Zameen Raas Aana

 My Grandmother (dadi) never wanted to leave India during the partition. She was a firm believer that: "Kuch zameenain insaan ko raas aati hain aur kuch nahi". And this may be true as our family never found solace in the new land of pure (another debate).

I met many (and many) intelligent souls in North America over the last 3 decades who were extremely hard-working, honest, and wise - but - never found success with migration to the west.

Ya shayed - hamari kaamyaabi ke mayaar hi kam-zarf hain

Paradox of history

As I was watching the USA's election in the doctor's lounge, one old-timer physician made an interesting comment: 

"It is interesting that in history, people have switched sides. In the Civil War, Republicans were in the North led by Abraham Lincoln and were anti-slavery. Pro-slavery conservative white democrats dominated the South. One hundred sixty years fast forward; the North is full of socialist democrats, and the South is red, more conservative states. Unfortunately, this is true throughout human history. Victims turned into aggressors; defenders became attackers; pacificists generated into warmongers; anti-this and pro that switched to anti-that and pro-this; and builders turned into destroyers or vice versa. Pick any nation, religion, or culture - you will see this phenomenon perpetually happening".

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Armageddon

Over centuries, humans in every genre, including religion, science, philosophy, or mythology, have argued instead guessed about Armageddon's nature. Due to my recent heavy involvement with pandemic patients' care, I recalled my old interaction with an Australian archeologist I met during travel. He told me:

 "I am 70 years old and have studied many old civilizations. I concluded that humans tend to survive wars, diseases, and catastrophes. All societies, civilizations, and cultures run their bell curve. They rise to their glories and fade away in the books of history. If Armageddon is supposed to happen, and this planet needs to get destroyed, my prediction is will happen in a moment! It may be an asteroid hitting a planet or a global nuclear holocaust. Although it sounds scary, there is a solace that suffering would be very short!"

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Prisoners of taste buds

This is one observation I gathered over the years while working as a physician, and near to deathbeds of many human beings. Patients who know that death is imminent for them (like hospice patients), love to ask for their favorite food and desserts.

Compounding that, a few years ago, I met a physician who worked at a prison where they execute death row prisoners. He told me that one reason we provide food to those prisoners of their own choice before their execution as it makes their death more palatable to them. While they consume food, they forget about their incoming death or at least become numb, and sometimes even hopeful that death is not that near.

One of the consultants in our hospital regularly brings donuts, food, and snacks for house staff and nursing staff. Last week, he jokingly informed me that, humans are prisoners of their own taste buds.

I pondered on this for many years. This is like an anomalous observation in the present-day paradigm of psychology science, for which at least at this point, I don't have any clear explanation!



This link may be of interest to you: Last meal requests:: https://cbsn.ws/2wgUNKa

An added advantage of being a parent

Its almost midnight and I am tired and exhausted - but wants to write this short post as I think, this was an extremely smart observation, today I heard at NPR.

"Being a parent is not only a very profound experience but simultaneously it makes you desperate to make this world a better place".

Good night.

Good news? Bad news?

 Over the years - I have learned that a small personality test determines a person's personality. (Biased, obviously).

If you ask a person - Do you want the good news first? Or bad news first?

A person who asks for the good news first is usually more social, let it go, kind of careless, unplanned, happy, lucky go, usually broke but simultaneously optimist and a good friend - and a person who asks for the bad news first is generally cautious, less confident, perfectionist, controlling but simultaneously hard-working, intelligent, no non-sense and frugal people.

It's just two different flavors of people you live with. Nothing major!

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tazad!

Ye bhi aik ajeeb baat hai. Aik hi ghar main rehne wale do bachhe - aik hi school, aik hi ustad, aik hi waaldain, aik hi bhai bahen, aik hi mohalla, aik hi yaar dost, aik hi mahol - magar aik bachha bara ho ker Daheriya (atheist) ho jaata hai aur dusre ko mazhab ka heza ho jaata hai.

