ABHIMANYU
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Yesterday I happened to pick out the Maharbharata out of my dusty
book-shelves while my eyes were lazily gazing across the book-titles as I
sipped on my evening mug of cold coffee.I haven't read the book
actively for ages though it remains to date,one of my most favourite
books of all times.I am not a religious person at all(much to the
chagrin once displayed of my departed mother and now my wife, both of
whom though separated by a generation and a half,seem to condescend on
one point-that it is a disastrous act of blasphemy on my part for not
taking active part in prayers to The Almighty,and not for once,having
shown any interest in organising 'family tours' to sacred places of
worship.)The fact,that I keep the occassional spiritual exercises I
indulge in to myself,is another story,and it will never negate the
potentially ill effects of my acts of blasphemy,in front of the ladies
in my life.
The Mahabharata is arguably one of the best commentaries man has ever
written on himself and setting aside its universal fame as a religious
epic does not decrease its value by any means as a classic piece of
literature on sociology,politics in its embryonic stage in human
civilisation and an epic statement on morality of common man in
everyday life.
Everything happens for a reason and it took some time for me later on
to figure out why I proceeded to read the story of Abhimanyu for the
umpteenth time yesterday.
The story of Abhimanyu is classically tragic. Not because the innocent
hero died his death in the battlefield,grossly outnumbered and
unfairly under-armed as veteran warriors dealt their death blows on
the helpless prince.A closer look at and contemplation on the
battle-tactic formulated for the day he died shows that he was left to
fend for himself by his own lot. He was in a way betrayed by his own
bloodline and his sacrifice was almost 'planned' by Krishna to give a
different shape to the Epic Battle when it was not particularly going
in favour of the Pandavas.Krishna was successful for this special plan
of his.
The event-sequences of the Mahabharata keep on repeating themselves
with amazing accuracy in modern day Bharata.And the "legacy" of
Abhimanyu goes on remorselessly.
Yesterday I happened to pick out the Maharbharata out of my dusty
book-shelves while my eyes were lazily gazing across the book-titles as I
sipped on my evening mug of cold coffee.I haven't read the book
actively for ages though it remains to date,one of my most favourite
books of all times.I am not a religious person at all(much to the
chagrin once displayed of my departed mother and now my wife, both of
whom though separated by a generation and a half,seem to condescend on
one point-that it is a disastrous act of blasphemy on my part for not
taking active part in prayers to The Almighty,and not for once,having
shown any interest in organising 'family tours' to sacred places of
worship.)The fact,that I keep the occassional spiritual exercises I
indulge in to myself,is another story,and it will never negate the
potentially ill effects of my acts of blasphemy,in front of the ladies
in my life.
The Mahabharata is arguably one of the best commentaries man has ever
written on himself and setting aside its universal fame as a religious
epic does not decrease its value by any means as a classic piece of
literature on sociology,politics in its embryonic stage in human
civilisation and an epic statement on morality of common man in
everyday life.
Everything happens for a reason and it took some time for me later on
to figure out why I proceeded to read the story of Abhimanyu for the
umpteenth time yesterday.
The story of Abhimanyu is classically tragic. Not because the innocent
hero died his death in the battlefield,grossly outnumbered and
unfairly under-armed as veteran warriors dealt their death blows on
the helpless prince.A closer look at and contemplation on the
battle-tactic formulated for the day he died shows that he was left to
fend for himself by his own lot. He was in a way betrayed by his own
bloodline and his sacrifice was almost 'planned' by Krishna to give a
different shape to the Epic Battle when it was not particularly going
in favour of the Pandavas.Krishna was successful for this special plan
of his.
The event-sequences of the Mahabharata keep on repeating themselves
with amazing accuracy in modern day Bharata.And the "legacy" of
Abhimanyu goes on remorselessly.
