money.

There is news brewing at the home front, and I will share it here when the time is right. In the meantime, read on ...

Two weeks on since my last post

Hi readers. I am on to the walks at the Mazgaon garden, and have reached 12 rounds now, which I complete in 1 hour, at about 5 minutes per round of 490 ft. However, I walk on alternate days, and the remaining days, I do a bit of yoga, a bit of aerobics, a bit of stretchings, and a bit of calisthenics after a single round of warm-up. My wife has started coming with me, and we begin the day at half past five, leaving the house at 5.50 a.m. or so, reaching the garden around six o'clock. One hour or 65 minutes of workouts, and then  we return home, arriving back by 7.15 a.m. The routine has gradually set in, and to meet with the morning deadline, we go to sleep a little early as well. I am even able to catch sleep in the afternoon, so I am pretty much okay. Not so, Nishrin, as she gets just 5-5 1/2 hrs of sleep daily, and is gathering a sleep debt every day.

To complete my floor exercises, I even got a few spreads stitched, with a cloth top and a plastic bottom surface. This enables me to do the workout on a bit dirty ground too.

The garden resonates with the sounds of countless parakeets, a dozen or so Indian koels, some barbets, and a few other bird calls that I haven't as yet identified.

Back to exercising

About 15-20 days ago, (just a few days before I lost my cousin Aslam at a young age of 42 to a massive coronary) I resumed exercise in the form of a daily walk. There is a very nice, well-maintained hill-top garden at Mazgaon known as the John Baptista Garden. I used to go there some years ago for my daily walks, but I had given this up in favour of intermittent stints with the various gymnasia which include the Gyms at Saifee Hospital, City Centre (Talwalkar's) and the one at Dongri (Mission Fitness).

Starting wasn't difficult, but I realised, to my horror, that my body had certainly grown old; I am obviously grossly over-weight and sport a tummy that is a mother of all tummies!I remember doing 7-8 rounds of the garden during the earlier period, but now, even after 10 days or more, I am barely able to complete more than 6 rounds. Also, I combine the rounds (mostly walking, but a few rounds running) with some amount of calisthenics, aerobics, floor exercises and so on. The entire rigmarole takes more than an hour. I end it with a vegetable drink like neem or tulsi or karela drink, available just outside the garden. Sometimes, I stop to have upma, poha or idlis. I even take these for my kids when I am returning home.

All in all, this has been a good start and I am patiently waiting for the scales to show a weight loss,but I am also looking at honing up my fitness quotient over the next few months, before I go on a vacation.

India's win at the Cricket World Cup 2011

Of course, it was mind boggling. Dhoni, the captain, hit the last winning ball for a six, and here is a Youtube video showing the same, click here. A thousand and two hundred million Indians rejoiced on seeing this shot, as this got India the World Cup, almost taking it away from the Sri Lankans, who also played well.

Aslam Bookwala, R. I. P.

Aslam Kayam Bookwala, 42, my first cousin, is no more. He passed away on the evening of Sunday, 20th March, 2011. To describe Aslam in a blog is to do him injustice.

He was all that I am about to write, but he was a lot more. To many, he was a source of inspiration for the way he lived his life - a life so brief, and yet, full of achievements in his personal and professional domains. His was a world in which TODAY was all that mattered; of course, he saved for his family's future, no man or woman in his/her right senses would not; but he savoured his today as if tomorrow did not exist beyond its ephemeral existence, such as poets see in visions.

He loved food, and it showed on him in his last several years. From a thin, scrawny boy, he grew into a substantial person, but, to be honest, he looked just right with Shabnam and his two kids, Husain and Adnan. Whenever he visited India, he made it a point to call on as many of his relatives and friends that he could. He had an open hand when it came to showering largesse on those less fortunate. Many of our common relatives will vouch for his. Moreever, and this is significant: he would hand over large sums of money to me to "do" charity at my clinic, insisting that I do more of this, and not less, as the sawab would accrue to his deceased mother.  

I was reading the thoughts of the several friends and relatives on his demise in various parts of Facebook, including those posted on his profile.

