kindergarten syllabus in some schools !!!

we tried to find a suitable play school (UKG)for our 4 year child. we checked with one of the popular (?) school for the same. We were shocked to hear the principal telling us that syllabus includes Maths, sciences, social studies and GK (for general knowledge !) for this little children.
Where we heading? what will happen to those children growing up like this?

Jai ho! jai jai hoo! Governor Narasimha !!! for dissmissing the vice chancellor of SK university

in an extraordinary manner, the Governor of Andrapradesh dismissed the vicechancellor of Sri krishna devaraya university (Ananthapur). Mrs.Kusuma Kumari, the disgraced vice chancellor, as found out the investigation report has committed several wrongs.
The way this disgraced lady spoke to the media brought out more of her nature than any thing else. it is easily visible she is caste oriented, politically motivated and intellectually bank rupt.
More such actions are needed, Sir. All right thinking citizens see a ray of hope in your actions. Go ahead, clean this dirt from the society!!!.
Jai ho!

Indian Idol? or Punjabi Idol or some regional idol !!!?

I rarely watch TV programs. i was watching the Sony TV indian Idol on August 2nd night. Bright, very well talented youngsters, Bhoomi, Sreeram, Swaroop and Rakesh made it to the last four. Now the number of SMS votes will decide, which one will be Indian idol.Few, deliberate things done surprised me great deal. The hysterical “hussain” anchor and his co-anchor repeatedly calling one contestant named “Rakesh” as Punjabi puttar, and the way Rakesh received with bhangra and sent off in style, along with exuberant and skewed words and encouragement to him, which is conspicuously not extended to Sreeram, who is obviously the best of all, but not from the Punjab or hindi belt area. I thought the judges too perhaps are not displaying neutral attitude,saying a negative word, or negative gesture which can create self doubt and leads to loss of confidence , were up to this in a systematic manner. In that case, how this can be called as Indian idol contest, it should be a Punjabi idol or something like that. India never integrated in to one; we tend to give a positive spin saying unity in diversity, while remaining essentially diverse and at times divisive. I won’t be surprised if “Rakesh” be declared SONY TV Indian,sorry Punjabi idol on 15^th August.

I also recollect couple of years back one “karunya” a great talent from Hyderabad was done in; leading to crowing of another less talented youngster.

The four most important things in life !!!

yesterday our hospital celebrated 10th anniversary. As a part of it, an unique program was conducted which saw some of those patients who are cured of their disease interacting with their doctors and sharing their experiences with the audience. To choose few to give an idea,there was a middle age woman who had undergone cardiac transplantation and another 60 year old male with kidney transplant; a very young couple, the wife donated her kidney to her husband, and another person who had liver transplant etc.
Every body spoke on their life and the hospital services. What struck me through all their speeches, was the most important things that mattered to them. Most expressed happiness they could do these things :Now i am able to eat, I am able to sleep well, I am able to walk and the last one, enjoying time with family and kids.
very basic and fundamental features of life. often, we take them for granted,only to realize when the life is threatened. how strange?!

MEDICAL COUNCIL OF INDIA DISSOLVED - is that the right answer? may be or may not be!

Medical Council of India (MCI), an apex regulatory body, under the chairmanship of Dr.Ketan Desai has fallen in to such low levels due to rampant and rabid corruption, that the President of india issued an ordinance dissolving the council. As the drama unfolded with his arrest by the CBI while accepting 2 crore rupees bribe, i was rather puzzled over the fact that the govt has no authority to act on the council, such was the autonomy granted by our great authors of constitution and look at, how greedy and rogue administrators like ketan desai had abused it.
Over the last decade and half or so, when i became aware of the existence of this council, we were hearing and perceiving in some form or other, the corrupt methods of MCI. Few years back, the supreme court of India denounced MCI as den of corruption. and yet, Ketan Desai continued as it's head. Giving strength to statements like " ko ee bhi chalega, india, me" (meaning, everything and anything is possible in India, due to malfunction of the governance). I don't know what this guy wanted to with that kind of Gold (>1000 kilograms !). Unsatisfied with the wealth he had amassed, it is rumored that the unique rural medical graduate program he wanted to start and more recently his "noble looking" effort to block the pharma industry - doctor interface, were all intended to milk more money!!!
Government has formed board of governors with 6 members. the choice seems to interesting and perplexing as most of them are not from nationally reputed institutes like AIIMS, PGI (chandigarh), JIPMER etc, barring dr.sitanayak for Lucknow!
This disease needs medicine, a curative one, even if it is a bitter & painful one, because if the MCI is healthy, the nation's (of it's citizens) health can be guaranteed or else, should we need imagination ?

