Bhusawal

Bhusawal

 

I don’t remember the exact year but that summer I happened to be in Bhusawal a town in Khandesh . I went there for 2 consequtive  summer vacations during my school days. This was the place where my Phoophi ie Atya in marathi stayed..That is my fathers only sister.She was very vary fair and had moles  like the Europeans .She had a great sense of humor but   would get melancholic at time may be due to the fact  that  she was very sensitive towards her brothers and missed their company being married off at a very young age. Her husband my phoopha was a very robust man ,with a heavily built chest and very sharp nose and intense eyes.They stayed at the Mandpes Bunglow in Vakil Ali ie the Lawyers lane. I  remember the Mandpes as very rich and owned many rooms and had my uncle as their tenant. They had beautiful daughters and I would get a glimpse very occasionally .In fact my own cousin sisters were beautiful too but the Mandpe girls were smart s well. The entire lane was quiet and there never used to be much traffic it was towards the Tapti river occasionally on a quiet winter night we could hear the roaring waters of Tapi as it was also known river.

 

Tapi

The road to Tapi was around two kilometers lined by rich trees which were thick and with gigantic foliages .They were mahogany,deodars and peepul and may be the Vat trees. In one  cul de sac on the left but just as the road commenced   there were rich lavender boughs  where fragrance used too spread around the bushes. I admired that spot intensly being a city bred lad far from such rustic delights.Even at that age I would sense a keen desire of love deep within me ,such was the enchanting effects of natural fragrance . The water in tapi used to dry up in summer and only a small stream used be running which with every passing year became narrower I guess. But the ghat was deep and rocky and very scenic. A small crematorium was perched at one end and that would really scare us school children..

 

Walking to Tapi was fun as there was hardly any traffic and many people walked up to the river in evenings enjoying the shade and the joy of walking without being interrupted by vehicles which were few and there were more bullock carts and cycle rickshaws than autos. We sang and danced on way while running helter skelter without a reprimand. My phoopha was a man of taste,he wore Dhotar ie Dhoti and white shirt and hard black Gandhi topi or cap .He was a clerk in Railways and Bhusawal was a great junction on the may be GIP .

 

Railway Yard

I had two cousin sisters but no cousin brother , so  phoopha had a dark lad whom he loved and cared as his son .He was Bandya Puntambekar.He was not very bright but did all work at home although he stayed two lanes away. My uncle had given him a job in the railways and had obliged him. His job was to shunt the engines in the railway yard. I enjoyed his company as he was a very jovial person and loved us as children.  And another reason for liking Bandya is because he took me one fine day to his Railway yard .We mounted onto the gigantic engine .He was executing a job while I was experiencing a unique event in my life. The engine was huge and Bandya was dressed in Boiler suit. There were a few indicator  instrument on the panel .It was a coal engine the heat was intense ,unbearable but enthusing. He had a spade like that of the miners and on the back side was a mini coal depot inside the engine .He would open the hood , the chute as  I would get a glimpse of the terrible golden  fire that raged inside the engine .With a swift move bandya would haul a spade full of coal and with  a quick swift movement pelt all the coal inside the engine.Occassionally he would pull the rope of the whistle as deadly steam rushed out making terrible shrill sound. He would take the engine up and down till it came on the right track from the yard. This was called  shunting but it was stunning . This got etched on my memory as a exciting experience, which I narrated to by other friends and earned adventure credits for that. At the end of around an hour and half we climbed down all steeped in charcoal like the chimney sweep of Sir Walter Scott as I later appreciated through in my English text  looking all  victorious as if a  great mutiny was won by me in the railway yard that day!!Bandya thanks a lot for the favors.

 

 

Ajanta Caves.

 

These awesome caves were there for centuries till a British Army officer discovered them.somewhere in the 1819 by Major John Smith On my first visit to Bhusawal around 10-12 people from our and cousins family got together and planned a trip to ajantha Caves.We boarded an ST bus with all provisions and got down after a 8 hours Journey to Ajantha Caves.This was about 45 years back and there were very selected crowds at the caves.I remember we were perched on a hill opposite the caves quite likely from where they were discovered.This hill is in Taluka Sillod and a river named Vaghur flows inbetween the two hills the one opposite is called pimpaldari .The moment we landed we searched for the right spot and the ladies got down to their job.Water was collected from the springs and fresh vegetables were cooked on firewood.That was fun.No ready made snacks or cold drinks.Then we went down to admire the caves ,one by one they opened up their rich cultural heritage as children we just went on wondering how they were dug up without caving in.The human forms were attractive and stylish .The inscriptions added enigma to it.The sculptures of Buddha and the cave paintings were astoundly  proportionate I had admired .There were foreigners as usual but we were carried away with these ancient and beautiful carvings.We thought that we were priviledged lot.To be able to witness a world heritage site in those humble days fired our imaginations and gave impetus to our mundane life .Yes now we had some thing to tell to others.Something that filled us with pride about the history,the sculpture,The Buddha and the Trimurti,I visited Ajantha again for 2^nd time but every time I felt myself to be a part of that rich monumental masterpieces.There are many caves all along the cut and chiseled rock mountain sourrounded by dense vegetations,Ajantha with some of the exclusive pieces such as the laughing Buddha ,the PadmaPani,The sleeping Buddha and the Ling of Shiva and the Chaitya and arches ,the frescoes all had deep impact on my childish mind. In retrospect I feel that true educaton is done outside the class room like they told us in the books about Shantiniketan.We were extremely tired fro the excursion and traveled in the Bus throughout the night to reach Bhusawal in the wee little hours next day feeling great and accomplished.My respect for Buddism had doubled and so for my parents and my Phoophi and Phoopha.

