Parul Tyagi's Blog, page 3
March 6, 2014
My AIIMS scare- Part 2 (Final!)
First off- Thanks to everyone for calling/ leaving messages/ checking with Saurabh on how I was doing. I don't know how to let you all know that the purpose of the blog was not to freak everyone out. In fact if I had released both parts together you would have laughed off at my visit to AIIMS. But the antibiotics and the pain didn't let me sit on the laptop for a longer spell. Must apologise to my cousin who was frantically calling to speak but I didn't pick as I cannot talk. To a family friend who even scolded Saurabh for not letting her know of our problem :). To my Uncle in Bombay who spoke with Saurabh expressing so much concern. To all my friends who whatsapped me lifting my spirits. I owe you all a hug :) Now to where we left. So we were out of our home at 9 am headed to AIIMS where we were to meet the guy who would ferry us to the right Doctor with ease. The perception of making it to the right Doctor in AIIMS is such that it helps to have an internal guy take care of you with mundane logistics. We were to meet him at 10:30 so why did we start so early? Well, parking we were told is about 1.25 kms away and if you have known me even for ten minutes you would know that I HATE walking. So we took this buffer as Saurabh might have to build moving walkways to transport me from parking to the hospital. Anyway his super driving skills brought us to the parking lot exactly at 10 and just as we moved heads to our right we see a never before seen building of Delhi. Its a huge seven storey, having its own sprawling gardens and big iron gates- AIIMS Dental Research Institute. We cannot believe our eyes! Here you park, cross the road and land in the wing of AIIMS you were meant to be in. Great, we thought. Luck seems to be favouring us. The day had started well- Parul did not have to walk more than 100 meters. Now before I write further please understand the agenda I had in my mind. I was there to meet a specialised Doctor just the way I would have met someone in a private clinic. Obviously I had searched the Internet and knew well that there exists no medication or treatment of this problem of mine. Surgery is its last resort but certainly we weren't going to opt for it. So in my head just because Ma had insisted we were there to meet a Doctor who would have said- "Nothing can be done, live with it." This is the reason my parents, brother and Saurabh's sister had not even been informed about this visit. We were there for a casual sort of time pass. So around 10:15 we are seated in the concerned department and the escort guy is on his way from the main AIIMS to this baby AIIMS. You cannot imagine how relieved I was as this place had empty corridors, no one seemed to be in an emergency situation, some seats still vacant. Few people of course were holding their cheeks as their teeth must be hurting but nothing was visible to me and hence I was a bit at peace. Within minutes, thanks to our efficient escort, the Doctor concerned called us in, asked my problem and issued a card worth 10 rupees (ONLY) certifying that I am his patient. We were asked to get two X rays done (30 rupees each-ONLY). The escort now left us on our own because he must have realised that these two have come here for a non life threatening situation and he had more genuine sufferers in the other building. We head for X ray wing and there for the first time we get a 1% brush with life in AIIMS. People ranged from being poor to very poor. All suffering, all tired and hassled. Names being called out for turns and chaos prevailing as everyone wants to be the first to be X rayed! Thanks to Saurabh, I sailed past this stage by only sitting quietly in one corner while he negotiated my card inside the X ray room. On the giant TV screen they showed a film which warned people that beedi, gutkha and paan can cause cancer and many men were displaying their tongues, gums and teeth which turn ugly when cancer strikes them. Everyone watches it intently. We are all together here waiting for time to pass and our turns to come. X ray done and report will be out in 20 minutes. Now that is impressive. 20 minutes is less! And well they exceed our expectations by handing over our report in 15 minutes but sans the envelope. "Khatam ho gaya Sir envelope. Haath main hi le jaiye"- Second brush with a Sarkari Hospital. Saurabh contains his emotions and we are now headed back to our Doctor. "Hmmm.....ok......hmmm...." this is what the senior lady Doctor is doing while turning my Jaw X ray up and down, right and left. She asks me routine questions and keeps a smile on her lips. Saurabh is standing nearby and now I am ashamed that there seems to be nothing wrong with my reports and I made him go through so much in the last few months. I am sure this Doctor will say that I am alright. I feel bad. But I decide to break my own bubble because I know I have been in pain. "Does the report say something?" "Yes Yes. Your condition is severe!" She said (Yipee, I am relieved). "Not just right side, even on the left, the Jaw is dislocated. I am sure you have a lot of discomfort. This is serious." By now her Junior joins us and she shows the X ray to the three of us explaining the wide gap between my upper and lower jaw. I am now nervous. Because the gap is huge! She asks the junior what he thinks should be done and he casually says- "Pabra ca dabra" Pabra ca dabra because both Saurabh and me did not understand this medical terminology but it sounded serious. Saurabh asks what the hell was this treatment and we are assured its non intrusive and the only resort unless we wish a surgery which is a major operation, irreversible, risky and non recommended. We decide to hear them out. We are now taken to a huge room that has lots and lots of those typical dentist chairs. In my pvt. clinic there would be just two such pretty things. Here they were uncountable. So we stand with the Doctor and he explains so casually like he is telling us how to make a fruit salad. "See we will infuse patients own blood into the gap shown in the X ray. This blood will form fibroids and we HOPE that will restrict the free movement of the patient's jaw." I am not Parul now. I am a patient. Secondly why use the word HOPE? It better cure me or why will I give my blood in the first place. "Doctor you said its non intrusive. So how will the blood go inside?" asks Saurabh. "Nono, we mean its not as bad as a surgery. We ll take her blood from the arm and use a 18 gauge syringe below her ear to put that blood back in" Doc says. Now this begins to sound cumbersome."And it will hurt?" I ask. "C'mon, we will give you anaesthesia!" he says.So of course it will hurt! "The needles will be put on my cheek?" I ask. Doc smiles and looks at Saurabh as if telling him that he has a really stupid wife. "Don't think about it too much Parul. Let me handle this," he says realising that Saurabh looks equally worried. "So I will give you a date in future?" he asks us. "Yes Doctor. If that is the only treatment, give us a date," Saurabh says. Please know that after this point my brain has stopped functioning. I am shitting in my pants. "Well this can happen any day in the evenings," the Doc tells him (not to me as I look dead now) "Oh....so it can happen today?" Saurabh says. WHAT. TODAY? WHY? My mind is saying but I have lost my speech. "Yes yes why not. Come at 2. Ill do it," the Doc says and the deal is struck. Like between two businessmen. He writes on our card the time and asks us to buy our own syringes and bandage- third brush with a Sarkari Hospital. As we step out of the room I expect Saurabh to show some concern on how me the patient must be feeling. But he rather says, "Why should we bring syringes? Don't they have them here? Its a bloody huge hospital!" I look at him with sympathy. Poor thing has to worry about syringes and not for me who looks pale and gone. He quickly realises his folly and asks,"You want to think about it? Take a minute. See, this ought to be done." "I am not ready. I have to talk to Papa," I manage. "Of course you should. Ill go buy this stuff, you call Papa," he says and rushes out. So he knows that the decision has been taken and Papa will also not discourage us. Smart move!I explain the procedure to Dad and he says just