Zahabiya Motiwala writes: "His smile, his talks, his masti, his bindas attitude to live life for today as who see tomorrow, his passion for food, His style, all this has given us beautiful memories of him which we will treasure all our life. Its really very sad and heart breaking."

Abbas Bookwala writes:  "It would be an understatement to say we shall miss you. But we shall also learn to live life better and value our present. We shall not let God calling you at this untimely hour go in vain."

Farah A. Bookwala remembers him with these words: "I will always remember him as the kaka who made cutting chai at all our picnics. I will miss him deeply but no longer mourn, as I know, he's gone to a place much better than the one we live in."

Even as I write, messages are being added to his profile and elsewhere. For his father, his passing is a big blow, and we pray that Allah provides him with the courage to bear this with fortitude. For his siblings, Rashidaben and Saleh, his loss may be something that we, as observers, cannot even hope to fathom. For his countless relatives, friends, admirers and clients, he was bigger than life, and we will all miss him deeply.

May his soul dwell in heaven and may he rest in peace. Shabnam, Husain and Adnan, we are all with you in your days of sadness and loss. We will pray that you will all remember him as an always smiling, forever helping young man, and may you all bear his loss with courage and fortitude as well.

Amen.

New Blog

I have decided to put up all my Nature Watch experiences on a new blog. Do check out this link.

Thank you.

My First Birding Expedition: Nerul and Talave

Pursuant to my earlier resolution to adopt Bird-watching (or birding, as it is called) in the beginning of this calendar year, I joined my first ever outing organised by the Bombay Natural History Society (B.N.H.S.) on the 29th of January this year. Starting from the pick-up point at Dadar T.T., the bus in which we were travelling took us to our first destination in about an hour and a half, picking up some more enthusiasts along the way at Chembur, Vashi, etc. The bus is owned by the B.N.H.S., and is adorned on its sides by pictures and activities of the society.
Our motley group consisted of about 16 people, including the tour guide Mr. Vandan Jhaveri; we were joined by a few people travelling in their own cars, one of whom, I would later discover, was Mr. Julius Rego, our birding expert, with whose help this outing turned out to be a successful one. He is a resident of Nerul, and is into marketing furniture. He told me he has been into birding for the last 10 years. But, what 10 years! He is able to identify the genus and the species of the bird by a sighting that may not even last 10 seconds! Identification of a bird, he told us, is not only on the basis of its physical characteristics or colour, but also on the behaviour of the bird while it walks the mudflats, while it feeds on the seeds on the mud, or on smaller fish or molluscs when in the water, behaviour of the bird as it moves within its community, by its bird-call, by size and also by … of course, its movement in the air and among the mangrove or other trees.
While appreciating our Oxford Field Guide written by Grimmett and the Inskipps, he 
                            strongly recommends a thorough read of Salim Ali’s classic book of Indian birds. He also told me, in particular, that I had to do a lot of birding to be able to stand comfortably with other birders. “You should,” he said, “come to the fields every week for six months.”
My co-expedionists were, as I said earlier, a motley lot. There was the Unbelievable Unmesh, with his tattoos and his fit physique, the Gangly Girish with his professional camera and an ever-present smile, the Elegant Elizabeth who kept pretty much to herself, the Ascetic Anil, the Savvy Shailesh with his hugely expensive camera and a good bit of experience, the Charismatic Cathy, the only non-Indian India-based executive working with Shell, and many more  whose names I am afraid I wasn’t able to collect, but who were no less interesting. In particular, the father daughter duo who were together most of the time, no less because the daughter doted on her father, than because the latter had some sort of infirmity. 
We started from Dadar just before 7 a.m., and reached the Nerul mudflats a little before 9 a.m. This is where Cathy and Julius joined us.Julius began with his educative dialogue by first pointing out a few trees as we marched into the marsh. He showed us a few butterflies and some other creatures of the environment too, and before long, we had familiarised ourselves with the football tree, a calotis lizard, various types of snails, molluscs, the mud skipper fish, and of course, billions of blistering barnacles – on rocks as well as on the exoskeletons of the molluscs themselves.
He started showing us a few birds,  the black-winged stilt to begin with, and as we progressed inside, the realm of birds enlarged – and soon, there were so many birds, both within the water, and off it, birds of the mangrove and the marsh. It was a pleasure, a revelation, a delight and a happy assault on the senses when we espied a huge formation of ducks taking off in the distance, a mix of terns and gulls flying in unison, and finally, a big mass of birds sitting, walking and rummaging about. Thus, we saw about 20-30 birds here. Also, in between this watch on the marsh, we saw a lot of flying Asian palm swifts and barn swallows, gazillions of house crows and rock pigeons and several other birds, such as the Asian pied starling, which the Oxford Atlas excludes from our region (!)
By the time we had left this location, we had walked over 3-4 km, seen over two dozen or more birds and were feeling great. Some of the birds were easy to see, such as the curlews, the stilts, the Little Stint, the Lesser Sand Plover (the last two were really pretty and we saw them for quite a bit), the cormorants (especially when they began to swim and dip their heads in to feed … in synchronised unison), the Caspian terns, the gulls (so many of them) and the Grey Heron. On the other hand, a few birds proved to be elusive, such as the Martin, which made a single brief appearance, the Blue throat, which was seen just once by Mr. Julius, and a few others, whose names I do not recollect.
From here on, we moved on to the second location, a village named Talave, which included dry grassland and scrub. This area is dotted with houses of fishermen and a large tract of dry grassland and scrubby land. Here, we saw a different range of birds, most notably the Black-shouldered Kite, a lot of Red Avadavats, Laughing Doves, the Indian Pond Herons, the Ashy Prinia, the Black-crowned Night Heron, and more waders and water birds.
We also saw a little of marine ecology – snails, barnacles, the mud skipper fish, the bivalves, oysters and so on. This walk had a beauty of its own, and by the time we returned to the bus, it was nearly noon, and we were getting ready to depart for our own homes. Julius left us here, and we all expressed our thanks to him. The return journey took over 1 1/2 hours, and I arrived back at my residence a little after 1:30 p.m.
All in all, a great journey.

