The Most Feared Diseases Of 2011

With the first year of the new decade kick  starting, one starts formulating the resolution for the New Year and you would find many talking about quitting bad habits, no points for guessing, they all boil down to preserving health. While the other  sections have finished discussing about the political, economic and the global statuses, one cannot forget to discuss the most crucial thing which is within you – Health. No two ways about it that it is the biggest wealth that man can earn and nurture after being born with. As we all know, the rate of morbidity in recent times is higher than the mortality rate, which throws up the fact that man might be living longer but with a lot of sufferings.

Statistical medical study in India is unthinkable because to achieve concrete results, you would need 1 % of  the entire population for a detailed study. And we all know, 1 % of the entire population in India constitutes a crore people and studying them together is absolutely impossible. Neither the infrastructure is that strong nor the manpower to execute such a herculean task. Despite all these barriers, the trend is noticeable enough for us to point out the three most dreaded diseases of the next decade.

As per recent studies, the three most dreaded diseases for this decade are Diabetes, Cancer and Cardiac disorders. While India unfortunately emerges as the Diabetic capital of the world; US, UK, Canada and Wales recorded the most number of deaths due to cardiac problems. Proving the famous/infamous line, “multiplying in numbers like cancer cells”, Cancer is on a voluptuous rise and although medical science claims it’s avoidable, one would believe that it is still a big threat to life and will continue to be.

Diabetes has always been a massive threat to mankind but the present day scenario sees a drastic rise in the number of people being affected. The sedentary lifestyle, bad food habits, poor sleeping habits, escalated stress levels and most importantly, the ageing population are enough reasons for diabetes to tighten the grip. While people are slowly becoming aware about the post diagnosis treatment, they are highly ignorant with their wrong set of notions about its occurrence. With life moving on speeding tracks in this era, one needs to keep a tab on their daily habits to reduce the heavy repercussions. The numbers are scary if you take a look at them. According to the International Diabetes Federation Report of 2006, there are around 41 million diabetics in India which is expected to touch 70 million by the year 2025. With diabetes reaching up to the sky, it is high time now that people start becoming cautious.

It’s not just diabetes which is on the rise. Medicos are concerned so as to how they can control the death rate caused due to cancer. According to the recently concluded reports, cancer cases doubled from 1975-2000, is expected to do the same by 2020 and probably triple itself by 2030. These numbers are voluptuous and scary keeping in mind, how devastating cancer is.

“The rapid increase in the global cancer burden represents a real challenge for health systems worldwide” said Peter Boyle, Ph.D, DSc, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. He suggests although cancer is an increasing threat to the health system, it is largely preventable. Measures like cutting down on the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, screening and awareness, regular checkups, increased physical activity and proper vaccinations for Hepatitis B and human papillomavirus.

The low income countries along with the developing countries are the ones who struggle the most in battling Cancer. And to add to it, in a land like Africa, additional challenges in cancer care include pain management which are limited by prohibitions on narcotics in many countries. The authorities are planning to make vaccines that can prevent cancer causing infections and ensure that these are available to the low income countries.

Tobacco control programmes are also on the plan sheet but above all it is the individual who should be medically aware of such measures and put the best foot forward. US and UK might be pumping in a lot to the global economy but on the health front, they have been pegged back heavily as they have recorded the highest number of deaths due to cardiac disorders. Poor food habits and trading physical jobs for deskbound sloth have resulted in this great rise for coronary diseases. Five years back, in 2006, 1 of every 2.9 deaths was due to coronary disorder and this rate has only increased and will shoot up even more. Heart diseases are largely preventable if proper precautionary measures are adopted.

As scams are the talk of the town these days with wealth continuing to slip through known but un-checked cracks, one needs to ensure the “health which is considered to be wealth” doesn’t slip away due to carelessness!

This article was published in the January Edition, 2011 of P3.. Not Just Page 3.

The Golden Roots Of A Rich Heritage

“Dhaake-r taale, komor dole.. 

Khushi tey naache mon.. 

Aaj baajaa kashor, jamaa aason.. 

Thaakbe Maa aar koto khon..”

Nothing is indispensable  in  this world.  But for the Bengalis, especially the Kolkatans, some things actually are indispensable. Let me make an attempt at listing a few such things without which Kolkata wouldn’t be Kolkata anymore.

1) Ilish Maach – You can take Ilish maach out of Kolkata but  you  definitely cannot  take  Kolkata out  of an Ilish maach. They say, people eat to live but Kolkatans and their passion for food can prompt you to say that they sometimes live to eat.