three things,"Its AIIMS. Cant get better than this. You are my brave girl, go for it. Don't worry Saurabh must have thought through this." So my destiny has been written. Saurabh treats me to an exotic Chinese lunch in the South Ex market. Calls are made to my mom, his mom, my brother explaining them that at 2pm today, Parul will be on her way to recovery. Prayers have begun. My Mom in Law even calls me and says, "I am getting scared. Hope you are fine!" No Ma, I am NOT. By the time our order comes, Saurabh has cracked the medical procedure which will be applied and tells me its Prolotherapy! Now please don't search 'Prolotherapy Jaw Video' on Google as it will surely freak you out. We didn't look at the video and decided to take it as it comes! Its 2:10 and we are called inside. The Doctor calls in four more junior doctors and I am told these four have Prolotherapy as their thesis topic so they will be spectators! Wow. That's very good. Saurabh has been asked to stay out. I insist I need him to hold my hand but the Doctor shoos him away. He looks happy too! I am alone along with the main Doctor, four students, three attendants and one patient-doctor duo who were on the adjacent chair but now taking a break as their procedure is so painful that I might lose patience if she makes a noise. Well.....the environment is all set. Now let me not go into gruesome details but the therapy is inhuman and lasts 40 minutes- both sides. They inject me once very close to my ear, then draw my blood from my arms, then inject again below the ear, blood refuses to stop so they bandage it blah blah blah. I can see Saurabh peeping on me from a gap in the glass door and it hurts me to be shaking and crying silently with pain in front of him. I cannot shout as my mouth is stuffed with a plastic stopper. The juniors click my before and after pictures. They discuss how I will complete their number of research items- They needed five and I am the fifth. The procedure ends and while one doctor wraps a bandage around my face, Saurabh is called in for 'crucial instructions' Give her rest.She cannot talkThese are the medicines.She cannot talkOnly liquids for a week.She cannot talkThis bandage cannot come off for at least 5 days.She cannot talkBring her back after a week..She cannot talk It seems now that ill get more ill not because of the pain in my jaw but because of the fact that I CANNOT TALK! We are now headed back home. I am only crying. Cant sob as that will hurt my jaw. So my tears are flowing while Saurabh is answering calls from family on how I took the procedure. We reach home and I hate the way my kids look when they see me all bandaged. They look so sad and scared. I gesture them to come near me and sit holding their hands. I cannot kiss them as due to the anaesthesia I cannot feel my own face. They kiss me and I feel it :) I am fine now and when I see the Doctor next Wednesday we ll know whether this treatment worked. Till then I CANNOT TALK !! :)) 
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My AIIMS scare- Part 2 (Final!)
First off- Thanks to everyone for calling/ leaving messages/ checking with Saurabh on how I was doing. I don't know how to let you all know that the purpose of the blog was not to freak everyone out. In fact if I had released both parts together you would have laughed off at my visit to AIIMS. But the antibiotics and the pain didn't let me sit on the laptop for a longer spell. Must apologise to my cousin who was frantically calling to speak but I didn't pick as I cannot talk. To a family friend who even scolded Saurabh for not letting her know of our problem :). To my Uncle in Bombay who spoke with Saurabh expressing so much concern. To all my friends who whatsapped me lifting my spirits. I owe you all a hug :) Now to where we left. So we were out of our home at 9 am headed to AIIMS where we were to meet the guy who would ferry us to the right Doctor with ease. The perception of making it to the right Doctor in AIIMS is such that it helps to have an internal guy take care of you with mundane logistics. We were to meet him at 10:30 so why did we start so early? Well, parking we were told is about 1.25 kms away and if you have known me even for ten minutes you would know that I HATE walking. So we took this buffer as Saurabh might have to build moving walkways to transport me from parking to the hospital. Anyway his super driving skills brought us to the parking lot exactly at 10 and just as we moved heads to our right we see a never before seen building of Delhi. Its a huge seven storey, having its own sprawling gardens and big iron gates- AIIMS Dental Research Institute. We cannot believe our eyes! Here you park, cross the road and land in the wing of AIIMS you were meant to be in. Great, we thought. Luck seems to be favouring us. The day had started well- Parul did not have to walk more than 100 meters. Now before I write further please understand the agenda I had in my mind. I was there to meet a specialised Doctor just the way I would have met someone in a private clinic. Obviously I had searched the Internet and knew well that there exists no medication or treatment of this problem of mine. Surgery is its last resort but certainly we weren't going to opt for it. So in my head just because Ma had insisted we were there to meet a Doctor who would have said- "Nothing can be done, live with it." This is the reason my parents, brother and Saurabh's sister had not even been informed about this visit. We were there for a casual sort of time pass. So around 10:15 we are seated in the concerned department and the escort guy is on his way from the main AIIMS to this baby AIIMS. You cannot imagine how relieved I was as this place had empty corridors, no one seemed to be in an emergency situation, some seats still vacant. Few people of course were holding their cheeks as their teeth must be hurting but nothing was visible to me and hence I was a bit at peace. Within minutes, thanks to our efficient escort, the Doctor concerned called us in, asked my problem and issued a card worth 10 rupees (ONLY) certifying that I am his patient. We were asked to get two X rays done (30 rupees each-ONLY). The escort now left us on our own because he must have realised that these two have come here for a non life threatening situation and he had more genuine sufferers in the other building. We head for X ray wing and there for the first time we get a 1% brush with life in AIIMS. People ranged from being poor to very poor. All suffering, all tired and hassled. Names being called out for turns and chaos prevailing as everyone wants to be the first to be X rayed! Thanks to Saurabh, I sailed past this stage by only sitting quietly in one corner while he negotiated my card inside the X ray room. On the giant TV screen they showed a film which warned people that beedi, gutkha and paan can cause cancer and many men were displaying their tongues, gums and teeth which turn ugly when cancer strikes them. Everyone watches it intently. We are all together here waiting for time to pass and our turns to come. X ray done and report will be out in 20 minutes. Now that is impressive. 