Name and luck

Mera khayal hai ye durust hai ke aadmi ki zindagi pe uske naam ka bara gehra asar hota hai.

It happened to me as I start using last name rather than my father's name. My first cousin comletely get cured of his chronic sickness as he changed his first name. Some womens' life get screwed with new married name and few women get new life..In many cultures, great care and importance is given in naming kids.

If your life is stuck or under bad stars or going with bad luck for long time or if you are just accident prone - try new nick, start using your middle name or last name more - try it - it may help.

I don't know how to explain it. It may be completely anecdotal or just my bias but I have seen it working. Any thoughts?

Grandparents

Mera khayal hai jis ghar main Dada Dadi ya Nana Nani bachhoN ke saath rehte hain unki nafsiyati sehat sirf waldain ke saath rehne wale bachhoN se behtar hoti hai.

(I think kids who live with grand parents have better psychological health than who just live with their parents)

Generation Gap and Love

Log kehte hain ke ma baap(parents) aur bachhon(kids) ki aksar is liye nahi banti kiunke beech main zamane ki raftar se aik 'generation gap' aa jata hai. Main is baat ko nahi maanta!

Aap dekhain ge ke 'grand kids' aur 'grand parents' ki hamesah khub jamti hai aur bara piyar hota hai.

Agar zamane ki uftad mohabbat ko qatal ker sakti to aesa na hota. Aulad mohabbat dhundhti hai ,chahe rang-nasal-zaban-zamane ka kitna hi faraq kiun na ho aur buzurg jaante hain ke ke kese darguzar kerna aur sirf mohabbat ka jawab mohabbat se dena.

3 Nayab 'Women'

Duniya main 3 aurtain nayab hoti hain.

1. Aik woh jo jaanti hain 'makup' kahan rokna hai.

2. Dusri woh jo janti hain, jhagra kahan chor dena hai.

3. Teesri woh jo janti hain, mard ko kis had tak tarsana hai.

Metros

Shahr (Metros) 2 tarah ke hote hain.

1. Jis ka intazam isliye theek nahi rakha ja sakta kiunke wahan log rehte hain. 2. Jis ka intazam isliye theek rakha jata hai kiunke wahan log rehte hain.

Ab ye aap ki qismat hai ke aap kis shahr main rehte hain.

On people watching, perceptions, and reality

An immensely intelligent post from Aisha (with her permission). I loved her take at the end of post from this small observation in life.

"Suddenly we were startled by a loud screech. A young man in a pale blue Rolls Royce convertible pulled up to parallel park in front of us. Three cars could comfortable fit in the space he now struggled to park in. Twice he nearly slammed his car into the Volkswagen behind him. So the rich don't need to learn how to park? I thought. Two men, clearly homeless, approached the car. Loudly, jumping up down and waving their hands, they tried helping him back in. As he parked more men began surrounding his car. The sun was quickly setting and I grew alarmed. As I pressed my hand against my phone, one man with tattered khakis and a flannel shirt reached into the car. He pulled out a walker and placed it on the sidewalk; another opened the car door and a third helped him onto the curb. They promised to watch his car until he returned. The man smiled with a hint of sadness, and then with trembling legs, crossed the street."

Read full post here

Fortune Cookie

I never believed in Fortune Cookies but I have to admit that lately in many instances, I have found very appropriate messages inside cookies and sometime I even felt like finding an answer to my querry.

Do you believe in fortune cookie?

Wa tuizzu man tasah......

Moin Akhtar Pakistan ka aik aesa unique comedian hai, jis ka koi muqabla nahi ker sakta. No one even come close to his versatility. For me, atleast in Indian subcontinent, he is 'the best'. I can watch him for hours and hours. I think, he is in show business for almost 40 years but...Moin Akhtar ki shayed hi koi aesi performance hogi jisko dekh ker kisi ne ye kaha ho ke - he performed below expectation.

