Kuyil Raju Kathas ( stories )

Koel or nightingale is Kuyil in Malayalam and Tamil .
Generally good singers are given that name like Lata Mangeskar ji or Chitra of the south .

This story is about someone who was a bad singer but who loved to sing and hence called cynically as Kuyil Raju .
Raju was never known to me for he was my uncles close buddy part of the gang who were upto all sort of things in my  village  Parappanangadi

My ancestral village is in Malappuram district ,on the coast and on route to Calicut from Shoranur by rail .
Most of my holidays of childhood was spent in the greenly corridors called edozhis or small ways of this village and diving into the green ponds or eating green mangoes with stolen chilly powder ,in the evenings we would powder ourselves and stand near the gate combing our hairs to gawk at our favourite damsels going to the temple with the boiling hormones of the young .

Raju unlike me and my cousins who only came here on holidays was born and brought up here .
He and his friends were in their twenties and grown men with more mature pleasures like stealing coconuts drinking toddy and whisky singing like rascals fooling around in the temple festivals etc.
these men were also the first to join the annual cleaning of the temple tank which was a nocturnal picnic with men of all ages and sizes jumping into the shallow pond as most of its water would have been pumped out  to  remove the mud in swathes and throw it into the adjacent paddy fields ,so that the pond was fresh to receive the monsoon rains .
by midnight most of the married men would have returned to their scowling wives and kuyils gang would then bring out their hidden beverages and dig deep for camouflaged fishes for a deep fry side dish .
Legends grew around Kuyil Rajus escapades specially on his acting debacles .
Kuyil prized himself as an entertainer and he was always in an important role in the amateur dramas staged for the annual vayanasala or local library annual day .
this was a big event in the village and the gaily lit stage glittered on the side of the Railway line while the whole village in their evening best gathered on the sands in front to watch the fun .
One time our kuyil was Socrates and his bearded countenance was at his histrionic best while he swallowed the hemlock with a grimness unsurpassed ,he never knew to make it more authentic the brew concocted by his friends  had some strong arrack with a couple of valiums thrown in for good measure .our Kuyil promptly sunk to the stage with a deep gasp that got a  lot of applause at its exactness ,his friends carried him backstage and he wouldn't wake up for hours slowly they started getting worried and rushed him to the local hospital for a stomach wash and a resurrected Kuyil Raju  opened his eyes .
on another time he again acted as a dying man for which he was getting a real name by then as the applause grew our peoples actor got up and fell dead once more listening to the audience demand only to be hooted away .
once as a bearded character he was in the green room fuming at the long lecture by the local politician  who was also his long time drinking partner and as the night grew and the beard produced uncontrollable itching kuyil dragged him back from the stage with the big mike in tow .
The magnum opus of the great Kuyil was his notorious role as Draupadi
the mythical wife of the pandavas was disrobed by a villainous Dushashan and ogled by the kauravas in the Mahabharatha  while Draupadi cried to lord Krishna to save her
Lord Krishna  did save Draupadi but not poor kuyil Raju on that day when he acted as  Draupadi

The inside story was that  the Dushashan guy got his signal to stop disrobing at the 6th saree as there were only 7 but he being a real actor and specially after his extra petrol he did not stop at 6 or even 7 and suddenly there was Draupadi in lined long underwear with a stupid grin on his face .

this effectively retired Kuyil from the field and he was seen moaning Manasa mayile varru and such sad songs under lonely trees
and later he got married and that was the end of Kuyil Raju !!as we know him


 

Kedarnath

It was the recent floods in Uttarkhand that made me write this blog
I had visited Kedarnath two years back with Swami Sandeepanadha Giri s  troupe ,
we were more than 80 men and women of varying ages and backgrounds but by the end of our trip we were a cohesive group brought together by our Swamiji who was  young agile full of humour and with a sense of adventure .
It never felt as a pilgrimage.
 it was more of a discovery of the unexplored vistas of a beutiful country our own India with its rich culture heritage folklores and legends .
After our trek to Yamunotri via Barkot the road head a climb of more than 7 km uphill we reached the origin of river Yamuna and its hot springs
The trek is described in my previous post http://hariwrite.blogspot.com/2011/10/case-of-missing-chauhan-trip-to-origin.html