To see the pictures of this expedition, check out Shailesh's Picasa Gallery here.

Birds we saw:

1. ? Water Rail
2. Ashy Prinia
3. Asian Palm Swift
4. Asian Pied Starling
5. Babbler ? species
6. Barn Swallow
7. Bee eater ? species
8. Black Drongo
9. Black winged Stilt
10. Black-crowned Night Heron
11. Black-shouldered Kite
12. Blue throat
13. Brown Shrike
14. Caspian Tern
15. Cattle Egret
16. Common Kingfisher
17. Common Myna
18. Common Redshank
19. Common Sandpiper
20. Common Stonechat
21. Eurasian Curlew
22. Eurasian Spoonbill
23. Fan-tailed Flycatcher
24. Great Egret
25. Grey Heron
26. House Crow
27. Indian Cormorant
28. Indian Pond Heron
29. Jungle Crow
30. Laughing Dove
31. Little Cormorant
32. Little Egret
33. Little Stint
34. Little Tern
35. Long-tailed Shrike
36. Painted Stork
37. Prinia ? species
38. Red Avadavat
39. Rock Pigeon
40. Sand Martin
41. Spotted Dove
42. Sunbirds ? species
43. Warbler ? species
44. White-eared Bulbul
45. White-throated Kingfisher
46. Wire-tailed Swallow
47. Shikra
48. Osprey

Over the weekend: Magn 2K11, Meniz etc.

After an indeterminate period of mostly lazy weekends, there is, finally, something to write about. My daughter, who is doing her final year in Hotel Management, had, in her college, a 2-day festival called Magn 2K11 (the last part indicating the year 2011, of course), and I, to participate as a spectator, went to her college to see some of the events. While the festival has improved over its last edition, it wasn't as exciting as the earlier one was. 

On the second day afternoon, the events that I saw included a little bit of bar-tendering, a little bit of unofficial dancing and some other activities, off-stage, there was excitement at the various food stalls. Inas and I partook of some of the many available treats including fried prawns, sev-puri, chi. tikka and a mocktail. I left at half-past five. Later, Nish and I returned after the clinic hours to get some more food for home (we took some more prawns of a different variety and Thai rice with gravy, as also a few hamburgers.) Inas did a good gig with her friends. All in all, a nice experience.

