Can we have an online medical advise portal?
How many hours do we spend trying to locate the right doctor, travelling to his clinic or hospital, waiting for your turn at the clinic, and then answer all his questions? After that, how much time does the doctor give to you? How much of that is with his full concenteration, without interruption by the mobile phone ringing? Is he really listening to you, or trying to answer the nurse's query about some critical problem? How does he get the thread of his thought back after a serious interruption? Is the advise he is giving you well -thought out?
I think most of the time, what we get is really not worth the time and money spent on it. If you have many questions to ask, the doctor may entertain two, and then will start looking at his watch, call his secretary, and show his impatience in many other ways. He has many other patients waiting, the ward round still to complete, the operation theater ready for him, so many other things, that the pesky little relative of the patient in front of him is a real nuisance!
How about an online portal, where patients talk about their problems, ask questions, and read about other people's problems and how they were solved? How about it if doctors spend some quality time reading and understanding the patient's problem, giving it due thought, and then give a proper, formal advice, a process uninterrupted by umpteen phone calls? The doctor could do it at his leisure, and the patient could read it at his!
Of course, not all problems would be solved by this portal; the intimacy of doctor-patient relationship would not be achieved by this portal. But can it increase the focus on the patient's problem? Might it not make the doctor a wee bit more attentive and careful? Wouldn't such advise be of far more value than that given in a hurry, with interruption, to questions only half-heard and ill-understood?

The Reservation debate

Some time back, I was reading an article by Seema Mustafa (a noted columnist) in DC, and she wrote about her trip to a remote village where a girl had been raped. There the poor backward tribal people are so persecuted that they consider it part of growing up to be raped, molested and generally abused by the forward caste zamindars. The only way to reach the village was by crossing a river in spate precariously perched on a decrepit boat of uncertain vintage. Then the author states that the only reason that this case was considered out-of-the-ordinary was because the brother brought it to the notice of the authorities, and he was able to do this only because by grace of the quota system, he had been able to get a job in a factory in the neighbouring town, and so was exposed to a different life than he knew while in the village.
Mustafa then states that this incident put it in her mind that the quota system was good, because at least in one case it ensured justice to a poor tribal girl who would otherwise have lived a life of horror and injustice.
Personally, I am inclined to a more balanced view of the whole situation; I said as much during a discussion in our department between three of us consultants. Two of us are brahmins, and the third is a kurmi, technically an OBC. However, he has always had a brilliant track record, and his family has a history of refusing to take advantage of the quota system, including he himself and his father (needless to say, against the wishes of his mother). But we are probably unusual examples in this entire ocean, and by-and-large the players are arrayed against each other in their respective positions; which is to say, that if you know somebody's caste, you'd know which side of the debate he or she stands on.
I personally feel that before anti-reservationists really get their heats up, they need to take pro-active steps to bring out all the tribal atrocities from the closet, expose the bad blood among the FCs, and try to bring in a more level playing field for everyone, before they can ever hope that politicians will stop taking advantage of the quota system. The sad story here is that everyone, irrespective of their caste, is certain that quota systems don't work. It is only a few among the pro-reservationists with access to the politicians who want the new order implemented, because whether it works for others or not, the quota system works for them. The other sad thing is that no politicians hoping to stay in politics for long dare oppose this proposal of the UPA govt for fear of being labelled as anti-poor and anti-backward caste.Any political party in the country wanting to play a trump card only needs to mention reservation. That is the reality today in the country.

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Cochlear Implants

In this one and in the next few blogs, I will be discussing about cochlear implants, their mechanisms, their advantages, best practices, and problems related to them.

I would divide the hearing system into four distinct parts: the reception part, which is the external and middle ear, which receive sound impulses and transmit them faithfully to the internal ear; the responsive part, which includes the cochlea, which basically lies in the internal ear, and converts sound impulses into electrical impulses, and comprises the sensory organ of hearing; the transmitting part, which is basically the cochlear nerve, and which transmits electrical impulses to the brain; and the interpreting part, the part of the brain involved in converting the transmitted electrical impulses back into sound perception, and selecting from them meaningful information such as symbols of language and music.

In the common garden variety of deafness seen in general, say in someone who has an infection in the middle ear with discharge, and perforation of the ear drum, what develops is called conductive deafness; in this the first part of the hearing system as divided by me, i.e. the reception part is impaired. So the efficiency of reception is diminished. So, one of the treatments in this case is to provide a hearing aid, which receives and amplifies sound impulses and transmits them to the cochlea, which in this situation, is essentially intact.