Next we wanted to go to Gangotri but due to a motor strike we had to cancel it instead we went upto Natchiketa Thal  described  by me .earlier in ...http://hariwrite.blogspot.com/2011/10/nathciketha-thal.html.........
The next was kedarnath ,
We were off from Gaurikund the road head
there were two ways to go up the 12000 foot Himalayan temple ,one could get into a helicopter and reach in 15minutes a trifle breathless due to the sudden altitude difference or slowly lumber up the hardy 14km by foot or pony or be carried in a chair !
We opted for the helicopter when going up while we planned to trek downhill ,I liked the idea since climbing made me pant a lot ,for my wife  she preferred the climb to the coming down as it was a strain for her knees ,I prevailed !
of course one can go by helicopter  both ways but we wanted the experience of the trek too .

The heliport was very organised with a check in .
we were searched by the security and had to send our bags through an x ray machine just like in  any airport .
 we waited in the gate as helicopters made 15 minute trips bringing and taking people ,
we ducked under the whirring blades and got into one and it lifted easily and we were above the mountains in a minute we could see the people trekking up in the path like ants slowly the range of mountains  vast and numerous and snowy peaks appeared close .
suddenly we dipped into a valley and flew low .
we saw a small town with the temple
we had reached Kedarnath

named after king Kedar who lived in a previous yuga according to legends and whose daughter an incarnation of Parvathi the consort of lord Shiva who prayed fervently to him .
the temple is said to have existed even during the Mahabaratha as the pandavas have supposed to have gone there before they died .
Adhi Sankaracharya had a great role in reviving the temple and an ashram  exists for him behind the temple .
The heliport was full of colourful tents and the Army too were  liberally sprinkled in the area .
None stayed in Kedarnath  during winter as it would be in deep snow then .

I felt breathless as we walked to a primitive rest house finally lying exhausted in the bed of our small dark room
 it was only  mid-afternoon but it was already cold and dark .
We got up after some time and went to the small eating place which cheered us with some hot steaming snacks and chai which gave us the energy to visit the granite temple

there were lot of Naga  sadhus with their tangled hair faces whitened by ash and wearing scant clothes some were smoking hemp and had spears
 they were harmless and minded their own business some posing for photos too ,
their philosophy was different they were willing to face and experience anything and would see God in all things good and bad !

The temple had a crowded street with lots of shops in front
 the chiming bells foggy clouds stone steps chilly winds and colourful ware in the shops gave a special atmosphere
we went down by steps into the gurgling Mandakini a branch of river Ganges
 it was flowing with ferocity hitting huge rocks ,
strangely we saw a petite foreign  girl descending down into those dangerous rocks sitting on one and lighting a lamp and praying in that blowing chilly wind
we were surprised at her piety
We stayed over the night finding it very difficult to sleep because of the sparse oxygen in the atmosphere

we were so tired we hardly wanted to rise even to go to the toilet
finally morning came with a lovely sunrise peeping over the  snow locked mountain tips
the golden glow of  those burnished peaks was a special vison like seein almighty himself or is it herself !
this energised us to climb down slowly
 specially me taking photos drinking tea chatting with everyone all the way down so much so I reached by dusk at Gaurikund  to a waiting bus and our impatient  gang .

 

