Karma....the journey from self to self....

Deep down i have started feeling and realizing slowly, all of us come here with the residual effect of karma of may be birth after birth and throughout life we are just with our karma whatever it is till we leave the world....the rest of the things are primarily illusions. This karma is something unseen, untouchable,nonpalpable....so it's hard to see it on surface. It's no ritual or procedure, neither any fixed process or plan...it's the sum total of how we think, speak and act every moment of life...from birth to death... i think in sleep also we might be subconsciously thinking. Karma is not only what someone does with hand , it's far deeper than that and involves the intention and concept,expression and finally execution... Even for someone who does not believe in rebirth it is also equally logical to think he exactly gets to taste the fruit of the karma plant he plants here itself. At this point of life i think "It's the greatest journey from  self to self and the longest distance each one of us travel with  ourselves and with ourselves only and no one else"...let's be aware of self..
     Spare a moment ! Spare a thought !!!

The faith.....that heals the world....

Dayaram calling! It was morning , busy time ,more with household works increasing a bit more in the pandemic time. I couldn't take the call. Thought,who is this Dayaram? I could not remember knowing anyone in this name. Got busy again. After sometime again got the call.... Dayaram calling. Thought, could be a wrong number. So didn't pick up. Again after an hour it rang... Dayaram calling....Now I thought,it is not likely to be wrong number. I picked up the call....May be someone in need of some medical help!  Other side had a lady caller. "Dr Sahab,Main Saraswati,aap ki patient" I recognised the voice undoubtedly. I said" Yes, Saraswati,tell me. How r you and family? " She continued" Hum sab thik hain, mujhe aapki aur aapki pariwar ki chinta ho rahi thi. Is liye socha,puchh leti hun. Aap sab thik to hain na? Bachhe ghar par to hain na? Bada ladka aapka paas me to hain na?" I told,"Han,Saraswati, hum sab thik hain, tum log bahar mat niklo aur Bhagwan se prarthna hai,sab ko swasth rakhen" .... Saraswati told,"Dr Sahab,sab se pehle mujhe aapki chinta,aapne to mujhe ek nayee zindagi di hain".... Again she prayed for me and kept the phone....
    Saraswati's phone call had ended long back,but her words and faith remained in side me,may be it will last my life time. I have not forgotten Saraswati or her condition .....As a doctor we treat numerous patients,it is humanly impossible to remember their cases or name. But some clinical conditions or some names stay etched in our mind. Every doctor must be having such memories,so do I. After Saraswati's call,her condition again relived in my memory. She was around 40,with lot of obesity and a suspected malignant tumor. We operated her,it was a difficult one,but to our and her good luck,it turned to be a benign tumor. Saraswati had small kids,that time. It was a great relief,that it was a non malignant tumor. But on 8th day her abdominal wound gaped,gaped completely....looked difficult with her 3 inch fat...it was not the common post operative gape,much graver than that....But she didn't wince, didn't worry, didn't scold, didn't blame her fate either. Every morning and evening me and my resident doctors debrided,dressed and packed her wound. She was put on higher antibiotics and general surgeons were called to help us heal her. It took a month of suffering of her and our tireless efforts to get the wound to be suturable. Granulation tissue developed,nature took care as it always does,and Saraswati's unmistakable smile amidst all the pain and suffering...did the wonder of  good fortune coming hers and our ways. I felt,it can be sutured now and called the colleague surgeon to have a look and opine. He did see her and didn't give a go ahead.... But I felt like going ahead and asked Saraswati her opinion informing her the surgeon's opinion too. Saraswati was rock solid in her faith...she said" Dr Sahab,aap kar dijiye,sab thik ho jayega"....her faith on us,her trust... can't be the faith only on me,a mere medical professional,a doctor,who might be knowing tip of ice berg of the human body created by Almighty,but the faith on the ultimate doer,the nature,the God ... She gave her go ahead,I sutured the wound and prayed for her healing. She kept her smile,compose and her blessings and prayers for us amidst all the trouble and pain,all the fear and inconvenience she went through. She never lost her composer, never thought one bit of negative impact and on 10th day of her resuturing,the wound was completely healed and looked as if nothing had happened !
    What healed her? Can't be only antibiotics,our medical care...it is much more than this...it is her faith, unmistakable trust on us,on humanity,on the nature, on the creator...that made all the difference....that made Saraswati healed,and she a healer for the mankind...
      For  many many years after that every time  she visited the hospital for something or other ,she made a point to come and meet me....and in her every visit she infused a lot of  love,care, gratitude and faith in my personality. She became a messenger of goodness,showed a path of light to us,the medical professionals and our young students. She reminded us " we are just there to treat and God only heals,it is the ultimate faith on Him,that heals the world"....
     We are rarely fortunate to come across such Saraswatis, often we see people grumbling,be intolerant and blame everyone and anyone for their sickness....they probably suffer more from their attitude than the disease! But Saraswati was different....Such souls,not only teach us faith,but compassion,the highest form of love"....
    This article is dedicated to all those Saraswatis in my professional and personal life and to those healers,faith lovers of the world,who have the true power to trust,to enlighten,to heal the world....I have ever indebted to you all for best lessons of my life...stay safe,stay the way you are and drench the world with your all encompassing love and  unmistakable faith...long live your tribe. Gratitude from a doctor's heart....

