My 80th Post

I am back to counting posts, which can only mean one thing - I am getting bored!

I seem to be writing all the time, whether it is related to my work or otherwise, on a piece of paper or a word document, on the net or in emails...I am always writing. Hardly a day goes by without me writing in my diary. Sometimes about the most arbitrary things possible. Now when you are doing so much of the same thing, it becomes very boring and monotonous.

I think sometimes, I just check blogs more out of boredom than interest. (But comment I must. I just have to leave my footprints everywhere). I mean if I need information, then there are newspapers and news channels. If I really wanted to read, I would have picked up some good books. If I wanted opinions, then I'd go to professional websites. But, I am mostly found gallivanting around the blogosphere at late nights...in fact anytime of the day. It now gives me negative utility!

So I thought - Blogging...writing and reading blogs is an addiction which can only be overcome by another equally powerful addiction. Now what could possibly interest me??? Lets look at the options -

Painting is simply too much effort and requires a different state of mind, a peaceful state of mind with considerable time at hand. Moreover, I am good at oil and not water, which means a lot of investment. And then, I used to paint but I am not sure whether I would enjoy it as much now.

I sketch but that is hardly a hobby and frankly, I am not too good at that.

Photography? Well, I enjoy that but with a dysfunctional camera things don't look too great at that front either. I have been planning to buy a DSLR but am in no position to do so now! Plus, I am a bit tired of those "thousands" of snaps for which I had to buy an external hard drive (not so amusing actually). I thought I'd start a photo-blog with such a huge collection but that never happened. So, now putting it on back-burner.

Traveling? No, not a "hobby" for God's sake! There is a difference between love and infatuation...I love traveling but am not and can never be addicted to it.

Cooking is fun but not exactly a hobby, atleast not for me. Neither is baking.

I don't understand how people say "listening to music" is their hobby. I mean to think about it, music is everywhere, so it is an essential part of our day to day life, how can it possibly be a hobby.

I can't sing and don't know how to play any instrument. And frankly, don't have the enthusiasm to learn any.

Watching movies? Well, I find that fun but nothing constructive in it. The activity is a very attractive option but I'd consciously like to stay away from it. For me, a hobby should be something that is constructive, gives me positive energy and relaxes me.

Making You tube videos? Sorry, camera not working and have got bored already. Its not as much fun if it isn't in HD quality.

I used to dance  but don't do so anymore. Joining Yoga class sounds more fun than dance at this point of time.

Games? Can't think of any possible game that would keep me hooked!

Gym doesn't sound too much fun, there is no novelty in it. A walk in the park sounds more interesting.

Swimming is something I'd like to learn some day but not as a hobby. For those who know me, realise that such a thing means much more. It is ironic...there are people my age who are scared of drowning and they are told to give it a try and here I am, dying to get into the pool and am told to stay away.  If only people were to understand my enthusiasm...

So what else...I had exhausted all possible options when I suddenly remembered something and did a bit of research on it (yes well, Google helps...didn't deny that part) and lo behold!

I came across Sarah and her website! Bless her God! :-)

So what is so special about that? Well, for one it has the ability to make my life a bit more interesting for the next few months. And yes, it can be a lot of fun (for me ofcourse) :-)

So lets see how it goes. Guyz (well, S actually) if I am not blogging...I am having a lot of fun (no, I am not going to talk about what it is :-p...not yet...surprise surprise)  :-)

Habits!

Bad Habits die hard.

In my case, they don’t die at all.

Instead they keep diverging from the equilibrium.

Almost like a spider which decides to spin a bigger, more complex web.

People have all kinds of habits.

Some drink. Others smoke, none of which is easy to kick.

Some play. And some enjoy gambling.

Some just flirt. But some believe in Killing.

Some eat chocolates. Some exercise all day long.

Some never take a bath. Some are always worried about their appearance.

And what do I do?

I check the world on the web!!!

And read blogs.

And if it wasn’t enough, go and post comments on them.

Almost as if people were dying for my words of wisdom.

Sometimes though, I end up crossing the fine line of privacy.

For instance, 

Two days back, I was surfing the net again (as I usually do) and came across a certain post in a certain blog…the post was a one-liner :

“I love you and will always love you…. I am feeling you around me!!!

Only Urs

S”

I suppose he had written it for his wife or lover, depending on whether he was married or not. Sweet! As expected, I couldn’t stop myself from commenting. And this was my reply –

“We (“readers”) are totally not “gossipmongers” and would love to read about your lady love :-D ”

To which the blogger didn’t reply. He did reply to my other equally obnoxious comment though. 

