tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post2562281763932300100..comments2023-05-28T17:24:45.107+05:30Comments on Why is everything four?: This Land is your LandTangled up in blue...http://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-88538500310095914232011-11-01T09:46:12.244+05:302011-11-01T09:46:12.244+05:30Dear Karishma:
I started reading many of the post...Dear Karishma:<br /><br />I started reading many of the posts that I've missed and my, every single post (I've read about four now) can spew a thousand thoughts in me. This post esp, comes at a time when I was wondering about mnay things in life and their meaning. It seems that it is destined that i read this post today.<br /><br />Thanks, dear Karishma, you open many vistas for the troubled soul.<br /><br />Joy always,<br />SusanS. Susan Deborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08885957854901839400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-12864696433507767122011-10-09T03:41:58.896+05:302011-10-09T03:41:58.896+05:30Don't you think dreams take a much abstract fo...Don't you think dreams take a much abstract form when they don't have the boundaries of Swiss watches and Italian suits to conform to?mgeekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02204026245715229205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-53788029368740368212011-10-09T00:44:47.019+05:302011-10-09T00:44:47.019+05:30There is a concept I once studied called 'Self...There is a concept I once studied called 'Self Fulfilling Prophecies'. Only, here it applies in a different way.<br /><br />By believing that the populace living in slums is oppressed, we end up suppressing them further by not treating them as the fully functioning humans they are.Antarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03178126540536815154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-74960059201427289782011-10-05T21:22:33.521+05:302011-10-05T21:22:33.521+05:30Sunrise, oh, definitely! I'd have loved you to...Sunrise, oh, definitely! I'd have loved you to be my protégé/sidekick! :D Haha, kidding! But it was a really memorable time. :)<br /><br />Oxymoron, that's the wonderful thing about this city. No matter how different we look or dress or sound like, we all have one thing in common. We're all nursing our dreams. :)<br /><br />Tatterdemalion, oh, I dont mind at all. If I had a penny for every time I've been told that..and trust me I am improving! :D And absolutely NOTHING is on the same plane as Scrubs, man! JD is da man! :D And thank you. :)Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-84596636211421472392011-10-05T13:18:49.252+05:302011-10-05T13:18:49.252+05:30I gave up medicine to take up English and the only...I gave up medicine to take up English and the only times i regret it is when i see scrubs and when i read your blog. Not that they are on the same plane :D.<br /><br />Wonderfully flowing writing that expresses such strong and beautiful ideas. Loved it! <br /><br />I hope you dont mind me telling this, but pls dont use 'cud'. Its a little jarring and takes away from the feel that the writing builds up.Tatterdemalionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11893483527768751603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-55890728186601292832011-10-05T10:41:33.205+05:302011-10-05T10:41:33.205+05:30hey...a well written and indeed a very insightful ...hey...a well written and indeed a very insightful post...<br />most people living in slums are there just because they were unluckly...but we tend to forget that and judge them on the way they look...but the thing is wonderful people with dreams and ambitions can be anywhere....Oxymoronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04218564425878891301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-7760728470862817652011-10-03T14:02:05.274+05:302011-10-03T14:02:05.274+05:30I am so jealous that you got to see and experience...I am so jealous that you got to see and experience all this and I wish I had 'known' you BEFORE I tottered off to Mumbai so I could have annoyingly tagged along with you on your postings! :-( The lessons and little pearls of wisdom one picks up must be truly precious. :-)--Sunrise--https://www.blogger.com/profile/10612586355249296658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-40461463121954631832011-09-29T20:30:42.060+05:302011-09-29T20:30:42.060+05:30Beautifully written. Had had similar experiences w...Beautifully written. Had had similar experiences while teaching in a small village near vellore. Really changes your perspective, no?Ramya Sriramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05341916424439858652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-57196315405554947762011-09-29T13:20:50.762+05:302011-09-29T13:20:50.762+05:30Aayushi, I liked the songs! :D And I read your pos...Aayushi, I liked the songs! :D And I read your post about your experiences of the PSM postings, especially about that young physically handicapped pregnant woman. It makes me wonder if I cud possibly have been half as brave as her in similar circumstances.Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-83319829892266432592011-09-29T13:18:59.223+05:302011-09-29T13:18:59.223+05:30Riddhi, :)