Then, on Sunday, Nish and I went to our get-together, the famous "meniz". In a meniz, a group of friends plan a get-together once every month/few months/or whatever periodicity they like; the get-together is at the place of one of the friends. The place rotates from one member to the other, and the sequence is decided at the very beginning by a draw of lots. My cousins and the two of us have formed such a group with 10 couples, and we began the cycle with the first meniz at MY  residence over 2 months ago. This time, it was the turn of my cousins from Borivali - the Panchas. We travelled by train from Mumbai Central, and arrived at the hosts' residence at 1:00 p.m. The meeting saw us all letting our hair down. We played Antakshari (the song game), Dumb Charades (the acting game) and Chinese Whispers. Enjoyed these.

Earlier, Sakkamaasi, Shabnam, Fatema, Shamina and Yasmin welcomed us with a kokum drink, and served some rather primitive sev puris.We sat for lunch  after the arrival of the late latifs, which, for the first time in many years, we were'nt. Food was catered and quite nice to eat. It included a unique halwa made from besan, a spicy dry chicken and biryani with soup.

At about half past 4:00 p.m., the hosts served us tea and dhoklas. 

All in all, a good time was had by us all, and we started back for home after six p.m.

A guest post

Recently, a health and safety advocate from the South Eastern parts of the U.S. of A. approached me for help on highlighting what, according to him, needs to be done for folks staying in rural areas or smaller cities that do not have the correct infrastructure for health and disease detection, amelioration, management and, to an extent, holistic therapy including palliation. He has made a case for this in a small guest article that he requested me to post on this blog. This is what he has to say about cancer in particular, and about all diseases in general.

Open skies, fresh air, and cool, clean water. Rural residents often enjoy the best there is in nature and in life.  But why is it that victims of cancer in rural areas are diagnosed with more developed stages of cancer than those in urban areas?

The truth is, cancer may not be more prevalent among those who live in rural and remote areas. In fact, research shows that the problem in diagnoses may not reside in the actual health of rural residents at all, but in the quality and quantity of health care information.

Pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and mesothelioma symptoms may develop just as quickly among urban and rural victims, but the latter may have limited access to frequent doctor visits.  That and inadequate information lead to fewer chances for proper and speedy diagnoses.

What can be done?

1. Most important is prevention. This means that the right information gets to the right people before they even have cancer. If we share what we know about cancer, we can help others live lifestyles that may prevent cancer. The spread of information may be slower in remote areas, and thus information sharing may take more effort.

2. Next, it’s important for those in remote areas not only to have information, but to know how to find out more, especially if cancer may be a possibility for them. Those suspicious of possible cancer symptoms should ask a doctor about X-Rays, CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans.  The technology and methods used by doctors are designed to screen for cancer.  It’s important that potential victims inquire about them.

3. Avoiding or ignoring treatment options offered by a doctor may be detrimental to cancer patients.  However, in rural and remote areas, hospital visits can be far and few in between. It may be beneficial for patients to speak with their physicians about the more holistic approaches to cancer prevention and treatment. Along with a doctor's help, exercise, a healthy diet, and a clean environment can help prevent or lessen the destruction of certain cancers.

Remember, information sharing can save lives. Those in cities and those in rural communities can both benefit from the knowledge and research of others. Knowledge is more than power; it’s a responsibility.  It’s up to a ll of us to spread cancer awareness.

- Eric Stevenson. For questions about this article please feel free to contact him at epicsurvivor@gmail.com.

The month of Muharram, the month of Noel

As some of the readers of this blog aren't Indians, I will start by declaiming that the accident of birth placed me firmly in the arms of Islam, and within the subsect of Dawoodi Bohra community, about which you can read here

The Bohras are a one million strong community with its diaspora all over the world. It is one of the few Islamic sects to be led by a leader, who is called the "dai". The present dai is Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, and he is over 95 years old. Old age, illnesses and infirmity have curtailed his mobility significantly. During the month of Muharram, which Shia muslims observe to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husein A.S., the dai selects a particular city or town where he stays for 10-12 days to preach a daily sermon to his devout followers. Read the book shown alongside to understand the story of the martyrdom of Imam Husein A.S.