Medical Tourism

Healthcare today with the  increase in sophistication and advances in medicine has become very expensive .
the developed western nations like the United States and the United Kingdoms traditionally considered as haven for good medical care has become exorbitantly overpriced ,thier training ,infrastructure and protective litigation cost has brought  them to this state ..
countries like India which has excellent medical professionals and very good state of the art institutes today can provide efficient services at a fraction of this cost ,pharmaceuticals can provide medications at much lower prices .
countries like Thailand are making rapid strides in Medical tourism because they are supported by thier Governments in a big way ,they provide good infrastructure maintain international standards and quality controls to protect thier status ,Thailand had made more than 466 billion dollars this year out of medical tourism andlsowly is turning out to be a medical tourist capital of the world instead of being a sleazy tourist country it was earlier .
Hospitals like Apollo ,Amritha ,Lakehsore ,CMCH ,AIMS chitra hospitals are all well known for thier good skills and capablities but sadly the support given by the government is poor ,healthcare policy makers have never realised the potential of medical tourism if they had they would have strived to support such institutions with good infrastructure ,and quality anxillaries .
In Kerala  medical tourism is looked at with  socialistico cynical glasses and the hospitals are accused of overpricing and being aloof for the common man !
The price of a bone marrow transplant allogenic in India today is around 20 to 25 lakhs and this package may incude stay in a good  hotel for the  family ,the same thing is more costly anywhere else with it being about 25 times as much in the US or UK ,
I know for I have referred more than 4 patients to India for this and the success rate is the same .
\A PET scan costs  around 20000 Rs in India today whereas in UAE it is about ten times that cost
I still remember  when in a meet to intorduce the machine in UAE  a question was asked why it was so fo which the salesperson had no answer while a senior INDIAN in the meet opined I wouldnt send anyone to India for a PET !!!
well we send satellites at one fraction of the cost of the US and so far none has fallen on our heads have they countered me to  loud guffaws
what Iam trying to say is we are our own enemies
our leaders dont realise our potentials and support them ,this is also the precise reason why there is brain drain in our country
The recent doctors strike in a part of Kerala after a doctor was hit by  a patients family was highlighted in the media of course it was the neglect of patients due to the strike that was highlighted and not why a doctor is not given protection from such happenings ,in medical practice things can turn awry due to many circumstances not nesascarily due to neglignece and none can work with a damocles sword of being hit any time
how can a society which disregards a profession expect them to stay
Doctors too are professionals they are not born for doing charity

Medical tourism has also enemies  from other countries who do want India to become  a such a referral centre and they spread canards on infection like the famous Delhi bug
a certain amount  of truth also exists as there is lack of public hygiene
poor quality controls also accounts for spurious drugs and poor labarotary controls
it is high time these are rectified to exploit our strenghts and make India an excellent  medical tourist referral centre ,whcih would only give us valuable foriegn exchange .

The Wine taster

wine tasting is an art and like tea tasters there are trained professionals who are paid highly for their sensitive faculties and detection capabilities .
Our tongue unfortunately is quite mundane when  compared to our nose ,it limits itself to the primary tastes of sweet ,bitterness ,salt and sourness ,so if one were to just gulp down wine without smelling it one would  be doing a disservice to its makers ,the fragrance of young wine is called its aroma and a wine taster can make out if the said wine is fruity ,woodsy ,earthy, floral or herbal .
The olfactory bulb in his nose is highly attuned to the infinite fragrant possibilities of different wines and he classifies wine according to his detection ,
well I knew so much on wine tasting ,
so when I alighted into the Business class only Lufthansa flight to Munich in Dubai Terminal one
 I was looking forwards to exploiting  this knowledge to good use .
It was some years back and I was on my way to Stockholm to attend the European society of oncology meet in Sweden and the friendly sponsor had arranged business class via Munich .

http://hariwrite.blogspot.com/2008/10/sweden.html

The Lounge in Dubai terminal one had a wide choice of the rarest for my sensibilities  but I refrained from indulging then .
The flight was a small one exquisite in its elegance the stewards and hostesses shone in their Teutonic brilliance their blonde burnished hairs shining and glowing in coiffured neatness .
I settled back into the deep plush cushions delighting in the luxurious ambience ,I was determined that I would be the part of a seasoned business class traveller in international flights and adorned the look of a slightly bored traveller ,smiling tiredly at the wide crimson lipped smile of a beauty contestant like model airhostess .
oh another flight when I will be home tucking into my sheets after all this routine which was my fate  was my attitude or at least what I tried to project
I don't know what she thought because I dare not ask the question .
The plane was half filled and the pilot in his mellifluous voice welcomed us aboard and the wheels started rolling ,
we took off gracefully like a bird .
Dubai lay below me in its Manhattan splendour
 I could never stop getting amazed at the man who could turn  a desert  into this magical kingdom .

