Renaming again

Broadway Avenue, Salt Lake

As if there is no problem in this state except some names which hindering state's progress which need to be renamed, as done in the recent past for the Railway stations. Salt Lake city (Kolkata) has a broader beautiful road from Stadium to Central Park, meaningfully named as Broadway. Its  one of the  busiest and important road of Salt Lake. This beautiful Road has already been defaced by lot many hoarding and trimming (cutting) of the trees on both sides of the roads for the hoardings. Politicians don't see those activities. 

Now the politicians of a party, have come forward to do a  most "demanding" job in this small beautiful town  which residents may not like.  But who cares. Netas are not bothered about the feelings of the people,  they are determined to do what they think. As if, at this moment, there is no issues in Bengal which need to be addressed by them. Only naming or renaming  does not count as  a developmental work and  no credit goes to that party.  If this (renaming spree) goes on against the public opinion/ likings,  it shows adamant and  dictatorial attitude  of the leaders and people can understand that the "Change" what this state will be experiencing in few months time,  will be disastrous in future. 

First Avenue and Broadway Avenue are known for their meaningful existence in their locations. Naming these roads after the great leaders like Gandhi, Subhash or anybody is meaningless in a city like Salt Lake. Because its blocks have been named alphabetically and geographical locations of those  blocks can not be explained by putting hundreds thousands names but  can be understood  well in the present system of naming (alphabetically).

New Flyover

Ultadanga bypass flyover

Another feather is added in the Buddha’s Cap. Ultadanga bypass Flyover which connects VIP Road to EM Bypass and vice versa. Built in less than two years with cost of 68 crores. Its length is only 1.29Km but its use will be enormous especially during rainy season. Ultadanga was a nightmare for going to and coming from Airport during rainy season. Already there  was a short flyover for one way traffic from VIP road to EM Bypass which was also useful for the Salt Lake residents and those who were travelling through EM Bypass to other parts of the city. But being it one way, public was in trouble to move through congested Ultadanga crossings. Some how Government, this time felt its necessity and importance and acted quickly. The short flyover can be useful for  entering into Salt Lake  and also for taking the EM Bypass. But here one has to cross two to three traffic signals before coming to the point where the new flyover  touches the EM Bypass. Naturally this short Flyover will  now be useful for the Salt Lake residents only. Thanks to the Government for all out efforts to complete it in a very short time. The Flyover came to reality in a less than two years time and now we the Salt Lake residents, airport goers zoom to VIP Road using this Flyover and reach the destination bypassing  traffic congestion at Ultadanga crossings.

The flyover was thrown open to the public by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya on 05 January 2011.

Back to life again

My Gall Bladder was operated, as scheduled, on 15th Dec 2010 (Laparoscopic  Cholecystectomy) at Genesis Hospital by surgeon Dr. Purnendu Roy and on 17th morning I was discharged from Hospital. I was advised rest for some days with no restriction except weight lifting. The day I was discharged (after t48 Hrs. of  operation) the 4 holes on the belly was dried up externally and some pain killers, antacid etc were prescribed for 5 days and there was no antibiotic in that. 

The operation hardly took 15-20 minutes. Before operation, many thoughts were going on inside me, but when I was waken up from anesthesia and said wake up, wake up, operation is over. It was unbelievable to me  as I did not feel anything and I thanked God for going everything  smoothly. So I am back to life without any pain and the disease has been removed from my body. I am free of the problem that too without any pain. What a wonderful experience. I thanked God once again and gone to sleep again.

When I was told "operation is over" , it was unbelievable for me because  in the past, I  have seen complicated cases.  I have seen how this simple operation turned to a complicated one for  one of my colleagues and the patient was required to be transferred to  Apollo Hospital  and  resulted a total bill in lakhs, from a package of Rs. 10-12K, four to five years ago. 


I will try to post my experiences on the "Life without Gall Bladder"  in day to day life, based on my experiences. So it will take  some time for gathering the same. I don't think there will be anything major experiences because 10 days over and so far I am leading absolutely normal life. I am taking normal food like dal, rice, bread, vegetable, fish, etc. Of course spicy food I am  avoiding .After 11 days, today (27th Dec 2010) I have resumed my office. Of course  not traveling by public transport, but by my own car with a hired driver. Though I am driving in Salt Lake areas where traffic are smooth and less congested but still I am avoiding driving in city.

Gall Bladder : An uncommon case study

In one midnight there was pain in abdomen and it was radiating towards right back  and upper chest. When it reaches to chest  I was nervous. I was feeling uncomfortable and there was no sign of relief in about two hours.  Having no other option but to get admitted in a nearby hospital at about 03.00AM.  It was relieved only after pushing  3 injections , including one in  the belly. Then I was put into deep sleep. After  USG and MRCP they concluded  that the GB wall thickened and nothing else could be detected  on the following days. They advised for operation in due course or else similar pains may be repeated in future.