Seriously, I am a compulsive commenter!!!!

What made me write such a stupid comment is not exactly anybody’s guess. In hindsight, I think it might have had something to do with the fact that initially I thought I knew the blogger and then much later, realized that I didn’t know him at all and so…so, it was safe to write anything? Was I taking the advantage of anonymity? And what’s the deal with peeping into personal lives of people I do not know? People appreciate comments but not intrusion. To think about it now, it’s a bit embarrassing. But was I really intruding?

Has blogging and commenting become a habit with me? Not really, I don’t do it all the time.

Is my addiction "the web", "browsing" or "blogging"? Or is it all of them?

Survival...

As I was reading the paper and listening to news, I kept wondering about all the people I had come across in my journey to my favourite state- Sikkim. And now, I can only hope that all of them are fine.

I remember our driver was a fun-loving 21 year old boy who said that he wanted to make a bit of money and then would get married to his girlfriend in a year's time. Infact we even saw his girlfriend.  Actually she travelled with us from yumthang to lachung. Both of them kept chattering all the way, the driver paying little attention to the road and the background music so very apt..."jab koi baat bigar jayee, jab koi mushkil par jayee, tum dena saath mera, O hamnava...". On my part I was wondering, "jab koi road khisak jayee, jab koi blind turn mil jayee, tum dena saath hamara, O bhagwan". Obviously, the young chap was too young to understand.

Is he married now?

Our host in Lachen was extending his hotel. He had a four year old boy and hs wife was expecting. Does he have a beautiful daughter or a bouncy baby boy now? It was such a family place and we had dinner in his kitchen. A traditional one. I hope his hotel is built now.

I hope the earthquake didn't shatter too many dreams...

 Did this survive this earthquake?

This was taken on my journey towards lachen on a particularly rainy day. I couldn't help wondering how it did such a balancing act. I don't think this survived...

Not so frivolous!

I am sorry about writing such a frivolous post on earthquakes. In my defense I had begun with bomb blasts. Yes, that also happened today.

I am not sure how the topic changed. I suppose it did so because I felt the ground shake. I didn't see the blood or hear the cries. Didn't see people panic and definately didn't come close to death.

A bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court killed 11 and injured a few dozen. Didn't I hear something of this sort a few months back...now, lets see...where was it...Bombay? What about the small incident in Delhi High court in May...wasn't that a minor bomb blast? How many were killed then...two...is that a low figure? If not, why were no CCTV cameras put? Why was no one caught or sentenced? Why is our intelligentsia so unmotivated? Don't they realise that we are surrounded by well-wishers who love us to death (literally)? Why are terrorists kept alive in jails? Haven't we learnt from the Kandahar incident? Why are our boundaries still unmanned? So many whys...

Frankly, none of this is new. You hear the PM speak and wonder...is he really bothered? An act of cowardice, we condemn it, we have to be united...such cliches. Heard the Home minister speak, "The IB had given a hint to Delhi Police about it", as if his job and responsibility ends with that. I wonder why Delhi Police bears the brunt everytime...Anna Hazare is arrested...blame the police. Terrorist attacks...blame the police (not that DP should not be blamed, afterall they are a useless bunch).

But think about it. Every time there is a bomb blast we sit up, take notice and then in a week's time everything subsides. The news channels talk about the cricket matches, scams and invariably find something new, something sensational which would capture viewer's attention. Bomb blast is soon forgotten and remains as an entry on a paper somewhere. Surely there must be something that we as citizens can do other than demand a Jan Lokpal Bill.

BTW, on a different note...where is the Congress queen...she's been missing in action for quite a few days? Health problem...what kind? Oh did you know that our 77 year old PM had a heart surgery and still works for more than 12 hours a day.

One moment guyz, the right wing has been accusing Congress of putting funds in Swiss accounts. No, no ...I am not taking any names here. Bofors? Whatz that, never heard of it! Amar Singh...now, he is a perfectly nice gentleman with good credentials. And I didn't even mention a "bank"...just account. BTW, I should ask a banker...how much time do you need to wrap up unaccounted assets.

Anyways, I do wish madam (as she is fondly called) a speedy recovery especially since the government seems like a ship without a captain right now. But much as I wish and hope, I am not so sure about a quick recovery of the country. The country might resemble "The Black Pearl" but unfortunately we don't have a "Jack Sparrow" with us.