Sakshi, *hugs*
Kunal, I like this qu...Riddhi, :) <br /><br />Sakshi, *hugs*<br /><br />Kunal, I like this quote by Douglas Adams, "Prejudice is an insidious guest. It enters our minds when we're not looking and colours our vision so we can never look and see the truth again." Sometimes, it becomes very hard to see people as people and not symbolic representations of some great big idea in one's head. But it is important to try. :)Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-89664369339972711492011-09-27T21:18:34.051+05:302011-09-27T21:18:34.051+05:30"Tradition was a good thing to barter with, i..."Tradition was a good thing to barter with, in exchange for prosperity."<br /><br />Wow. I am so awestruck that you wrote this gem of a sentence. <br /><br />Other than that, wonderful, positive post :) I always liked Slumdog you know, I just liked the story, I never thought too much about the portraying poverty part. <br /><br />I have my peripherals going on right now, but we just work at the health centers, don't go to anyone's house. Everyday brings a new experience. Though I really doubt a lot of us can be as positive about it as you have been :)Aayushi Mehtahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08360324719537614250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-33411901994483942602011-09-27T16:55:07.393+05:302011-09-27T16:55:07.393+05:30HI,
Keeping an open mind is important..as very we...HI,<br /><br />Keeping an open mind is important..as very well said by your parents. Our vision is colored and blurred by our immediate surroundings and hence our imagination about people leaving in slums(or anywhere for that matter) is nothing but a illusion. I have traveled to many places in India and outside India..and have come to believe that people everywhere are basically same..they want peaceful life, they want their children to do good..they want to have a happy life where they have the things and means which they can enjoy, have fun..you know..basically lead a good, happy contented life...and its true mostly for everyone. It is true that people who have less means to achieve these things themselves..hope that their children surpass and overcome these difficulties to have a better life..It is fundamentally..humane!!Kunalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17801232027548934686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-72646225031298707912011-09-26T17:27:20.070+05:302011-09-26T17:27:20.070+05:30This is wow! I too never realised these things, ev...This is wow! I too never realised these things, even though I have worked closely with destitute women and children!Sakshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13560563322184558228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-8646421359157461452011-09-26T07:25:28.913+05:302011-09-26T07:25:28.913+05:30Nothing and too much to say. :*Nothing and too much to say. :*Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06250470160648523347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-20878653209686525912011-09-24T23:18:25.823+05:302011-09-24T23:18:25.823+05:30Rohith, thank you. :) I know you love Swades quite...Rohith, thank you. :) I know you love Swades quite a bit more than I do and your wanderlust far exceeds mine. You are my favourite journeyman. :) 'No man is chiselled out of a monolith'. Very wise words, indeed. I have much, much to learn, yet.Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-91999219802629661442011-09-24T21:57:22.862+05:302011-09-24T21:57:22.862+05:30"...You always astonish me with the humanisti..."...You always astonish me with the humanistic view you have of your patients, and your countrymen...You have a deeper calling than I do, Karishma. I envy you that. "<br /><br />"Thank you for writing this."<br /><br />"...instead u write a lyrically honest post about it. brava!"<br /><br />"it makes me realize how cocooned I am in my own job,so far away from living such experiences..."<br /><br /><br />So, why should I be quoting all these? Firstly, because I badly want to make a comment, say something important. But I'm so much at a loss, because I know that 'I have nothing to say which is of any importance'. Hence this collation of genuine appreciation [they sound like something that you would see on the dust-jackets of classics]. :)<br /><br /><br />There was a time when I used to watch that 'ek-glass-paani' scene from 'Swades' on a daily basis. I must have been 16 then. The idea was to constantly remind myself of the reality [when down in doldrums, look further down and then look at yourself] and keep my feet firm on the good earth of realism...a kind of manual instigation of emotions and subsequent catharsis. Above all, it made me feel good about myself.<br /><br />And then came Karunanidhi, a migrant labourer from rural Tamil Nadu (I can go on and on about this man); further down the lane, Hariprasad, the one-handed carpenter from Assam; and a lot more, all of whom I acquainted, partly owing to my wanderlust, and partly owing to this wonderful temple-town called Guruvayur. They showed me that viewing the world in black-and-white is an out-and-out error fo judgement. <br /><br />The 'downtrodden' poor, the 'happy-go-lucky' poor, the 'wretched' rich, the 'really' rich....confound it!