A Different Doctor

 Doctors are not merely the medical practitioners. Well, does that statement appear surprising to you? Okay, let us explicate it. What does a medical practitioner do? Whatever might be the 'pathy' she/he follows, a doctor closely observes the symptoms, arrives at a diagnosis, and suggests a possible treatment, if necessary.

My submission today is that a chartered accountant performs precisely the same function as far as the financial health and/or illness of an individual and/or of a firm/company is concerned, right? A c.a. is hence a different doctor in my opinion.

Granted that many c.a's are more in to cosmetic bandaging of a financial wound, however festering it might be. In other words, most people believe that most c.a's are utmost corrupt. The common folk think that the c.a's cover up the economic/financial bad deeds of individuals and/or conglomerates. The way there are frauds like the Satyam Computers or the very many loan mismanagement scandals such as the DHFL to the Adani expose, there is undeniable proof to this charge.

Which profession, however, does not have its rotten potatoes/apples/mangoes? Sure, as the proverb in all its variation goes, a few rotten potatoes /apples/mangoes destroy the whole bag/barrel/basket. I believe though that this proverb holds good for food, but not for human beings. I believe very strongly that despite the financial, ideational, spiritual corruption's being rampant, in every field, there are two per cent genuine people, and the world goes on/survives because of that limited but effective powerhouse! 

This opinion holds true of the c.a's as well. The minority of genuine, sincere c.a's keep us financially healthy, cure the dis-eases in the system, and hence this tribute to the profession. Long live the tribe!

Pratima@ "That which is potentially the best becomes the worst when corrupted, " argues Frank de Crestia.

Perseverance pays, resilience rewards!

 There was some unexpected comment on my fb account. So opened it. Actually, I never even know which account of mine I am opening coz I do not know how, but there are four fb accounts dedicated to yours truly! So I have four birthdays as well! No harm getting birthday wishes the year long, right?  

Well, I opened one of these four accounts, and, voila, was there this most gracious, absolutely gorgeous video!!! It dealt with a bear cub. It had to be either of the poles coz the waterfall there had frozen in to a wall of ice. Yet it was very deceptive ice. It was slippery like the worst joyride ever imagined. The ice was powdery as well. It was a crumble a tumble scenario.

There was this mother-kid pair. In the beginning of the video, both tumbled down that icy slope. Mamma Bear managed to climb up the slope after a minute full of struggle.

For Chotu Bear though, it was horribly hard, truly tough. Oh, yes, before I continue with the story,  must say that this 'Mamma Bear, Chotu Bear' stuff is something my nephews loved. Especially Kunal adored the "Three Bears and Goldilocks" story. I had to describe in detail the Bear family, Mamma Bear, Papa Bear, and Chotu Bear, their neat and clean home, the threesome furniture sets, and so on. One of my loveliest memories is the story time, the story sessions during that long lost childhood. How kids grow up, and real fast!

The Chotu Bear of our video was quite some character. He slipped down the ice wall repeatedly. The ice was so dicey and tricky that his mamma kept on pacing up and down near the edge, but even she would not dare the fall yet again. 

One could feel her desperation and helplessness. Yet her kiddo never gave up. The cub slipped time and again, each time deeper, every time when he was just a step away from safety and security symbolised by his eager Mamma waiting, full of agitated anxiety, extending each time an eager to help paw.

Each time he fell back in to the slush deeper. Never even once did he give up. After every fall, each more dangerous than the earlier, he would be back, climbing up, clawing his way through the deceitful ice, full of grit and determination. The small black figure against the deadly white vertical sheet of ice was heart wrenching. He focussed very hard on climbing up after every fall, tougher, deeper and lonelier, more and more difficult to climb back.

 He managed it though. The wondrous scenario was a visual treat full of high voltage drama. The small little hero won it, absolutely the prince of the wild. The cutest and most heart tugging scene/moment was his scampering after his maman, joyfully bounding away, bouncing merrily as if nothing had happened at all. Actually though, he had fought the toughest battle of his life, and won it in absolute style! Hence the title of my blog, Perseverance pays, resilience rewards!

Pratima@ Tenacity thrives!

Wanna read my blog@bcfai.com?

 https://www.bcfai.com/post/mailfail-4-they-said-it

This site has this blog written by me which talks of the comic in the e@ducation. If you were to read "They said it", you are sure to like it.

Pratima Agnihotri 

The Guru Principle!