As we rose above the fluffy clouds and we clicked open our seat belts the lovely hostess was near me bent with a tray of warm towels .
 this was jannat indeed !
sir what wine would you prefer  , I heard her singing
well
my time had come all my reading would be put to full use I am going to impress this sweet thing
yes I would
 beware the Indian Casanova is on board .
suddenly I realised I was grinning at her like a weasel and quickly bought my wayward mouth to a close .
doesn't it have a  time for its game !
well what else
 said I again settling back to the baritone voice of a seasoned but bored traveller
the sparkling one Champagne of course
Oh yes sir of course good choice
ahhhaan
she uncorked the wine and slowly dribbled it into the goblet and handed it over to me like the finished Mona Lisa would have been given by Michelangelo to his lover
I grabbed it and slowly brought it to my nose
no good wine drinker would gulp before smelling .
I knew that so I dipped my dose delicately into the top of the goblet inhaling its fragrance
 hmmm ahhhh nn not bad .......80s...... fruity with a woody tinged aroma , can feel flying butterflies fluttering about
her eyes rounded
she fell for it !
 she looked at me with pride the pride of having a passenger with taste !
so I thought ( actually she would have thought one more idiot trying to show off )
slowly swishing the liquid I inhaled again and my facial expressions conjured pleasure
then slowly I tasted a small bit and swished it into my tongue the part where millions of fragrant molecules hit the retro bulbar olfactory nerves was depicted by apt expressions .
sadly my audience had left
my besotted had been called to duty by the boorish Russian behind me seems  he wanted one more towel for what
 wiping his .....
wasted expressions were uncalled for

slowly my face turned into a grimace as the bitterness of the champagne hit me
in truth I was never one for alcoholic drinks
to tell the truth I preferred soft drinks with a lime flavour more than anything else and was always reminded of Ayurveda  kasha yams when I was forced to have a peg for  company ( whose ? )
I knew I had to finish this before she returned and I managed to do that with the help of the roasted cashew nuts
she was back and with an affectionate look in her eyes
oh sir and what would your choice be for the next
( baby don't you ask me such questions )
oh  well wine is fine but without my Havana which I am sure is not allowed here ha ha
 I said
I think I would prefer a a sprite
a what sir
well a sprite u know sprite
oh a sprite you want just a sprite
her face hung of disappointment
what a let down
she thrust a sprite into my hands and left me with an injured look
so much for my aerial  wine tasting feats
though I did manage to hold a goblet of wine in the banquet we had in Stockholm later  with the Abba junior group

CHUMMA !!!!

Into the heart of Borneo

The word Borneo makes one think of  the colour green ,a world of lush tropical forests meandering streams and the sun peeping through tall trees in falling rain .
This turns out to be true as we realised on  travelling into its heart to the Temburong national park in Brunei .
The national park itself  a part of the Borneo conservation efforts is only a small portion  of the 575 sq km of forests hills and waterways
 Unscathed by mankind there were exotic and rare varieties of plant and small animal life
The dwarf squirrel ,the black butterfly also named as the White rajah after the ruler of erstwhile Sarawalk the Englishman James Brooke ( read the white Rajahs of Borneo ).
The Brunei government   preserves the  rich  flora and fauna the country is blessed with .
adventure and ecotourism are  encouraged but with great care not to disturb nature in any form .
Even the capital city is richly endowed with greenery trekking hills are available within the city limits itself which is rare anywhere .
To reach the Ulu resort in temburong national park one had to go by motor  boat bus  to Bangar in Temburong and from there by bus to .Batang

