SIONTIFIC

Welcome To SIONTIFIC!!!!

2007-03-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

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Siontific was Last Updated On : 17th March 2007

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Latest Contributors:
-Article by Dr. Swarup Pal (2000)
- Aritcle by Dr. Niraj Chavan (2001)
- Photographs by Dr. Samip Dattani (2001)
- Painting by Dr. Forum Gala (2001)
-Poem by Dr. Juee (1999)
-Photographs by Dr. Ravikrishna (1998)
-Song by Dr. Harshvardhan (2003)
-Colour paintings by Dr. Neha (2001)

Welcome To SIONTIFIC!!

Step into the lives of budding doctors at Sion hospital.The thoughts/articles/anecdotes/paintings/drawings/sketches
and other expressions of creativity by medical students from L.T.M.M.C., Sion shall be put up here regularly.

Feel free to leave your comments!!

To contribute to SIONTIFIC:

1) Hand over the article directly to the Wall Paper and Magazine Secretary (WPM) of our college.

OR

2) Mail your article to siontific@gmail.com

3) Drawings/Paintings and Sketches should be submitted only in A4 size paper or smaller. (For convenience of scanning)

-Shiva
(Batch: 2001)

Meet my friend....

2007-03-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Author : Dr. Swarup Pal
Batch: 2000

Meet my friend……..

“Friend don’t walk behind me, and also ahead of me. Always be with me.”

- My friend

I still remember very vividly the first day of my college ….here at LT. About a hundred odd- faces staring at me…...some speckled and some spectacled… each different in their own kind! It was then that I met this guy….

Sitting on one corner on the last bench of the last row….was this grim looking guy! A tall moderately built guy with an absolutely out of place – moustache! Why is he looking so gloomy…I thought? Maybe he does not like this place, or perhaps he must be homesick!! At the end of the lecture as he passed by, I muttered- Hi! A sweet smile was what I got in return…,so, Mr. Grim could smile after all!! I did not realize that this would be the beginning of an everlasting friendship…

The days passed faster than hours, months faster than minutes… we soon found ourselves in the examination hall - the first yr MBBS exams had begun!!………

….and soon the BIG day had arrived! Results would be declared any minute. I was looking for my friend, Mr. Grim. How would he perform…I didn’t have to wait too long for the answer! Only one student from my batch had managed to score 3D’s in the exam……my friend, Mr. Grim.

Would this be the beginning of an illustrious carrier….a carrier studded with D’s…. E’s.…and F’s… and what not! Yes I did have a faint idea!

As the years passed, our friendship grew. I would find myself more often in his room listening to music, dreaming about Amrita Rao, discussing the day’s proceedings...all this with more regularity than the lectures I would attend!!! It was here that I met this extrovert guy, who was perceived to be an introvert in the true sense when at college! Talk about girls and he would give me an angry stare, tease him with someone and he would pull my hair!!! From paying all my bills at the hostel canteen (..I was his guest he would say!), to fixing up all my problems, he would do it all! I realized what a gem of a person this guy was. Always ready to help you …any time you ask him…with the zeal that few people possess, Mr. Grim wasn’t so grim after all!!!!

As the days passed my friend surpassed all our expectations…with multiple D’s every year, we were sure that he would make it big one day. By now we had completed our internship- the termination of our MBBS carriers’!! All India and MH- CET results were also out. I rushed to his room and as I looked up into his eyes…I could sense the disappointment. He had not done as well as he would have expected….things were amiss!

It was then that he decided ….he would leave Mumbai. Obviously I felt sad but I knew that this was for his own good…and I was sure that he would be back one day. As I bade him goodbye, I could see the determination in his eyes. From then on, it was just a matter of time, it had to happen… and happen it did!! One year later and this guy had TWINS…!!! Yes, he had the sole copyright of Rank 4 for the year 2007,in All India as well as MH-CET!!

My happiness knew no bounds…finally the deserving had got his reward!!

“Hard work, patience, and perseverance can get you anything and everything in this world. Nothing is impossible, unless you think it to be! Have a goal, be enthusiastic about it and channelise all your energies in that direction. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm! The first step is always the most difficult step, but once you have done that everything else will fall in place. Always aim high…aim for the sky and you will land on the roof!” These were the words of my friend….an epitome of these facts- ‘SAMBHAJI’!

