Treat the patient, not the CT scan, says Abraham Verghese, physician and professor. Along with Atul Gawande, Verghese is to me one of the sane, honest and disturbing voices on medical ethics and practices. In my experience, being skilled at examining the body has a salutary effect beyond finding important clues that lead to an… Continue reading Put out your tongue. Say Aah.
Book. Cover. Judgement
Pouring out Red Label tea from the pack into the Tupperware jar, I watched the fine brown-white dust rise up. I sneezed as it hit my nostrils. But that is not the story. I have just finished reading Chandrahas Choudhury’s fabulous Arzee the Dwarf. As I sneezed, I thought of the “mist rising like that… Continue reading Book. Cover. Judgement
Women power – and powerlessness
Last week of January – Jaipur edition of Times of India – two front page items caught my eye on consecutive days. Wheel power for Alwar women – about how ‘In a remote village in Alwar district, 25-year-old Kesari Devi routinely goes to her farm, much to the envy of men. Reason: She herself drives… Continue reading Women power – and powerlessness
Bring back the fun in festivals
For the last few days, every time I speak to my mother on the phone, she has been urging me to buy new clothes for self and husband. We are driving to Chennai to be with my parents for Deepavali and tradition at our home demands that we have new clothes for the day. Looking… Continue reading Bring back the fun in festivals
Bilbiolove: books on books and reading
Continuing on the theme of books (I know, when it rains, it pours in this blog) – here is something on books on books and reading. This is a special category of books, where the writers’ love for books shines through the pages and makes us feel blessed for this habit. There are various subjects… Continue reading Bilbiolove: books on books and reading
Yours affly: on epistolary novels
I love this genre of books – epistolary novels – based on letters or even dairy entries and other personal documents – articles I found on the internet say that this form of writing was popular in the 18th century and earlier and slowly fell out of use thereafter. However, there are loads of wonderful… Continue reading Yours affly: on epistolary novels
Murder they wrote
I have not come across much by way of Indian detective fiction (I have heard about Ray’s Feluda series but not read any of it). And then all at once, I read several such books (with some Indian connection – the author, the detective, the setting). And I enjoyed them all, to various degrees. No… Continue reading Murder they wrote
The seven year itch
Hope you have all been well – and still have this blog on your reader and radar. Yes? Thank you for hanging on! Again, as in the last few years, when I was not looking, this blog went and completed seven years sometime in August. That makes me an oldie in the blog space. The… Continue reading The seven year itch
Brand worth watching: Sugar Free
One of the most interesting brand innovations I have seen recently has been from Sugar Free Natura. It began with positioning itself as a healthy sugar substitute for all health-conscious people and not just diabetics who need to avoid sugar. And then Sanjeev Kapoor appeared in their brand communication, advocating the use of Sugar Free… Continue reading Brand worth watching: Sugar Free
Atul Gawande on the Velluvial Matrix
Please read Atul Gawande’s fabulous commencement speech at Stanford’s School of Medicine. Here he talks about information overload – the amount of new information every doctor, professional, human being needs to be on top of – and the need to therefore specialize. And the pitfalls of super-specialization. Towards the end, he says, ‘And when you… Continue reading Atul Gawande on the Velluvial Matrix