Why...?

Slippers...Worn out, yet worn !!!

Today...

Price of gold rises to Rs 28,000 per 10 gm.

Prices of silver rises to Rs 65,000 per 1000 gm.

House rent becomes more expensive

Primary commodities more costly.

A holiday more expensive.

Everything seems more expensive.

In this era where everything is becoming costlier than ever before, why doesn’t man’s life become costlier? 

The creator of all these materialistic things…why is his worth so little? 

Infact, why has his net worth fallen, whilst the price of things he buys with his sweat and blood increased?

Why with everybody investing in gold, the people with “heart of gold” are increasingly rare to find?

Why…?

How time flies...

Time and tide waits for no one.

Just a few months back...

And how times have changed...

He remains my favourite and I admit, I will feel bad when I would have to make him leave. He is sensitive and attached and hence, the affection towards him.

Apparently, the kittens create too much of a mess. The neighbours are all vegetarians and they do not like us giving non-vegetarian food in the garden or whatever we can call the little stretch of greenery infront of our home. 

Moreover, it would be impossible to feed these cats. I mean two of them are females and females reproduce every quarter. So whether our GDP increases or not, the consumption would definately keep increasing. This is not a good investment because they are of no use...they don't protect you, are not affectionate (except for this one) and have an attitude which makes you wonder about your status in their life...are you the master or are you the servant??? With inflation increasing at a higher rate than GDP, and given their tastes and preferences for "only-non vegetarian food", we might just be wondering...why not dogs???

Weight gain and Hair loss.

I have always regretted both. All throughout school, I was one of the thinnest (and well, short too :-D ) girls. My mum on her part did everything to change that. She even took me to a doctor who assured her that there are short, thin men too!!!  None of the prescribed tonics were of any use. It was another matter that I was a classical dancer, actively participated in sports...and wait, believe it or not, I was good at basketball too (but that was only till I was 13 years old...after that, all the other girls in my class decided to grow taller!). My only regret is that I didn't take swimming classes when I could...

I had beautiful hair and I would invariably tie them in two plats. One day, my friends decided that enough was enough and I should atleast keep my hair open after I washed it!!! So I spent the entire day without tying my hair. And people came by and told me, if I'd kept my hair open all the time...I would have definately got a few proposals. I wasn't exactly pleased with that comment, considering that I used to make every possible effort to stay away from men. But I did realise that there was a part of my body which I could be totally proud of. Weight was never an issue.

How things have changed. My hair has become all wavy (well partly) and weight has become such a huge issue. No, I am not a balloon but I am heavier than average. A lot of people my age are heavy but the very fact that however much I try, I can never quite be what I used to be is a bit disheartening. My crown is no more glorious, but I am not too unhappy about it :-).


And I thought that this is where it all ended. I mean, the visible side affects of medicines. And then there are others like memory loss.
Today, I came across an article in some science journal which  talked about behavioural changes affecting people with various health conditions. The stress wasn't on medicines and the side effects, it was more on the problem.

"Persons with seizures on awakening, for example juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, are said to lack energy and suffer from perseverance, and to mature later than others, both mentally and physically. It has also been said that they are gipsy-types, with an urge to live a bohemian life. However most persons with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy function well socially."

And I realised that all of what is written is true! I do get tired very quickly. A day's work and I need to come back home and rest. I can't do without 8 hours of sleep. Though after that, I am good to go. However, when it comes to hills and nature and trekking...I am NEVER tired :-D , maybe because I love it so much. 

And I can't help pursuing something till the very end, infact even after that...to the extent that I lose track of what I am pursuing. For how long have I pursued my phd? My perseverance beats everybody's!!! A lot of people have wondered and asked me about the merit of what I was pursuing and frankly, I could never give a satisfactory answer. 

Maturity has never been my strong point. Never arrived on time. That doesn't mean that I was childish or frivolous, just that my thoughts were a bit different. Thankfully, things have changed.

Despite my efforts at going through various matrimonial websites and talking/writing to people, there has often been this streak in me which keeps pulling me back. I am never sure. I mean, I do want to get married but again, there is a part of me which wants a different life. Ten years back, I thought that one of the main benefits of marriage was that I would never have to "open the door and find a cold, dark room". But as I realised, married life isn't that great and living on your own doesn't mean living alone. Marriage might change your lifestyle but it really doesn't change your life. Your life is defined by who you are, what you want and how you want to achieve it. A partner influences you in ways no one else can but the journey is still your own. Your soul has to carve its own path. I am not sure about afterlife. I believe that heaven or hell is found on earth, in this life, in whatever experiences you go through. I don't know whether bonds you form in this life are there for the next seven lives. But I do know that the experiences that your soul goes through sticks with it forever...if, there is a forever.