Well as I end this article, I will always be thankful to God to gift me a friend like HIM. And I will always remember those lines that he had written for me on Friendships’ day!(Yup, I still have that card!).Mr. Grim you have stuck to it, up to the task, as you have always been! You have always been with me, through thick and thin, truly so! I will always cherish those fond memories and I am happy that as the next chapter unfolds in our lives …we would still be together….at a new base! Seth G.S.M.C…here we come!

P.S- This article is not a work of fiction and bears every resemblance to a person living in good stead- Mr. Grim.

… and I am sure that if the great one happens to be reading this, he will appreciate the efforts I have put in to pen this down! My hard work should not go unrecognized…

….so can I ,now, have the Sony Ericsson K11 that Bhatia’s have gifted you….please!!!!!

-by Dr. SWARUP KR PAL

M.S. GEN SURGERY(std)

Seth G.S.M.C/KEMH.

The Spirit of Mumbai

2006-07-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Dr. Niraj Chavan
Batch: 2001

The Spirit of Mumbai

“The spirit of Mumbai”, “the resilient Mumbaikar”, “Salaam Mumbai”,“the city that never sleeps”…phrases that seem so much a cliché now, so much more than before thanks to the 7/11 blasts that rocked this metro yesterday evening. In the wake of the aftermath that followed, undoubtedly the heroes of the moment were neither the police authorities nor the administrative set-up…but the average middle-class 9-4 “mumbaikar”…yes!..He is just he same man who enjoys vada-pav and chai at the local eatery bunk, thrives on cricket and bollywood and works in a straight-jacketed routine of home-office-home…and then office again the next day.

Rather unlikely as it may seem it’s the unflinching spirit of such an “average” Mumbaikar that has helped Mumbai cope up with this disaster so much so that terms like “resilience” and “spirit” seem superficial. But what needs to be reflected upon is this : are we taking the Mumbaikars resilience for granted?…be it a natural calamity as in the case of 26/7 or the more recent rains lashing through Mumbai or the series of terrorist activities that have been rocking Mumbai ever since 1993-94. Yes,the spirited Mumbaikar does come together in times like these and exhibits an epitome of unshakeable hope, belief and support that probably no other city can boast of!(So much for being called the rudest city,eh?!) But the larger picture is this… Two weeks post 7/11 life is going to continue unmistakably as “normally” as ever before…. even the slightest traces of a major destruction being smartly silenced amidst the banter of bhajans and gossip in the local train compartments. Will Mumbai be the same as it always was? …Most certainly yes!…the answer comes almost reflexly from every die-hard mumbaikar. “Resilence” is what the perennial optimist terms it…but a faint voice from a practical headed junkie yells…”ignorance”...Hahhaha so much for the saying, “Ignorance is bliss”…

There is no undermining the undefying spirit of Mumbaikars but there is only hope that this spirited attitude to see justice happening is not restricted only to post-disaster states. What we need today is consolidated continuous efforts from Mumbaikars like you and me to shake the somnolent government from its deep slumber. We do not need another 26/7 or 7/11 to wake them up, a force of thousands and lakhs of Mumbaikars is indeed a force enough…if only this force was “one force”…a myth as it seems in todays times of hectic daily routine. The only thing that plays on mind is my priorities. Catching the 6:51 churchgate local…boarding a near packed train…reaching my office on time…finishing the daily work schedule well in time for lunch break to occur…enjoying a li’l bit of a post-prandial nap…and then hurrying back in time to catch he 5:45 andheri local…who has the time to think of what the BMC or the government should or should not be doing…the resilient and spirited mumbaikar jus throws off his magical robe...just like a Spiderman or Superman would do...and gels in with the crowd…one with the crowd…herd mentality…