A new born dies in a hosptial @ Tirupati !!

Yesterday, a poor, pregnant woman deserted by her husband, reaches emergency ward in a government run teaching hospital in Tirupati (with nearly 60 years of existence), delivers a child, none to care for the child dies. the mother too almost bled to death, no ambulance to shift her to a kilometer away maternity hospital !!.
This is the status of the most of the government run hospitals, basic equipment and tools are missing. in this example, it is a shame that, such a big hospital doesn't have working ambulance !
come and watch the cruel irony of statues of dead politicians, each statue costing several millions of rupees(of public money), getting erected.
What a shame ! what a waste !!

Jai ho, Governor Sri Narasimhan !!

Today newpapers carried two important news items, interestingly both are related to our governor Sri.Narasimhan !
Yesterday, he addressed govt officials in hyderabad training centre, while addressing them, he observed and told about how the public is loosing faith in the governance. i thought this reflected two things, one the reality and the second, that he is connected with the reality. Our governance, particularly in Andhrapradesh is all about rude, large scale exploitation of the weak and voice less, by the muscle, money, politically powered group. from land leasings to land grabbings to group I and group II postings to allottment of Special Economic Zones to mining mafia, it's mind less,endless greed of this rogues well diguised as politicians, bussineesmen ad civil servants.
Civil society is numbed and now got used to this brutality. if only the fairness, transperancy is restored in our governance, we woudn't need to mourn the Dhantewada or madhuri gupta!
Another news item, was the occasion of starting of " care-nimmagadda(this nimmagadda, is he the same guy(?), in news for some unfair large scale land favors by the government) children heart institute" , honourable governor wondered aloud, why such a thing was not a part of government initiative. Unfortunately, it's not. During the last 10 years, while i worked for the cancer centre in SVIMS, i came to realise the hard truth that for our majority of politicians and the bueracrats, people welfare and nation building is not a priority!
How i wish that this governer has more powers to act and more field to perform!
Jai ho! Sri. Narasimhan, you are an inspiration for right thinking and right doing

Tharoor and his "Class"

Tharoor called 99% of indians travelling by air as Cattle Class, i don't know what term he has for those travelling by trains, buses etc. This guy stayed in 5 star hotel at taxpayers cost and he only shifted out, when media exposed it. Now, he got his girl(woman)friend a sweat(?) equity, worth of 70 crore indian rupees! free!!! . she might have helped him, but why rest of the indians pay for his romance. After all, the money this IPL or any generates is through this "cattle Class" indians watching it religiously. Look at his statement, he didn't get a single rupee out of it, but i can't understand, who gets it after his marriage to his woman friend.Mother of all his duplicities came, when he visited kerala recently, where he declared that he did all this to help kerala !!
What do you call this guy? THAROOR CLASS !!! and put it below all the animal classes, because it stinks too much!

Sania, Media & Mania

Last 10 days, the whole of andhra (perhaps India?) witnessed rather comic show of love, romance and controversies on Sania Mirza. Poor girl, had a jolly good time with media for several years and benefitted immensely and disproportionately to her tennis talents and glamour quotient. She used media to the hilt and to her huge advantage. "

SANIA LOSES 2-0 IN THE FIRST ROUND

, was transmitted as the most nation shaking, breaking news, 24x7. She built her BRAND.
This time her choice of groom, became intensely controversial. not due to his pakistani origin, but because of his past. Media lapped it up for it's coverage, for days together, bringing out every dark aspect of this controversy in to open and every guy on the streets of andhra knows about all unsavoury things in this, whether you wanted to know or not, when TV was switched "on", all channels were same.
This time around Media used up Sania, mercilessly !
What a turn of events!
Let's hope it works for the yet to be wed couples!