On the other hand, what Mahita and children like her have is called congenital (cochlear) deafness. Here the first part (the external and middle ears) and the third part (the cochlear nerve) are intact. The cochlear implant serves to take over, artificially the functions of the external, middle and the internal ear, so that sound impulses are converted to electrical impulses and supplied to the intact cochlear nerve. The fourth part, the interpretive brain, essentially develops after birth as an individual is exposed to various sounds and language symbols. That is why, in congenital deafness, this development is impaired, and the capacity to develop rapidly diminishes as the age increases, so that after the first 5 years, essentially permanent deafness develops. Basically, the capacity to respond to sound in its variety (whether as music or as language) is lost, though the capacity to learn language in its other forms (reading, expressing, etc) may be preserved.

I think I will stop my discourse here, and allow others to comment or ask questions and then the discussion can develop into something useful.

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Why do girls outshine boys in most exams?

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The other day I was reading this news item in the newspaper, about girls having, as usual, outshone boys in the Xth class exams, and I thought, that'd make an interesting blog: why the use of the term...ho hum...as usual...Are boys habitually backward? I have been a boy during my time and I am the father of two boys, to boot.

Many reasons suggested themselves: Distractions: boys are into sex by that age; they are more outgoing, play more games, have no restriction as to how late they can stay out, as to how late the night show can be, and all that. Girls spend all the time at home because of these restrictions, so they learn to concentrate more, tend to be more studious.

This can apply only to the average student; an academically brilliant chap will shine inspite of all distractions.

So what are the lessons in this for me? I can think of the following:

1. Find out if your kid is good at studies, or only average, or actually dullo. In the first and the last, you can do nothing. If he is average, then work on him from an early age.
2. Make him immune to distractions;at younger ages, pass down the rule book, but at all times tell him about the logic behind the rules; tell him that he is expected to make it a habit, that it is for his own good, and that he should frame his own rules and abide by them. By 15-16, he dosen't need to be monitored by Dad.

Anyway, if he is not good at his studies, there is no point pushing him, and if he is actually good, you don't have to! Life was never so good!!

The Modern Buddha!!

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If you have read today's newspapers, then you will have read about the coronation of Buddha..er. the oath-taking ceremony of the WB CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Both he and GK Gandhi the governor are looking trim and healthy.

Having spent a good part of my formative years in WB, I have a certain affinity for the state; you can say I have an opinion regarding most things related to Bengal and Bangalis.

I used to curse the Left Front government for the state of affairs in Kolkata, and though I was part of SFI during my college days, this was more by default than by choice. Not that it made a big difference; I always believed that the reds in India, and specifically in WB were big humbugs. At the best, they are posers, and at worst they are hypocrites. In today's world of open market economies, corporate cultures, consumerism, and capitalism, I don't think there is any role for communism; they have been well and truly defeated. I empathise with Marx, but I disagree with the communist ideology.

The question is: is there space in the world anymore for any ideology? In the years leading up to WWII, during the heyday of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and when George Orwell was still writing, there were hot debates on the various isms; people were obsessed with them. There were equal supporters for every variety, and people generally believed that one or the other ideology would ultimately win the war.

To me, recent words attributed to Buddhadeb seem to echo my sentiments: he said, it seems, that WB is one among 28 other states, so it cannot be a socialistic island; it is as much capitalist as the rest of the world. I can try and give you a link to the quote in India today if people post comments on this issue. But I agree totally with Buddha: No man is an island, and this applies to a state as well.

This brings me to the eternal point. Bangalis are more talkers than doers; and Buddha is an antithesis of a Bangali. He is a man of action; he believes that his deeds speak louder than his words, and because of this he is a boon to the state. I would like to see all Bangalis rise to the occasion. Stop debating endlessly on non-issues like communism. Or, if you must, do it only in your spare time (or like in the ad on Morning Dew, don't DO here, DO there!!!). And eschew the gun culture, and make WB more investor-and trader-friendly. I know, a large part of our population are WORKERS, so we have to be worker-friendly, but the days of workers' unions and their strong-arm tactics are drawing to an end; this has happened in the rest of the world, is happening even in Mumbai, which was never a RED bastion but still always had strong unions. Even in Mumbai, the unions are no longer allowed to hijack the essentially WORLD BANK dictated policy of open market economy. That WB has to finally open the doors of this WB so that the beleagured people of Kolkata-nay, the whole state-finally see some developement and infrastuctural changes.And as Buddha toils to bring in stronger in-flow of FDI into WB, I say: more power to his elbow, and HAIL COMRADE!