It makes me wonder…wouldn’t it have been so much more better if these concentrated efforts found their way to the corridors of mantralaya and to the offices in the BMC head-office? Aren’t civic authorities taking the mumbaikars for granted just as the terrorists are?….while we have organized “terrorists” to wreck havoc in public life…it will take just one more 26/7 for terrorists to emerge from the throes of civic administration…or rather the lack of it!
Are we equipped to tackle another disaster?…morally and emotionally yes!…of course but in reality in terms of logistics of infrastructure….the answer is an obvious NO…who is to be blamed then?…(’cuz all of us love the blaming game!)…Johnny Joseph and his babus…A.N. Roy and his set of hooligans...better known as Mumbai Police…Vilasrao Deshmukh and his cabinet...or is it you and me, the average mumbaikar?…

-Dr. Niraj Chavan

Digital Photography - (Part 2)

2006-07-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

Photographer: Dr. Samip Dattani
Batch: 2001

(Click the photos to Enlarge)

The serene countryside..

Bare fruits...

River valley..

Standing tall...

Close Encounter..

Sepia sky..

Crystal reflections..

Rang De Basanti - The India Gate.

Tunnel Vision..

Night Lights..

Camera Used - Canon Powershot

Related Links:
Digital Photography - (Part 1)

Ganesha Painting

2006-07-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

Artist: Dr. Foram Gala
Batch: 2001

Ganesha Painting

(Click to Enlarge)

A Poem

2006-06-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Author: Dr. Juee Chemburkar
Batch: 1999

A poem...

It had never struck before this hour,
A love so strong n complete
My face blossomed into a springtime flower
When he swept me off my feet!

My face grew pale, a deadly pale,
N then a crimson blush
I could not but hide the glow
Brought on by that emotional rush!

Now the trees looked greener still,
The roses yet more red
The raindrops brought a blissful chill
And a feeling that goes unsaid!

Now i wander among the hills,
To where ever my feets go
I seek the silence that nature brings
N feel the affection grow!

It had never struck before this hour,
N now my world's a song
I look besides n oh my luck
He's walking step by step along!

-Dr. Juee

F1 British Grand Prix - Silverstone!

2006-06-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Photographer: Dr. Ravikrishna
Budding Neurosurgeon
Batch: 1998

British Grand Prix

Dr. Ravi sends us these enviable photos from Silverstone where he had the chance to see Schumacher in action!

Dr. Ravi standing next to a Ferrari wishing he could drive one of these.

When will we Indians Learn? Dr. Ravi decides to take a dump right in the middle of the tracks.

Silverstone Overview

Go Schumi GO!... Schumi and Felipe Massa..

The Top 3!

-Dr. Ravi

Jal Jal Ke Dhuan

2006-06-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Singer: Dr. Harshvardhan
Batch: 2003

Jal Jal Ke Dhuan...

Dr. Harshvardhan, our very own talented singer has sent us this little snippet of his singing capabilities. Worth an applause I must say!

Powered by Castpost

(P.S: Persons with slower internet speeds may have to wait till the song loads so that they can hear it in continuity without breaks. Do let me know if any of you have any difficulties hearing the audio.)

Colour Paintings

2006-06-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

Artist: Dr. Neha
Batch: 2001

Colour Paintings

(Click on the images to see an enlarged version)

(Picture quality may appear slightly grainy since the paintings were clicked on a cell phone camera and mailed to us - Shiva)

His eyes....

2006-06-14T02:39:00.000-07:00

Author: Juee Chemburkar
Batch: 1999

His Eyes....

I dont know what I liked about his eyes

But the liking was so strong-
that years after he's gone-
They have haunted me all along!

The last we spoke were bitter words
on a dark rainy day
the last I saw was his mesmerising eyes
and then death swept him away!

In the sky the bright sun glittered
on the bank the pale moon shone
and from my life so full of pain
I watched him walk away alone!

His eyes cast a final glance
to perhaps let me know
that the past we shared was alive no more-
and so he too must go!

-Dr. Juee Chemburkar

Reminiscences

2006-06-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

Author: Dr. Neha Godre
Batch: 2001

REMINISCENCES

The sky no longer looks the same…
But the slate tints were daubed of yore
By the rainbows,
With added pastels of divine memories…

The many ‘a minute’s to the odd hours,
The quicksteps at the sea side to the ala carte,
The starry dusk of the ending year
To the wee moments of a sparkling new dawn…
And
The path of friendship to the path of learning…
All with their roller coaster rides!