2) Music – Be it the good old Rabindra Sangeet or the hip hop of Akon, the soulful voice of Kishore  or the “Piya Tu” of R D Burman, Kolkata swings and swerves to any musical note. So much is the addiction to music that they literally eat, drink and sleep music.

  

3) Rossogollas / Mishti Doi –  good meal followed by a luscious rossogolla and a “bhaad full of mishti doi” means heaven to a Bengali. Bengalis and sweets, are made for each other.

4) Adda, better known as Rock-er-Adda – Whatever be the age - six or sixty, people in Kolkata will be found sitting in  front of  a tea shop like  a panel of  jury, passing their  remarks  and  giving expert  opinion on  all topics – hot or cold,  past or  present - right from the post mortem of  a cricket match to who  should be elected the next Prime Minister.

5) Durga Puja – A festival that the Bengalis take a lot of pride in, and if a festival could bring  them  all the 

above mentioned indispensable essentials together, it has to be Durga Puja. A reason for joy in the City of Joy. It will not be wrong if one says that Durga Puja is much more than just a festival.

Durga Puja in Kolkata is probably as old as the word itself but the shine and the lustre of the whole event hasn’t dropped  a shade for decades now. It is still celebrated with a lot of pomp and show, in fact, it  increases every passing year. While Kolkata boasts of staging more than a thousand pandals every year, one would like to trace the roots of this grand occasion, or maybe go one step backward to find out the seed of  this celebration in the City of Joy.

The Pujas in Kolkata are centuries old  and  the oldest of them all is celebrated at Barisha by the Roy Chowdhuri family. It started way back in  the year 1610 and is considered  to be a  prized  possession of the Kolkatans now. Sabarna Roy Chowdhuri’s family has left no stone unturned in continuing the family’s legacy. Four centuries and still counting, this  Puja  still draws a massive crowd. Devarshi  Roy Chowdhuri along  with the other members of this royal family has made sure that the Puja doesn’t lack any glitter.

The glorious history of Durga Puja doesn’t stop here  though. Be  it  the Chowdhuri  Bari  Puja  in  Barisha  or the Rajbari of  Shobha Bazar,  the Haldar Bari or the grand Mallick Bari in central Kolkata, one thing  common  in  all these Pujas  is that they  have always been  a  kingly  affair.  Their contribution to the Puja  history has provided people the vision of how to celebrate the Pujas with pomp and glory. The  fact  that  these  households have survived the test of time certainly speaks volumes about the rich culture and heritage of not just Bengal, but the whole of India.

The Shobha Bazar Rajbari began celebrating Durga Puja  in the year 1757 which  was organized by Raja Nabakrishna Deb in the honour of Lord Clive. It would be wrong to deny that the British officers during their rule in  India  played  a  pivotal  role  in  promoting  the  Hindu  mega  festival  by  arranging  huge  fairs  and  decorations during this festive period.

The big wigs in the field of business and the renowned Zamindars from different parts of Kolkata joined the gala. The Mallick Bari, Haldar Bari, the Puja organized by the Ray Bahadurs,  etc. are names  which will remain etched in  the hearts and minds of the people forever. The 237 year old Dutta Bari Puja at  Baranagar  in  Kolkata still draws  a lot  of attention. All these Pujas  have  one thing  in common –  although  old, they still  retain  the vigour that they had, when they started off.

These Pujas haven’t been mere festive occasions.  Durga Puja means a lot to every Hindu and not just to a Bengali. It is a reason to smile for all those girls who shop for their wedding during this once a year extravaganza. It is a reason to smile for all those kids who crave to be pampered at their maternals’. It is a reason to smile for all those traders who expect an incredible rise in their respective businesses. It is that time of the year when the streets are thronged by the masses.

Ironically, there’s a sad angle to this happy story. While one rejoices the fact that Kolkata boasts of such  deep roots while staging a Durga Puja, nobody bothers to enlighten the fact that these are the Pujas which sparked off a  heritage and culture that the entire nation takes pride in. The Roy Chowdhuri Bari Puja at Barisha is the stepping stone to the grandeur that we witness today in many pandals across the nation. The credit doesn’t only lie in the fact that it is the oldest. The actual credit goes to them for having started off a  tradition which is now being  followed  by  countless  Indians,  across  many  cities,  states  and  nations  as  well. Countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore, Australia, Germany, England and the United States  observe this festival with a lot of pomp. The seed which was sown at a small place like Barisha has now spread its branches across the seas and that is where the old Pujas of Kolkata emerge as the true champions.