Quota will kill Quality:Murthy; Judgement day for these politicians not too far away: Myself
Mood:  on fire
Just take a look at this news item: "Infosys chief and Chairman of the governing body for IIM Ahmedabad NR Narayana Murthy has criticised the Government's plan to increase seats in IITs and IIMs to offset the impact of reservations on general category students". This is from IBNLIVE: URL: Article on IBN LIVEhttp://www.ibnlive.com/news/quota-will-kill-quality-murthy/10753-3.html According to the news item, "...the Government proposed to increase seats to appease the students protesting against the proposal to have 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in top institutes". Murthy further goes on to say that the goverment has no business to decide about seats. "People sitting in New Delhi cannot take these decisons. A lot of variables need to be taken into account like the number of classrooms and hostel rooms. It is up to the chairman and the directors of the IITs and IIMs to take a desicison," he says. He also goes on to point out the difficulty these premier institutes have attracting good faculty, given the poor salary levels they can offer; this is also because of strict government control over the salary structure. "It is unfortunate that these decisions do no lie with the institutes but with the Government. We are not going about this in the right way. Our insitutes will never be the world class institutes if this continues," he said. Narayan Murthy is a product of the institute, and he knows how the system functions; he has seen the other side, and knows what young Indians need in order to develop into world class competitors. This is an age when government needs to relinquish control over corporations and institutions which have flourished despite (yes, not because of) politicians and bureaucrats.This is an example of an ongoing power struggle, and we have no doubt about who is pulling in which direction. Soon these politicians and bureacrats are going to have their comeuppance, as the level of awareness and literacy are rising gradually to the stage where a critical mass will be reached sooner rather than later. That will be the day when these politicians will have a lot of explaining to do.

Quota will kill quality: Murthy I say: Judgement day for these politicians is not far off!!!

Just take a look at this news item: "Infosys chief and Chairman of the governing body for IIM Ahmedabad NR Narayana Murthy has criticised the Government's plan to increase seats in IITs and IIMs to offset the impact of reservations on general category students". This is from IBNLIVE: URL: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/quota-will-kill-quality-murthy/10753-3.html

According to the news item, "...the Government proposed to increase seats to appease the students protesting against the proposal to have 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in top institutes".

Murthy further goes on to say that the goverment has no business to decide about seats. "People sitting in New Delhi cannot take these decisons. A lot of variables need to be taken into account like the number of classrooms and hostel rooms. It is up to the chairman and the directors of the IITs and IIMs to take a desicison," he says.

He also goes on to point out the difficulty these premier institutes have attracting good faculty, given the poor salary levels they can offer; this is also because of strict government control over the salary structure.

"It is unfortunate that these decisions do no lie with the institutes but with the Government. We are not going about this in the right way. Our insitutes will never be the world class institutes if this continues," he said.

Narayan Murthy is a product of the institute, and he knows how the system functions; he has seen the other side, and knows what young Indians need in order to develop into world class competitors. This is an age when government needs to relinquish control over corporations and institutions which have flourished despite (yes, not because of) politicians and bureaucrats.This is an example of an ongoing power struggle, and we have no doubt about who is pulling in which direction. Soon these politicians and bureacrats are going to have their comeuppance, as the level of awareness and literacy are rising gradually to the stage where a critical mass will be reached sooner rather than later. That will be the day when these politicians will have a lot of explaining to do.

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MANDAL REVISITED
Mood:  on fire
The whole of northern India is up in flames....it is Mandal 1989-90 revisited....the spectre of MANDAL II....
In 1989 it was VP Singh.....the flames engulfed him then, they finished him politically...
the villain of the piece now is ARJUN SINGH!
This man was considered prime ministerial material at one time....now he is a doddering old fool, stumbling through the corridors of power, dragging his legs with his stick, cynically using the power vested in him by trusting millions, to further the sinister cause of all political parties....VOTES!VOTES!!Votes at any cost, even if it destroys the lives of the youth!!!
He had the temerity to stand in LOK SABHA and proclaim that he was not going to back out of this decision....this arrogance and stubborness is because he has won the elections....we would like to know, did the people who voted from him, do they all want him to do things this way ?
We thought India had come a long way...away from the divisive politics of the past generations....we believed that a new generation had arisen, new leaders with vision and hope, who wanted all Indians to be equal...Yes, we thought the days of Rahuls and Jyotiradityas and Jindals had dawned and that we would see a new and progressive INDIA!
But alas! It seems that we were too credulous, that we have been belied again.
For Arjun Singh alone would not have dared to stand against the rising tide of protesters in the country..... not unless he had the backing of all these self-serving politicians...
The time has come to change the culture of the country.....to create an atmosphere where such politicians cannot breathe....where corruption, divisiveness, nepotism, cronyism cannot survive...
For this we have to carry the poor and the downtrodden with us...we have to convince all those people who vote for these politicians that there are better options. We have to create a climate for nation building...We have to show these cynical politicians that their days are numbered, that the time has come to account for their actions.
Now no political decision should be taken with the vote-bank in mind...everything should be pre-decided through fora comprising the intellectuals and progressive minds in the society. Deviations from these policies should be dealt with firmly by the law-enforcement agencies....the power in the hands of these politicians has to be severely curbed, so much so that it no longer remains lucrative to enter politics.Let only those interested n building the nation enter politics; for this, all priveleges should be withdrawn.