Oh yes, I have good friends. Actually that's not true. I have great friends and I get along pretty well with most people...so, a social animal I am. However, I am in no way a party animal. In general, a likeable person I guess. And as a friend once said..."you are a very nice person". And then he was quick to add, "you know when someone cannot think of any compliment, they often say nice".



So why am I am writing this "very personal" post? I used to think that maturity was my problem. That there was something wrong with me otherwise why wouldn't I see the obvious about people. Why could I not judge a situation properly or know the people around me well. Why would I pursue something needlessly (except phd, which I am hanging on to...if, forever). I thought I was an outlier.

Outlier I am! But I am not alone. There is a reason for this. I like reasons, I like logic. I am logically illogical (whatever that means).
I am not particularly comforted by the fact that a lot of people share the same behavioral traits. I am happy that I know and realise that I used to be different at one point of time but I have changed in ways others haven't. But that change has little to do with me, it has not been a voluntary one. I had not chosen to regress to immaturity. And so, even though it is my behavior, my life, my actions...I have something to blame all these traits to. :-) 

And that is a momentary thought which dissolves when I face reality!

Brother-sister duo

I feel sorry for people who do not have any brothers (or well, sisters too)

 Twins - Blackie is a girl and the fawn coloured kitten is a male and they are always together!

No, one knows how we grew up, our favourite food, all our friends and some of their stories, favourite games, the teachers we liked and hated, the ice-cream parlours and the exact flavour of ice cream that we preferred, how we got hurt and what happened when we got stitches for the first time...no one knows them the way a brother or sister does. No one knows exactly how we will react to a certain situation the way siblings do...

But more than that, no one has seen us change in those infinitely small ways...how my taste in ice cream flavour changed, how I liked black and not white anymore, how my hair style changed over years and how he once got a "mithun chakravarty haircut", which is something even he would like to forget...how I liked silver more than gold and then wood and junk more than anything else, how I gained weight, lost it and gained it with little guilt and blaming it all on a set of medicines, how my life changed...

My brother's influence on me has been many fold...from the preference for football (started when I was still in primary school, mostly because I wanted to ape him. He was good at games.) to liking Billy Joel and knowing about Pink Floyd...from painting (which he was really good at) to learning photography (which I totally love and am addicted too) From the choice of books to the choice of movies. From respecting everybody, especially elders, humanity and generosity (which lets face it, I am not! But hey, I try :-D ) ).

I remember one particular incident in school. We had gone for a marriage and I had a paper the very next day. There was no way I could have even thought about passing that exam and so I decided to skip school that day. My parents didn't insist but my brother said that I should atleast try. The courage doesn't lie in going to a battlefield only when you are all prepared, sometimes it also lies in knowing that you might not win but still have the strength to put up a good fight. What is the worst thing that can happen - I'd fail, but that would be the case even if I didn't go to school...in the former, I would have a red mark on my report card and in the latter I would have missed an opportunity. So I went to school, very grudgingly and guess what- I passed! And that sort of changed my perspective a bit...you can't possibly be prepared for every circumstance in life but you've got to face them head on. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...either way you learn something.

And then there are things that I don't like about him...and I know exactly when and how he picked up those habits.

But most of all you just don't need to communicate with brothers or sisters. They understand. Sometimes, they come up with the same songs...similar thoughts...and you don't even need to look at them to know that. With them, silences don't matter.

So why am I rambling on...simply because it is rakshabandhan today... :-)

Making Money the Easy Way !!!

This is the case of a bank called Chase (no, no…its just a name :-D ) and its mum and Dad being the Treasury and The FED.

Chase, as any other kid on the block wants to make money and so it goes to daddy (the FED) and asks for money. Now, in times such as these the Fed would do anything to make the market moving and so gives the money at near zero interest rate. Now, Chase wants to invest his money in a place where he is going to make money and be sure of it. So what does our smart chap do? He goes to the Treasury and buys bonds worth millions (almost risk free) at an interest rate which is definitely higher than what the FED charged. Consequently, Treasury returns the money with interest rate and the former is returned to the Fed leaving Chase with a bagful of money.