This year,  our dai chose to stay in Mumbai for the entire duration of 10 days, and will extend his stay to shower his blessings on Mumbai's Bohras for a longer time as well. The locality of Mumbai that becomes the center of attention is called Bhendi Bazaar. This is because this is the place where the tomb of the previous dai, Syedna Taher Saifuddin, the father of the present dai, is located; so also, right opposite this tomb is the biggest mosque of the Bohras, the Saifee Masjid, where the dai presides to give the sermons. These sermons are linked by internet and other modern technologies to not just the important mosques and congregation centers of Mumbai, and not just to similar structures all over India, but also to all similar centers to all the parts of the world. Thus, a Bohra sitting in a mosque in, say, Andheri, will see the same images and so on as one who is located in San Francisco, California, or elsewhere. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I am NOT a devout Bohra, and although I admire the systematic structure of my community, I do not love its leech-like tendency to extort money from its members, and I certainly don't endorse the fanaticism of the members who have elevated the dai to a station that is higher than where it is meant to be. I can understand it, I just cannot endorse it. So be it.

Now, this year will go down as the mother of all the years that I have seen Muharram, for the people who came down to observe the Muharram in Mumbai was easily over a hundred thousand, and the community's administration arranged stay, food, and all other means of hispitality for all of them. The response, as they say, was phenomenal. I have appended a few pictures of the Syedna, and his faithful followers below. Do take a look.
 

Going on to the next big festival, Noel, or Christmas. It is around the corner, and shopping and other forms of activity is picking up as it nears. Yesterday, Hannah, my younger daughter, attended a prom function organised by the cultural dept of her college (read "seniors"). She went dressed in a violet frock that looked stunning on her. I will try and post a photo of the same if possible. 

That's it for now. Take care.

Children's Day

Unlike other parts of the world, India celebrates Children's Day on the birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, independent India's first Prime Minister, and arguably, the most debonair political leader India has ever known. That day is this day, i.e. the 14th of November every year, and it fell on a Sunday this year. As a child specialist, my clinic gets a bling decor, usually sponsored and done by one or the other pharmaceutical company. And so, this year too, like the ones before, the clinic looks as if  there is a big occasion there: for the past few days, my patients have been getting goodies in the form of gifts, toffees, and so on. They are getting their consult too, of course, but they aren't minding their stint in my rooms, as the clinic looks so unlike a doctor's consulting room.

What else? Oh, yes, I stayed away on Saturday morning, as I was attending a medical conference. Otherwise, all things considered, the last week has been so unexciting. The kids are also enjoying their Diwali holidays. Nishrin, as usual, is busier now that the rest of her family is taking a breather. Whenever holidays "strike", weddings happen too, and this means more work for her in the salon. That's always the way it has been for her. 

A college friend, Sudhir Rao, was in India from the U.S. and left early last week. Rakesh Ghildiyal and I met with him and went out on one occasion. Sans Rakesh, but with some other class mates, I had an evening out on yet another evening. For those who are interested, you can read about this party here.

That's it, for now. Have a happy Sunday, guys and girls reading this!

Purchased a new car for Dussera

Yes, I got me a new car this year. It is a Swift Dzire, the longer version of the basic Maruti Suzuki Swift, that is all a rage in Mumbai this year. Its big selling point is the low price tag: my VXi version in petrol cost me, with accessories and all taxes, a tad under 6.5 lakhs! If you see the prices of all the other long cars, they are all over 8 lakhs, and some smaller cars too go beyond 7 lakhs, such as the Punto, VW Polo and the Jazz from Honda (which is, actually, more than 8 lakhs on the road minus the accessories!)

Having used the car for over 2 weeks, I am very happy with the choice. It drives much better than my earlier 800 cc Alto VXi, and it looks impressive on the road as well, considering that it looks just like an ordinary hatchback from the front. The silver colour wasn't my choice, but that of my younger daughter Hannah, but I like it now. I simply love the ease of driving, the reasonably small turning radius, the centrally locking doors and windows (a feature that Altos do not have), and the amazingly large boot! I haven't had the heart to remove the ribbon that was placed there by the distributors of the vehicle. It's beautiful.