Kuch dinon pehle, Moin Akhtar ka TV per aik interview suna. Us interview main, us ki aik baat sun ker mujhe bara taajub huwa. Us ne kaha ke: "itne barson baad bhi, aaj bhi kisi show se pehle uske haat paun aese hi thande par jaate hain, jese pehla show ho. Aur woh kone main jake dua maangta hai ke ya Allah ! izzat rakhna".

Jub tuk insaan apni izzat aur zillat ke liye Allah se darta rahe, Allah use izzat aur kamyabi deta hai. Jis din kisi ke dil main ye khayal aaya ke, mujhe apna kaam sub se achha aata hai and I am master of my work - bus wahin se uska zawal shuru ho jata hai !!

Think everyday in your career as your first day and be humble !


"Say O Allah. Lord of Power, Thou givest power to whom Thou pleasest, and Thou strippest off power from whom Thou pleasest: Thou enduest with honour whom Thou pleasest, and Thou bringest low whom Thou pleasest: In Thy hand is all good. Verily, over all things Thou hast power" (3:26)

Mismatch

(Taken from Windmills of My Mind)

Zaban

Agar aap insaan ki zaban ki anatomy dekhain to sub se aage sweet buds hain, phir salty, peeche sour aur aakhir main bitter buds.

Matlab: Insaan zaban ko hamesah meetha rakhe aur zaroorat pare to hi zaban karwahat ke liye nikale

(Refresh if you don't see pic)

Psychological Dyslexia

Neurological dyslexia ka ilawa, aik cheez hoti hai psychological dyslexia!

Ye woh dimag hote hain ke

• 'Habil'(Abel) ke qatal ka zikar ho to ye janna chahte hain ke 'Qabil'(Cain) ko itna gussa kiun aaya hoga?
• Jub saari duniya 'Musa' ke peeche chalti hai to ye janna chahte hain ke 'Haroon' kis kefiyat se guzarta hai?
• Jub saari duniya 'Essa' ko suli pe chahrte dekhti hai to unhe 'Maryam' ka dukh mehsoos hota hai
• Jub har koi 'Hussain' ka matam kerta hai to woh malum kerna chahte hain ke 'Hasan' kiya sochta hai?
• Woh 'Heer Ranjha' ko chor ker 'chacha kaido' ki psych se mesmerized hote hain

Ye woh log hote hain jo 'parallel' chalne wali do patrion main se, "dusri patri" pe nazar rakhte hain . Jo hotel ka 'Menu' peeche se dekhna shuru kerte hain !!


(I used above as examples and don't intend to offend anyone's religious sentiments)

Men's comfort zone

'Sultan' (here, here) ka ye jumlah main ne 2/3 baar is blog pe likha ke: ""Zindagi main tum dekhna woh aurat hamesha apne mard pe raaj kerti hai jis main sense of humor ho. Jo hur baat pe muskurati ho. Kiunke mard aik aesi tapish hai jeese hur waqt chaun chaiye. Aurat ki muskurahat uska secret comfort zone hai".

Is se aage aik aur baat jo main ne dekhi ke: "agar mard ko ye comfort zone na mile to woh bawla ho jaata hai ! Aap ne kai chirchire, 'always irritated' aur 'unhappy' mard dekhe honge. Aadhe isi 'comfort zone' ke maare hote hain" !!

Good Morning !

(A conversation happened years ago but continue to haunt me more and more every morning as I grow older)

"Tum haste bohut achha ho"

"Achha ?"

"Mujh se shadi karo ge !"

"Hahaha, shadi ka hasne se kiya taaluq?"

"Tum kiya jano, duniya main is se bari rahat koi aur nahi ke aadmi hur subah apne paas aik achhi muskurahat ke sath baidar ho !"

(so true and so dumb I was !!!)

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Years ago, I took someone's advice to say 'Good morning' to myself while looking at the mirror to brush teeth. It makes my day go better. Try it - you will not regret it !