 

 

 

Manna Dey

 

It so happened that in those days during the vacations a open air concert was held on somewhere in the outskirts of  Bhusawal.So my cousin sisters and my own sister decided to attend it with help of Bandya.We all travelled on foot across the bye lanes and then cross country till ve came at the site,there were lighting arrangements ,mike system and a podium set up for the event.We had taken some sheet mats with us and snacks and food stuff.At around 9 pm the mike came alive and the voice came loud and clear .It was a familiar voice and then I was told after much asking that it was manna Dey alive..Now as a school boy this all seemed to me a very enjoyable happening, for as we walked to the site I had spotted all those thousands of stars on a clear night in a far away place.This star studded sky an enigma got the better of me and the songs entertained and delighted.Manna da was at his best although not as popular as Rafi he sang songs that were great hits like Sur na saje,Aiye meri johara zabi,pooch na kaise maine and laga Chunari me daag which was the crowining glory.Manna at that time was 15 years into his professional  career which started in 1942 .He turned 90 years last year on May 1^st.Manna had a rich classical repertoire but also was adept at romantic ones like pyar hua ekrar hua ,Aja sanam,masti bhara hai sama .he sang one after other enthralling tahe audience which were in all age groups and all communities.I was a witness to this unique experiment many many years ago in entertainment and national integration during the pre television era.Aman ali Khan and abdur Rehman Khan were his gurus and Manna was very versatile artist who could render rustic songs like those of Kishor da and classical of bhimsen joshi .I now believe that these experience go a long way in consolidating your interests in art ,poetry and music and in making you a appreciator or in Indian cultural context the Rasik or one who can develop the exotic rasa or essences inside his systems.Naushad had to take back his impression of mannada as a dry and drab singer when he rendered the song poochon na kaise maine.We returned some where near midnight back walking through fields with a very heavy eyelids hitting the bed and entering into the realm of sleep after a dream that was lived  that night.

 

 

Charity

 

Charity they say begins at home I never knew what this meant,but judge this .At that time we were staying at parel tank  road in ambekar Nagar a typically marathi colony of around 12 buildings.We stayed in building C on 3^rd floor in flat no 15  .In flat no 16 was a  young man ,his name was Tatya kalokhe.Now  Tatya was his petname actual name was suryakant.he was tall fair and lanky just like his father,he was an ikon of youth especially because he had two feathers in his cap one he was a sailor on a ship in merchant navy and was seeing the world and second he had a Honda bike in those days.Tatya was a goan and they spoke typical and neat Konkani at home .Had just returned from a voyage from Europe and had brought with him a huge stock of pencils and blotting paper both these were actually advertisements and campaign for some soups in Europe.Tatya downloaded all that stuff to me .He was also admired as he had got for him a tape recorder unknown in those days and had experimented with it. He asked me to sing a song .Now I distinctly remember that I could not do off hand, so he convinced me a school boy to prepare on for the tape. So I took it seriously and rehearsed ‘Pearly Shells ‘again and again. Imagine the height of my excitement when I recited it flawlessly into the contraption and could hear that when it played back at us. Now I took all that consignment of Pencils, erasers and blotting papers to Bhusawal as it was a gift I could not part with at any cost. My cousin sister when she discovered that I had this booty with me demanded a share and when I refused we were at fisticuffs. Later I was convinced that as an elder I was expected to part with some so I did although reluctantly. Even then I had a handsome stock. Now the lane on which we stayed opened up on the main street it was only a furlong away from our house. There was a talkies called Vasant Talkies and opposite this was a open land on which perched around 3 roofed structures in which was housed the public school. I discovered this when I ventured to survey what was around the house. They had not started with the vacations. I would peep inside the class room to understand what they were being taught out of curiosity. In the recess they clambered all on the ground running helter skelter. Some came up to me and asked me who I was as I looked a bit different from the city. They were simple unkempt and walked bare foot. I showed them the pencils and they looked at me admiringly. Now I felt rich and privileged .What was I going to do with all the pencils I thought as I had ample of them at home too. So I gifted them one pencil to each and as many I had .Somewhere I felt that they be supported with the pencils, in their studies. Others were given the erasers. On my return I was severely reprimanded for the uncalled for generosity. I agreed more when I had no pencils left for me.

 

 

Vasant Talkies

 

It was a movie theatre situated from a stone’s throw from our house. It showed black and white movies .the ticket used to be 4 annas.I think I saw one or two movies there perhaps with my sisters, but do not recollect the details. The publicity of those movies used to be done with the help of a handcart on which posters used to be displayed and hand bills about the timings and ticket denominations with details of star cast used to be distributed. I would collect many hand bills as against my cousin sister and then tease her till she cried and made a big hullabaloo. Then I was reprimanded and made to part with some of the handbills.

 

Bharit Party

 

This was a winter feature in this region.One fine morning we would take a transport and arrive on the fields of some known farmer.There stoves would be lighted and fresh Bharit made with Bhakries of Jowar which were thick roasted Chappatis of Jowar or Bajra.Bharit is a spicy vegetable dish created out of one or two large brinjals which were roasted on cinders and then mashed and cooked in oil ,onions ,fresh chillies and coriander.This was eaten with chilli chutney and hot Bhakaris.The aroma of the cusine would fill the fresh air.Then  after having a sumptuous meal we would return back not without consuming cold water from the nearby stream of well.

 

Another attraction was Hurda Party where we would go to the fields and eat fresh green corn from the maize plants swerving in the strong breeze as we would watch the scare crows  with awe  while the farming community went about with their work in the fields.

 

Bhusawal  thus brought cheer and real value to my life at a very young age shaping my tastes and likes and desires. I owe a lot to my parents who sent me there to enjoy the change far from the city to experience at their cost.And my uncle and aunt and my cousin sisters who enriched my life in that  remote godly place.Bhusawal.