Now suppose that Chase represents the entire banking community…

So what is the irony? The money that The FED lends to Chase was meant for increasing capital, lending to the public but then he (the bank/banks) didn’t want to take any risk whatsoever. So basically, it didn't help the economy in any substantial way.
And what does treasury do with that money…well, sometimes it just pays The FED!!!

So where does that leave us, "the common man"? Not in a very good place I suppose…

Happy Thoughts

Today, I read an article by a 29 year old single male about arranged marriages. It seems that all of his extended family is looking for a bride for him. Like most men (and well, women too), he wants a love marriage. But no body throws a second glance at him and yet he thinks he is Clark Kent who turns or can turn into superman whenever he so desires! And since he is all that, he wants a super-woman.

And there were loads of comments to that post, mostly by men and as suspected most of them approved of his views. In fact a guy even asked him to write a book about this! And one particular comment captured my attention. According to that guy (who also appears to be a single male)…

“Today’s generation men prefer a career oriented woman who earns more than them, has ability to hold intelligent conversation who likes to laugh and joke, has a pert bottom and high *** drive, at the same time stay at home and bring up the children instilling traditional culture and values. Men dont want to settle anything less than perfect and women are finding it very hard to live up to these high standards. Thats why we find lot of difficulties in finding the right match in arranged marriage because nobody wants to compromise in any aspect. i also belong to the same confused era and can very well relate to the post”

And just when I was about to post this comment… “hmm…consider the opposite! Today’s woman has criteria of her own and standards that she sets. And there is a likelihood that a lot of men with fat pay cheques or jaw dropping looks do not fulfill those. So technically, perfect women also look for “perfect” men.”

My comment got rejected. And what is the reason for rejection,

“This is a happy place…please post something happy!!!”

I was shocked to read that. No one has ever said that to me. In fact it wasn’t even a person, it was an automated reply sort of a thing, which came immediately after I tried to post it. Strange…eh?

I’ve never considered myself to be a feminist in any sense of the word. Retain your identity- yes,  but not feminism. And even though, I do have a habit of generalizing things, I definately do not believe in male-bashing. Or maybe I was being a bit too personal or vociferous or who knows, a bit rude? Was I taking the benefit of the internet, which protects your identity to a large extent? Would I have said the same on his face? Hmm…let’s see…I sure would have :-)



And then a few seconds later, smiled.





What I actually wanted them to understand was that perfection is pretty much an illusion and happiness is by far a very subjective word. In any form of marriage (arranged or love), in all likelihood there would be quite a few things about your partner that you might not like. But hey, there are so many that you do. It just depends on how you look at things.  (Oh, I am not married, so all thoughts and views are…debatable!)


(p.s - This post had been written months back in another blog. Thought I'd post it again.)

Lending a Womb

Surrogacy is just an arrangement or a contract by which a woman carries and delivers the child for another couple. The child(i.e., egg) could belong to the surrogate or she could just be carrying an embryo.

I don't doubt the basis, intent, thought behind resorting to surrogacy or an altruistic act of a surrogate. Afterall, she is helping a couple who are incapable of having their own child. She delivers this enormous amount of happiness and joy to a couple in form of a beautiful baby. This is indeed an act of supreme kindness. But then, there is commercial surrogacy too. And that is what India specializes in.

Some of the surrogates interviewed in Gujrat have said that they don't consider the baby as their own from the moment they sign the contract. So when he/she kicks in the middle of the night and makes his presence felt, he doesn't belong to her. They have somehow managed to convince themselves about this. But, how could a woman not feel anything (no, its not a question mark...we all know the answer).

"The fetus is theirs, so I'm not sad to give it back," said Gheewala, who plans to save the $6,250 US she's earning for her two daughters' education. "The child will go to the U.S. and lead a better life and I'll be happy."

The reason they do it - it is noble and nice to help out people and give them this enormous joy of being a parent and filling their lives with a bundle of joy. And, it helps them economically. The later is an issue which requires some discussion (by the policy makers).

The question isn't exactly whether surrogacy is legally correct or not (though there are legal implications to be considered)? In India, it is. In fact here surrogacy is particularly attractive for two reasons. Surrogacy comes at a considerably cheaper price and there are hardly any legal hurdles. But then, just as India is becoming a hub of "baby-production", new issues seem to crop up.

