affairs of the heart

2005-09-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

The 25th day of September is celebrated as the World Heart Day – it is different to Valentines Day which also is linked to the matters of the heart! It is the heart that makes us tick; hence it is but natural that attention is focused on this vital organ at least once in a year.

http://www.worldheartday.com/home/
http://www.who.int/en/

The importance of this tiny pump that never tires of pumping blood through our body is a marvel of creation. As one ages, the efficiency of this machine, like any other machine, reduces. Unfortunately, when an external machine fails to function, you can send it to be overhauled and be given a new lease of life. But, when the heart packs up, that is the end of the road for you – there is no workshop where it can be reconditioned once it fails totally. Therefore, the doctor recommends regular check ups to ensure that things are in order and do not cross the threshold of tolerance.

In the olden days, there was no remedy – if one had a stroke, it was termed as an act of God, the affected person or his near and dear ones would be taken by surprise. Such does not happen any longer – whenever one experiences the slightest discomfort in breathing and niggling pain around his chest, he rushes to the local doctor who refers him to a specialist. Then the medics take charge of your life style – restrictions are imposed on your activities, you are advised to change your food habits, you are asked to take pills, and to undergo tests. It seems to be a never ending affair.

Today, even youngsters in their forties are falling victims to heart diseases – the long hours at work, the willingness to excel in their fields, the tremendous ambitions, the reckless lifestyles, take their toll. He burns out faster. This is the world today, obviously, to survive in this setup, one has to exercise caution. Ads of cholesterol free oil and sugar free tablets are not the only solutions; one has to have physical exercises – as some doctors recommend, use the feet more often. Instead of using the elevators, climb the stairs once in a while, instead of hopping into the car at the drop of a hat, walk short distances. And, most importantly, relax – when tension mounts, close your eyes and forget your surroundings around you for a minute.

other interesting links –

amaar duniya
throbindia

Superannuation woes!!

2004-06-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

At long last, superannuation looms large on the horizon. The busy schedules, hectic work, tensions will all become things of the past. How does a superannuated person spend his (or hers) time. Routine chores take up a miniscule part of a veeery looong daaaay!!! Suggestions are welcome. Let us all put our heads together and devise means of keeping busy without any productive work!!!!

ABOUT MY LITERARY EXPLOITS

I never knew that I had it in me. When my first story (‘The mortal combat’) was published in the Sunday Statesman in 1958 and when I received an honorarium for it, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that some day I would really be enjoining literary pursuits. Even when my second story (‘The second attempt’) saw the light of day in a Sunday edition of the Times of India in 1962 and a second honorarium came knocking at my door, I never expected to take up the pen to write in Bengali! I was studying in an English medium school and, even though I was a Bengali, I learnt the Bengali alphabets only in the final years of my school. That posed a serious problem because, after school, I had to go to a College which came under the purview of the Calcutta University. And, there, Bengali was a compulsory language which a student had but had to pass. The pass marks were just 30 – and, how I struggled to score those few marks still makes me blush whenever I think about it. However, all said and done, I moved into the Engineering branch. Then followed an employment of sorts. Somehow, that first employment was not to my liking. So, I started looking for something more interesting. At that period of my life, I was picking up various types of experiences, meeting different types of persons, reading all types of books – mostly related to crime and its investigation. From Agatha Christie to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Ellery Queen or James Hadley Chase, Frederick Forsythe – I was absorbing knowledge from whatever source. Apart from that I loved to mingle with people from various strata of Society. Once, I gambled my month’s earnings away just to get the feeling of what it felt to lose money. And, these found release in my writings. Yes, I broke the shackles and got my first Bengali short story published in 1969. It was the day I was leaving Calcutta to come to Nasik. At the Howrah railway station, I was browsing through the books in the Wheeler bookstall when I picked up a magazine and was pleasantly surprised to find my story in the Contents.

That was the starting point.

Since that day, I have written more than 150 short stories, novelettes, poems and have also been the Editor of a Bengali magazine published from Nasik. It was possible because it was computer based. Yes, in order to prove the point that publishing in any language is possible, I along with a couple of my friends created history of sorts by publishing not just a magazine but also as many as four books. And, with these books, we participated in the prestigious Calcutta Book Fairs of 1993, 1994 and 1996.