{Ramapada Chaudhury,the late famed
Bengali author,wrote a novel called 'Abhimanyu' in the late 70s where
the character of the protagonist was based on the real life
physician-scientist (-you know who-) who Should be called the Actual
Father of the Test-tube Baby and who subsequently took his own life
being cheated,defamed and left in the lurch by his own team of
co-researchers.}
We look for Scapegoats everywhere,find them out randomly and kill
them. My subconscious act of reading the story of Abhimanyu does not
originate from my recent knowledge of how a senior politician was
unceremoniously shown the door by his own league because he dared to
exercise his rights on his freedom of thought and expression in our
Great Indian Democracy. My act of perusal has got nothing to do with
politics. But it Is about Heinous Politicking in the holy field of
academics related to my own profession of practising medicine,which
was planned in the holy guardian-tower for medical education in
India,the Medical Council of India(the MCI).
The Respected MCI has never been a subject of Respect by Indian
doctors though. Known for its consistent ability to churn out
formulations of out-the-world guidelines [and policies and acts and
recommendations and amendments and inspections and infra-structures
and unrealistic quotas and sameside goals and irresponsible mishits
and unsuccessful home-runs and dishonest buffooneries and lumpen acts
of corruption -the glorious list is endless- all of which can be
collectively termed as the 40 year old repeatedly-reformed act of the
Medical Circus Institute(MCI again,naturally)],all it has effectively
done is downgrading the quality of medical education all over the
country,and degrading the quality of health care and its
infrastructure to newer depths of a dark abyss over time. The recent
chaotic saga of the MCI related to deeming and undeeming of universities and its
mysterious unwillingness to scrap the system of capitation fees
further highlight the incompetence of the bunch of jokers who occupy
the important chairs(read bunch of pathetic bums warming the
hot-seats)of administration(read gross abuse of power).
Bengali author,wrote a novel called 'Abhimanyu' in the late 70s where
the character of the protagonist was based on the real life
physician-scientist (-you know who-) who Should be called the Actual
Father of the Test-tube Baby and who subsequently took his own life
being cheated,defamed and left in the lurch by his own team of
co-researchers.}
We look for Scapegoats everywhere,find them out randomly and kill
them. My subconscious act of reading the story of Abhimanyu does not
originate from my recent knowledge of how a senior politician was
unceremoniously shown the door by his own league because he dared to
exercise his rights on his freedom of thought and expression in our
Great Indian Democracy. My act of perusal has got nothing to do with
politics. But it Is about Heinous Politicking in the holy field of
academics related to my own profession of practising medicine,which
was planned in the holy guardian-tower for medical education in
India,the Medical Council of India(the MCI).
The Respected MCI has never been a subject of Respect by Indian
doctors though. Known for its consistent ability to churn out
formulations of out-the-world guidelines [and policies and acts and
recommendations and amendments and inspections and infra-structures
and unrealistic quotas and sameside goals and irresponsible mishits
and unsuccessful home-runs and dishonest buffooneries and lumpen acts
of corruption -the glorious list is endless- all of which can be
collectively termed as the 40 year old repeatedly-reformed act of the
Medical Circus Institute(MCI again,naturally)],all it has effectively
done is downgrading the quality of medical education all over the
country,and degrading the quality of health care and its
infrastructure to newer depths of a dark abyss over time. The recent
chaotic saga of the MCI related to deeming and undeeming of universities and its
mysterious unwillingness to scrap the system of capitation fees
further highlight the incompetence of the bunch of jokers who occupy
the important chairs(read bunch of pathetic bums warming the
hot-seats)of administration(read gross abuse of power).
And what comes out of the MCI as well though-about public quotes and
declarations in the media as information for the community of Indian
doctors or as those dreaded brown envelopes privately reaching the
addresses of doctors' residences,stink of CCVD Syndrome (Cerebral
Constipation and Verbal Diarrhoea).
Ahimanyu lingered on in my subconscious after I came to know of a recent unhighlighted recent shameful,sordid state of
affairs in the MCI because a formal acquaintance of mine-a
senior,experienced health-professional who is an internationally famed
academician of impeccable integrity,a great thinker-philosopher and a
great visionary,a rare breed these days,has been victimised.I have
been personally fortunate enough to come in contact with this much
sought-after luminous source of Guidance a number of times myself at
various stages of my life.