India and not just Bengal, is  known for its riches, its beautiful heritage and culture. Hundreds  of pandals might mushroom up every year, there might  be  a new Puja theme  in Kolkata every year, but nothing can snatch the beauty of watching a complete family, organizing a  grand  Puja  within the walls of their own home. The charm hasn’t gone missing yet and one doubt  whether it would ever, since  it has stood  the biggest test  of it  all  - the test of time. All this only re-instills our faith in the age old saying, “Old is Gold”.

On that note I cannot fail to mention that what Amitabh Bachchan is to Indian cinema, what Sachin Tendulkar is to Indian cricket, what shapes are to geometry, what x is to algebra, Durga Puja is to Kolkata and its people.

This article was a special feature on the history of Durga Puja in Kolkata and was published in P3.. Not Just Page 3, in the year 2010.

SPOTted Again..

Cricket, the once-upon-a-time gentleman’s game, hit its nadir when a tiny bug named “Match- fixing” bit it hard and no one would have imagined that even after 10 years of its prevalence, cricket still struggles to break through the tentacles and free itself. The wounded minds of the cricket fans still stir  up in pain when they are reminded of a Hansie Cronje and Mohammed Azharuddin, reminded of their deeds off the field and not their prowess on the field. To quote the famous lines of Dale Earnhardt,  “You can’t let one bad moment to spoil a bunch of good ones” but the human brain is such, that one bad moment is good enough to forget thousands of good ones. And unfortunate it was that the above  mentioned names allowed that one bad moment to eclipse all the hard work they had put in to be  the  Cricketing giants they were in their era.

  Roots of Match Fixing

1919 - The first ever match fixing incident was reported when bookies bribed few players of the Chicago White Sox Team to rig the World Series.

Mid 1980s - The tournaments staged in Sharjah were accused of betting and match fixing.

2000 – Cricket wasn’t spared either when Hansie Cronje admitted to have thrown a match away for money from the bookmarkers. Names like Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja followed and they were handed life bans by the governing body.

Cricket was never the same since then. It was ridiculous to believe the kind of control, the underworld  and  the  bookies  exercised  over  the  sport.  It  was  disheartening  to  see  people trampling  over the national colours to get a bite of coins. Rewind to the glorious 90s when limited overs cricket was at the zenith.. The sight of a tear away pacer steaming in to bowl at a lightning quick pace and disappearing off the bat at double the rate, brought a twinkle to the eyes. The volcanic eruptions in  the stands and the ever so enthusiastic voice of Tony Greig calling the game, gives cricket fans goose bumps even now. But that is when, everything actually started going wrong..  The  dark  clouds  of  match  fixing  were  looming  large  then  and when Pakistan lost a game to the meek Bangladeshis in the 1999 World Cup, people had to voice their opinions but it was not confined only to cricketing reasons. Fingers were pointed at the chastity of  the  game  and  the  murmur  was  slowly  transforming  into  a  loud  cry.  Start  of  the  new millennium and the match fixing row found new wings to engulf Planet Cricket. Cronje accepting the charges filed against him and consequently, being banned for life from playing any form of cricket, was a fatal blow to the game. Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Saleem Malik were talked about for reasons far from cricket. Immediate bans were handed out but were such steps enough to re-instill the faith and belief in the mind and heart of a common man who used to shell out a part of his hard earned money to  follow the game? Certainly not! A few regained faith after witnessing the Classic at the Eden Gardens  in 2001 and a few continue to follow the game unconditionally because of a man named Sachin Tendulkar.

 

But here, we are not just concerned about the fans but also the people who have stained the beautiful  game of  cricket.  This  is  not the  first time  that  cricket has  been accused  of such infamous incidents and Pakistan is certainly not a first-timer in such an unceremonious event.

The Not-so-glorious past for Pakistan

Saleem Malik – Banned for life in the year 2000 for having offered bribes. 

Ata-ur-Rehman – Banned for life in the same year.

Wasim Akram lost his captaincy for allegedly offering 1 lac to Ata-ur-Rehman to under perform against New Zealand in 1993.

Shoaib Akhtar claimed that he had been offered a briefcase full of money to under perform on their tour to India in 2007.

Danish Kaneria was questioned by Essex Police in the year 2009 for spot fixing.

Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned for life after their shambolic show against Australia in 2010. Rana Naved and Shoaib Malik were banned for a year each.

Kamran Akmal is still being probed by the ICC for his shambolic display in the 2nd Test match against Australia at Sydney. He has been accused of dropping four catches deliberately in that match.