 

 

Tail Piece : An interesting news appeared in a Marathi Newspaper on 19-07-2010 –Today is Tapi Prakat Din ie the auspicious day on which River Tapi appeared on earth. Humble celebrations were done at Kukar munda in Taluka Nizar ,Jillha Tapi.More than 2000 Gujars and Adivasis  from Maharashtra from Nandurbar,Dhule and Jalgaon  and Gujrat congregrated on the banks of the river and did Pooja and thanksgiving .The ceremony was conducted by Maharaj Anupgiri in the Temple of Hatkeshwar Mahadev.Talking about Tapi His Highness said that Tapi flows gently and quenches our thirst .It is a river born from the Sun and helps to enrich soil resulting in the granaries remaining full and imparting wealth to those farmers who live on its banks.Narad Muni has said at one place that Tapi appeared on Suddha Ashad Navmi and there is a hymn  that Tapi appeared when there were no civilizations and the human world.The greatness of Tapi was such that to be blessed you have to bathe in Ganges,drink from Yamuna ,behold Rewa but as for Tapi just think about it and you would be blessed.

 

Irani Restaurants

Irani Restaurants

They happen to be there today as well but much subdued and low key as compared to those heydays when they formed a distinct places of refreshments .Entire Bombay was studded with these golden sites and sounds of speakeasies called the Irani Restaurants and indeed they were the cultural landmarks of cosmopolitan Mumbai.

Irani restaurant were a phenomena like the Udipis . And they had their style statement of their own. Located predominantly on corners of buildings on main roads or even on smaller streets they had those peculiar teak chairs with rounded bottom resters with black polish and I have never seen any broken ever even when they used to be manhandled. The Marble tables were round and thick mounted on Victorian base made of teakwood and black polish. Another feature was the counters one for the owner and cashiers who was the unmistakable fair stout robust irani seated with a hunch and who would watch the entire place with his Hawkeye precision discerning every abnormality of material and service. He roared like lion and newer cowed by mavalis or goondas coming inside as there was no taboo to caste and creed sometimes displayed clearly by a signboard.

They sold Bharat Blades and Boric Powder .They sold Cavenders and Passing Show and Charminar and Peela hatthi.They sold Polson Maska in small rolls or Polson coffee and kolynos toothpaste.They sold Cadbury Drinking chocolate and Ovaltine sometimes as a beverage.They sold Brasso and Cheery Blossom shoe polish and Wimco matches.They sold Brylcream and Loma and Forhans.All kept in glass showcases around the Counter.There were tall cupboards with glass which kept Buns and loaves of bread and others which had Cakes and Pastries for sale.

Iranis used to be frequented by boys and men but hardly ladies.Standard orders were Tea which was ‘Paani cum” a concept started by them where tea was made from milk rather than boiling water.Then there was Bun Maska and Omlette or Kheema which was their speciality.Some sold hot Puddings and pattices which were non veg and Kharis or toasts.Those on townside had Biryani and Payas and other exotic dishes including Dhanshaks.Business was mainly from vending tea and coffee which was filter and later instant where the cashier would add a small tinge to the stuff.Huge portraits of king of Iran and Queen of Iran decorated the walls of these hotels.They were the places from where you could make aphone call at a cost as there were very few public call booths and mobile phones were impossibles.A peep inside the restaurants kitchen was as smoothening .The waiters were peculiar people from Muslim community who would get free breakfast or periodic dose of hot tea and Kheema at lunch time with fresh bread .Smoking was allowed infact many smoked as they sipped tea and chatted in loud voices,although occupying the tables for more time was discouraged unless you ordered for another tea .There were sighboards telling not to sit without work and not to comb hair infront of the mirror hung above washbasins.

My earliest experience was one opposite Sena Bhavan at Shivaji Park.I forget the name but the memories are engraved on my mind. This one sold excellent Patties and Patti Smaosas and Cakes. The Patti Samosas were small oil laden with masala and ingredients blended perfectly to be eaten with sauce or Tomato ketchup. When I went to my father’s Studio Pamart accompanying him or otherwise , I was usually treated to these delicacies as tea was a taboo for kids. Also later on return from swimming sessions during holidays at MGMO swim pool I would relish double omelets especially when the appetite was insatiable or there was some extra cash around. It was a great feeling to walk up this place during vacations and enjoy Sosyo at this place or at one situated on Caddell road or on the circle where there was the Building Udayam.Coco Cola had a different taste which was inimitable at the time before Thums a up or Coke.Infact Coke was the short of Cocoa Cola and later it became a brand just like Charms which was short for Char Minar a cigarette with strong flavor which was my father’s brand .He was an artist and artists were supposed to have minor vices to bring out their creative energies. Years later this place opposite sena bhavan was sold off and now a restaurant Chandragupt runs here instead of the much missed Irani joint.

Another remarkable one was at Parel TT .This was too was an unforgettable place because of its specialty Pudding and Cakes which were served in a Glass bowl as assortments and you were supposed to be pick only the ones which tempted you k.My father took us to Firdausi on special occasions and he used to foot the bill when everyone was done . Just outside Firdausi was a small library of Comic books and this was our recluse during vacations as we devoured one after other on binge reading .When we stood out side at the Library rich flavours emanating from the bakery at Firdausi would greet us.During Christmas time this was a treat by itself.We would then wonder when we would grow up become employed so that we would have them all at one go due to our affordability. Firdausi beckoned us during college days when we were broke and I would walk with Shekhar around parel TT with few coins in our pocket we would purchase Chana or peanuts eyeing the temptation called Firdausi. But alas the time never came as our likes and desires migrated to other realms like beer and I remember during my college days occasionally I would hop into Firdausi to down one or two beers which was either LP or the staple golden eagle.Firdausi is now extinct and its place has been taken by a wretched department stores . Firdausi thus saw the evolution of my childhood into Collegean and then into a salaried young man treating his friends but the place itself evolved changing the merchandise .Another delicacy at Firdausi was Falooda with rose milk and sabja .This dammed thing was always costlier at Firdausi but then we enjoyed this at roadside joint on corner of Sheyte market at Naigaum sold as doodh cold drink and in summer it was a nectar of life supplying volume and antioxidants and proteins.

