Donating body is noble but...?

    And:

 palampurbeats's  Ist Anniversary:  musings 

There was a death in our neighbourhood on 3rd of November. Well, what is so unusual about it, you might ask.  Sad, but this is an inescapable fact of worldly existence, you would add. But there is one thing noteworthy in the present case.  This neighbour of ours (who served the postal department with distinction), Shri Surinder Bhardwaj - a gentle, amiable, soft-spoken, kind-hearted but clear-headed soul – standing up and above our customs, conventions and रीति-रिवाज़  which at times stifle our rational approach to life and world, had opted to donate his body to a hospital (Medical College, Tanda) for medical research. To ensure that his family members suffer no hassles in the execution of his wish, he had painstakingly and meticulously completed all the tiresome formalities and the necessary paper-work well in time. But after his death, when it came to actually handing over the body, his son Sandeep and  other kin had a shock awaiting them. The doctor-in-charge at Tanda hospital came up with a new pre-condition to be fulfilled before the body could be accepted: a certificate of death from no other than an MBBS doctor. Taken aback, Sandeep argued with the doctor that all the necessary formalities have already been carefully taken care of and no such pre-condition exists. Still, if indeed it is so, they could procure a certificate from any RMP. But no. The good doctor was adamant and unrelenting. Flabbergasted, Sandeep then talked to a senior doctor-friend at the local Government hospital and told him about the impasse, seeking his help and advice. He agreed and opined that there was no such pre-condition and that the body should be gratefully accepted by the hospital in question. But the stalemate continued. Then, out of sheer exasperation, the grieving son lost his cool. He told the stubborn, insensitive doctor: “Look here. It was my father’s dear wish that we are dutifully trying to carry out. And you are unnecessarily creating difficulties instead of being helpful…without the slightest care or empathy for the shocked state of mind we are in. If you can be so callous and unwilling then I will have  no option but to arrange for the funeral instead. But before that I will call the press and expose your insensitive and non-cooperative attitude in the matter…” and so on. That said, the wheel turned the other way at once. Realising that this kind of adamant attitude by the hospital against a noble act by someone when exposed, would at once go viral and show the hospital and the doctor in poor light, the doctor’s stiffness and obstinacy all melted at once. All due help was then extended to the family and the body was at last accepted.

We all know there is a crying need of dead bodies in all hospitals. Most of the bodies that the hospitals are able to procure with difficulty are unclaimed ones and not in a very good physical state for medical practicals and research. Any good hospital should therefore feel immensely grateful and lucky and in fact go out of the way to have a body being willingly offered at its doorstep, and facilitate the whole process instead of creating hurdles. Further, the maze of procedural formalities which deter potential do-gooders from such kind acts should be simplified and the hospital administration should play a pro-active role in smoothening the process. In the present case even the refrigeration facility which was locally available wasn’t extended and the kin of the deceased were asked to arrange ice themselves in order to keep the body in the right state for its proper use.

 How many of us, trapped in our orthodoxy, rituals and customs, have the nobility, greatness and generosity of mind to rise above the self, above the sentiments of the family, above rigid, insular mindsets and volunteer to donate the body for the cause of science? Very, very few. Therefore the rare few in our midst whose hearts throb with idealism and social spirit need to be saluted and worshipped. Shri Surinder Bhardwaj was one such exalted soul deserving of all praise and applause.

And in contrast, the attitude and behaviour of the doctor in question is a matter of shame. It also speaks of the sickening bureaucratic tangles, convoluted procedures and tedious paperwork that kill initiative, prevent people from doing some social good, promote mediocrity/incompetency, fuel corruption and hinder our path to progress and prosperity.

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Musings on palampurbeats's Ist Anniversary    

* When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, joy: Rumi

* I would like to live/ Like a river flows. Carried by the surprise/ Of its own unfolding: John O' Donohue   

     

Dear friends,

Well, this is the 52^nd post; in other words, palampurbeats’s first-anniversary post. This year-long journey has been quite an exciting one; very satisfying too. It gave me a window of opportunity to vent out my steam and write without fear and inhibitions on any topic under the sky that seized my fancy: politics;  social issues; Palampur’s woes and worries, it’s steady loss of ‘green’ and pristine beauty; translations of some poems that I loved; nature and its wonders that make life worth living…birds in particular; a leaf or two from my own personal life and some inland travels; tears and sorrow on the deaths of some beloved and respected ones; and not the least, on the never-to-die theme of LOVE which makes our hearts tick...and at times stop! I also took the liberty to dip my pen in my ‘poetic inkwell’ so to say, and dish out some verses both in English and Hindi...not without some trepidation whether it would agree with the refined taste-buds of my reader-friends or not. Well,  I don't know for sure whether you liked it or not: the stuff I churned out week after week, every Saturday, except one miss and (on a Sunday, on one occasion). But for me posting these weekly blogs - as well as the introductory lines (on Facebook and WhatsApp) in verse - I have enjoyed and loved every bit...especially taking pot shots at this tribe of power-hungry, unscrupulous politicians masquerading as “public servants” (noble exceptions notwithstanding) who have made such a terrible mess of our great country, as also our charming hill state.

My readership hasn’t been huge but steady and growing, and, believe me, incredibly global. After my own country, my posts have had readers in the USA, Canada, several countries in Europe, South East Asia, the Middle East, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Taiwan and  South Korea. What more can one expect as a response to a very modest and humble endeavour? Further, there are friends who have been commenting regularly on my posts, some on the blog site, most others on WhatsApp and Facebook. I have been profoundly overwhelmed and am beholden to them for their abiding support. That has been the most essential fuel, the tonic I required to keep the little flame of writing, burning bright. I have been fully conscious of my limited writing abilities, though. Neither I wrote, nor envisaged penning anything great or earth-shaking. But it is true that what I wrote has been straight from my heart and without prejudice or bias. Still, if willy-nilly, I have hurt anybody’s feelings in any way, my unqualified apologies!

Now, at this juncture, I am in a dilemma: Should I carry on? Or should I now navigate some fresh new waters?..Why not sit all alone beside some gurgling Himalayan stream wrapped in my own thoughts and string  garlands  using words as beads?...Should I reappear now in some new avatar, or call it quits? 
I hate monotony and stagnation, and adore change. Life, for me, is a river. It must flow on, taking the rough and smooth, the rise and fall, the soft sands of happiness or the rough boulders and rocks of sorrow and sadness  in its stride. I don’t know what course my life’s river will take next: through some sun-lit beach of bliss, or a turbulent, choppy run! Be that as it may, I am, for now, taking a  break. Till then keep your fingers crossed and once again thanks for having been with me!

My thousand million hugs and kisses to you all!  Oh, boy!  I loved you all so much...

And (though preachy, but) my last word:
 'Be like  a river. Be open. Flow.' (Julie Connor).
 Embrace the whole world. It is  beautiful and...all yours. Only, you should have eyes without blinkers, a warm loving heart, a spirit with wings and without knots, and wide open arms!
Adieu! नमस्कार। ख़ुदा हाफिज़। 

   

                       

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