Between thoughts and words

  Having good communication skills may not be enough for effective patient-physician relationships. Sometimes the situation may be unfavorable for the patient, that however hard we try to make the encounter pleasant, we end up failing and it becomes a bitter experience for both the patient and the physician. This happened to me a week ago and it took me quite some time to process the episode and gather my thoughts to write about it.    Mr. K was a lean, tall, balding, middle-aged man from a town about 20 Km away from the clinic. He walked in with a pleasant smile. Right behind him came his wife and she had in her arms their 2 year old daughter. The baby was crying and his wife was standing with the baby in her arms, trying to comfort and quieten the child.  “Do you want to take the baby out and calm her down? It is quite crowded in here and also not a friendly environment for a child.” I suggested.  “No doctor, I want to be around. Ignore us. She will be quiet. ...

Yesterday’s clinic was quite eventful. Early in the day, there was a huge crowd waiting outside the consultation room and people were agitated and were fighting with the staff in the reception counter.  “How much longer should we wait?”  “Why is one patient in there for so long?” “We are waiting for so long. We can’t wait anymore” All these phrases could be heard being hurled around at the staff. A few patients even walked out angry. The reason for all this was a 45 year old man, with whom I had to spend more than half an hour.    Mr. M entered the consultation room with a stooped posture. He was wearing a white shirt and white dhoti. He had a dark blue towel around his neck. There was a bright sandal paste on his forehead and thick salt and pepper beard and moustache. There were Tulasi beads around his neck. He had taken holy vows to practice austerity for 48 days and then visit the Sabarimala temple.    This was his second visit to the clinic. I had seen ...

சமீபத்தில் நாங்கள் பீஹார் மாநிலத்தில் உள்ள கயா நகரத்திற்குச் சென்றிருந்தோம். கயா ,  பீஹாரின் மிகத் தொன்மைவாய்ந்த நகரமாகும். இந்து மதத்தைச் சார்ந்தவர்களுக்கு இது மிகவும் முக்கியமான ஒரு தலம். இங்கு மறைந்த முன்னோர்களுக்கு பிண்டம் (உணவு) படைத்தால் அவர்களுடைய பசி ஆறும் ,  மற்றும் அவர்கள் மனம் குளிர்வார்கள் என்று நம்பிக்கை. இந்து மதத்தில் வெவ்வேறு வகுப்புகளைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் இங்கு வந்து தத்தம் முன்னோர்களுக்குப் படையல் செய்து அவர்களை வணங்குகின்றனர். என்னுடைய அப்பா ,  அம்மா அவர்களின் பெற்றோருக்கும் ,  முன்னோர்களுக்கும் படையல் செய்து வணங்கவேண்டும் என்று விரும்பினார்கள். அதனால் அவர்களுடன் நானும் கயா சென்றிருந்தேன். இரயில் மூலம் கயா சென்றடைந்து நாங்கள் முதலில் சந்தித்தது கயா இரயில் நிலையத்தில் பயணிகளின் பெட்டிகளை சுமந்து உதவும் ஒரு தொழிலாளியைத் தான். எங்களிடம் 6 பெட்டிகள் இருந்தன ,  கயா இரயில் நிலையத்தில் படிகள் ஏறி இறங்கி தான் வெளியே வரவேண்டும். அப்பா அம்மாவால் படி ஏறி இறங்குவதே கடினமாக இருந்ததால் ,  அந்த இளைஞரின் உதவியை நாடினோம். வயது 20-22 இருக்கும். உயரம் ஐந்தடிக்க...

Mortality has fascinated the human imagination more than anything else. The lack of knowledge about what happens during and after death has not only kindled people’s imagination, but it has also led to creation of numerous works of painting, sculpture, stories, fables, and poetry. Our recent visit to the ancient living city of Varanasi helped us witness the grand imagination and imagery associated with mortality that is embedded in the culture and ethos of the city.   In Hindu religion, death in the sacred city of Varanasi and cremation along the ghats of the Ganges river is believed to lead to liberation. The body of the dead is washed in the Ganges river, wrapped in a white shroud, adorned with marigold flowers and cremated on one of the several ghats of the river. After cremation, the ashes are scattered into the river. Many Hindus also believe that the soul of our ancestors stay in the city till appropriate Shrardha (memorial) rituals are done to liberate their wandering souls ...

The chant of “Jai Shree Ram” was reverberating throughout the town. What is meant to be a veneration and respect to the God, Rama, to be honest, evokes a sense of apprehension in me of late because it is the same chant that radical fundamentalists use to commit heinous mob lynchings in the name of Hindutva. I am in Ayodhya today, having accompanied my parents, as their escort and physical support for their much-cherished pilgrimage to one of the holiest contemporary Hindu shrines, the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Our railway ticket reservation from Gaya to Ayodhya was waitlisted and did not get confirmed till the last minute. So we decided to cancel the tickets and travel by a taxi instead. We left Gaya by 4.15 PM amidst some heavy rainfall, which is quite uncharacteristic weather for this time of the year. The gentleman who drove us was apprehensive to talk to us as we were not conversant in Hindi, his native language and he in ours, Tamil. The car ride was very different from the ...