20 minutes is less! And well they exceed our expectations by handing over our report in 15 minutes but sans the envelope. "Khatam ho gaya Sir envelope. Haath main hi le jaiye"- Second brush with a Sarkari Hospital. Saurabh contains his emotions and we are now headed back to our Doctor. "Hmmm.....ok......hmmm...." this is what the senior lady Doctor is doing while turning my Jaw X ray up and down, right and left. She asks me routine questions and keeps a smile on her lips. Saurabh is standing nearby and now I am ashamed that there seems to be nothing wrong with my reports and I made him go through so much in the last few months. I am sure this Doctor will say that I am alright. I feel bad. But I decide to break my own bubble because I know I have been in pain. "Does the report say something?" "Yes Yes. Your condition is severe!" She said (Yipee, I am relieved). "Not just right side, even on the left, the Jaw is dislocated. I am sure you have a lot of discomfort. This is serious." By now her Junior joins us and she shows the X ray to the three of us explaining the wide gap between my upper and lower jaw. I am now nervous. Because the gap is huge! She asks the junior what he thinks should be done and he casually says- "Pabra ca dabra" Pabra ca dabra because both Saurabh and me did not understand this medical terminology but it sounded serious. Saurabh asks what the hell was this treatment and we are assured its non intrusive and the only resort unless we wish a surgery which is a major operation, irreversible, risky and non recommended. We decide to hear them out. We are now taken to a huge room that has lots and lots of those typical dentist chairs. In my pvt. clinic there would be just two such pretty things. Here they were uncountable. So we stand with the Doctor and he explains so casually like he is telling us how to make a fruit salad. "See we will infuse patients own blood into the gap shown in the X ray. This blood will form fibroids and we HOPE that will restrict the free movement of the patient's jaw." I am not Parul now. I am a patient. Secondly why use the word HOPE? It better cure me or why will I give my blood in the first place. "Doctor you said its non intrusive. So how will the blood go inside?" asks Saurabh. "Nono, we mean its not as bad as a surgery. We ll take her blood from the arm and use a 18 gauge syringe below her ear to put that blood back in" Doc says. Now this begins to sound cumbersome."And it will hurt?" I ask. "C'mon, we will give you anaesthesia!" he says.So of course it will hurt! "The needles will be put on my cheek?" I ask. Doc smiles and looks at Saurabh as if telling him that he has a really stupid wife. "Don't think about it too much Parul. Let me handle this," he says realising that Saurabh looks equally worried. "So I will give you a date in future?" he asks us. "Yes Doctor. If that is the only treatment, give us a date," Saurabh says. Please know that after this point my brain has stopped functioning. I am shitting in my pants. "Well this can happen any day in the evenings," the Doc tells him (not to me as I look dead now) "Oh....so it can happen today?" Saurabh says. WHAT. TODAY? WHY? My mind is saying but I have lost my speech. "Yes yes why not. Come at 2. Ill do it," the Doc says and the deal is struck. Like between two businessmen. He writes on our card the time and asks us to buy our own syringes and bandage- third brush with a Sarkari Hospital. As we step out of the room I expect Saurabh to show some concern on how me the patient must be feeling. But he rather says, "Why should we bring syringes? Don't they have them here? Its a bloody huge hospital!" I look at him with sympathy. Poor thing has to worry about syringes and not for me who looks pale and gone. He quickly realises his folly and asks,"You want to think about it? Take a minute. See, this ought to be done." "I am not ready. I have to talk to Papa," I manage. "Of course you should. Ill go buy this stuff, you call Papa," he says and rushes out. So he knows that the decision has been taken and Papa will also not discourage us. Smart move!I explain the procedure to Dad and he says just three things,"Its AIIMS. Cant get better than this. You are my brave girl, go for it. Don't worry Saurabh must have thought through this." So my destiny has been written. Saurabh treats me to an exotic Chinese lunch in the South Ex market. Calls are made to my mom, his mom, my brother explaining them that at 2pm today, Parul will be on her way to recovery. Prayers have begun. My Mom in Law even calls me and says, "I am getting scared. Hope you are fine!" No Ma, I am NOT. By the time our order comes, Saurabh has cracked the medical procedure which will be applied and tells me its Prolotherapy! Now please don't search 'Prolotherapy Jaw Video' on Google as it will surely freak you out. We didn't look at the video and decided to take it as it comes! Its 2:10 and we are called inside. The Doctor calls in four more junior doctors and I am told these four have Prolotherapy as their thesis topic so they will be spectators! Wow. That's very good. Saurabh has been asked to stay out. I insist I need him to hold my hand but the Doctor shoos him away. He looks happy too! I am alone along with the main Doctor, four students, three attendants and one patient-doctor duo who were on the adjacent chair but now taking a break as their procedure is so painful that I might lose patience if she makes a noise. Well.....the environment is all set. Now let me not go into gruesome details but the therapy is inhuman and lasts 40 minutes- both sides. They inject me once very close to my ear, then draw my blood from my arms, then inject again below the ear, blood refuses to stop so they bandage it blah blah blah. I can see Saurabh peeping on me from a gap in the glass door and it hurts me to be shaking and crying silently with pain in front of him. I cannot shout as my mouth is stuffed with a plastic stopper. The juniors click my before and after pictures. They discuss how I will complete their number of research items- They needed five and I am the fifth. The procedure ends and while one doctor wraps a bandage around my face, Saurabh is called in for 'crucial instructions' Give her rest.She cannot talkThese are the medicines.She cannot talkOnly liquids for a week.She cannot talkThis bandage cannot come off for at least 5 days.She cannot talkBring her back after a week..She cannot talk It seems now that ill get more ill not because of the pain in my jaw but because of the fact that I CANNOT TALK! We are now headed back home. I am only crying. Cant sob as that will hurt my jaw. So my tears are flowing while Saurabh is answering calls from family on how I took the procedure. We reach home and I hate the way my kids look when they see me all bandaged. They look so sad and scared. I gesture them to come near me and sit holding their hands. I cannot kiss them as due to the anaesthesia I cannot feel my own face. They kiss me and I feel it :) I am fine now and when I see the Doctor next Wednesday we ll know whether this treatment worked. Till then I CANNOT TALK !! :)) 
March 5, 2014
My AIIMS scare - Part 1
So most of you have been to the Taj. Not the hotel in your cities guys. But the Taj Mahal in Agra! Visiting the Taj Mahal and absorbing its beauty is deeply ingrained in us Indians. And why just us, its a worldwide phenomenon. I have been there too (I am normal that ways) but my take out of its beauty might not confirm to the majority. I didn't enjoy it so much due to all the filth, mismanagement and the fact that's its not White-its yellow. Anyways this is not the point of this post. The point is that all of us are aware of key symbols of pride of our country and at some point in our lives either we get to visit them or experience them- whether we want to or not.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS is one such symbol. I have lived in Delhi all my life and hence it has been a part of me like for any other Delhite. Either we have had relatives in it or we have been around it for some reason or the other. AIIMS in Delhi is located on the Ring Road which is its lifeline. Hence I cross it at least once a week and sometimes three or four times too. But I must confess, every time I cross it I say a silent prayer that I should never come to this place for any sort of a treatment. Simply because having to go to AIIMS would mean something really serious and that disturbs me. I have been inside it only once. Long back, along with Dad for his Cataract operation but that was literally in an out- thanks to the nature of that surgery. But those are faint memories and I never ever want them to be refreshed. I always wish that none of us should ever suffer enough that AIIMS is our resort. So what is again the point of this post? I have mentioned some time back in this blog that I suffer from a joint disorder known as TMJ syndrome where my Jaw, in a layman's sense, is sort of dislocated. Actually there is a lock and key kind of mechanism in our knees, shoulders and jaw and well.....my Jaw lock is loosened. So while all of you can yawn, shout, chew vigorously and talk loudly, I cannot as my mouth clicks and hurts and I have to manually put the lower jaw back in its place- I know it sounds bad :(. For the past two months I am suffering even more as the condition got worse. So worse that we knew it needed medical intervention. Now for people like us such interventions are of two kinds- 