Cancers In children - Learn to help, even if one child gets benefited..

Most of the Childhood cancers can be cured !

Cancers occurring from a newborn to adolescence are grouped as pediatric cancers. These cancers diseases are unique and lot different from the cancers in the adults . Childhood cancers, most importantly, are not associated with well known cancer causing habits such as smoking, tobacco chewing, alcohol, gutkha chewing and few dietary items, which have carcinogens in them. Further, the cancers in children tend to aggressive, rapidly growing and have propensity to spread to the neighboring tissues and distant organs. Some of these childhood cancers, have characteristic genetic changesand in few (up to 10%) run in families.
The most important thing to know about these cancers in children, that most of them respond very well to the treatment and stand a real chance of cure !
Some of the common childhood cancers:
Acute lympho blastic Leukemia (blood cancer)
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
NonHodgkin’s lymphoma
Osteosarcoma (bone cancer)
Ewing’s sarcoma (bone cancer)
Neuroblastoma
Rhabdomyosarcoma (muscle cancer)
Wilm’s tumor (Kidney cancer in children)
Germ cell tumors

Blood cancers in Children: More common and important blood cancer is Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (A.L.L). The symptoms of this cancer are bleeding from the gums (with or without brushing), nose bleed, easy bruiesebility, fatigue and weakness, repeated fever due to infections. Some children may develop small lymphnodal swellings on either side of the neck, axilla (armpits) and the groin. Parents at times find some lumps in the abdomen as consequence of the enlarged spleen and liver.
Thank to 3 decades of research and progress in cancer treatment, the possibility of cure in children with this type of blood cancer is about 90 percent in America, Europe, Japan and china. The treatment for this cancer is by chemotherapy, comprising of a mix of several types of injections and few tablets initially, few months later tablets form the major part of the treatment for nearly 2 to 2 ½ years !. During the first few months, in addition to periodic intravenous injections, children also will receive injections to the spinal cord on regular basis.
The success rates for this cancer in India from New Delhi to Chennai are not as impressive as in western countries!
Lymphoma cancers in children:
The two most important lymphoma cancers in children:Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Non –hodgkins Lymphoma. These type of cancers arise from the lymphnodes, which are normally present at several locations in the body, like in the neck on both sides, axilla (armpits), groin, deep in the abdomen and chest. Parents often notice in their child that a pain less swelling, which grows with the time, more commonly in the neck, axilla and the groin. These swellings often do not trouble the child in the beginning. Rarely, children may have fever, profuse sweating in the nights and loose weight.
All children with these two types of cancers are again can easily be cured with chemotherapy. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is treated with different chemotherapy protocol and Non-hodgkins lymphoma is treated with different chemotherapy protocol. So, there is need to arrive at a specific diagnosis before treatment is started. More than 90 percent of children with these cancers can be cured !.
In our state and country too, we have impressive success in treating Hodgkin’s disease.
The common pitfall often the child and primary care doctor get in situation, is inadequate diagnosis and routine, empirical antituberculous treatment, which obviously would fail; by this time precious few months of time is lost and cancer would have progressed to the advanced stage !. The primary care doctor should order a lymphnode biopsy in all suspicious cases, because The tuberculosis affected lymphnode and hodgkin’s affected lymphnode often look similar !
3)Bone cancers:
The two important bone cancers in children are Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma.
These cancer can also be cured by combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, if diagnosed in early stage and by correct treatment. Osteosarcoma is a type of cancer, which occurs more commonly at growing ends of the long bones; these are the lower end of the thigh bone (femur) and upper end of leg bone (tibia), this means that any bone swelling just above and below the knee is a suspect and should be investigated. It is extremely important to know that the biopsy of these swellings should be done by a surgeon, who has training and knowledge on bone cancers!
Ewings sarcoma is a different type of bone cancer that arises as a swelling in the middle of the long bones.
Often, the child notices a painful swelling just around the knee, either above or below, which they attribute to fall or cricket ball that hit him and usually postpones for several weeks, before seeking medical help. By this time the cancer would have progressed to a size that limb preserving surgery couldn’t be done or spread to distant organs such as lung, precluding a curative treatment. Therefore it is vital for the parents to know and be vigilant on any bone swelling around the knee and shoulder joint and seek the medical advice at the earliest.
4) Other important childhood cancers include Neuroblastoma, Wilm’s tumor, Hepatoblastoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma and Germ cell tumors. These cancers do have excellent treatment and a very high possibility of cure, when diagnosed in early stage and undergoes right kind of treatment.
Childhood cancers in India- disappointments and need for improvement:
The cure rates in children in our country, especially in our state are not as good as in the western countries. Several published and unpublished data in our state and the country showed that we have only succeeded in treating Hodgkins’lymphoma. While the common child hood blood cancer (A.L.L) has cure rates of more than 90 percent in western countries and developed Asian countries, we have best success rate of 50 percent!. It is very disappointing. There reasons which can be corrected with little effort to inform and raise the awareness among the public, because most children by the time they seek medical advice it is already quiet advanced stage spread to distant organs such as lungs. Majority of cancers in such stage cannot be cured anywhere in the world at the moment. Success rates can be increased by diagnosing the cancers in early stage. This can be done by increasing public awareness on child hood cancers and access to health care facilities. There is also need to educate the primary care doctors by conducting seminars and CMEs.
Another important reason for disappointing results is lack of enough cancer specialists treating childhood cancers. The high success rates in developed countries are due to strict adherence to treatment protocols. As we lack this discipline, the treatment protocols are compromised in several crucial areas such as chemotherapy protocols, drug doses, timing of chemo, adhoc decision making, Incorporation of radiation, when needed, faulty surgical technique, all end up affecting the success and jeopardizing the children’s lives.
It is also a fact and often offered as an excuse, that quality supportive care facilities to treat complications that arise due to chemotherapy, particularly infections are not available across the state and across the country. Some children are lost to these complications, which otherwise can be saved. The cancer treatment needs a good blood bank, to support the chemotherapy induced complication; therefore lack of blood banks with component preparation facility is also an important factor contributing to our failure.
Cost of cancer treatment, which is usually higher than other diseases, is one of the reasons behind our poor performance. Cancer treatment has been expensive and beyond the reach of common man. However, large number of Indian pharma companies are now manufacturing and selling these drugs at a fraction of the cost of the imported medicines. Additionally the Arogyashree scheme of Govt of AP, which has included all types of childhood cancers, should make every child with cancer to get the deserved treatment, free of cost!
Lack of advanced treatment facilities such as bonemarrow transplant units, which has played an important role in the treatment of high risk blood cancers, relapsed blood cancers and lymphomas, is also one of the reasons for disappointing cure rates in childhood cancer arena.
There is an immediate need to improve the success rates in the childhood cancers in our state and in our state and across the country.