It’s certainly not a scenario where Pakistan is not going through enough. Pakistan as a nation is already in doldrums, thanks to the administrative malfunctions, both in politics and cricket, not to forget the  never ending talks about terrorism. And if at all, you want to ignore all the malfunctions, you  certainly cannot ignore the saddest story of all where Pakistan as a cricket team doesn’t have a home. Dubai turns up as their adopted home at times and sometimes it’s England. So sad is the story that it sometimes becomes difficult to know whether it’s a home series or an away game for them. After a forgetful series against the Australians, forgetful not just for cricketing reasons but also for  throwing catches/matches, Pakistan must have been raring to make a new beginning but being controversy’s favourite and obedient child, they had to bear the allegations made against Kamran Akmal who was accused of dropping four catches deliberately in the second Test match against the Australians at Sydney. And as if it was not enough, the two most promising quickies of  recent times,  both on  performance  and  form  got  themselves  strangled  in a  Spot  Fixing scandal along with their newly appointed skipper Salman Butt.

Spot Fixing? In match fixing, the players threw matches away by under performing and while spot fixing looks to be a small part of it, a collaboration of such tiny incidents can eventually lead to throwing a match away. The funniest part of the story is that the players under performed while fixing a match, here in spot fixing, they over performed by over-stepping and that too by a country  mile.  Many  would  not  want  to  laugh  at  this  comparison  but  the  act  is  certainly ridiculous.

According to a sensational Sting Operation carried out by the News of the World tabloid, it was indeed ridiculously easy to trap these cricketers. All it took the undercover reporter was to meet a London-based property dealer named Mazhar Majeed who also happened to be a manager to many of the Pakistani  players with  their endorsements and brand tie-ups. The undercover reporter met this man at the plush Hilton in Park Lane to cover one of the most important stories of his life. According to the reports, Majeed boasted of fixing matches for Pakistan in the past and that too with a lot of ease. He also claimed that the Sydney Test between Australia and Pakistan was rigged and he made 1.3 million pounds out of it. Majeed was spurred on by the reporter who had initially come in with a proposal to rope in a few Pakistani stars for some glitzy cricket tournament.

On being asked about betting, Majeed spilled the beans on it claiming that it was a walk in the park since a pool of players were already into it and he was making a lot of money with it. The claims that he went on making during that conversation strengthened the speculation of how bad a rut, cricket finds itself in, not just Pakistani cricket. Majeed went on to claim that he could easily fix spots and on being offered a massive sum of 1,40,000 pounds, Majeed revealed the information which created ripples for the times to come.

Mohammad Asif and Aamer went on to bowl no-balls exactly as Majeed had predicted. They were not mere no-balls, they were like a dagger which ripped apart the hearts of the cricket fans all around the world. It was not a case where Asif was blamed for the first time. He had already found himself out of the cricket field for having carried drugs with him in the past. But spare a thought for Aamer, a young man, who was being touted as the next big thing in the World of Cricket. There might be a bit of leniency working in his favour, thanks to his age, but is this how it should be? Salman Butt has also been  accused to be one of the prime movers in this dark period and ICC has already taken stern action by banning them for time unknown.

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer (L to R)

Majeed went on to reveal how exactly the whole method of Spot fixing works? There are small brackets set where a batting side might be asked to score a certain amount of runs and they start off briskly to  give an impression that they would overtake it. What follows that, is a dry period where  not many  runs  are scored and  finally  the  people who had put  their money, knowing the actual information, derive the rewards. The same formula works for the bowlers too. The next revelation he made was one of the most shocking ones. Both the batsmen and the bowlers have their own ways to indicate that the plans are on. The bowlers might stop midway in their run up and the batsmen might just ask for a change of gloves at a stipulated time.

No doubts that such operations have been christened as Sting Operations. They do sting the whole  cricketing fraternity and the venom that goes in with it, leaves a bad taste. Once, the players dreamt of playing in their national colours and now those dreams have been put up for “SALE”. All these events convey a sad story and it’s ultimately cricket which suffers.

Now what does the governing body do? Is handing out life bans going to be enough, especially when we have had many such bans in the past only to witness such incidents again and again? They say, time is  the best healer but it’s been a decade now and the worries seem to be aggravating all the time.

Cricket’s bleeding at the moment. The current times are pregnant with a horde of questions against  the chastity of the game. It’s time for the cricket administrative bodies to join hands before trying to clean the stains. It’s time for the ICC to stand up tall and be the coagulant.