1) Taking an appointment at a specialised and suave private clinic which has white walls and glass partitions. We dole out a thousand bucks to a pretty receptionist and the young Doctor then calls you five times before he gives the correct diagnosis. By then since you have spent 5000 rupees in his fees and half that price in petrol, you feel- He is a great doctor!2) This option is actually never an option. But lately due to a relative who has some 'jugaad' in AIIMS, my Mother in Law has been visiting it for random health problems like an eye check up, usual diabetes check up etc. Every time she got back she would tell us gory tales of how crowded this hospital is and what kind of people throng it- poor, needy and in pain. These tales reaffirmed my views that AIIMS is a place God should never take me or any of my family member. Hence when she and Saurabh were convinced that I needed help they went in their own networks to figure out a solution. Saurabh obviously took the first and most known route and zeroed down on a specialist in an upmarket residential area who is an Oral and Maxillofacial Expert. Mom in Law obviously took the second route! She went ahead and booked appointments too and was all prepared to accompany me to this giant of a hospital. Her steadfastness made us nervous. How much ever you dread AIIMS, we are all aware that it IS the most trustworthy and advanced place for all your heath needs. Saurabh got on to the Internet (saviour of our generation) and assured me that AIIMS in fact was the first institute to have the Oral and Maxillofacial department in the country. He was convinced his Mom had made the right choice. I got more nervous as even he left my side that we could choose a private clinic and a handsome Doctor over a place I dislike- for no known reasons. I cancelled the first appointment (somehow I managed it) but mothers are mothers. Ma took the second appointment quickly and her efficiency (driven by her concern) at doing so left us with no choice. So Saurabh took a half day from work yesterday and we were out of our house at 9 am, headed to AIIMS! (I am in pain right now-you will know soon why hence I am going to write this post in two parts. I hope I have created enough curiosity for you to wonder what could be so fascinating about a simple appointment at AIIMS? Second Part tomorrow- I am off to resting now) 
All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS is one such symbol. I have lived in Delhi all my life and hence it has been a part of me like for any other Delhite. Either we have had relatives in it or we have been around it for some reason or the other. AIIMS in Delhi is located on the Ring Road which is its lifeline. Hence I cross it at least once a week and sometimes three or four times too. But I must confess, every time I cross it I say a silent prayer that I should never come to this place for any sort of a treatment. Simply because having to go to AIIMS would mean something really serious and that disturbs me. I have been inside it only once. Long back, along with Dad for his Cataract operation but that was literally in an out- thanks to the nature of that surgery. But those are faint memories and I never ever want them to be refreshed. I always wish that none of us should ever suffer enough that AIIMS is our resort. So what is again the point of this post? I have mentioned some time back in this blog that I suffer from a joint disorder known as TMJ syndrome where my Jaw, in a layman's sense, is sort of dislocated. Actually there is a lock and key kind of mechanism in our knees, shoulders and jaw and well.....my Jaw lock is loosened. So while all of you can yawn, shout, chew vigorously and talk loudly, I cannot as my mouth clicks and hurts and I have to manually put the lower jaw back in its place- I know it sounds bad :(. For the past two months I am suffering even more as the condition got worse. So worse that we knew it needed medical intervention. Now for people like us such interventions are of two kinds- 1) Taking an appointment at a specialised and suave private clinic which has white walls and glass partitions. We dole out a thousand bucks to a pretty receptionist and the young Doctor then calls you five times before he gives the correct diagnosis. By then since you have spent 5000 rupees in his fees and half that price in petrol, you feel- He is a great doctor!2) This option is actually never an option. But lately due to a relative who has some 'jugaad' in AIIMS, my Mother in Law has been visiting it for random health problems like an eye check up, usual diabetes check up etc. Every time she got back she would tell us gory tales of how crowded this hospital is and what kind of people throng it- poor, needy and in pain. These tales reaffirmed my views that AIIMS is a place God should never take me or any of my family member. Hence when she and Saurabh were convinced that I needed help they went in their own networks to figure out a solution. Saurabh obviously took the first and most known route and zeroed down on a specialist in an upmarket residential area who is an Oral and Maxillofacial Expert. Mom in Law obviously took the second route! She went ahead and booked appointments too and was all prepared to accompany me to this giant of a hospital. Her steadfastness made us nervous. How much ever you dread AIIMS, we are all aware that it IS the most trustworthy and advanced place for all your heath needs. Saurabh got on to the Internet (saviour of our generation) and assured me that AIIMS in fact was the first institute to have the Oral and Maxillofacial department in the country. He was convinced his Mom had made the right choice. I got more nervous as even he left my side that we could choose a private clinic and a handsome Doctor over a place I dislike- for no known reasons. I cancelled the first appointment (somehow I managed it) but mothers are mothers. Ma took the second appointment quickly and her efficiency (driven by her concern) at doing so left us with no choice. So Saurabh took a half day from work yesterday and we were out of our house at 9 am, headed to AIIMS! (I am in pain right now-you will know soon why hence I am going to write this post in two parts. I hope I have created enough curiosity for you to wonder what could be so fascinating about a simple appointment at AIIMS? Second Part tomorrow- I am off to resting now)
February 6, 2014
Valentines Week Special: A pick up line that can never be used on me
Love is supposedly in the air this month. Never really understood this mush but whatever. The way I have accepted the FB Movies fad I will accept that February is a month when love hormone is floating in the air with utmost intensity and may everyone who does not get love in January or August or October- find their love in this blessed month. Now if I make two and two four, February is also the month which should have the most cheesiest lines thrown at girls from boys or at women from men? Yeah of course! The pick up lines, the serenading dialogues, the coochie cooing words and everything else in these categories. Now how many surveys have you read about the "Worst Pick Up Lines ever used on Women?". I know, I know- Its impossible to keep a count but you agree that you have read about them. Now if you are a woman, tell me which is the most irritating of all these lines? I guess the award for the most irksome but popular cheesy line goes to: "Hey, have I seen you somewhere?" Now being a woman I should be ideally hating it myself but you know what? There is a reason why I do not. I don't know if you ll believe this or not but apparently my face is such that I always-yes ALWAYS- give a feeling that people have met me before. Arre Sach!!! I am so bloody used to hearing this from Aunties, Uncles, Doctors, Friend's relatives, Teachers, Recruiters, Bus Conductors, Rocket scientists and World Leaders that I do two things now:
1) Don't mind. Smile. 2) Say politely: Meri shakal hi aisi hai I realised that people truly believe that they have seen me somewhere as I often heard people saying the same thing to my Dad. Since I resemble him I guess its a given that we have a face which is either a mixture of a lot of faces or our features are hopelessly common in nature that nothing really stands out for people to think- We are new! 
