Vanakkam Doctor !

I was down with flu recently. May have been a swine flu considering the number of patients with swine illness, hitting our Hospitals in North West, here in UK. Well, went on antibiotics as my spit turned a bit colourful. However, the aftermath is more awful than the flu itself. Felt very low and mood was definitely depressed.   Full of aches! Luckily the new year London trip, followed by Arun’s son (Akshay) birth day bash and then the Pongal celebrations, have lifted the sulking mood up a bit. I used to have one of these, every other year, during the medical school times, back in Chennai , India . It was like a seasonal illness, may have been Typhoid or one of those tropical parasites, infesting my body and in the process knocking me out for next few weeks. In UK , so far I had few big shots, including Malaria!! Few of them, when I was still a bachelor; worried for nothing but bachelor’s life!! Life goes on and it’s going to be 17 year...

It was unbelievable!!! I have never seen spectacle like that on the sky in my life time.   Well, I am alluding to the recent New Year eve celebrations, over and near the Thames and the London Eye, which culminated in a huge spectacular Fire works display at the dawn of early minutes of 2011. Twelve of us were there,  including mine and Chandru’s family.   The hosts of our New Year celebrations were there too, along with their friend.The visit and the delightful respite would not have been possible, if not for the magnanimous way in which we were accommodated in a huge apartment, near South Ealing , by our young hosts. So, we left on the 30 th evening for a prolonged weekend break. The roads were like an empty barren land.   On arrival we were greeted very warmly by the couple and their friends. Soon, we began to learn to play POKER, and were the experts by dawn of the New Year.   I mean it literally. We played lots of poke...

Naive ignorance with Subtle variations Indelible screen saver in my perennial mind screen Alas, Cushion for the troubled mind. She is always there And utterly reliable, Friendlier than most of my friends Culinary expert with a razor sharp brain Practicalities and hospitalities Run very parallel in her hand. Having gone through a lot She managed to gather us as a lot I am forever amazed by   Ever growing mental strength Never waning even whilst losing her physical strength. Period of difficulties Interspersed with patches of life’s oddities Duly enhanced by lack of its basic commodities. She can be complex And be very simple Like all of us, Donning the perspective coat, And spinning the life’s odd ball When going gets tough , her Tough gets going. We are in her mind In her thought process In her breath...

I t’s been a while; since I had bragged about myself and in the process almost self inflate my sagging EGO! Well, we had been to a violin concert last week.   It was a south Indian Carnatic classical violin duet concert, performed by the famous Ganesh and Kumaresh brothers from Chennai. It was my first violin concert, especially since I have started learning the same.   We were all there apart from Nila (daughter), who was bit busy with her drama classes. It was Priya’s (my wife) and mukil’s (son) first concert too.   Priya was in fact more motivated than me to attend this concert, as she been learning Veenai for a good six months and her interest in Carnatic music is literally growing taller than her! The concert was held in the famous Bridge water Hall in Manchester and was well organised and held over two hours. The programme started with the composition of Saint Thyagaraja in Ragam Andolaki, followed by a Kambeera nattai (rememb...

Fringe on Booze (you wish!) Binge on curries Bike trips to cinema halls Whilst eye picking the lady birds….. Morning spent on Kites Late mornings on ensuing fights Bickering and smouldering Ever friendly neighbours Cold shouldering…… Rain to follow Being a spoilsport every other year More fun to swallow…. Nobody cares down the line Crammed with Kites, North Madras skyline Whilst the rain takes A leisurely bite! Binge on curries Yet cringe from a real break Albeit now the turn of crackers Whilst we are still knackered……. Still Binge on curries Now Cringe on Booze (you really wish!) Bike trips to cinema halls Whilst eye picking the lady birds, How we wished the day never ends……………

I bought my first Motor bike, when I was 22. I had just passed my MBBS and was waiting to become an Intern in Stanley Medical College & Hospital. It was year 1991 and the bike was actually bought for me, by my hard working, earning parents, on the assumption and exaggerated promises and false assurances, given by their doting son (!), to persuade them to buy one for him. The plan goes something like this; that I would be able to save at least Rs 500, every month from the stipend money as an Intern ( needless to mention, out of Rs 750!!!); and also, by doing few extra shifts, here and there! The bike was around Rs 12000, and with monthly premium of Rs 500, over next 3 years, would come around Rs 18000. I was lured by the then famous ads of Kawasaki Bajaaj on Television, before agreeing for the above plan. The ad would exceedingly demonstrate the ease with which the engine tank eventually would transform itself in to a Tiger’s head...

Isai moovar or trinities. Off late, I have started listening to loads of Carnatic or South Indian Classical music, especially Tamil vocals and violin solos. Not sure, why, however, should date back my interest not because I have started to learn to play Carnatic violin of late, but, possibly to the periods of my sweet childhood. We those days, lived in the famous Coral Merchant Street of George Old, original Town of Chennai of 20 th century. Just next to our house were three important sources of music like the trinities of Tamil Classical music. Nalachakravarthi The first one, to be exactly opposite to us was the, then famous Nalachakravarthi Kalyana mandapam, a marriage hall. Well, apart from during the months of AAdi Tamil period, roughly between July and August, every year, there was constant source of music, right in front of us and our ears, because of the marriage ceremonies! It is likely that, as a lullaby, I had listened to the evergreen Tamil and o...