Sudden jerks can baffle a person,
But the mind learns to surmount obstacles and go on…
For
Some affections have no desire
Some relations need no moniker…
Their place is far up, in the azimuth of sanctity…

The gamble will continue, with the domino
Unlocking every time
The dreary and the fascinating arenas of life…

The rainbows will always suffuse in me
The hope and the thew to move ahead…
And the memories will breathe forever somewhere,
Guarded and safe,
For me to reminisce and smile
Every time I see the first evening star……

-Dr. Neha

Ram Aur Shyam

2006-05-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

Author : Dr. Swarup Pal
Batch: 2000

Ram Aur Shyam

Yeah, finally im up to it again. Im back with a new article, the only difference is that this happens to be a real life story. A story bout two friends…..or should I say two foes. Well I leave that for you to decide, while I do what im best at…..narrating the story of course!!!!

Hey hey, just a sec!!! Before I start narrating let me first tell you guys bout a few of the proverbs which I learnt at school.

(1) A friend in need is a friend indeed!!!

(2) If you stand for nothing you will fall for nothing!!!

(3) Handsome is that handsome does!!!

(4) A right thing done at the right time is right, a wrong thing done anytime is wrong, and a right thing done,but, at the wrong time is wrong!!!

No no no… my article is not bout giving you guys a session on English literature, but as you read you will realize that all of these have some relevance….not just in our lives but those of ram and shyam as well.

So lets begin……………

Ram and shyam were bosom friends. They shared many a thing in common…. A common room , a common workplace, a common aspiration, a common studyplace and also a common mobile!!(now that's interesting…a common mobile??? Yes indeed , a common 'mobile'… something that would change their lives forever!??)

And it all happened on one fateful day!! Shyam( read S for studious and sincere,but stupid) had just returned back after an engrossing night at the hospital. He was just about to fall asleep when ram( read R for rascal and rogue,& really smart) requested him for his mobile. Apparently ram always wanted to be a philanthropist and today was the day he had planned to announce his philanthrophism to the world(..but in his own element and by his own wicked means…!!!) He had decided that today he would help the juniors to cheat in the exam.he would sms them the answers and they would simply retrieve the data from their cellphones and pen them on paper. This was a foolproof modus operandi and no one would get caught, ram thought. But it was not to be!?? In his extreme enthusiasm to copy, the junior had forgotten the basic tenet of the art of copying….i.e to hide his resource.His cell was confiscated and he was debarred from the exam. All the smses were traced to their source…shyams mobile!!!

It was evening by now,and shyam had also woken up. Very soon he realized his folly. He had trusted ram and had handed over his cell when he had asked for it , and now he too had become a element of the malpractice( vicarious responsibility,should I say?)

But in his eagerness to protect his skin and his fellow mates he decided that he would keep mum. He would act as a blind spectator to this tribulation and would not open his mouth. ( silence is not always golden…. And shyam would find this out very soon!! )

Three months had passed since this incident had occurred. As usual Ram was in high spirits and why wouldn't he ?? Internship was on the brink of completion….signatures had been forged at MAA hospital and no one had a hint to it . His completion was well in sight.Things were happening exactly as per plans. What a genius I am, Ram thought.

……. It was then that all hell broke loose. Ram received a call from the university asking him about his misconduct. Ram had banged down the phone on a few occasions, and had also tried to switch skins ,saying that this was Amitsin s phone no. (this is where poor Amitsin got dragged into this ordeal…just like shyam would…). Shyam too had his share of misfortunes. He was too questioned by the university, and adversity had his way!! Shyam was proclaimed guilty of being a part of this malpractice. Everything was over! The university had made its decision… The junior was debarred for two and half yrs, Ram(the exam buster..) had to repeat his internship all over again.

Poor shyam was also handed over a one yr repeat , just like Ram. He was victimized. He did not know what to do.He looked around for some support, someone whom he could talk to.But ,suddenly,all his friends had vanished into thin air. All those whom he had protected , had gone into hiding.He felt a sensation of déjà vu all round him. Poor Shyam appealed for mercy but that was not to be,it was all too late. He had to suffer, although for no fault of his.