Do we look familiar?Having lived with this strange reactions from people it is only now that I have got my husband used to hearing this. Earlier he would get conscious if someone was trying to act smart with his wife but now he too nods his head agreeing with me that its no cheesy business. Its so creepy that now I even pre-empt that this person we are in conversation with will say what the next minute. I remember that while making arrangements for my brother's wedding last year, Saurabh and I were at a place to meet a chef who would prepare food for our guests. We had been waiting for him for a while before he enters the room, fixes his eyes on me, shakes hands with me, tilts his head on one side as if thinking hard. Just then I looked at Saurabh and said,"He also thinks he has met me before." "Whoa," said the Chef. "Where have we met but?" 
1) Don't mind. Smile. 2) Say politely: Meri shakal hi aisi hai I realised that people truly believe that they have seen me somewhere as I often heard people saying the same thing to my Dad. Since I resemble him I guess its a given that we have a face which is either a mixture of a lot of faces or our features are hopelessly common in nature that nothing really stands out for people to think- We are new!
Do we look familiar?Having lived with this strange reactions from people it is only now that I have got my husband used to hearing this. Earlier he would get conscious if someone was trying to act smart with his wife but now he too nods his head agreeing with me that its no cheesy business. Its so creepy that now I even pre-empt that this person we are in conversation with will say what the next minute. I remember that while making arrangements for my brother's wedding last year, Saurabh and I were at a place to meet a chef who would prepare food for our guests. We had been waiting for him for a while before he enters the room, fixes his eyes on me, shakes hands with me, tilts his head on one side as if thinking hard. Just then I looked at Saurabh and said,"He also thinks he has met me before." "Whoa," said the Chef. "Where have we met but?"
January 21, 2014
When I was asked: "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
If you ever attended those preparatory classes for MBA entrance exams you must have rehearsed your 'unique' answer for this question many a times. The question that goes like: "Where do you see yourself in ten years?". I remember those geeky teachers in my Career Launcher days who psyched us that every college will ask you this dreaded question. The only two instructions we were given for preparing the answer were:
1) Never say the truth
2) Never say- "Sir, in your seat"
My interview to get into MICA (My MBA college) didn't give me the chance to blurt out this answer. I don't remember the questions but clearly remember that I was not asked this! Two years at MICA came and went like tornado. Friends, hostel, mess food, credits, Ahmedabad- these things erased every instruction from my head and here I was at my first ever Campus Placement Interview with a Top most Media Planning Agency. There were two people on the panel- A man and a woman. Both very senior and known people in the industry. I was shit nervous and damn sure I am not landing this job. An informal pre placement offer at the back of my mind relaxed me a bit and I thought- Lets just see what happens. After a random 'this and that' rant by my interviewers came the question that was/is/will always remain favourite of those who love interviewing. Only difference is- I had completely forgotten the 'right' answer for it now. The woman interviewer- a successful, ambitious and brilliant professional sat back on her chair and asked: "Parul, where do you see yourself in ten years?"
Ten years meant 2014. Which is now. In the real world where am I after ten years? I am happily married. I have two adorable sons. I have ensured that I personally took care of them in their early years. I was fortunate to pursue my passion for writing and lucky to be a published author. I have tried my best to stay abreast with my professional expertise. You know what? I gave my answer and I was not selected :). Not saying that they pointed out this reason but certainly this was the last thing they asked before I was instructed to send in the next person. They had put me in a waitlist and confirmed my name exactly ten minutes after the names of 7-8 selected candidates (My husband was one of them). So why is it that they didn't like my answer instantly? Maybe because I sounded too unambitious? Too informal? Too true?
In three days I leave for the same campus. To celebrate with my friends the completion of TEN years out of MICA. It is now that I reflect upon my naivety of saying what I said then and feel happy that I was indeed speaking from my heart and not mind. My answer: In ten years, hopefully I will be well settled in a marriage, raising a family just the way I want. At the same time I will give in my best to have settled professionally in order to pursue something creative alongside. Anything that is beyond a regular job which keeps me sane and satisfied. 
1) Never say the truth
2) Never say- "Sir, in your seat"
My interview to get into MICA (My MBA college) didn't give me the chance to blurt out this answer. I don't remember the questions but clearly remember that I was not asked this! Two years at MICA came and went like tornado. Friends, hostel, mess food, credits, Ahmedabad- these things erased every instruction from my head and here I was at my first ever Campus Placement Interview with a Top most Media Planning Agency. There were two people on the panel- A man and a woman. Both very senior and known people in the industry. I was shit nervous and damn sure I am not landing this job. An informal pre placement offer at the back of my mind relaxed me a bit and I thought- Lets just see what happens. After a random 'this and that' rant by my interviewers came the question that was/is/will always remain favourite of those who love interviewing. Only difference is- I had completely forgotten the 'right' answer for it now. The woman interviewer- a successful, ambitious and brilliant professional sat back on her chair and asked: "Parul, where do you see yourself in ten years?"
Ten years meant 2014. Which is now. In the real world where am I after ten years? I am happily married. I have two adorable sons. I have ensured that I personally took care of them in their early years. I was fortunate to pursue my passion for writing and lucky to be a published author. I have tried my best to stay abreast with my professional expertise. You know what? I gave my answer and I was not selected :). Not saying that they pointed out this reason but certainly this was the last thing they asked before I was instructed to send in the next person. They had put me in a waitlist and confirmed my name exactly ten minutes after the names of 7-8 selected candidates (My husband was one of them). So why is it that they didn't like my answer instantly? Maybe because I sounded too unambitious? Too informal? Too true?