Mashaallah was situated next to a post office in Naigaum next to police quarters where Bapat satyed a colleague at college. This was a joint where we chilled out during high school days. It was may be a chiliya place.But this was special as we had here a Juke box where we played Rajesh Khanna songs .It was actually a gramophone box where choice of the song was buttoned in after a fall of a coin in a slot and we could see the Lac record being lifted and played .It was ultimate ecstasy to hear this sipping tea and occasional having double omlette which was a common highlight of my bachelor days during Diwali Vacations .I remember telling one of my rich neighbors to gift me a Irani restaurant like Mashaallah so that I would sit at the counter gathering money and enjoying the ambience of the rendezvous with rich flavors and music .A crazy dream !

Modern Times was next to Hindmata Talkies. It still exists at a vantage spot. We collegians would meet at this place boisterously cracking jokes and making plans to see matinee shows or talking of courtships with fervor. There was one on opposite road too where I remember to hear a bollywood song on it Juke Box one in which Asha Parekh sang it on the large screen with her sinuous body movements “parde Mein Rehene Do” an enchanting and insinuating number which caught fancy of youth.

Lucky Restaurant was bang opposite Chitra cinema .It was a place where we would have tea and Britannia or Parle biscuits on our evening or late evening strolls outside boys hostel.This place has been converted to Lucky furniture shop

One next to Aurora theatre was coolest spot especially when we had cold drinks during intervals of Western Action movies or movies of Dean Martin. Another one was at Dadar TT where Milan Shop stood for years .It was a large restaurant catering to officers and Parsi gentry from Colony .We would settle for Soda plus Lemon of dukes which was a fizzy drink of repute as refreshing as ever.Sarvi was in Byculla where we enjoyed Paya soup exactly as prescribed by Asif my friend .One opposite VJTI was a craze too spending fun time with friends after strolling at Love Gardens would give us a high which was unsurpassed delight of youthful days. Occasionally we relished Joy Ice-cream with Vanila flavor which was irreplaceable taste and feel on tongue. But the ultimate place was one next to MGMO swim pool besides the sea shore with open air and cool sea breeze and meeting here after stroll on the sands was something worth cherishing all our lives. Some iranis at town side were places like they showed in Hollywood movies with Glass top tables and a menu which suited our pockets during Christmas and New year times when we would try to go to jam Sessions at Colaba a dream world like Saturday night fever .the instances when we went were when we went to British Council Library or Asiatic library.

Those were the days of dreams and romance of the Iranis added to our fantasies .Due to their décor and western culture they endeared us to make our youth colourfull and rich. This is a tribute to those Irani restaurants which added spice and hope and tang to otherwise insecure life of distant days!!

Posted in City Of Mumbai, Culture, Music, Writing.

By Dilip Vishnu Maydeo – November 6, 2011

Fire In The Blood

Fire in the Blood

As the HIV epidemic in the early eighties spread across the world the fears of AIDS and death gripped the entire literate populace .This fear was terrible for there was no cure for this ghastly venereal scourge. It was like plague since it was expected to wipe out populations especially the promiscuous and the drug users.

The first victim is debatable and some think that it was basically a simian virus that mutated as we eventually discovered that it was a virion that infects the index case. The sex workers formed a pool of contagion and due to rapid centralization of populations into cities by migration the disease became a pandemic. The African continent was worst affected due to poverty illiteracy and alienation from developed and developing worlds.

It is at this time Antiretroviral drugs were rapidly discovered one after another due to some  elite companies already dealing with viral diseases, Amantadine being a prototype. As the molecular structure of the virus infecting the lymphocytes was deciphered different groups of antiviral were synthesized and ART became available between 1990 to 2000 even in developing nations, as patent laws were not applicable in these countries especially India.

India has been a hub of Chemical industry with Bengal a forerunner .Chemistry was a very popular subject amongst the Bhadralok  and there were many stalwarts who were synthesizing fine chemicals like Bengal Chemicals and East India Pharmaceutical as Tropical School Of Hygiene had a great tradition of drug innovations. Subsequent establishments like the UDCT, IITs CSIR, NCL churned  high quality professionals but during preindependance days it was a Bombay based company called Chemical,Industrial and Pharmaceutical Laboratories set up by Dr K.Hamied which was a leader in Mumbai which manufactured drugs for the British Army for supply in Second World war. Another was GIPLA but CIPLA became a champion for drug manufacture and naturally Bombay became capital for pharmaceuticals, Baroda coming next.

Having done some stint at this company, I was aware of its great heritage with Mahatma Gandhi visiting this facility and appreciating it. The company had cutting edge drug development history and knowhow, and Dr Yusuf a qualified and trained Pharmaceutical chemist heading this organization proved to be a great boon. But marketing was weak .In 1980s this department was strengthened and then there was no looking back. With new technology coming in quickly and money pouring in due to their  strength in Respiratory drug segment ,the company started daring into new ventures. A respiratory clinical research centre and its foray into agriculture with Dr Bammi to develop plant based products with facilities for drug research in Bangalore was feather in cap. Ciplas basket was one of the widest and with help of M.K.Hamied and deceased Shri Amar Lulla a finance wizard CIPLA became a household name with their stocks touching all time high in pharma industry. Modern management putting systems and controls in place was done with pioneering effort of Dr Punshi.Cipla then forayed into foreign markets bringing much needed foreign exchange. They became strong exporters to almost 200 countries of the world.

With all this, one strength was almost an essence of the company: social cause and responsibility.Cipla discovered this long before the word Corporate Social Responsibility came into existence. They had started a hospice for the terminal sick at Pune and donated freely for any social cause without reservations and many took advantage of this magnanimity. With a solid presence in various segments Cipla  then entered the generic market to satisfy a need of bringing in drugs cheaply to the lower segments and economically weak. They were now competing with locals and multinationals and soon Cipla became an International company and a household name in every nook and corner of the world.