Finally, it is very tragic that child with cancer, who get cured, faces isolation and at times humiliation in our schools and the society. There is a need to eradicate this social stigma and accept these children as normal and allow them to grow as responsible citizens.

SDKSS committee …. For peace or partition, or for BOTH !

The centre has announced a five member committee ( sriKrishna, Duggal,Kaur,sheriff,Singh) to sort the mess in the state of andhrapradesh.
The choice of the persons is really interesting and commendable; is quite balanced to look at the issue from several angles; I believe, it is a neutral committee. What is interesting, is the time frame that has been given, 3 years!. At the end of this 3 years, the state will be facing an election for both assembly and the loksabha. Which ever direction/advice/opinion that the committee submits, say for example the committee favors a separate state for Telangana, rest of the state will protest; or if the committee supports the status quo, Telangana politicians would be unhappy.

Either way, you stand to lose in one region,That’s a big risk for congress particularly!
It is would be an interesting, exciting to see, how the SRMC axis deals with this issue and wriggle out of this apparently a cess pool, from an intellectual perspective, purely.

The wild, cruel ways of Money….

Couple of days back, Vijayawada-guntur witnessed a gruesome, horribly mind numbing killing of 11 year old girl, daughter of businessman (liquor & realestate). The motive behind that tragedy, apparently a family feud on the uneven division of the wealth among the two families of a man. The civil society of the state and beyond, grieved over this macabre killing.
Hopefully, the perpetrators, from the planning to the executers, should be punished harshly, by our lazy police and flexible judiciary and the confusing politicians.
Any lessons for general public in this gory incident !.