In three days I leave for the same campus. To celebrate with my friends the completion of TEN years out of MICA. It is now that I reflect upon my naivety of saying what I said then and feel happy that I was indeed speaking from my heart and not mind. My answer: In ten years, hopefully I will be well settled in a marriage, raising a family just the way I want. At the same time I will give in my best to have settled professionally in order to pursue something creative alongside. Anything that is beyond a regular job which keeps me sane and satisfied.
January 8, 2014
10 things we do differently as Mother and Sons
Just about to celebrate the 5th birthday of my second son. Yeah that does make me sound very old but hey- I had babies early- OKAY?
V and N: Partners in crime. Partners for lifeYeah so just yesterday I was observing the two extensions of mine having a time of their own in each other's company. They did not need me like they did not need the sofa I was sitting on. Point is, as they are growing up, my existence is limited to being a provider- Of food, toys, books, birthday plans and drives. My silent observations of their total withdrawal from me led me to make some comparisons. I was comparing how the same rituals and things of the past are now totally different. Here are the Top Ten Things in that list:
1) FOOD
Before: I cooked. They ate. They vomited. I cleaned. They digested. I was happy.Now: I cook. They make faces. They demand. I argue. They persist. I cook. They are happy.
2) SLEEP
Before: All night up. All night crying. Now: Both are early risers. Jump on my head as early as 7 am even on a Sunday!
3) Games
Before: Toys. Balls. Puzzles. SimplicityNow: Does anyone have boys who DO NOT play cricket? My sons can play cricket all day, all night, all month, all year, all holidays, all school days, all summers, all monsoon! 4)TV
Before: I didn't get time for much TVNow: I don't get time for much TV! Nobita and Chota Bheem should be banned in our country.
5) School
Before: Cried initially. Settled well gradually.Now: In the words of my older one: "Whoever invented Schools should be sent to a jail and beaten blue!" 6) Clothes
Before: Bath. Clothes. DoneNow: Bath. They don't like the clothes I have chosen for the day. They themselves dig into the almirah. Wear Jeans even at home. They have favourite colours. And lately they have started commenting on what we wear too!
7) Parties somewhere outside Before: Tried leaving them with Dadi but all we heard was- "Come back early. They are crying a lot"Now: We want them to come along and they cry as they would rather be home!
8) Parties at our home
Before: Party started. Kids put to sleepNow: "When will your friends come?", "Will they get kids?", "They get gifts for us?", "When will they go?", "No! We wont sleep early", "What will you do that we cant see?"
9) Papa
Before: Saurabh is a hands on Dad. Updated about everything-big or small.Now: Saurabh continues to be what he was. They love him more than me!
10) Me
Before: I was there. I will be there. I should be there.Now: I am there. I may not be there. They are infact happier when I am not at home as then Dadi can spoil them rotten :)
V and N: Partners in crime. Partners for lifeYeah so just yesterday I was observing the two extensions of mine having a time of their own in each other's company. They did not need me like they did not need the sofa I was sitting on. Point is, as they are growing up, my existence is limited to being a provider- Of food, toys, books, birthday plans and drives. My silent observations of their total withdrawal from me led me to make some comparisons. I was comparing how the same rituals and things of the past are now totally different. Here are the Top Ten Things in that list:1) FOOD
Before: I cooked. They ate. They vomited. I cleaned. They digested. I was happy.Now: I cook. They make faces. They demand. I argue. They persist. I cook. They are happy.
2) SLEEP
Before: All night up. All night crying. Now: Both are early risers. Jump on my head as early as 7 am even on a Sunday!
3) Games
Before: Toys. Balls. Puzzles. SimplicityNow: Does anyone have boys who DO NOT play cricket? My sons can play cricket all day, all night, all month, all year, all holidays, all school days, all summers, all monsoon! 4)TV
Before: I didn't get time for much TVNow: I don't get time for much TV! Nobita and Chota Bheem should be banned in our country.
5) School
Before: Cried initially. Settled well gradually.Now: In the words of my older one: "Whoever invented Schools should be sent to a jail and beaten blue!" 6) Clothes
Before: Bath. Clothes. DoneNow: Bath. They don't like the clothes I have chosen for the day. They themselves dig into the almirah. Wear Jeans even at home. They have favourite colours. And lately they have started commenting on what we wear too!
7) Parties somewhere outside Before: Tried leaving them with Dadi but all we heard was- "Come back early. They are crying a lot"Now: We want them to come along and they cry as they would rather be home!
8) Parties at our home
Before: Party started. Kids put to sleepNow: "When will your friends come?", "Will they get kids?", "They get gifts for us?", "When will they go?", "No! We wont sleep early", "What will you do that we cant see?"
9) Papa
Before: Saurabh is a hands on Dad. Updated about everything-big or small.Now: Saurabh continues to be what he was. They love him more than me!
10) Me
Before: I was there. I will be there. I should be there.Now: I am there. I may not be there. They are infact happier when I am not at home as then Dadi can spoil them rotten :)
January 2, 2014
Calendars on 1/1/Every year
Calendars hanging on the walls invoke a lot of nostalgia in me. The ones with birds, mountain peaks or animal faces- I have vivid memories of them. I always used to have one in my room while growing up. And the first thing I did with a new Calendar? Turn to the month of July (I was born in it) and see what picture it has. Invariably I used to find that particular picture the worst in the whole calendar and sulk through the year. Not to mention, sibling rivalry ensured that my brother who is a January born always had the best picture of the lot and thus worsened my agony. Now for the past 8 years of running my own household, I have never invested in a calendar. In initial years I did get them from Mom in Law as she worked in a bank and often got good looking calendars from her clients but gradually she stopped sharing them with us. Both Saurabh and I saw no need of relying on calendars for dates. For the general aesthetics of how we wanted our house to be, we never hung them. So questions like- "10th ko kya day padega?" or "Wednesday ko kya date hai?" were all answered by our phones or simple mathematics of going on adding 7 to today's date :)
But this calendar culture has some everlasting memories attached. To me every 1st of January was associated with changing calendars around the house. Choosing which calendar should be put in our room (the kids room) and which should go in Ma-Papa's room. They would come rolled so we used to open them, roll them the other side, figure out the small red string on the top, hang them all neatly on the designated nail and of course then turning the pages too see days of all our important events like our birthdays and parents' anniversary. This activity in my memory is synonym to how the first day of every year would be spent. Just yesterday my sons got their homework notebooks and insisted that I take some sort of a dictation. I wondered the reasons behind kids being proactive about Dictations. But I realised soon that they were both excited to write a new year in the date that they mention on top right. They wrote with excitement- 1 slash 1 slash 14! Maybe this is the excitement I had with those colourful calendars on my walls. Oh these silly memories and their associations. Years are turning still but no pages are carrying them now :) 
But this calendar culture has some everlasting memories attached. To me every 1st of January was associated with changing calendars around the house. Choosing which calendar should be put in our room (the kids room) and which should go in Ma-Papa's room. They would come rolled so we used to open them, roll them the other side, figure out the small red string on the top, hang them all neatly on the designated nail and of course then turning the pages too see days of all our important events like our birthdays and parents' anniversary. This activity in my memory is synonym to how the first day of every year would be spent. Just yesterday my sons got their homework notebooks and insisted that I take some sort of a dictation. I wondered the reasons behind kids being proactive about Dictations. But I realised soon that they were both excited to write a new year in the date that they mention on top right. They wrote with excitement- 1 slash 1 slash 14! Maybe this is the excitement I had with those colourful calendars on my walls. Oh these silly memories and their associations. Years are turning still but no pages are carrying them now :)
December 15, 2013
Crossed her path today...