With this image and love and respect gained from doctors and consumers alike, CIPLA went into antiretrovirals sensing the need and appreciating their own abilities. Meanwhile a sinister picture was emerging on the HIV and AIDS front in Africa whereas the drug costs were coming down in India they refused to come down in US and Africa .This had two reasons one was Indian governmental policy with patent laws and second was capitalization of health care industry by US governments and WTO .Millions of dollars were being pumped into US government to fund elections and to keep economic hegemony ongoing. This strongly prevented entry of cheaper drugs into Africa and European drug cartels prevented any technology transfer for drug manufacture into Africa.

At this time a South African white Judge who was a victim to HIV, a Journalist who was dying due to non availability of drugs, a Clinician dealing with HIV disease and AIDS and an AIDS drug activist who refused to take drugs even though he was likely to succumb to AIDS till affordable drugs were available to the poorest emerged as a strong alliance to lead  social movements in major cities of Africa protesting against Multinationals and Governments to  embargo drugs entering Africa leading to painful death to millions. Doctors beyond Frontiers were their ally too and so was Dr Yusuf Hamied chairman of CIPLA . For Dr Hamied knew one thing, that to remain in drug industry one has to innovate and innovation need not be only scientific, it can be socioeconomic too.

Dr Hamied was approached by concerned people who had patronage from Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela and Ex President Clinton .Dr Hamied studied the case and offered monthly drug for Dollar 300 a month against  1500 to 200 a month. He approached the European Union who disregarded this idea but the players were firm and finally after battling the embargo for 4 years the US senate gave its go ahead loosening their policy and giving its green signal for import of technology for African governments to manufacture AIDS drugs saving thousands of life and stopping cascading forward transmissions.

Fire in Blood is a 2 hour Documentary film by Brian Dylan made by inputs from Ex Pfizer and other Pharma honchos. It pictures the profiles of victim and their lifestyles due to the ravages of the disease not only in Africa but India too. The film is a tribute to Dr Y.K.Hamied who deserves the highest honors in Medicine and Health not because of drug discovery but because of Social Innovation for it is his exemplary decisions which will be realized as a greatest step to bring the Pandemic of HIV AIDS in control across boundaries of nations and their political limitations. It is this humanitarian cause which made the world sit-up and take notice of egalitarian initiative adopted by CiPLA ad Dr Hamied rather than working into a very clichéd concept of Social Responsibility through current fabricated entities termed as NGOs

DA VINCI CODE

Da Vinci code

“ I have offended God and mankind ,because my work did not reach the quality it should have”-Leonardo of Vinci-Italy –  Painter and Man of science

A Hollywood mega movie based on top seller ‘Da Vinci code ‘was a record breaker. I never saw the movie due to unknown but yet unsuspicious reasons. It is based on cracking code in paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci. In this movie an Art Historian played by Tom hanks deciphers the hidden messages in Da Vinci works.

Vinci was a real life painter who excelled in the art and is considered as a foremost representative of his style which is inimitable. His style was termed as High Renaissance. The Italian painters works are spread in cathedrals and museums all over Europe .That he was a man of science was discovered later based on his writing and notings  in scrap and workbooks which contained engineering drawings and technical illustrations of inventions  which he wrote from Right to left requiring mirror to read it. His other jottings were studies in anatomy. He painted very limited paintings as his interests shifted from one subject to other. The famous being The Last supper and Mona Lisa

One of his famous paintings which has drawn awe all over world is ‘Mona Lisa’ an Oil on Panel painting of 77 by 55 centimeter dimension .It is a portrait of an lady, may be an unknown model but the painting became famous due to the demeanor of the woman who is in relaxed mood with an amused gaze .When I visited Louvre Museum there was a rush around this art piece and continuous clicking of cameras with flood of flashlights. It was difficult to get near it as many scrambled to get closer to it. May be art aficionados I thought .But the real reason is to look continuously at this painting which comes alive when you concentrate on it. Mona Lisa was painted in years 1503 to 1505.The facial anatomy is characterized by ample subcutaneous fats blending into various regions very smoothly a feat where facial muscles put optimum stress on the tissues above it to be expressive of amusement and relief in a dignified way. Only a man of science can achieve these expressive tones in eyes and the lips which are held in a small smile.

Leonardo strived to achieve perfection in drawings as for him they were work of science and design as much as works of Art. He used the technique of sfumato-Subtle blending of tones .It is said that Sfumato is beyond technique. It is a form of poem delimiting boundaries of human expression and form. In Mona Lisa the background too is mysterious as compared to plain background of portraits in that era.

Now Art historian Silvano Vincenti and his group are reading more into Mona Lisa painting and using high definition magnification of eyes in the painting have discerned Letters LV in her Right eye and C and E or B in left eye. Other group has discovered 72 or L and a 2 painted in the mysterious background bridge that forms the backdrop. This may be asking too much as if you look at any old building walls you tend to see faces and designs and letters init by chance occurrence as different patterns rise out of the paint wearing out. Mind sets change after people are exposed to media creativity just as they change after they witness a masterpiece such as Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa is a sensation as a painting but the persona in the portrait is not a celebrity albeit a high class woman who is exudes patience   and understanding. The woman is not beautiful by any standard like the Afghan Woman on the National Geographic who became a darling of literate elite in 1970s

Here I choose to digress a bit to drive in my point as I put on record the fact that I had the good fortune to own a copy of that issue which I held for a long while .Now I was never a subscriber of NatGeo  as I could never afford  it and surely felt  miserable for that state of affair envying those who had the access to the highly photogenic masterpieces which arrived with precise periodicity. Remember, there was no Television in those days but NatGeo Magazine was sufficient to arouse and satisfy that never ending desire and quest for unknown places and people across the globe .I was a proud owner of some issues which I had   purchased from roadside Kabadi shop. I would glance and flip through the issues again and again especially to admire the Afghan Woman on the cover for the perfection of her feature and the nativity of her expression. Eventually the National Geographic launched a ‘hunt’ for this remarkable woman and traced her to a small village in Afganistan.She did entertain the team from NatGeo but refused to remove the  Burkha to let everyone see her although a picture did appear on the magazine cover later. I was lucky once  again to watch the episodes on NatGeo  of her discovery or rather her rediscovery .How I had wished  I had that Magazine issue which got misplaced  as it  would have brought fortune and fame at my doorsteps.