Well that brings me to the end of this article.

Friends, im sure you all must have experienced a RAM of similar sorts in your everyday life. Such dastardly creatures abound in life.They act like the dog in the manger. Neither do they thrive in life, nor do they let others live in peace.So join hands and strive to put an end to such a menace as and when you come across them , in your life!!!!

NOTE: This article is a work of fiction and the author can not be held responsible for its resemblance to anyone or anything living or dead.

-Dr. Swarup Pal

Visions of the UK - Part 2 (A floral tribute)

2006-05-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

Photographer: Dr. Ravikrishna
Budding neurosurgeon

Red Flowers

Yellow Flower 1

Yellow flower 2

Some more yellow flowers...

Camera Used - Panasonic Lumix

- Dr. Ravikrishna

A Goal of a Difference!!

2006-05-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

Author: Dr. Swarup Pal
Post-Intern

A Goal of a Difference!!

Children are the most wonderful of god's creations!! Im sure that you all agree on this one. They lighten up our lives , make it merrier, and in simple terms , they make our life …complete!! Yet, not all children are born equal, like you and me!!! These are the ones to whom I dedicate this article to….. the childrens' of a Lesser God!!!

I was on the flight to Chennai when I met Kim Kane. Her seat was next to mine. She was a brunnete, a woman in the late thirties. She was on the way to Pondicherry, on a visit to Shri Aurobindo Ashram. She asked me bout my profession. I told her that I was a doctor and that I was preparing for my postgraduation. What subject would you select for your postgraduation and why, was her next question. I told her that I just love kids and would therefore like to do my post graduation in Pediatrics. I could see the glimmer in her eyes as I completed my statement. It was then that she narrated this incident to me, an incident which has left a permanent mark on me!

I will narrate it as it was told to me….

She began……

" Last night was the last game for my eight year old son's soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son's team in the lead. With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball rolled in front of my son's team mate, one Mike O'Donnel. With shouts of " Kick it!" echoing across the field, Mike reared back and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted. O'Donnel had scored!!

Then there was silence. Mikey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was total hush. You see, Mikey has Down's syndrome and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated with a joyous hug from Mikey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.

The silence was finally broken when Mikey, his face filled with joy , grabbed my son, hugged him and yelled, "I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" for a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched , through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five salute and started chanting, " Way to go Mikey! Way to go Mikey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mikey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal."

By the time she finished her narration , the plane had reached Chennai. I was overwhelmed by the gesture shown by her son and his friends. I asked her to congratulate him on my behalf. As I bade her good bye, I promised myself that I would write an article on this incident so that all of us realize that …..

These children , the ones with Down's syn, Rett' s syn , Asperger's syn, etc or simply put…the ones who are mentally challenged, are indeed unfortunate. Labeled as " happy morons", "spikey hair",etc all that we do of their plight, is to make fun of them, make merry at these poor kids' expense! But all of us, the society as a whole, must realize that these children are very much a part of us… our world…the world that god has created. It is only then that these ' ill fated inopportunes' may lead a life, a life of less misery and suffering, …though it will always be…….. a life less ordinary!!! As I end this article, Kudos to Kim's son and his friends for doing just that….!!!

- A narration by KIM KANE, written by Dr Swarup.

The Sound Of Silence

2006-04-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

Author: Alpes Panchal
III/II

----The Sound of Silence----

"Sometimes her silence speaks so loud...

I can't hear what she says"

- Anonymous

The first rule of speaking is knowing when to shut up. And she knew it better than the deaf man lying on the street waiting for a penny from the next outstretched hand.

Her father had deserted her when she was of the age to play catch with daddy's baseball glove. her mother raised her to what she is today. She never let her know how cruel her father was, how he didn't care about the family & left with the blonde in brown boots. Her mother never let her feel lesser or any smaller than people who could hear. Today, she is a news reader for the deaf & dumb on television.

Her mother, is still, mute.

Silence is what connected this mother-daughter duo together. Silence is what they used to make their statements heard.