The story : An insignificant gap of just 60 days in a stipulated
period of 5 long years in an academic post in a teaching institution
which formalises a promotion to the next higher post has almost
suddenly put a degrading question-mark regarding the ethical integrity
of the resume of this scholar after years of dedicated and fruitful
service to medical education which has produced distinguished students
now spread out all over the globe.And this deficit of 60 days,a very
minor and insignificant technical 'snag' having nothing to do with the
Ability of the person as a competent,honest academician,was the result
of a communication-lapse on part of the head of the educational
faculty of the scholar's corresponding university and not at all a
conscious act of mal-intent or dishonesty,an aspect which the
victimised scholar has kept at bay through life.
declarations in the media as information for the community of Indian
doctors or as those dreaded brown envelopes privately reaching the
addresses of doctors' residences,stink of CCVD Syndrome (Cerebral
Constipation and Verbal Diarrhoea).
Ahimanyu lingered on in my subconscious after I came to know of a recent unhighlighted recent shameful,sordid state of
affairs in the MCI because a formal acquaintance of mine-a
senior,experienced health-professional who is an internationally famed
academician of impeccable integrity,a great thinker-philosopher and a
great visionary,a rare breed these days,has been victimised.I have
been personally fortunate enough to come in contact with this much
sought-after luminous source of Guidance a number of times myself at
various stages of my life.
The story : An insignificant gap of just 60 days in a stipulated
period of 5 long years in an academic post in a teaching institution
which formalises a promotion to the next higher post has almost
suddenly put a degrading question-mark regarding the ethical integrity
of the resume of this scholar after years of dedicated and fruitful
service to medical education which has produced distinguished students
now spread out all over the globe.And this deficit of 60 days,a very
minor and insignificant technical 'snag' having nothing to do with the
Ability of the person as a competent,honest academician,was the result
of a communication-lapse on part of the head of the educational
faculty of the scholar's corresponding university and not at all a
conscious act of mal-intent or dishonesty,an aspect which the
victimised scholar has kept at bay through life.
The underline fact is frightfully simple (and well known through the
strong hushed up whispers which frequent the corridors of our medical
academia).The institute fortunate to have the academician-philosopher
in its faculty had refused to cough up a Bribe demanded by the
inspector-pimps during its early days of development requiring
official recognition/identity.
It seems so untrue..unfortunately it is not.It looks like a
resurrected scene from the past when a brilliant Italian
scientist-astronomer from the city of Gallilee had to bow down before a
medievaly blind Catholic Church which refused to see the light of Dawn
strong hushed up whispers which frequent the corridors of our medical
academia).The institute fortunate to have the academician-philosopher
in its faculty had refused to cough up a Bribe demanded by the
inspector-pimps during its early days of development requiring
official recognition/identity.
It seems so untrue..unfortunately it is not.It looks like a
resurrected scene from the past when a brilliant Italian
scientist-astronomer from the city of Gallilee had to bow down before a
medievaly blind Catholic Church which refused to see the light of Dawn
heralding the end of the Dark Ages.
I can foresee in thr recent future,the end and burial to total oblivion,of the Medical
Council of India.The nitwits disornamenting the offices of a governing
body,so important for improved medical education and care in India and
yet so miserably ineffective should be hung high in places chosen for their
imminent permanent exile.
It's time we,individual doctors,started the process in a
disciplined,committee way, watchfully and with a Vision.Apart from
Tamiflu tablets and syrups,we need to come out with a permanent cure
for the "CCVD Syndrome".The country needs health care.Not an expensive
Circus.
I can foresee in thr recent future,the end and burial to total oblivion,of the Medical
Council of India.The nitwits disornamenting the offices of a governing
body,so important for improved medical education and care in India and
yet so miserably ineffective should be hung high in places chosen for their
imminent permanent exile.
It's time we,individual doctors,started the process in a
disciplined,committee way, watchfully and with a Vision.Apart from
Tamiflu tablets and syrups,we need to come out with a permanent cure
for the "CCVD Syndrome".The country needs health care.Not an expensive
Circus.
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