The point I want to make is that Women are beautiful but Womanhood is more beautiful .To me this is Da Vinci Code ,a code of ethics and  immense character of a woman , a code of  morality and of dignity ,a code of conduct and  stature  and the only the inimitable  Leonardo Da Vinci could get  this code on a canvass in the form of a Portrait. Mona Lisa is an example of this superlative expression of womanhood on canvas and as it hangs  on the Parisian museum is a tribute to this humble great artist.

Another woman of equal stature would be Lady Diana and her immense stateliness and superiority .Anyone who saw her was awestruck by her poise and serenity. She was Womanhood personified .It is an enigma like the Da Vinci Code that she met sudden violent death with Dodi Fayed her very good friend   in one of the by lanes of Paris not very far from the famed painting of Mona Lisa

C L O S E      E N C O U N T E R

(With The Fourth Estate)

 9-03-2011

On Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:54:24 +0530 Supriya Sobti <supriya.sobti@aljazeera.net> wrote
>Dear Dr Dilip,
>
>I am journalist working on a story related to clinical trials in India.
>We are particularly looking for participants of clinical trials sponsored by US pharma companies who may have had an adverse reaction to
>a trial drug. or perhaps someone's family member passed away during or shortly after being on it.
>f you know of any such trial participants and could share their details with us I’d really appreciate it!
>
>I look forward to hearing from you.
>
>Many thanks in advance,
>
>Regards,
>
>
>SUPRIYA SOBTI | PRODUCER | NEWS & PROGRAMMING
>AL JAZEERA ENGLISH
>INDIA
>phone + 91-9619071456
>web www.aljazeera.net/english
>
>Notice: This email is intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above and may contain information that is confidential and privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of our firm shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.
>

Subject: Re: Clinical trials....

From: "DilipVishnu maydeo"<dr_dilipmaydeo@rediffmail.com> Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:29:37

To: "Supriya Sobti"<supriya.sobti@aljazeera.net> and others

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Hello ,
Was involved with an high end antibiotic in Nosocomial Pneumonia .We at our institution did 2nd largest series for that indication. But due to proper selection, monitoring ,quick response and documentation ,had no ADR or more sinister outcome.In fact we from the data generated concluded that existing antibiotics are as good as the new intended antibiotic. This molecule was eventually launched and we were called for the launching event. But we were surprised that no reference was made to our study in the dossier handout.
Incidentally the Largest series had 3 times our subjects. This is possible if the selection criteria are not strictly adhered to.It is in such circumstances that ADRs are maximum.

In another situation for an Anti TB drug we refused to conduct the trial as the basic premise of the trial was not clear and was scientifically irrational. Role of World Bank in such community driven trials is suspect. Our own know how on therapeutics of TB is cutting edge and clinically outsourced trials on anti TB drugs should not be entertained on poor patients.

Trials of Alternate day regimens and twice weekly regimens for TB were conducted 1n 1970s at leading TB research institutes in the country with favorable results.Inspite of the costs having come down drastically in last 30 years, It was surprising that Indian Government gave a go ahead to world bank funded DOTS after 25 years in form of RNTCP.The world bank needs to give royalty to the individuals and institutions who conducted these studies off setting their own interests. Moreover this DOTS treatment has spurned XDR TB due to inherent mathematically provable fallacies on compliance and operational issues.

We were also involved in yet another Anti Asthmatic drug which was proved to be safe and became as established drug all over .Although skeptic at the beginning we realized consistent ly good out comes. This drug has a great role in Step down treatment from Steroids.

Our corpus of experience is heterogenic and we tend to conclude that basic rationale needs to be examined and clinical trials seen as very sophisticated research rather that a business model to multiply incomes in a scenario of opportunistic me too molecules being introduced in and encashed  in a charged   brand management  Marketing environment   .There is  therefore  a distinct need to endorse social marketing as a modality over traditional competitive marketing as a 'spit and polish' charismatic activity.

2^nd Email to Supriya

India and mainly Maharashtra especially cities like Mumbai and Pune are hubs for Clinical trials. From 2009 a Register is maintained at Centre for studies in Ethics and Rights for listing these trials although it is not mandatory for Pharmacokinetic or Bioavailability studies to be registered. From 2006 to 2011 there was a 36% increase in number of Clinical Trials.

Interestingly there is no correlation between the epidemiology of diseases and trial scenarios which means that Indians are being used as Guinea pigs. This scene is due to trials being  outsourced to the country partly due to the fact that they can be done at a very economical price and partly due to the fact that skilled and dedicated personnel are available for conduct of such trials.

The discrepancy is illustrated aptly by the fact that TB is most prevalent disease however TB drug trials conducted are < 1% whereas Cancer trials are maximum at 13 % even when Cancer does not rank as a major killer in the country unlike the western hemisphere. Trials on prenatal conditions stand at 2.9%.

Source : TIMES of India

ADRs/death results for the following reasons 1) Poor quality of Induction and motivation 2) Not assigning responsibility to junior staff 3) Inadequate remuneration to junior staff 4) Communication gaps between patients and Junior staff or between juniors and seniors 5) Not following the inclusion criteria or lack of understanding of the criteria 6) Inadequate monitoring and or reporting 7) Drug interactions and  undeclared co morbidities 8) Lack of appreciation of seriousness of certain clinical signs and inadequate clinical training to staff including nursing staff 9) Monetary gains and suppression of information for being deported from trial and loss of monies 10) laziness to document ADRs immediately and improper filling of forms due to other clinical responsibilities.