<br /><br />I'm finding it increasingly difficult to 'generalize' things, when it comes to people. No man is chiselled out of a monolith. Now, didn't I veer entirely off the course? Apologies!<br /><br />Yet another post that evokes thoughts and emotions....hats off, my friend!<br /><br />TCAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02082233053617158546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-73459996967634860402011-09-24T00:24:47.809+05:302011-09-24T00:24:47.809+05:30Ice Maiden, *hugs* :) Thank you for your comment. ...Ice Maiden, *hugs* :) Thank you for your comment. :) You are lovely!Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-64822751203639598942011-09-24T00:22:52.886+05:302011-09-24T00:22:52.886+05:30T., thank you! But you know what, I think I used t...T., thank you! But you know what, I think I used to be one of those people. But you live, you learn, right? And where have you been all these days, dear friend? My blog has missed you, as have I! :P<br /><br />Arumugam, this is actually part of the Brihanmumbai Health Mission. The rural stint comes later, and I am up and open for pretty much everything they'll throw at me. You know, there's this favourite actor of mine, this guy called Benedict Cumberbatch. He spent 8000 pounds to come and teach English for a whole year at a Tibetan monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas in Darjeeling, so he cud experience a different way of life. Here, I get to do that, help people in the process, and I get paid for it. Who wud refuse such a character-building opportunity, eh? :)Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-7431586774195133382011-09-24T00:19:08.276+05:302011-09-24T00:19:08.276+05:30Gustaf, thank you for that. I am often fearful tha...Gustaf, thank you for that. I am often fearful that if I am not careful, I shall end up becoming hardened, insensitive to people's emotions or plain cynical because of problems that are too longstanding and difficult to eradicate. Then I think of our first, 3 AM conversation and about that Senegalese woman and I take heart. I am more glad that I met you when I did, I was about to lose hope in a lot of things but didn't. <br /><br />For you, much love, also. :)<br />xxTangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-57777006992057546382011-09-24T00:14:52.849+05:302011-09-24T00:14:52.849+05:30Isha, thank you. :)
Chintan, I wonder if you'...Isha, thank you. :)<br /><br />Chintan, I wonder if you've watched the movie, Swades. There's a very perceptive scene in there, where Shah Rukh Khan's NRI character finally 'comes home' by drinking water that isn't bottled out of a clay cup offered by a child on a railway platform. Your comment reminded me of that little moment.Tangled up in blue...https://www.blogger.com/profile/09863311350462955038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-41571762897654790112011-09-23T22:43:33.850+05:302011-09-23T22:43:33.850+05:30Thank you for writing this. :)
P.S: I have lived ...Thank you for writing this. :)<br /><br />P.S: I have lived the first 18 years of my life in a 'slum'. No experience I have had since, will ever compare to those years. Not one chance.IceMaidenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08667516172075286778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-6065596298727156702011-09-23T22:23:57.035+05:302011-09-23T22:23:57.035+05:30Lovely post...though it makes me realize how cocoo...Lovely post...though it makes me realize how cocooned I am in my own job,so far away from living such experiences:-(<br /><br />Is it part of that much controversial rural stint for Docs?<br /><br />Have you heard of Paul farmer? you might like his biography 'Mountains beyond mountains'Arumugamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17687211004217642608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-846461800813787882011-09-23T21:44:50.701+05:302011-09-23T21:44:50.701+05:30you know what? most people wouldnt even admit it. ...you know what? most people wouldnt even admit it. they'd just turn up their noses n be glad dat theyre done with it. instead u write a lyrically honest post about it. brava! :-)T.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-69134739287103699042011-09-23T21:18:26.228+05:302011-09-23T21:18:26.228+05:30My dear, my beautiful wise young woman. You always...My dear, my beautiful wise young woman. You always astonish me with the humanistic view you have of your patients, and your countrymen. I had become very cynical of our profession in the last few years but coming to India and meeting you was the best thing that could have happened to me when it did. You have a deeper calling than I do, Karishma. I envy you that. <br /><br />I miss you more than mere words can say. <br /><br />Love,<br />Gustaf.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7182834356067511059.post-34317349477195420722011-09-23T21:03:46.361+05:302011-09-23T21:03:46.361+05:30we are spoiled by out comforts. there were days wh...we are spoiled by out comforts. there were days when in college we never cared what water we drank and now i ask for mineral only! <br /><br />spoiled! totally spoiled.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com