 As a lecturer, every year, even more than the Teacher's Day, the Guru Pournima is the day that proves the gravitas of being a teacher, given students' messages. The very term 'guru' has that respect built in it. 

Etymologically, the Sanskrit term originates from two verbs, 'gri' and 'gur'. 'Gri' means invoke, praise, while 'gur' refers to the act of raising, of lifting up. The Guru raises wisdom in our being. The Guru lifts up our mundane souls, our animal spirits. In this sense, the 'guru' is generous, large, the very antonym of 'laghu', the small. Indeed, the guru is that universal principle that is great, far reaching, wide ranging.

Who is a guru? In my opinion, our 'adya', our first and foremost guru's are our parents. They mould our very being. No wonder, in the Bhakti tradition, Sant Dnyaneshwar calls both the deity Vithoba and the guru as 'Mauli', the mother; while his 'mudra', his motto that ends his  every 'abhang' is 'bap rakhumadevivar', the father called the consort of Rakhumai, Rukmini. 

In my opinion, the guru principle is everywhere and in everyone. It resides in the ultimate guru, Socrates, who taught mankind to ask questions to questions till answers emerged lucid. 

And, yet, I find the guru in my students as well. Each batch and every student who grows close teach me something special. Let me give you an example. 

One of my Spanish batches in the BMCC Language Lab had seven visually impaired students. Ever enjoying, never down, always normal,  they strengthened the resilience within me. One of them, Raju, knew the entire textbook page by page, excercise by exercise. What is great in that? Is that what you are asking? Well, remember, they could not 'see' the book. The online mode was not so easily accessible and available then. Their only source as far as Spanish was concerned was my voice.  So Raju's commitment was phenomenal, and taught me sincerity yet again.

My brothers have been my guru's often. They have taught me how to care deeply without any obvious show-off. If Raju's generous and intrepid depth given his seafaring career enriches my being, Sanju's breadth as a corporate officer enables me in my weak moments. 

In my opinion, our pets are our guru's, too because they teach us selfless, genuine love. The babies, the children around us are family pets precisely because their affection is so genuine and truly infinite. They teach us how to love.

In other words, I find guru's everywhere in the wide, wise sky, in the ever alive trees, in the forever chirping birds, in the life giving sunlight, and in the calm, gentle moonlight. Rather like Alexander who found a guru in a spider, I find  my guru in the ant, especially when I am real down.

I locate my guru's in everyone, in scientists like Bruno, Kepler, and Galileo who paid with a lifetime to uphold the truth, in authors like Shakespeare and Kalidas who opened up delicately every fragile feel, in music, in paintings, in films that throb with the breadth and depth of life.

Oh, yes, I find a guru even within me, always in my conscience that would never allow me anything wrong, often in my sensitivity that helps me empathise, and forever in my thinking that proves to me time and again that I know so little! No wonder, I find Guru Pournima so very special!

Pratima@ The 'guru' principle is both, micro to macro. It is here, it is there, it is everywhere. It is without, and, finally, within us!

The good, the bad, the ugly

 In our lifetime, we meet all sorts of people, the good, the bad, the ugly. The good are the best of the trio, and the easiest to deal with because they are intelligent, decent, kind, gentle, generous. They never mean any harm, anyways.

As for the bad, we can find various ways to deal with them. We can always keep them at bay, for instance. We can absolutely avoid them, may be. We can even try very hard to find out the better side of them.

It is the ugly who are the real danger. Let me first and foremost clarify that these ugly people may not be ugly appearance wise at all. To begin with, in this whole world, there is NOBODY who is ugly to LOOK at. Each one of the Lord's creations has something special looks wise that makes him/her special, unique. You may lack the vision to see/perceive it. 

 The ugly, in fact, could be charm impersonated! In other words, the ugly, is a term that refers to the inner rather than the outer aspects of such people. As far as the inner world goes, what are the defining characteristics of the ugly? 

First and foremost, they are control freaks. Obsessed with power of the psychological variety, they have to control all, especially those they hate. They can go to any extent for the sake of their love of control. Black magic, tantra techniques, nothing is beyond their ugly obsession with power.

Next, they are obsessive and, as a corollary, hyper possessive. I would say that all these ugly qualities come from their innate inferiority complex. Anybody happy in her/his own skin, that is to say, within her/his own self, is never ever thus! Inferiority comes from solid self hatred.

How to deal with them? The best technique would be, I suppose, to let them know openly that one has completely, totally  seen through them. That strategy reduces their power because their cat-n-mouse games thus get nullified.

