by Manju Gupta
I still remember every tiny detail of the day my world came crashing down. I was all of seven and the festive season was approaching. Me and my elder sister were writing letters to Santa Claus stressing on the reasons why we deserved his benevolence. Mum suggested that we ask for clothes instead of toys and I was appalled. For over a fortnight mum had been dropping subtle hints on…
A needle prick can do what a spider bite can’t…… turn you into a superhero! Sometimes, not great power, a little humanity is enough to save lives. Donate Blood regularly. We know you’ve got it in you……. This is an example of how a blood donation drive appeals to the innate nobility in people. They rope in celebrities and literally paint the town red with advertisement blitzkrieg. These campaigns have…
Shades of Grey Dr Manju Gupta A recent road trip from my father’s native village in Sagar M.P to my mother’s birthplace Banda U.P. was a bitter sweet experience. I was returning to this sedate region of Bundelkhand after two decades and was greeted by an almost perfect road amid dense teak forests and pristine valleys. Carelessly strewn plastic bags, a sign of modern existence were noticeably absent. I was…
Traditionally, idols were sculpted from the mud of nearby water bodies, worshipped with reverence and at the culmination of the festivities returned to their source, a representation of the natural cycle of creation and dissolution. But with each passing year the idols have become grander, gaudier and less green. Customarily the idols were taken for the final immersion amid celebration and bonhomie. Invitations to return were extended with jubilant singing…
Every third Saturday for the past few months, I visit some village school and interact with adolescent girls. It is a state initiative to inspire the girl child. Apart from the usual ‘doctor talk’ about puberty and menstrual hygiene I have been instructed to inspire the girls. So I ask them to break barriers, to dream and persevere to realise those dreams. I tell them about the importance of economic…
Name Calling Dr Manju Gupta First patient of the day. A delightful twenty year old Maafi, so named because she happens to be the younger of two sisters. Her parents couldn’t have been more direct with their appeal to God and it seems to have worked. She has a seventeen year old brother! Thinly veiled abuses which double as pleas for divine intervention are common in our country. Names like…
Some consider it a passing fad, others think its a way of life. To me it was a powerful vortex that sucked everything in. It started pretty innocuously, just a sun salutation to round off our morning practice. Slowly it grew and consumed every other constituent of our daily constitutional. Now let me begin at the beginning. Much before home gyms became a rage we had installed a treadmill, cross…
The dream, in itself wasn’t bothersome. It was the analysis, looking for a hidden message which was tiring. Her mind was working overtime again, trying to find meaning where, probably, there was none. Just like the old hibiscus tree in the garden that she thought, talked to her. She had planted it soon after her marriage and had watched it grow and bloom. Initially disappointed by the commonness of its…
On a recent visit to the heartland of India, I went back to the house of dreams. The landlord was no more and his descendants occupy it. The house is in good condition: the wooden beam ceiling, the rough stone floor and the thick brick walls were as they were. The only sign of modernity inside was a large LCD television in the bedroom. As I walked through the freshly…
The egg came first, ending my eternal causality dilemma. A delicious cocktail of tender coconut and mango, served as a welcome drink in a mock egg shell. By the time the eighth course arrived, half of a minuscule bajra roti stuffed with caramelised onions and a dot of herbed butter, a tiny sprig stuck on top, I had realised the obvious. We would have to stop for dinner at some…