What is more important than this attitude of hers than anything else in this unprecedented pandemic for humanity?....A thought traversed my mind again and again!!!

Spare a moment! Spare a thought !!!

    

Giving....a divine art....

Did India supply masks,sanitizers to Serbia? Questions raised few days back. Unprecedented time as it is for one and all,all countries are struggling at the same space,time and manner... A thought comes to my mind...." what can be more inspiring than this to stand with each other?". However powerful we think we are,how intelligent or intellectual may be our acumen,how wealthy or articulate we may seem or project,a time comes in our lives,we need someone else's shoulder to lean on and someone else's back to carry us. Universal truth as it is,it is just the time when we need and when we give...Hydroxychloroquin ... Should India export or not?.... There will be views and counter views,debates and deliberations, intellectual thinking and scientific calculation... Let there be,no problem...But to my small little mind it comes, at the end we all are a big family in the world,just divided by man made boundaries and borders.... What can be more fulfilling, inspiring and motivating than us standing with the world in the crisis,a powerful country like America,a sportive country like Brazil will not ask for a small help even in extraordinary times, leave ordinary... India is fortunate to be in a stage to help,to serve,to stand by,to share the burden... God is kind to our great nation, though we don't know what's tomorrow,but let's look at today. If today India can help anyone,do something,it must do. Not with any desire for money,reciprocation,fear or any recognition,but just to share its little things,the thought,just to offer a shoulder to someone somewhere who needs it more than we do. History is rich with examples of people offering everything even lives without a second thought... Gopabandhu left his ailing son to distribute food to the flood affected, Soldiers lay their lives on border every other day,knowing well this may get great unprecedented tragedy to their family, doctors treat inumerable infected patients and don't deny even if they are in risk... So if today our Hydroxychloroquin or masks can save some souls in America or Italy or Brazil and Canada,or our masks and PPEs can protect some brethren doctors in Serbia,it is something to feel good and feel blessed about... Everyday we are not blessed to do that. It is not wealth or material gain to be given.... "weactually give , when we give from ourselves"... Our time,our prayers and our essentials, however less it may be... It takes heart to do so and it writes history. Tough time will pass,but our deeds will allow us to live on this Earth . If we think little deeper, even Krishna said.." what did we come  here with? nothing is ours, even we ourselves are not ours"...so what can we give?  We don't even have control over our next breath... Leave aside giving it to someone... So whatever we have, bestowed upon us by divine,let's share the fortune,offer a shoulder,wipe a tear .... For someone, somewhere... Divine will take care of us,our tomorrows.... Who is more generous and kind than He is!
 
    Spare a moment ! Spare a thought !!!