John Lennon once said that he can't imagine a world without music. Come to think of it, I can't imagine a world without silence. People tell me it gets really awkward when you get to long pauses in the middle of a conversation.

For me, I enjoy every long pause I have with her.

-Alpez Panchal

Visions of the UK - (Part 1)

2006-04-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Photographer: Dr. Ravikrishna
Budding neurosurgeon

Our dear Dr. Ravikrishna, former general secretary of our college, sends in these snaps from the UK (Newcastle) where he is currently working.

Castle Hill

The Sage : A big performing arts theatre in Gateshead

Millenium Bridge - the world's only tilting bridge!

A dull snowy day - almost makes this colour photo seem black and white..

Camera Used : Panasonic Lumix

Panacea of all Evils

2006-04-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Pavithra Rajan
Final Year PT

I read Rachana's poetry on "mirror image"....and I guess I would want to share this poem of mine as an answer to hers.

Panacea of All Evils

COMPOSITION:
Each peal contains:
100 ml of anxiolytic
500ml of skeletal muscle relaxant
1000 ml of expectorant of grief and depression
2500 ml of analgesic
Unlimited amounts of CNS stimulant

COLOUR:
Makes life colourful without any shades of grey and black

WARNING:
It is contagious.Do not suppress it.

CAUTION:
Do not wait for the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.

DOSAGE:
As often as possible
Age no bar

DO NOT STORE IT IN A COOL DRY PLACE. DOES NOT NEED PROTECTION FROM HEAT AND LIGHT.
SHAKES BODY WELL DURING USE!

MANUFACTURED BY:
"SELF" PHARMA,
"LIMBIC CORTEX" BUILDING,
"THE BRAIN" ROAD,
"THE HUMAN BODY" CITY.

MANUFACTURED DATE:
Date of birth

EXPIRY DATE:
Life span

M.R.P.:
Priceless

INDICATIONS:
All evils

CONTRAINDICTAIONS:
Can precipitate madness and insanity

BRAND NAME OF THE DRUG:

"LAUGHTER"!

Well, the good and bad times that I have gone through (I am talking as if i have entered the magnificient geriatric age group!), I have realised that when u think about ur problems they grow D-O-U-B-L-E, but when u laugh at them......they become a B-U-B-B-L-E!
Hence laughter is the secret to a doubly bubbly life!

- Pavithra Rajan

(http://www.docpatsy.blogspot.com)

Ethnic Paintings..

2006-04-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

Artist: Roshani Desai
III/II MBBS

Beautiful Ethnic Indian paintings done by our talented fine arts secretary Roshani Desai.

(Click on the Pictures to Enlarge)

Digital Photography - (Part 1)

2006-04-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Photographer: Dr. Samip Dattani
Intern

(Click the photos to enlarge)

Stream clicked showing water splitting into droplets:

Stream clicked in Motion:

Mohabbatein was shot here - Forest Reserve of India:

Standing alone:

Bird Step:

Artistic angle:

Beautiful falls:

Blending into the darkness:

The busy bee:Delicate petals:
Camera Used: Canon Powershot

I knew One day the mirror would break..

2005-11-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

Author: Rachana Parikh
III/IV MBBS

'I knew one day the mirror would break...'

"I looked in the mirror one day
To see how others saw me...
And then i looked in the mirror everyday
And begun seeing myself the way others saw me."

I am scared of the day when this mirror would break,
Throwing itself into fragments
Many and small,
Then each fragment will have a story to tell,
Every piece would have an image to show,
Each one would be me...
But none myself!

I am scared of the day when this mirror would break,
Though lost right now...
I have an image to look upto as myself,
I have a face to represent, an evidence to existence...

I am scared of the day when this mirror would break,
But then I think,
I would not even exist after that to care.

-Dr. Rachana

Rules rule!

2005-11-16T20:09:00.000-08:00

Author: Rachana Parikh
Batch: 2001

'RULES RULE!'

Rules rule the ruler,
Rules rule the rest,
Rules rule the brain
And puts the soul to test.

Rules build walls,
And cheats your existence,
You can still hear the calls
Of your light in resistence.

To the night within the seen..
To the world of the known,
To the path where each one has been,
Since the days of the unknown!

