On "moment of near death"

(posted as said to me)

"Bhai! - jab main ne drug overdose kiya aur ICU ke bed pe para tha to - sab keh rahe the - ab ye nahi bache ga. Mujhe kuch kuch sunai aur dikhai bhi de raha tha - magar unko lag raha tha main aakhri hichkian le raha hun...... 

Main ne CPR ko bhi mehsoos kiya, ragoN main dawaian bhi mehsoos ho rahi thi. Mera vomitting kerna... aadha jism sun ho jaana ... dil ka dubna, bhai sab mehsoos ker raha tha main, magar...

Magar bhai - sab se ajeeb baat ye thi - mere dil ko yaqeen tha abhi maut nahi aani! Mera dil kahin keh raha tha - ye maut ka lamha to nahi ho sakta - Maut aesi to nahi hoti. 

Bhai! tum to doctor ho aur tum ne to aesi bohat kitabain paRi hain - Kiya hamari ruh ko maut ke zaaiqe ka ilm hota hai. Kiya maut aati hai to jism choRne ka pataa - dil, dimag, hum-zaat aur ruh saath de dete hain?

Bhai! mujhe aesa laga - main pehle bhi kabhi kahin mar chuka hun - aur tab to maut aesi nahi thi..Bhai! mujeh aagahii thi ke maut main to baRa itminaan hota hai... 

Bhai woh sab kiya tha! Bolo na !!!"

On "JaN Nisar Akhtar's Dile NadaN"

Jan Nisaar Akhtar (father of Javed Akhtar) was a well-known progressive poet of pre-post partition India. He was from Lucknow school of poetry - and kept his poetry simple - away from heavy Persian and Arabic words. One of his poetry - Ae dile Nadan, which was inducted after 7 years of his death in the movie, Razia Sultana, by Kamal Amrohi Sahab - speaks of the beauty of his simple language poetry. I am putting a link from youtube but God knows how long link will stay alive. Each word and line feel like a marvel - (indeed with voice of Lata Mangeshkar and music of Khayyam).

Ye zameeN chup hai, aasmaaN chup hai

Phir ye dhaRkan si chaar-su kiya hai

A Curious Case of a Bathroom Curious

Being a physician - and after so many years, if I can call myself a seasoned physician, I have seen many familiar and uncommon diseases. But this case was unique. I am unsure if it ever got published as I could not follow it later due to privacy reasons - but this case, even after so many years, is hard to explain.

The patient was a physician in his mid-fifties - and was blessed with fortune, fame, family, and all stabilities. But he was addicted to sneaking into people's houses (like a thief) when they were not home to use the bathrooms. If he cannot quickly get into a place, he will check into any hotel/motel and sneak into an occupied room when a guest is out during the daytime. He will take nothing - just visit and use the bathroom - and leave. He managed to avail master key or machine to duplicate cards for the hotel rooms. Eventually, he was caught by a guest and later arrested due to hotel cameras. I don't know if he could practice later, but as far as I know, he was let go without pressing charges from a particular guest and hotel. On the same day, shaken from arrest, he checked himself into ER to seek professional help - and our service was consulted for an unrelated issue.

I asked many psychiatrist friends, but no one ever heard of any such case. Each shrink has his theory to explain his behavior - but nothing concrete ever came out. This case always comes to mind when I see many successful people around me with odd habits.

Indeed, even after 25 years of everyday work as a physician - humans continue to boggle my intelligence - and every day, I get my 'humility pie' of wrong judgment or presumed diagnosis.

Insaan is kaainat ki sab se bari kitab hai 

*

"Hats off Sir"

Saw Edhi Sahab multiple times between 1986 and 1992 - when I worked as a medical student, volunteer and later as a house officer in "Casualty" (ER). He was shockingly a simple person. Courageous to carry any wounded in his arm from his ambulances arriving one after another from riot-torn areas, irrespective of any ethnicity - and without any fear of any political goons there.

Indeed, a legend - a man far bigger than any price - died.

On "Writing"

I had to visit Boston for some work and see old friends. Saw this sign in one of the corridors at MIT. It explains, why I blog