.Duri..one has to go in a longboat canoe fitted with an engine then to reach the resort .
The day trip arranged by sunshine tours was around 150 Brunei Dollars per head of which entry charges to national park was around 80 dollars
We were picked up from the Empire hotel the exotic five star hotel befitting its name by the beach very near our house at 7 am sharp by the tour people and dropped off at Bandar seri Begawan jetty
We got into the steam boat which was more of a small bus with rows of seats ,the steam boat left Bandar and the Kampong Ayer ( Kampong means village and Ayer is water )
The water village was  called the Venice of the east by traveller Antonio Pigafetta when he visited Brunei in the 16th century
Its  is a small city of houses built on stilts on the Brunei river in Bandar Seri Begawan the capital ,one could reach it by motor boat taxis called Perahu Tambang .
There are wooden houses some made of concrete and some are fitted with all luxuries like AC ,internet connection etc .
The motor boat bus sped along the blue waters quite fast ,the city receded fast ,we went through mangrove banks thickly green uninhabited with the occasional bird fluttering out ,there were crocodiles too there it seems but usually they kept away when  boats plied in daytime .if one was very lucky one could spot a rare proboscis monkey too !
the plump driver continued his work unaffected by my presence on  his side as I had migrated from my seat  to get a front view of the action and take some photos ,the driver was used to tourists doing just that , slowly I even found a small perch to place my haunches on and focus more better in the speeding boat and suddenly was amused to find a small crowd around me imitating what I started .
we reached Bangar in about 45 minutes and eased into a jetty stop with all facilities ,we got into a local bus which drove along narrow streets to reach another jetty on the other side of the island ,on the way we saw some longhouses .
Incidentally the long houses are seen in  countries like Malaysia ,Brunei ,Indonesia etc .
 I had read about them in the travel book by BBC correspondent Palin called Full Circle .
Longhouses are exactly what it it means ,it contains a long array of rooms or apartments with a central common area where all residents could gather ,even though the families lived in separate apartments there was a communal feel to the house ,such living began  in the days when people needed to live together for safety from enemies or wild animals ,today longhouses are   dwindling with  people living more in individual houses some  longhouses still existed in the interiors .

on reaching the steep jetty we quickly adorned our life jackets and got into the canoes which were motor powered ,
5 passengers excluding the driver in each canoe was permitted .
we could sit on a small seat and lean back ,the boat skimmed on the green waters speeding along placid and at times turbulent waters ,whenever we reached rough waters driver would off the engine to prevent us being sloshed ,we did get wet a bit and was careful with our cameras but the ride itself was exhilarating ,both sides the embankments were mountainous full of thick forests wild flowers b and rare plants  tall thick trees .
 A real garden of Eden .
Brunei's first national park, the Ulu Temburong National Park, is located south of the Temburong district, covering 550 square kilometres of the Temburong forest. The national park has a scientific research centre facility, the Kuala Belalong Rainforest Field Studies Centre, which is only accessible by boat.The Temburong District is rich in unspoiled natural heritage, including the Ulu Temburong National Park (formerly the Batu Apoi Forest Reserve).
The  resort  was perched on a steep bank and we had to gingerly step out of the rocking boat and climb wooden steps to  a hall with souvenuirs and a small restaurant there were also around 19 cottages to stay overnight but we were there only for the day .
there were no TV ,internet connection or mobile phone range there and one was cut off from all these modern day distractions to be in the lap of nature .
We then started our trek to the hill nearby .
the park was famous for its canopy which was a 50 foot steel bridge built on tall towers with steps this was on top of a hill which one had to climb first.
the canopy was built for scientists who needed to study the flora and fauna above the tall treeline on top of the hills ,today it has become a tourist attraction .
the climb was also hardy some over wooden steps then over rocks gnarled giant roots some mud and slush ,
I was gasping and sitting  on every rest stops  and finally after an hour of climb reached the canopy
looking at it from below and its steep curving ladder  I decided to call it a day and refused to join my family who were brave enough to plod on those vertical limits .
So I only have a second hand version of their joy in reaching the top its cool winds and wonderful sights of unremitting green hills the tree tops and the azure skies .
We then clobbered back down and on  the boat to a small waterfall ,we had to walk a bit this time  barefoot over sharp stones which was a torture
I stood for long in the cool shallow waters with tiny fish nibbling our soles
we  returned  to the resort for a lunch which I could gulp down well because of some handy  yoghurt conjured by the attentive chef on my request !
later after a dozy rest on easing chairs facing the flowing river we got back into the canoes and then got back to and later to Bangar and Bandar
It was a trip into the virgin Borneo forests ,a treat for our senses and a balm to our soles


 

Kill my name please

A rose by any other name is still a rose !


But still a name is a name .

In Advaita philosophy life itself and all of us are just illusions and our existence is described by that wonderful term MAYA which has no equal in the queens language and so our names and ourselves are actually quite worthless .

But for a mere mortal like me Advaithic thoughts dont come in the way of name attachment .

We are so much used to our names that we see ourselves as a projection to our names

All of us are happy when somebody calls us or remembers us by name

This has been one of the oldest tricks in the chicken soup for your soul business !

Remember names to keep winning in life .

With an inborn amnesia bordering on the early Alzheimers for me name remembering exercises have been one mostly of embarassaments and fiascos .