Today, we everybody know that  doctors who are attached to Private Hospitals are more commercial and they run after  to meet their financial targets fixed for each of them. My  CGHS (Central Govt. Health Scheme)  doctor  too advised me to take a second opinion from a experienced Govt. surgeon who may not be having such commercial interests.  Surgeon DR. DK Sarkar, of  Kolkata's  so called super speciality hospital (SSKM) known as  PG Hospital, who advised me to get a fresh USG, of whole abdomen, focusing on hepato biliary pancreatic system,  and LFT (Lever Function Test) tests before for giving his firm opinion. Going through the reports, he said it is a case of Polyp  and not the thick walled GB. Wall thickness is reported as normal in the report. Since it is  having polyp of more than 1cm in size, operation is must. Polyp is a growth on the inner side of the wall of GB. Generally polyp grows in the intestines but in a GB?  That to in my GB? I think it is a uncommon thing. Generally Gall stones are very common. In both cases, the GB has to be removed.

My CGHS dispensary doctor  said it is very simple surgery now a days. He  has  undergone the same surgery recently. In fact  the surgeon who operated him,  asked him to walk after the operation. Generally 48 hrs. hospitalization is required. 

We always hear about Gall bladder stones but very rarely case of Polyps we  come across. Thats what made me to share with you about  this uncommon Gallbladder ailment which is not very common as stones. Now lets see what is Polyp or GB Polyps. 


Wikipedia says in its articles :  Gallbladder polyps are growths or lesions resembling growths (polypoid lesions) in the wall of the gallbladder. True polyps are abnormal accumulations of mucous membrane tissue that would normally be shed by the body. Polypoid lesions of the gallbladder affect approximately 5% of the adult population. The causes are uncertain,  but there is a definite correlation with increasing age and the presence of gallstones (cholelithiasis). Most affected individuals do not have symptoms. The gallbladder polyps are detected during abdominal ultrasonography performed for other reasons.

Most small polyps (less than 1 cm) are not cancerous and may remain unchanged for years.However, when small polyps occur with other conditions, such as primary sclerosing cholangitis, they are less likely to be benign.Larger polyps are more likely to develop into adenocarcinomas.

Most polyps are benign and do not need to be removed. Polyps larger than 1 cm with co-occurring gallstones occurring in people over the age of 50 may have the gallbladder removed (cholecystectomy), especially if the polyps are severe or appear malignant. Laparoscopic surgery is an option for small or solitary polyps.

Happy Deepavali

Happy Vijaya Dashami

Today is Vijaya Dashami. 
On this auspicious occasion, I wish you all a very happy Vijaya Dashami

Dr. Abdul Kalam's Letter to Every Indian

A letter of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, ex president of India, addressed to every Indian,  is reproduced below which must be read by every Indian and act accordingly,to some extent, if not fully because old habits die hard, can't be changed in one day.

" Why is the media here so negative? 

Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements?

We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?

We are the first in milk production.

We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.

We are the second largest producer of wheat.

We are the second largest producer of rice.

Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit.. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime.. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T.Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is.. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

.. 
YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say.. What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - 'YOURS'. Give him a face - 'YOURS'. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are.. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity… In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai .. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.
YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs..650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, 'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches inAustralia and New Zealand ..
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India ?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan ..
Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too….. I am echoing J. F. Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians…..

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

Forward this mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.

Thank you,

Dr.. Abdul Kalam" 

Please tell your friends to read it.

16th Cleanest City of India

There is a good news for the people of Salt Lake (Bidhannagar). The National Urban Sanitation survey report of 2009-10 has declared Salt Lake,  the 16th Cleanest City in India.

Kolkata is in the 25th position while Mumbai is in the 45th position.. Chandigarh has been confirmed as the Cleanest City in the country. The survey was done in the 423 cities throughout the country.

Rath Yatra

Puri in Orissa, Kolkata and other places in West Bengal celebrated the Rath Yatra today. Thousands of Kolkatans came out on the streets to participate in Rath Yatra. Salt Lake too participated in the festival, like every year. The Rath (The Chariot) was pulled along the Broadway of this township. Many pulled the chariot of Lord Jagannath while the rest stood along the way to catch a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra. Traffic was stopped enroute Rath Yatra. Prasad was distributed to the people while moving the the Rath Yatra.

ISKCON, like every year, this year too organized Rath Yatra which started started from the Park Circus Maidan, went through the central Kolkata streets and journey ended at Ganga Sagar Mela ground nearBabughat. The Rath will be parked here till Ulta Rath, on the eighth day, when it will be back to the place of origin. Devotees of the ISKCON from different parts of the world participated in the festival.

Future Transport System of Kolkata

 It is reported by the media that the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) is implementing four extremely important projects that would ensure smooth and fast travel. It will take just 30 minutes from Barrackpore and Barasat (north) and Joka (south) to the central business district, a journey that takes a couple of hours now.

Let us wait and see.  

Source : Times of India 13/7/2010

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