I am not saying that just because I live in Delhi, the brutality of the gang rape hit me harder than any other woman in this world. But you know something happened last night which sort of made me feel the brutality a little bit closer than it ever had. As someone who has moved a zillion times on Delhi Roads, when I read the name of the Bus Stop from where she boarded the bus to the route it took while the horror was being committed, I sort of connect instantly. I have never personally stood at that particular place and I am sure whoever is there everyday, even now, must be remembering her each time.But last night, just as my phone showed the time as 00:00 and thus the date changed, through a strange coincidence, I was getting down the flyover which ends at the place this girl was thrown by the monsters, along with her friend. I was in my car, secure with my husband. There was a lot of traffic (it is a busy road even at midnight), my children were sleeping at home safely, my parents had just messaged me goodnight, my brother and his wife, who I had spent the evening with, were constantly in touch with me on my phone if we have reached or crossed the toll etc.. But just as we got down the decline, I was fully aware that this was the exact spot where she was abandoned to die, exactly an year back. I did become part of the National outrage post this crime and expressed solidarity and anger and irritation and helplessness. But somewhere, like everyone else, I had moved on. I celebrated my children's birthdays, I took three holidays, I danced crazy at parties, I laughed my eyes out with friends, I married off my brother and did many other things which a normal person had done, is doing and will do.Why then when I turned my gaze to the left to once see that place, something stopped inside my heart. Did I feel shallow? Scared? Hurt? Shameful? Guilty? I have no idea. All I felt was a numbness. I immediately turned to look at my husband who is the guy I share my life with. There was nothing unusual on his face. He looked at peace as we would soon reach home. I took solace in his calmness and decided to not share the sudden hollowness with him. The moment passed and I was soon worried about usual things like why is he driving so fast and how will I wake up early tomorrow morning. Did my connection with that horror emerge just because I was at that exact place where that girl was?
Yes. It was a way to let the woman in me know that this city could let me down at any point of time leaving my kids, husband, brother and parents totally helpless. It was a way to remind the mother in me that I am raising two sons who I have to teach to respect the gender their mother belonged to. It was a way to rekindle the human in me to stop for a minute and experience the enormity of this date. Spare a minute to shut your eyes and say a small prayer for that family who have lost one of them because a bunch of fellas decided to do so! 
Yes. It was a way to let the woman in me know that this city could let me down at any point of time leaving my kids, husband, brother and parents totally helpless. It was a way to remind the mother in me that I am raising two sons who I have to teach to respect the gender their mother belonged to. It was a way to rekindle the human in me to stop for a minute and experience the enormity of this date. Spare a minute to shut your eyes and say a small prayer for that family who have lost one of them because a bunch of fellas decided to do so!
November 17, 2013
After effects of Shaadi
The dust has settled. The guests are gone. The Thank You calls have been made. The maids have been satisfied with enough 'Bhai ki shaadi ki mithais'. Now is the time to reflect upon the last few months that went in making an Indian Wedding a perfect one!
I am not implying that we had a 'perfect' wedding, but the whole point is that no matter what you do- A wedding can NEVER be perfect. And that truly IS the real beauty of it. I was not supposed to write this post but you don't know how much pressure I have upon me to write it. The regular consumers of my blog who met me at my brother's wedding (held on 10th November-This year) told me they await a sequel post on an earlier one where I had merely forecasted the likely repercussions of organizing a wedding. So here they are- the truths behind everything we anticipated, everything we were prepared for, everything we weren't prepared for and everything that ought to happen as weddings do not happen between two individuals- they happen at various social levels!
1) Sending invites is the most thankless and risky part of the entire game. First you need to collectively decide WHO all are important and then you need to collectively convince each other why the one who are UNIMPORTANT are actually so. This is the time you come up with logics like- "Oh he didn't invite me in his cousin aunt's grandson's mundan, so its okay to drop them from the list!".
2) Continuing with the invites, all those who make to your-To be Invited- list then start acting pricey and possessive with their postal addresses. You ping them, remind them, urge them, request them- they will not send you the addresses till it is too late for the courier companies to reach their doorsteps. Oh and if you have asked them to give you addresses of their extended families- be prepared to beg forever!
3) There are always at least three things that we 'leave' to be done closer to the date and when we get closer to the date- those three things are not done as we do not have enough time to do them.
4) The vendors providing you services like band, baaja and bistars are the lot that have some typical traits:
Six months for the wedding- "Sab ho jaayega Sir"Four months for the wedding- "Badi jaldi macha rahein hai aap"Two months for the wedding- "Phir aa gaye aap?"Two weeks to the wedding- "Aap Kaun?"
5) Wedding jitters aren't natural, they are man made. If you attend a party month before a wedding in your house and you are having a good time, the society conspires to invoke jitters in you. They corner you and ask- "How come you look so relaxed? Preparations are done?". That is when you start feeling guilty if you are truly a fool to be enjoying life so close to the big day!
6) Emotions again are man made. Of course they are natural first but see how they are man made: Every time I went out shopping for myself and the shopkeeper came to know that I am the groom's sister he would say- "Dulhe ki behan hain aap? What will people say if you wear such a light color? You must look like the Dulhe ki behan!". Now you come back home and emotions consume you. You pick up your phone and type a Whatsapp message to the Dulha saying- "I am so happy you are getting married"
7) At all the functions you have a smile that sits on your lips. That smile is meaningless. It is so cosmetic that even biggest cosmetic companies cannot package it ably. Along with that smile another thing that doesn't leave your lips is the word- Thank You. Either people are congratulating you or complimenting you. I am so embarrassed to share that a couple of times when I met people at the functions I started greeting them with- "thank you....." realizing that they had neither congratulated nor complimented. But being a creative person I quickly added- "....for coming"
8) There is not just labor that is going in to make a perfect wedding, I realized that there is also blood! The real after effects are more physical. A limping husband, a bruised son, a cold infected self are just some of the things I can mention.