I always knew myself as Harimohan

( heard my parents wanted only Hari but added the appendage to please a friendly neighbourhood long nose who insisted on adding Mohan ...now why should he do that ? ).

So I got a Mohan as a tail due to no fault of mine .

Hari with Mohan is not very common but Hariharans ,Harikumars and Harikrishnans grew wild like weeds specially down in the south .

There are lot of Punjabis who were Harmohans I knew

but then neither my appearance nor body language  would fit a burly sardar or a brawn muscled Panjabi Jat.iam just the short rotund pot bellied south indian not very dark but !

I would describe myself as a podgy spectacled wimp who could never ever burst into a Bangra on hearing balle .balle .

( I have 2 left legs  ).
neither was me a voluberant verbiose large hearted hug everyone tightly and laugh loudly sardar you see

I did search Harimohans in Google and surprisingly found that the first few searches were on me and my blog ( you can try it ).just donet forget that vital s

There was a Harimohan.p who was a writer

well I liked that .

After all all Harimohans dont end up dreaming of becoming  writers ,

some also do so !

I did contact this Harimohan and he was nice of enough to reply to me and keep in touch .

Now I am coming to the heart of the matter which is to dwelve upon the mutilations my name suffered when I was in UAE for 6 years and now just arrived in sultanate of Brunei  .

In UAE I worked in Tawam hospital run by the Johns hopkins group .

It has a resonable sprinkling of humanity from all corners of the earth as its staff

( they say around 80 countries ! ).

The day I joined here they called me into the office by the name Dr Narayanan as my passport shows me as Narayanan Harimohan ( Narayanan is my fathers name )

I ignored the call for some time before enlightment dawned on me and then sauntered in creating the impression of having an auditory disability or being intellectually backward

Slowly friends and colleagues started calling me Hari .

Formally I was Dr.Harimohan.

The Filipino nurses who were in abundance generally spoke in thier tingling high pitched tones converting names to thier Legalo language .

To them I was Harimona !

Monne in malayalam my mother tongue is an endearing adjective akin to darling so no issues there .i sort of liked it !



To the whites what could I be other than Haaaarry .

Some nurses made it a habit to call me Haarry potter !

my pot luck I should say

( in Malayalam potter is kosavan so it is Harry kosavan ......no no potters from Kerala dont hail from Serbia Kosova !)

The Arabs( syrians ,jordanians ,Algerians ,Morrocans ,Somalis ,Ethiopians ,Sudanese Iranians ,Iraqis you name them we had  them )

liked to call me Hani or Harith which are familiar to them .

I often got phone calls directed to my Iraqi friend and plastic surgeon Harith Al Ani who is now in New zealand ( so no more calls )

In the ER ,Hani was another physician who often got confused with me !

The South African nurses would sometimes would call me honey !

( Honey I would kill you if you give me more work )well this is what i called as honey laced murder

The best part of it was in one formal letter I was even called Hair mohan .

Well that takes the cake for someone who doesnt have a lot of this crowning glory .

Narayanan and Hari both are lord Krishnas names .

How I fit the honour I dont know

I too have a roving eye like him but had never been so sucessful .



 people are called by the family and the fathers name .in the UAE

Bin means son of ( like Osama Bin Laden .....Osama son of Laden )

So I would be Hari Bin Narayanan if I take from my father .

If it is from my paternal grandfather I would be Hari Bin Moose no no not mouse he was Parameswaran Moose an Ayurvedic phsyician ( The Mooses are a Namboothiri clan who have a penchant for medicine as thier profession )

some of his genes wouldhave been swimming in my professional chromosomes !

If I take from my maternal grandfather I would have been Hari Bin Raja

That sounds a bit pompous ,but he was P.C.Manavedan Raja of Padinjara Kovilakam Mankavvu Calicut ( Iam showing off you see )
and now in Brunei it has started again
thankfully many call me plain Hari and some Mohan as this is a very familiar name here
the Harry potter still lingers though i should be the seniormost version of harrypotter ever created
Hari means day in Malay and Hari Raya means festive days and Hari Bagus means good day we often see shops in this side of the world called Hari Hari
Thankfully Iam nothing of all these

I am still your plain old Hari
so take care









Bye