For integrity, safety and unity,
They say the rules are meant...
But what about the disintegrity
That since then you have felt!

When your light disagrees
To be bonded in the wall
Wall of the 'black'
That you wear with the 'all'!

It struggles and it fights
Not scared of being alone...
And begins to tear the black,
With which even you are torn...

You lose peace with yourself,
You loose faith in yourself,
You lose worth of yourself,
But, this is with the black of yourself.

The fight will be over,
And resistance all gone,
As you begin to discover,
The flower in the fall,
As you begin to break,
The rules that built the wall.

Rules... that prevent you
To shine with light of your own...
Rules... that try to hide the brightness,
Life and light of your own.

-Dr. Rachana

Gypsona Mask

2005-11-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Artist: Sneha Karmani
II/III MBBS

This beautiful mask is made of gypsona and is the creation of the talented Sneha. (Though it has been slightly damaged over the years it still retains its impressive life-like features)

-Sneha

I wanna live my life...

2005-10-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

Author: Sneha Karmani
Batch: 2003

I Wanna Live My Life...

'I wanna live my life

I wanna sing, dance and fly

I wanna play, I want joy,

I wanna live my life...'

Don't all our hearts sing the same song? But come to think of it...

How happy are we in our lives? Or rather, are we Happy? I'm not sure if i am.

Truly speaking, I don't know what happiness is to me at this point of life. I meet friends, be happy, chat for hours. Back to myself, I feel incomplete.

I'm seeing this attitude since long, ever since I've grown up enough to know the world, to know what I mean to it and what it means to me.

I'm seeing this so much around me. It's so easy to be nice, sweet and sugary to the world, but so difficult to hold the same opinion about the world.

Why don't we live our lives? What are we all running after?

Is it achievement that's taking the joy out of our living?.... Or is it a living everyone's trying to make without realising the joys in their life. [....seems like I've made it complicated enough!]

Power, Pride and Possession... I see these things breathing shamelessly around me. Uhh... can't we all be grounded and just be nice...?

.... and not prejudiced about anything?

Why do we have to crib about our lives? Can't I be happy just for the while and enjoy it with all my heart?

Why did I wish to grow up as a kid, now I regret having grown up. It pains to see the innocence decay and die. The more I see of the world, the more I despise it.

Make me a child again, God!

- Sneha.

Pencil Portraits

2005-08-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

Artist: Manali Pednekar
Intern

CLICK THE DRAWINGS TO ENLARGE

Aamir Khan

Preity Zinta

Karishma Kapoor

Tabu

Worm Culture

2005-08-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

Author: Kaustubh Sarvade
Batch: 2001

Worm Culture

The Japanese are known for their hardworking nature. It is said that they call a strike in a peculiar manner - they overproduce the goods, so that dispatching the goods becomes a headache for the management. Now, have a peep inside 'Mantralaya' or for that matter any government workplace anywhere within India. What you'll see is files moving at an ultra-slow pace, every 'babu' doing his best to extract maximum 'malai' from a common man; peons asking for 10 Rs. to simpy shift a file. Unless you lighten your wallets and fill their pockets- those files disappear. As if nothing can escape, even the light, from a blackhole.

On the other hand, those working in the highly competitive corporate world, give their best shot in pursuit of their 'Career', achieving promotions & perks. The realm: where incentives rule the vigour with which you work, total burnout one day is guaranteed. A large sector of so called crude or unorganised labour in india was never given a chance to raise a voice & demand their needs. All communist parties will always yell about the torture 'a common man' has to endure for such long years. According o them, a common man is a 'slogger' & the fruits are eaten only by the rich. It's like 'Rich becomes richer' and 'Poor becomes poorer' - that sort of thing. (We all accept that the system- the machinery that is running our society - has caught some rust) Can "We" change this? If yes, change to what? At what level can the change be brought about? What'll be it's use?

Yes, 'we' can certainly change this. Change to something that has better 'work values'- where the drive to work is different; where mere 4,000 increments per annum won't drive you crazy; where you won't gratify yourself by harassing others by quoting from your protocol, and then conveniently bending these protocols, when you are given 'Chai-Pani'.

