29 March, 2006

Man and Child


In those days (25 years ago) a Telegram stating that the lady's delivery of a child with the weight of the child, will be sent to her husband who used to be busy with his work. On receipt of the Telegram, the man will rush along with his parents to see his newly born child. He will not dare to speak to his wife in front of his parents. Even after the family returns to his home, he will be hardly given the chance to handle the baby. The ladies at home, will be handling the baby. The man will not tend to have the baby, once when he is well dressed and ready for work. Male chauvinism was at its peak and it was supported by the society too.

Slowly things have changed. Men have started caring for their wives and children. Those house hold works which were once to be done by the women, are equally shared by modern men. Mothers are still gossipping about their sons if he works inside the kitchen and helps his wife. Hats off to the modern men. They have started thinking differently. They have understood their partner's difficulty. Now that the joint family system is slowly fading off, every man is forced to take up the responsibility. I wish "Paternity Leave" becomes one of the leave rules in offices in India. Let us make life easier. The thought of man lying on the ease chair, with a coffee and the daily Newspaper is going to be a rare sight. There are still many men finding hard to change. Please change before it becomes necessary to change. Think broadly, and come out of the shell. I hope there is no sentiment attached to it. If you love somebody, show it.

There is a great pleasure in handling your kids and doing a nappy change. Every moment, like, giving them a shower,while narrating a story helps them to feel more secured. Many of my friends are non-male chauvinist and I am proud of them. Atleast the new generation is changing.

The picture in this post is of a 'Man and Child' . This is a rare piece of work. Normally we see statues of woman and child everywhere. This attracted me when I visited Queen's valley in Scotland. A thoughtful sculptor has carved it. Hats off to him.

08 March, 2006

Journey goes on


Trains are waiting to start their journeys. There could be thousands of passengers traveling in each train. Each one may have their own destinations to reach. But the train is destined to reach its destination. Every passenger will be having their own problems. Some may be traveling to work, to reunite with their families, to find new business, to solve their existing problems.... and so on. Life is like a journey. Why all this grumbles now..... Thank god I need to tell my fellow bloggers about my personal experiences.

The new year had not started in a good way for me. There had been few setbacks with my health. Though I had been a very healthy person and conscious about health, it was a shock for me when I got a call from my Doctor's clinic, to discuss the blood test results in the month of January. My doctor announced me the arrival of 'Diabetics' . Though I knew my dad was diabetic, I did not expect it so early. After this came other tests and results. The best part of the western world is the care they show on you after being diagnosed with such a disease. I was given appointment for a Chiropodist, Dietician, and Eye Screening. Diabetics is nothing but the blood sugar level increases and the insulin produced by body is not enough to control it and send it to the blood vessels and cells. The consequence of high blood sugar is well known. My rush to Chiropodist was soon, because the high blood sugar level can affect two systems quickly. The feet and eye is being given top priority. The chiropodist said that everything was alright and the dietician found that I was equally knowledgeable and finally the eye screening proved to be normal. Thank god! Everything was fine. Then started my surveillance. For few days I was bit tensed and realised that being tensed will add up to other things. Sometimes we never know what is in store for us.

My dental visits were due and when I visited the dental clinic for couple of times for a treatment then came the next blow. The dentist suspected a small white patch on my gums and suggested me to visit my hygienist. A few week of observation was followed and there was no improvement even after those visits. So last week my dentist referred me to another hospital. I think she suspected it to be Oral Cancer and wanted to clear her doubts. The best part is they do not tell us what they suspect, but want us to consult a specialist to be cleared about their doubts. The whole family was tensed and we were waiting for the day.

We were there at the right time. I was called in and the dentist happened to be an Asian and asked me to be seated. He started his questions and I started losing my courage. For a second, I held my breath, and brought in all the courage to answer to his questions. He started examining me and I was looking at my wife. She was in great pain too. I could read her face since I could not read my own. After a thorough examination, the Dentist said that there is nothing of serious concern, and the cause of change in colour of my gum is unknown. He brought his Senior for additional review and the Senior suggested a X-ray. The X-ray results were OK but revealed a long time secret, that one of the tooth extracted long back in India, was not removed properly and had its root still inside. I have to take up those minor issues with my Dentist. God... a big relief. I am back to normal.

Though I am not a smoker or alcoholic, I became aware of many things in the recent days. It would have been very tough if I have had any of those habits. So honestly I would suggest, if anyone of you are a smoker or alcoholic to give it up slowly. They trigger all diseases at later ages when you really want to live for your family. Sorry if I am trying to be a bit nosy! It is just out of concern.

If you had found me a bit irregular in blogging these were the reasons. Sorry for that. Hope everything settles down. I heard from one of my relative that I am having 'Ashtamathula Sani'. I hope he will leave me soon.

The picture in this post was taken at Manchester station in a early morning. There is great freshness in those early mornings.

I am wishing to start a Tamil blog from Tamil New Year's day....