I thought there are very big ones to be learnt. Wealth and money are dangerous, if not handled well. Vulgar display of wealth creates more negative emotions (jealousy etc) than the positive ones in others. It has been my observation that even your close relatives losing their happiness, once you start flaunting your wealth !
Minus all this wealth, Vaishnavi would have been still alive, happily going to school (may be in auto, not a car) and playing with her friends; enjoying childhood in all it’s charm and freshness.

Minus all this wealth, Her father would have been alive, may be doing a small business or job. Happily enjoying the presence of children and the family life.
What did all this money and wealth got them. MISERY, DEATH, GRIEF etc!.
Money, beyond your needs , is a dangerous thing!. Trying to possess it and control it, doesn’t result in positive and happy things, always! This is the big lesson , I presume. Let me know about your own observations.

India @ 60

India @60:

Exactly 60 years back, the constitution of India, an excellent document with a road map for independent India has come in to existence. Some of the cardinal features such as pluralism, equality, equal opportunity,democracy and freedom; This document could come in to function because of great selfless effort, supreme sacrifices, hardship and imprisonment of many.

What is your role?
Did we contribute anything to this process? Did any of our family members fought for the independence, jailed or killed? In most cases, the answer is obvious NO. and yet we are enjoying the fruits of this constitution. In this context, what should we do? What is expected of us? If we behave with responsibility towards our constitution and uphold the spirit and letter, perhaps that is all required. Isn’t simpler, easy and safer than the one millions people sacrificed their wealth, health and lives to get this freedom and an excellent constitution?
Our constitution, there by the republic continues to have several challenges. Some of the recent ones include Region, language, ethnicity etc, which have been started and abetted by some selfish politicians, are threatening the very relevance of the constitution. Why is it happening, who is doing it? The days of yore, when Gandhi, Vinobha, Bose,Shastry, Prakasam panthulu, who gave up everything for the country are a distant fairy dream. Long gone!
These days the politics have become professional commerce and big money making activity. It is a well publicized fact that many rowdy sheeters, murderers, dons, Indian origin suspects and rapists have fought the last election and some have won. What kind of governance, can we expect from these people?
The father of the nation, Gandhi has become an advertisement material for this unscrupulous present era politicians. Using his photographs, and statues for publicity and press coverage, Much like, the beauty pageant participants speaking eloquently on mother Theresa and land up in the movie sets after the event. White cap, Garlanding the Gandhi statue on Oct 2 and forgetting even routine maintenance thereafter, is routine and visible across the country. In several places that I had worked, I have seen the statue of Gandhi, unkempt and neglected; in contrast, statues of small time controversial politicians maintained extremely well !.
Recently, Our state govt reacting to the tragic death of YSR, several crores of rupees have been earmarked for statues and parks. By that count, what should be done to Gandhi’s legacy?

India’s time has come!
Many international experts across all corners of the world, repeatedly keep saying that this is india's time! it is quite easy to find the reasons behind this. We have the largest (>30%) populations younger than 40 years of age, most productive age. Most of them have english capabilities; india yet to build roads, express ways, ports, airports and other infrastructure, large consumer economy. therefore there is big oppurtunity for growth and development leading to prosperity. Time is not static and it is always moving. How do we make of this unique oppurtunity. we should be doing by enhancing capabilities and skills of our young students. create more universities, more institutes, more colleges, more schools, more vocational institutes, labs, technology training, language skills etc... this is the way forward to utilise this vast wealth of youth population, for productive and positive outcome.
what exactly is happening now. we are provoking them and teaching them to burn buses, trains,attack and destroy businesses, shutdown colleges and universities,lost focus on academics. by these , the result would be youth that is inadequately skilled, misdirected, rowdy, prone for violence and obstruction. One need not try hard to imagine the negative consequences this would have for us. India's time, by then, would have gone!. We wouldn't need the pakisthan and china's help to destroy us. we would have done it for ourselves !

TELANGANA TUSSLE - THE END GAME...