For instance, what if the foetus dies prematurely?  What if the surrogate dies while in labour or  immediately after that? What if she gives birth to a stillborn baby?  Every birth leads to calcium depletion in a woman. Is there any follow-up or any method by which some help could be provided in that regard? India doesn't have a proper legal framework to handle such cases.

What about the rights of the child? Does he ever get to know his surrogate mother? What if the couple get divorced during the nine months? Sometimes due to legal issues, few couples just end up adopting their own child because the laws in their country do not approve of surrogacy. The case of the twin brothers in Mumbai is very poignant, disheartening and raises a lot of questions. The Norwegian government has refused to make this surrogacy legal and India has refused to grant them citizenship too because they belong to the Norwegian couple. The problem is that the DNA of the children do not match with the couple's DNA, even though the clinic has claimed that no foul play is involved. The problem remains- the children have nowhere to stay! No place to call their own place! India does have a surrogacy bill which addresses citizenship issues but that might not be of much help in providing a home to these two babies.

In such cases...I mean where the couple are unable to conceive for whatever reasons, what is so bad about adopting an orphan? A baby is a baby...as pure as a flower. How does it matter whether its yours or mine? If you give someone love, they'd love you back...isn't that what the world is about? Afterall, Yashoda wasn't any less of a mother than Devaki!!! Krishna wasn't any less closer to Yashoda (if not more!).

There are ethical issues which crop up too. Is surrogacy some sort of exploitation? The maternal mortality rate is very high in India and so something like this does increase the risk to life. Surrogacy has become a flourishing profession in some places. Sometimes, it isn't exactly voluntary in the true sense of the word. When there are a couple of mouths to feed at home and income too little, such a step would be considered normal. So then, is this another form of outsourcing?  There are travel agencies which specialise in medical tourism. They often offer a package deal, with flight tickets to the actual babies!!!

There is an interesting example. Haryana is a male dominant state where the M/F ratio is seriously skewed. Women aren't very educated and have little rights/say about anything. In fact family members (male) have killed their daughters when they tried to marry on  their own will or marry someone of their own caste/gotra/village etc in the name of honour killing. The father of a CWG gold-medalist says that he would kill his daughter if she married against his wishes, infront of the entire media! They do not approve of western wear (jeans) for women. They have "khap panchyats" which are almost like parallel governments and make legally binding decisions. But...but when it comes to surrogacy, then everything is okay! And why is that- because it is economically profitable, at the cost of a woman's health! A woman gets about a lac or two (above all medical bills) and that is definately alluring. So there is an entire village which does this! Is this not exploiting a woman?

Is outsourcing wombs morally right?

Private vs Public

This should just be a twitter entry or a FB status!

I have to admit, when it comes to doctors, I think the public sector is far better, much more experienced and efficient than the private sector. Doctors in big private hospitals, with marble flooring and soft lights and a sweeper cleaning the floors 24*7 seem so hygienic but are such bloodsuckers. And best of all- some of them don’t even know their job well.

I just got to know that almost like salesmen, they too have targets to fulfill. And that translates into needless amount of tests, asking a patient to get admitted, medicines and what not. For instance, they would ask you to do a CT-Scan if all you need is an X-Ray.  They would want a face-reconstruction when all your need is to wait till your face heals up on its own. And sometimes, they admit patients and do a hundred tests and still have no clue about the reason for a particular symptom. I am not saying that they are salesmen, or that every doctor is like that but one rotten egg spoils the whole pudding!

I think, if there is any profession which comes closest to godliness on earth, then it has to be the medical profession…the savers. But then they could also easily turn into devils (oh and don’t get me started on how a doctor killed his daughter…The Arushi Murder case! But then that is a isolated case, very different from what I am talking about. Inside sources claim that CBI knows for sure that it is the father but can’t figure out the motive yet. Gawd, I digress so much!).

The only profession which comes next to doctors is teaching. Afterall what could be more noble than showing young minds the path ahead, much ahead of themselves.

Anyways, long story cut short - Max New York is one of the worst hospitals to visit and worse, be admitted!

The Moral Side of Murder

I have been told that I have begun writing exceptionally boring posts. So some damage control needs to be done to retain viewership (yea, right!). Now, I have sort of vowed or well, am making attempts to stay out of personal territory. That effectively means that I have very little to talk about. So in this post I will let a very learned person do the talking for me.

I will be his note taker...and here are some of those notes.!