9) They say that you come to know who really care for you at the low points of your life. I say if you want to know who all are the people who truly stand by you- host a wedding. I am so glad that today I know exactly who are the people I will never leave in their good or bad times. So what if we realized that such people are actually countable on fingers- at least we know WHO they are :)
10) I know that managing relatives as guests is a huge task and as part of that hugeness- I am not touching that touchy topic :)
I am not implying that we had a 'perfect' wedding, but the whole point is that no matter what you do- A wedding can NEVER be perfect. And that truly IS the real beauty of it. I was not supposed to write this post but you don't know how much pressure I have upon me to write it. The regular consumers of my blog who met me at my brother's wedding (held on 10th November-This year) told me they await a sequel post on an earlier one where I had merely forecasted the likely repercussions of organizing a wedding. So here they are- the truths behind everything we anticipated, everything we were prepared for, everything we weren't prepared for and everything that ought to happen as weddings do not happen between two individuals- they happen at various social levels!1) Sending invites is the most thankless and risky part of the entire game. First you need to collectively decide WHO all are important and then you need to collectively convince each other why the one who are UNIMPORTANT are actually so. This is the time you come up with logics like- "Oh he didn't invite me in his cousin aunt's grandson's mundan, so its okay to drop them from the list!".
2) Continuing with the invites, all those who make to your-To be Invited- list then start acting pricey and possessive with their postal addresses. You ping them, remind them, urge them, request them- they will not send you the addresses till it is too late for the courier companies to reach their doorsteps. Oh and if you have asked them to give you addresses of their extended families- be prepared to beg forever!
3) There are always at least three things that we 'leave' to be done closer to the date and when we get closer to the date- those three things are not done as we do not have enough time to do them.
4) The vendors providing you services like band, baaja and bistars are the lot that have some typical traits:
Six months for the wedding- "Sab ho jaayega Sir"Four months for the wedding- "Badi jaldi macha rahein hai aap"Two months for the wedding- "Phir aa gaye aap?"Two weeks to the wedding- "Aap Kaun?"
5) Wedding jitters aren't natural, they are man made. If you attend a party month before a wedding in your house and you are having a good time, the society conspires to invoke jitters in you. They corner you and ask- "How come you look so relaxed? Preparations are done?". That is when you start feeling guilty if you are truly a fool to be enjoying life so close to the big day!
6) Emotions again are man made. Of course they are natural first but see how they are man made: Every time I went out shopping for myself and the shopkeeper came to know that I am the groom's sister he would say- "Dulhe ki behan hain aap? What will people say if you wear such a light color? You must look like the Dulhe ki behan!". Now you come back home and emotions consume you. You pick up your phone and type a Whatsapp message to the Dulha saying- "I am so happy you are getting married"
7) At all the functions you have a smile that sits on your lips. That smile is meaningless. It is so cosmetic that even biggest cosmetic companies cannot package it ably. Along with that smile another thing that doesn't leave your lips is the word- Thank You. Either people are congratulating you or complimenting you. I am so embarrassed to share that a couple of times when I met people at the functions I started greeting them with- "thank you....." realizing that they had neither congratulated nor complimented. But being a creative person I quickly added- "....for coming"
8) There is not just labor that is going in to make a perfect wedding, I realized that there is also blood! The real after effects are more physical. A limping husband, a bruised son, a cold infected self are just some of the things I can mention.
9) They say that you come to know who really care for you at the low points of your life. I say if you want to know who all are the people who truly stand by you- host a wedding. I am so glad that today I know exactly who are the people I will never leave in their good or bad times. So what if we realized that such people are actually countable on fingers- at least we know WHO they are :)
10) I know that managing relatives as guests is a huge task and as part of that hugeness- I am not touching that touchy topic :)
October 10, 2013
Are you serious about making a change? Someone I know is :)
My father's elder brother- Shri M K Tyagi- that is my Tauji has joined a political movement.He is one of the likely candidates from a Delhi constituency. When the political party he is attached with announced on Social media that people can get back to them if there is any flaw in his candidature, I got thinking. As his family member I have seen closely, everything that Tauji has stood for, all his life. But it is fair that most of you do not know him so you will not understand why we want him to get chosen and run for a victory this December.
I have been thinking ever since. Hence I came up with an idea so you know what kind of inspirations I have around me. I asked him a few quick questions so you know him a little better! As his niece all I can say is that his principles have guided each one of us to stay together and united.
Read my short interview with him (I had asked him to keep his answers crisp- very youth ishtyle):
Me: We all want to contribute to a better India. How do you think we youngsters can do it?
M. K Tyagi: By following the law of land
Me: All politicians are same! Corrupt and mean. Why should we vote?
M. K Tyagi: Voting is necessary to exercise option of NONE OF THE ABOVE if not any thing else
Me: If there is a choice of getting our work done quickly by greasing some officials palms, why shouldnt we do so?
M. K Tyagi: As you too are then committing an offence. Also by greasing we are making public servant corrupt- Arent you then part of the problem?
Me: What role has your IIT education played in your values?
M. K Tyagi: Competing and excelling at the National level gave me a lot of confidence
Me: If you meet Manmohan Singh for two hours, what will you ask him?
M. K Tyagi: In line with my email dated 19-07-2010 to the Prime Minister I asked him: Why did he not act against corruption to prove Winston Churchill wrong when on the eve of India's independence, Mr Churchill said:
..........Power will go to the hands of rascals, rogues and freebooters. All Indian leaders will be of low caliber and men of straw. They will have sweet tongues and silly hearts. They will fight among themselves for power and India will be lost in political squabbles........
Me: Some quick facts about you:
One thing about yourself you would like to change?
M. K Tyagi: My Physique
One trait of your personality you are proud of?
M. K Tyagi: My Integrity
You relax by.......
M. K Tyagi: I meditate. Listening to Arnab Goswami also relaxes me!
For you your family is. ....
M. K Tyagi: My Strength
You will never. ......
M. K Tyagi: Violate teachings of the Bhagwad Gita
I feel empowered that there is someone I know who can actually bring a change. It is not about promoting my family, it is about believing that mere rhetoric is not enough. Lets stand together- vote for the right people- believe in the system rather than just criticizing it- Lets just make this happen guys!