The tragedy and turmoil continues. some genuine suicides seem to have taken place, nipping the, yet to blossom, lives of the students, who had been supported by poor and middle class parents. None of these martyrs belong to rich families. Alas ! The poor continnues to be innocent and vulnerable for exploitation.
What is going to happen? what is the end game ?. i think it is very complex and unpredictable. Neverthless, some logical thinking is possible. I think, now it is no more a region or state issue, it has become a national issue with farreaching consequences. If Telangana state is carved out, it is not just, whether AP should remain two or more, but additional 10 to 12 new states would need to be created elsewhere. This would obviously have political, financial, peace and security related consequences !. therefore, my guess, is that Telangana or Vidharbha will not happen now or in the immediate or distant future. couple of days back, Rahul gandhi, when asked by journalist on the possibility of creating a state of Bundhelkand, he did mention that this region has suffered and not developed, but he is againt the statehood, but for the development of the region. Is there a message to our fighting brotheren !. finally, it is the SRMC axis (Sonia, Rahul, Manmohan, chidambaram), that matters and decides.
Who are the losers and gainers here!
Students are the biggest losers. they are losing an academic year, very very crucial in student life and above all they have lost the focus. Some have lost lives. did any politician became a martyr?.
Even if a MLA/MP looses a seat, he/she has got big buisinesses or mines on his side. but students loose their study, they loose their future and their parent's hard work.
Hyderabad lost heavily too. The trust on peace in Hyderabad is shattered for ever. i don't think it can ever be won. Who will invest his 1000 crores to put up a industry, which any way will take 20 years to make profits, be unsure what will happen by then?. Hyderabad likely to go back to old glory!
Media is biggest winner, breaking news all the time, without any breaks! they had a ball!
Perhaps the route to Telangana is not from OU, but from the Assembly to SRMC axis/centre !
Times have changed ! so is the need for methods to change !.
OM SHANTHI SHANTHI SHANTHI HI !

Jyothi basu's death

One of the torchbearer's of communist ideology in India. Indisputedly, a great leader of people. He has been credited with land reforms, tiller gets the ownership of the land. governed west bengal for a long period, that's difficult to be repeated by any leader in any state. i don't know if it is positive or negative statement.there was always criticism that the democratic process has been made a mockery kind of stuff. One of my friend, a sincere, hardworking banker told me terrible things on work pattern and culture in west bengal. Even Oberoi's biography speaks of the difficulties of working and wealth creation during this period. i do admire great,living, communist personalities like karat, yechury etc, but some how i don't get always convinced about their posture on india Vs china issues.

feeling that

3 idiots movie

i saw this gripping, hilarious yet instructive movie last night. great entertainement and contemporary. directorial excellence is admirable as much as the actors performance.

Isn't it a shame !

last three months, andhrapradesh state witnessed a terrible, divisive politics. routine life is affected. even kids are aware of this divisive issue.people started discussing and making out which region you belong to. till then, we are identified as andhra guys or telugu guys. during this turmoil, i was asked by my colleague, to which region i belong to! i was horrified !! suddenly i need to answer such question. Situation is no different to others. people are trying to be diplomatic and evasive, before saying their mind and trying to make out to which region he or she belongs to. it has evolved in to a low degree civil war, with a potential to go the somalia way. i am not wee bit exaggerating. Today one movie release is being obstructed. do we have governance?.

It's more than 6 decades since india got his independence. we are still discussing on how it should be organised and how it should be governed!, what a shame!

Shouldn't be there be a freeze on number states/units that india should consist of and Number of political parties that should exist in our country.

Every disatisfied politician starts a political party by highly divisive issues such as region, religion, caste; what should happen to this society or country!

Ironically, in United states, there are no fights for states and there are two political parties only

Granted, one new state is created with 10 districts and i am sure, not all districts will develop uniformly, because of several reasons. After 30 years or so, again should we divide this state in to two or three. Where do we end !

what surprises me, the Nalgonda fluoride problem keeps crippling the generations, but none till date fasted to eradicate this problem.

None fasted for good roads to his village or town

None fasted for a good school/college

None fasted for a good hospital for their village or town

because, it benefits the people, not the pseudo-fasters!

Isn't it a shame!