Concepts of philosophy

There is problem with philosophy, especially political philosophy. It has the ability to turn familiar things into strange things. It doesn't provide us any new information but (only confuses us and) makes us think about the existing knowledge. It confronts a fact that we already know.

This post discusses about Murder. What sort of act could be termed as murder? Which act can be termed as criminal and which is done as a means of necessity? Does your being a spectator or participant change the way a situation can be viewed?


This post is interesting (hopefully) because here I am writing about a case study which is unique in it self. It is a 19th century British Law case : Queen v. Dudley

This dates back to the year 1884. Four people set sail on a ship called "The Mignonette", Thomas Dudley as captain, Edwin Stephens as mate, Edmund Brooks as able seaman, and a seventeen old boy, Richard Parker, as ordinary seaman. After a few weeks, they ran into bad weather and had to abandon Mignonette and saved themselves by getting into a small lifeboat. They (only Dudley) carried with themselves  two tins of turnip and sextant, which they finished soon. Left with no water or food, their only hope of survival was if any ship or boat passed by that route and spotted them. On the fourth day after shipwreck, they spotted a dead turtle which was floating and ate it. Occasionally it would rain and  they would manage to quench their thrust, but that as said was only...occasional. Out of thirst they started having their own urine and eventually Parker and Stevens started drinking sea water.

On the nineteenth day Dudley proposed a lottery by which one of them would be killed and eaten! However Stevens and Brooks were against that idea. By this time, Parker, the ordinary seaman who had no family back home, was quite unwell. Dudley, in consultation with Stevens then decided to kill Parker so that the three of them could survive. For the next four days, the three fed on Parker's body and drank his blood till a German ship spotted them and brought them back home. Once home, they were charged with murder/cannibalism and that actually surprised Dudley who insisted that he did whatever had to be done in that circumstance. Afterall, even in battlefields soldiers die to save others. Parker was probably going to die anyways, so why not sacrifice him for the other three. What was wrong in killing one to save three? Moreover, Parker didn't have any family back home, so his absence wouldn't be missed as much as theirs.


Now this is where a philosophical debate takes shape. 

An economist or a utilitarian like Bentham would state that  one must maximise collective happiness measured in terms of utility. In which case, Dudley took the right decision. The question of morality here is consequential, i.e., it depends upon the end result. 
But there is another school of thought, to which Kant belongs and that talks of the "categorical" form of moral reasoning. This means that morality is located in duties and rights. That there is more to morality than the end result. So, in such a situation,the difference between murder or an act which one would consider necessary is complex and not well defined.


So we see, a simple act which seems right (atleast to the  logical mind), stems questions about right or wrong in our mind. 
Another example to this end would be -

Suppose there were four patients in a room, one of whom was severely injured in an accident and needed immediate care and attention and you were the only doctor around. The other three did not suffer as much injury but needed help too. But, if you attended to one and left the other three, then they'd die. If you attended and took care of the other three, then they would survive for sure but the one man with severe injuries would definately die. In normal circumstances, most of us would say, even if Dudley was wrong because his act was cannibalistic in nature, the doctor would be right in saving the lives of three people at the cost of one. 
 But who is to decide that the collective utility from three lives is more than that of the life of one person? Who decides the worth...just numbers?

Dudley and the other two were released from prison after six months but their life was never the same. Dudley was haunted by the entire incident and started taking huge amounts of opium to relieve himself and later died of plague. Stephens did odd jobs and overtime became mad. Let us not get into the issue about why they were haunted by the incident when they had returned home and claimed that there was nothing wrong in their act. Instead dwell on this thought - if numbers are the measure of happiness and one would think that saving three lives is better than one, then what sort of utility/gain are we talking about here?

Now, suppose Dudley had asked for Parker's consent before killing him and suppose Parker, in his half-conscious, delusional state had given him his consent, would that be murder then? Would that be morally correct?

What is murder? An attempt to save one life by sacrificing another to achieve what we think is greater good or greater utility...can that be exempt from the definition of murder? Why would some people think that Dudley murdered the young boy but the doctor didn't do so by taking a call to not save one life?

What is morally correct? How and why does that definition change with every situation?

Philosophy, I guess confronts reality in a way that makes us question it. 


p.s- Tushi you had better leave a comment now or you'd see me in your nightmare, singing "Dil Ke Armaan..."...and yes, in a very nasal voice! Or I'd be Dudley and you'd be Parker (don't worry, I won't have any nightmares about you haunting me) !!!