It is said in one of the Vedas: ' Yogaha Karmasu Kaushalyam' i.e. 'Doing your work in the best way is akin to being in contact with God.' It is this belief that'll make a world of a difference. When you do a job assigned toyou in the best way with your body, mind and intellect all for it, you get 'JOB SATISFACTION'. Believe me, it is as fulfilling an experience as you can get. But remember, job satisfaction is a byproduct. Our main value system should be to serve society, and thereby serve ourselves.

But can such a change in our value system bring about such a drastic change?

I would like to narrate a small story for that. A chronic alcoholic in Kolkata tried every medicine, every trick in the book to achieve abstinence from alcohol. Nothing worked. One of his friends suggested to him the name of 'Swami Paramhansa' (the Guru of Swami Vivekananda); he was told that Swamiji was no less than a God and nothing was impossible for him. With all faith in his heart, this drunkard fell unto the feet of Paramhansaji & pleaded to bless him, so that he wouldn't be able to drink any more. To his surprise, Swamiji told him that he could drink freely, but only on one condition - the only thing he had to do was that whenever he drank himself, he was supposed to 'offer' some alcohol to God too. This man agreed and when he reached home and sat for his next 'session', he tried to mentally picture himself offering alcohol to God. He could not. The only thought that came to his mind was, 'how could i offer liquor- such a vile thing - to God?' That prevented him from offering, and thus, drinking. Thereafter, that man never touched liquor again.

Now analogically, with so much talent, zeal, energy within us, how can we offer sub-optimal service to society, which is also aform of God? It is this value that has to seep into our mind and get absorbed by our consciousness. No matter what you do, even if you are the CEO of any petrochemical industry, or the President of India, a rickshaw driver or a painter, do your job in the best way. If you are a sweeper, sweep in a way that God wants you to - the best way! No work is small work.

In World War II, England had a terrible time initially. The war lasted for too long. Poland was swallowed by Germany. France was crumbling under immense attack. America wasn't on the scene. (They rise only when their butt feels the pinch an they call it 'keeping peace and cracking down on terrorism' instead of 'buttscratching'). England was going through a gruelling period, when one day the news came - all coal miners had called a 'Strike'. The then England Prime Minister Mr. Winston Churchill went to the scene. He told the coal miners that digging the black coal day and night was what was keeping their giant artillery production factories ticking. It was because of their hard work that the fuel for the factories was supplied -which in turn worked to produce artillery used to defend their country and attack their enemies. Hadn't it been for their presence in the 200 metre deep mines, working in ill illumination, craving for air, fighting health problems, none of their fighter planes would have soared in the sky. Every coal miner was as precious as the Prime Minister to the country. (It's called the Law of the big picture - many small pieces complete a larger picture puzzle). Hearing this, every coal miner wept and realised how important he was for his country. Their hands never stopped digging till England achieved victory. What citizens! and what Leadership!

Such a leader is situated in all of us and we don't have to motivate the mob like Churchill did, only ourselves. When a grocer adultrates his grocery, a common man is the victim. An autorickshaw driver tampering with his rickshaw meter and overcharges the passenger- again a cmoon man is a victim. But wait a minute, can't the common man looted by the grocer be an autorickshaw driver? And in the 2nd instance the common man conned by the autorickshaw driver be a grocer? Very much can. Infact it is. We are all interrelated in that way. (In our school days, in civics when we learned that society is like a fabric, i couldn't comprehend the depth if the statement. Now i can.)

We try to make some extra bucks by dishonest means to unweave a few threads of the social fabric. Some get a tight slap in return, but most turn a deaf ear to it. Next time, before you cry foul play, see to it that nobody is crying the same in your name.

Replacing your work values will go miles in achieving a healthy working environment, the most important being psychological, reducing stress and anxiety. The workload will be shed faster. people will admire you not for being the CM or PM or any official on the high post, but for being a humble server and they will try to take a leaf out of your book.

A prosperous society is in the end a byproduct, where every thread in the fabric is strong enough. You cannot beat the quality of such a fabric.

This is the only way in which our current 'Worm culture' can be transformed into a 'Work culture' that we can be proud of.

Any takers?

-Kaustubh.