Thus does one also indicate that one refuses the victim mode. One is hence neither like them aggressive/possessive nor weak/stupid. Clearly should one indicate that one is no toy to their whimsical crudities. 

Next, one should continue to completely ignore their crude vulgarities. If such hypocritical uglinesses are totally, completely ignored, they, and the silly, cheap rumours they spread  cease to bother one, as they do NOT even exist in one's world, right? 

Which else could be the ways to counter these uglies, the Iago types, because they are viciousness personified? Oh, yes, it is psychological warfare, and hence needs subtle but sure and sane techniques, right? 

Given their negativities, why even waste words of the blog on them? So let us end with 'difficult even for the Lord to forgive them as they very well know what they are up to!'

Pratima@ Such horrors do not need to go to hell coz they are already there, and try most jealously/zealously to make all along every heaven in to their own eternal abode, the hell!

Farmers!

 An acrostic on the occasion of the day devoted to farmers. 

Forever

Accepting,

Rarely

Measuring

Earth-y

Rewards!

Suffering always, fulfilled never!

Pratima@ Farmers are the children time and again of all that is whimsical in nature, in society, in profession, and in destiny!

Doctor's Day

 Doctors and teachers, both are literally angels. At least, they are supposed to be! Sure, the best amongst them ARE indeed so as well! And, yes, the worst amongst them are devils. But being devils, that is the easiest for most, the commonest of the commonest, the weirdest of the weirdest, and, especially, the so-called intellectuals of all shades and hues/views are excellent at this game!

As for the doctors, I met many of both the varieties, the best and the worst, the angels and the devils, as I was Aai's prime caretaker, or caregiver in the new parlance! I realised then that for most members of the medical community, geriatric patients are either negligible or are milch cows. If their children are medical insurance enabled, they are source of dirty monies.

Otherwise though, they are the most negligible. Once, in a major hospital, as I was waiting on Aai in the waiting ward till she got the special room, an old lady in her mid-eighties who was to undergo a major operation the next morning, had to shuffle to the bathroom. I shall never forget the sound her backbone was making as if each bone/joint was playing hide and seek with the other. Was the doctor on night duty, the nurses were they bothered? No way! I requested repeatedly that she be given a bed pan, then took her to the bathroom myself. Every step was excruciating pain for her, but was the medical fraternity moved? No chance whatsoever!

In fact, the geriatric patients indeed get the worst out of the medical community. In January, 2021, when the nursemaid (about this great community, ask ANYONE who had to suffer the misfortune of meeting them, and you would get to hear terrible horror stories!) made Aai gulp fast  (as the grand lady wanted to attend a marriage  but also wanted to finish off the day's duties hurriedly  so that she could get the full day payment. How do my protests matter anyways, right?), and Aai choked on a big spoonful, I had to take Aai to a major hospital because how else could I get her any medical assistance in any other way, right? 

When her local doctor asked me to get her oxygen (I tried that also, believe me!) and put the phone down, and as Aai was gasping with her O2 levels prancing wildly from 70 to 20, I took Aai to a major hospital. The attendant doctor on duty in the emergency section looked at me as if I was the covid/corona virus itself! That first glance! Woh paheli (please note the pun!) nazar, indeed!

When Aai was finally admitted to the ICU, the attendant doctor (young! but, of course!) there gave me an almost hour long lecture about how I was unnecessarily troubling the old lady by getting her to hospital, about how he would have allowed his granny of the same age to die at home, and so on! Some counselling in distress indeed!

The nurses, except one from Goa, would treat all the geriatric patients in the ward as a headache. Once the on-duty doctor yelled at me hugely because I requested her a second time to look at a sore like lesion that developed during the hospital stay, a request she had chosen to completely ignore even after an hour. Incidentally, if the family caretaker was not bothered, the feed would never get given on time. My solution was I learnt myself how to go about the feed.

True, doctors, nurses, mavashi's, yes, they are all human beings. They do need rest, even on duty. Undoubtedly! But then who are patients? Are not they human beings?

Well, the message clearly  was, the elderly do not merit any emergency treatment, and better die quickly! Oh, yes, one day, each one of such worthies is going to fall ill, every one of them is going to die, hopefully not as a geriatric patient! What if they were to get a swig of their own medicine, the indifferent treatment! Do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you, in brief!

Pratima@ Doctor, heal thyself!