Despite all the ballyhoo, a die-hard cricket fan would still like to believe that nothing beats a gorgeous  drive through the covers. Nothing comes close to a perfect away swinging delivery which does the batsman in. Nothing comes close to the drama when a fielder fumbles or fails to cling on to a catch in  the dying stages of a match. But what if someone says that it was just because of a bowler  intentionally bowling it wide outside the stumps? What if someone says that it was a batsman who deliberately didn’t score rather than the bowler bowling too well? What if someone questions the integrity of a fielder who has put down a catch for reasons more than just sheer pressure?

There would be a lot of questions in the minds of the fan. Would you dare to believe that the bowler actually missed his count when he stopped midway in his run up? Would you want to believe that it’s just the perspiration which leads to a change of gloves for the batsman? Would you not think twice?

This article was written in Sept. 2010 and was published in P3..Not Just Page 3, followed by Cricbuzz.

Beautiful Firsts

As the calendar rolls over,
And the clock ticks by..
I slowly realise,
That cannot come back, what has gone by..

The undying faith of being safe when thrown up in air,
The soft hands which form a cradle to embrace me,
While from one corner, my Mom just stares..
The big applause on my first wobbly step,
Made me realise that I'm no less than a rockstar..

My first day at school where my Mom waved at me,
Scared I was when I knew that she won't be with me..
Joys of having my first ever friend and soon my first fight with him,
The chances of being carefree again, have now gone dim..

The fancy dreams of standing out in a crowd,
The efforts to make my parents proud..
The urge of being special in someone's mind,
Those were the days when nothing else played on my mind..

The first letter to her, the first nod of hers,
The endless talks and the long walks..
The dreams of building a world of our own,
And all this while, the feelings had just grown..

The first date and the first kiss,
Unforgettable moments they were and I kept dreaming of revisiting this..
Amidst all this, the world moved on,
Suggesting to me about the responsibilities piling on..

The same teen spunk was now dressed in formals,
All ready to be a professional..
The homework made way for deadlines now,
Fun and frolic were no more a part of now..
At times, the punk would spark off again,
Grabbing his beer and babbling all the way,
School friends were remembered with a strange smile and a lot of pain, and missed those who were miles away..

Joys remained but definitions changed,
Scholarship made way for my first pay check..
The expression on my parents' face was a moment to cherish,
And as I look back now, it's a life without a blemish..

Every first holds a special place,
A beautiful moment which nothing can replace..

P.S: Hope this post has lived up to the expectations, especially when it has come after a long time. Have a read and feedback welcome. Cheers!

Love Birds...

Dreary was that lighthouse which stood firm amidst the lashing waves,
In an everlasting longing for love..
Tenebrific clouds and ruthless waters,
Seemed to be deceasing this fort, posted miles away from life..

It was that time of the year when this fort sprung back to life,
Migrating birds from places out of sight, chose this abandoned place to stall..
Antithetic were the flocks which settled in,
But for the two, who discovered new breath and life..

Bizarre it was for the two tiny birds to stay in a trance,
Amidst all the fluttering, they shared a glance..
Here was the skyline where the world seemed at peace,
Where the dark skies dropped in to meet the seas,
Incomplete it seemed, yet so complete it was,
When the young birds coquetted and the hustle came to a pause..

As the moon rose up to light the sky,
The love-birds together flew so high..
The flight was enchanting, the wings felt new,
The hearts seemed knit together,
And the lighthouse shied as the romance grew..

Two unknowns had now come together,
The love here seemed to last forever..
The lighthouse was beaming like never before,
Gusts of wind were smelling of new vigour..

But forced were the lovers to fly with their flocks,
Leaving their hearts back on the rocks,
Nature played devil in the form of a tornado,
The hearts were ripped, the joys curtailed,
Never they thought that such would prevail..

The waves grew up to match the heights,
Unlike before, an unpleasant sight..
The roars frightened and the lighthouse stirred,
The birds reared up to desert the fort..

The waters were turbulent,
The once love-filled skies bore a dagger with itself,
The hearts bled but love's a fighter..
Much like a revolt it rose up again,
Forced were the lovers to unite again..

It wasn't just the love of the two,
The cries of the athirst fort reverberated the rocks,
More than it was once shaken by the Nature Gods..
The love-birds reached, fighting the opposing winds,
Their wings scathed but love so surreal..
Re-united they were, breathing they were,
Love and blood poured together..
The last breath seemed the first together,
Together they couldn't live, together they died,
A newer life away from this life,
Two young hearts stayed knit together...

P.S: Sincere thanks to all my readers who have been honest to me with their feedbacks. I hope this post lives upto your expectations. Comments welcome, Cheers!