Dr Dilip Maydeo MD ,DIM,MCAAI

Subject: Re: Clinical trials Scenario

From: "DilipVishnu maydeo"<dr_dilipmaydeo@rediffmail.com> Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:41:29

To: "Supriya Sobti"<supriya.sobti@aljazeera.net> and others

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Actually I am not a clinical pharmacologist who specialize in conduct of trials. I am a clinician with interest in clinical research and drug evaluations. Because you wrote , I wrote back.i surely can spend some time with you with documents if I can lay my hands on them.

Having worked for Pharma industry in past, I am able to appreciate the business aspects of the activity. Being a perfectionist, I do not undertake any study unless I am satisfied about the ethical aspects of any study.Incidently Clinical research is not only about drugs ,it can be about technology ,bioengineering, Biodesign and bedside monitoring as well. Your team is welcome to interact with me if it is mutually convenient. Please keep me informed.
My cell number is : 9821041983


On Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:10:32 +0530 Supriya Sobti <supriya.sobti@aljazeera.net> wrote
>Doc many thanks for your email. That was very informative.
>
>I just wanted to double check if there are any US sponsored trials that you conducting at the moment? Either in the recruitment phase or on-going.
>
>We will be in Mumbai later this week and if you are available and willing to talk to us about how you conduct trials (perhaps even show us some patient interaction - how people are told about a clinical trial at the time of signing the consent form etc..) then we'd definitely like to spend some time with you.
>
>I look fwd to hearing from you.
>
>Best,
>Supriya

Sent on my BlackBerry® from Vodafone

---

From: DilipVishnu maydeo <dr_dilipmaydeo@rediffmail.com>

Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2011 07:17:45 +0300

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At 12 noon they walked into my office point blank. I was ready for them but not the questions as I was not given any questions in advance which is an etiquette  .This was their Modus Operandi to get onto their subject aggressively so that caution is flung to the wind. Any defense is ruled out.

They were; one Canadian, One American and one French Man. They took charge and dictated the terms, they set the agenda .It was expected that I will succumb to their salvos and say something unconstitutional and ridiculous. That is not possible as a man of science equipped with a vocabulary of terms which have been a standard armamentarium to draw in certain points emphatically especially when the subject is close to your heart.

I was talking incessantly fielding one question after another, trying to illustrate my points as much. I was ruthless with and capitalization of Healthcare.

Healthcare Vs Fine Chemical Industry: Relevant points which I made was the confusion of layperson to consider Chemical and fine chemical drug industry as a part of health care industry. One is a manufacturing industry whereas another is a service industry. Doctors role was to deliver health care holistically not be looked upon as a prescribing extension of Medical Sales team.

Conferences: Conflict of Interests is highly prevalent although it is blatantly denied. Foreign jaunts used for promotion of products. Research has to be relevant to the country. Manpower utilization is justified due to availability but there is strong likely that it will be misused for  lesser effective molecules which may exhibited  as very useful additions to therapeutics. Most conferences are studded with papers which are sponsored for a consideration and cost of sponsorship is high. The timings of such presentation is strategically decided to allow maximum audience. Papers which talk highly favorable of a molecule are selected for award.

Responsibility: Onus of fair and quality trials are with Medical Professionals. The registry of ethical trials should be available to any interested party including competitor’s .Transparency is uppermost. Trial data cannot be withheld under the garb of privacy or secrecy of contract as results which can get extended to hundreds and thousands eventually has to be in public domain and it will be criminal to withhold any data be it positive or negative. Doctors should accept trials based on their expertise and get data from world literature and not rely on data given by the company which may be highly biased E.g. Omalizumab. ADRs are the ones when co morbidities are ruled out as the cause of the ADRs.Omalizumab is a failure in US and hence being tried on Indians to get back the monies spent on research of a useless drug is being sold in a garb of a post marketing study.

.ADRs & Deaths :Deaths associated with usage of molecules may be due to high intrinsic mortality of a condition but inefficacious molecules may be indirectly implicated .This is justified and only genuine molecules which are distinctly superior to existing molecules need be studied and accepted for clinical trials.Eg Doripenem vs. Cilanem.Doripenem was later indicated for abdominal sepsis and not nosocomial pneumonia. It was a drug which was being resurrected in 2007 for which I was a part of multicentre trial. From my own data of 17 odd cases I could conclude that this drug was not superior to many other existing high end antibiotics. I showed the master chart of those cases .2 deaths had occurred in Doripenem group co-incidentally these patients had high level of comorbidities.They clicked pictures of the chart.Doripenem belongs to Johnson & Johnson.It was a drug possibly discovered in 1967.Drug Lag still exists again for commercial reasons.

American Multinationals Companies should adopt the subjects throughout lifetime and not abandon subjects after the trial is done with. It is wrong to pose that the subjects are getting drugs which are unaffordable by them this is not true due to generic drugs being available in interiors at one fifth the cost for most life threatening conditions. Cancer is not number one killer in the country but infectious diseases most cases are thronging to cancer centers in towns and cities and becoming easy targets of clinical drug research. The biggest fallout of clinical trials is skill generation by Indian doctors. Ethical committee is a farce. The trials should document ethical committee minutes and relevant questioning by peers from all departments than by a high powered committee who gives the signal for monetary considerations. Failed drugs are being resurrected and possibly commercially exploited for unsuspecting patients by buying off his doctor. Commercial objectives are placed above ethical issues as money has become sparse in capitalalistic society and governments have ceased to be welfare states.Corporates have become bigger than nations. Another relevant issue is : Will Americans accept drugs based on trials done in India ,because of racial issue which translates biologically as Pharmacogenetics or ecological due to differing nutritional status of Indian subjects. What about Ethics committee meetings in US how are they administered? Are they not farcical too?

Many other points were raised and debated. A certain magazine bought by my wife came handy .I had read an article in the morning before the interview. They had read it too. At the end I was visibly tired. Very Passionate!!Was their response in unison .For me, it was a close brush with aliens belonging to another professional planet: The press

Ecological Intelligence

Ecological Intelligence

I just finished reading the second novel by a great Marathi writer who was a historian, sociologist and naturalist all rolled into one. He was the great ‘Go Ni Da’ or Gopal Neelkanth Dandekar whom I had met during my schooldays trek and stay at Rajgad .

This man was revered by entire Marathi community across board from illiterate to scholar due to his down to earth writing about the people of Maharashtra .He occupies a high pedestal even in Maruti Chitampalli’s  magnum Opus  autobiographical work – Chakwa Chandana .

I had read his novel ‘Padghavali’ an intense story of a small hamlet in Konkan which gets corrupted due to poverty , greed  and ambition while the protagonist battles to uphold the integral fabric of the settlement preventing the  disintegration  due to exodus and gradual relocation of its inhabitants  to metropolitan Mumbai. In the last moving chapter after significant loss of the good people the woman protagonist who is about to board the ship for Mumbai hurriedly gets off the boat to spend last days in the same village where she has witnessed glory and experienced love ,grace and gratitude. GoNiDa paints a very vibrant picture of the village and the upper caste treachery of some of its vicious members against the humble farm laborers or poor caste brethren who   succumb to the cunning deceptions one by one at times eliminating self by immolation.

‘Machivarcha Budha ‘ is from the same genre. Unlike Padghavali it is a short story but a very intense and scintillating one. It is a story of one’s roots ,of nature ,of life and of accomplishment in paradigm shift.It is a story of liberation and  transcendence of a single ,simple old  farmer  who comes back to his home on a mountain slope to stay all by himself after spending most of his life in the lower income ghettoes on Mumbai and lives on valiantly to appease himself and his ancestors trying to gain the self respect by toiling hard to raise crops and make a living .And while doing so befriends a dog, goats and squirrels  to keep company and add value to his solitary life.Budha is replete with instinctive intelligence and due to his intense faith in his dead ancestors who are watching him integrates himself in his new home which he erects with the help of  local tribal.

Budha is old and retired and suffers from dim vision likely due to cataract but he is lucky because of the closeness with the gods.budha gets fair amount of vision due to a local tribal who instills some herbal medication whereby he is able to see much clearly.budha plants rice in his ancestral land and it keeps him busy .the dog is his constant companion. One day his son land in his house beckoning him to come back to Mumbai.budha is on verge of going back but suddenly decides the other way. And comes back to his hut.budha learns to light fire from local tribal by using flint stone. At leisure Budha sits perched on a tree observing the plains called Konkan.

Actually at this point it is necessary to understand that Budha is a form of the author and writer.GoNida tells us of the immense information about the nature that Budha has learnt and which he puts to good use for survival.But Budha is connected to the other world as well ,for he sees a plane which traverses the zenith every day at the same time of the day and gets emotionally attached to it. Having worked in Mumbai he is aware of technology AND HE DOES RELATE TO IT. But as distantly as the plane flying thousands of feet above.Budha watches the two Maratha forts in the vicinity Manornajn and shrivardhan with pride but there is no mention of his knowledge of its history.Budha plants creepers near his hut and develops special relation with trees around him. He is in a unique envious position as he can spent hours watching neighbors who take their cattle to graze daily and who locate the bees hives to get their share of virgin honey.Budha never allows his protégé animals to go hungry the dog who has become his man Friday and the goats and the squirrels and their kids.Budha provides for them compulsively oblivious of their status .Budha is a liberated soul who connects with everything good and natural.

Budha enjoys special relationship with clouds in their splendid form and when they brings monsoon which beats down relentlessly with downpour to turn everything green and glorious.Budha then comes into his elements and adjusts reflex to the fury with native sportsmanship. He knows too well  natures benevolence which to an outsider is mercislessness.Budha is ecologically informed he is intelligent and wishes to surrender to the glory of the gods of nature. He has patience and waits for that with perseverance. Days pass after nights seasons come and go.Budha has no idea of the calendar days he only understands the signals of nature and is content with it. But Budha is a man of intense faith and he has learnt some basic hymns of the great saints of Maharashtra the likes of Tukaram and recites them daily in the morning a rich heritage which he has memorized during his days in Mumbai from some of the groups who are essentially religious and Budha is aware of this ritual with immense belief.Budha combines best of a native in his elements.Budha lives in rhythm with his surroundings he does not have neighbors  except for the Bomblya family whose wife has a squint and with eight children but they are far away and come to help when in need for a smoke or milk for tea.

Budha is strong and during summer he wards off the forest fire that is about to devour him and his humble hut.Budha gets the energy of a giant and beats the fire to defeat. Budha occasionally remembers his son and daughter in law but brushes the idea of returning to Mumbai.He is here to meet his mentor and there is no compromise.

But Budha is distinctly waylaid eventually by fate and gradually comes to his finality of life. It is a mirage that sets the trap for Budha .One fine day as he is perched on the top of the mountain, he witnesses a troupe of soldiers who pitch their camps 1000 feet below into the valley.Budha welcomes them with the Hindu magnamity.He secretly plays host to them .They are there for around 10 days performing their military exercise, may be the national cadet core (NCC).Budha wants to witness it all. He literally talks to them for a distance of 1000 feet as if they cared. But he is happy for them and their effort s. Then suddenly they disappear packing their belongings and retreating in their jeeps.Budha is sad as they leave without bidding farewell. On the same day the Plane refuses to ply in the air.Budha is angry he returns and due to some reason blames on to his companion dog.Budha now drives him away for he is unhappy with himself.The dog that day refuses to eat and goes out to sleep. Then at night Budha is awakened with strange sounds and he finds the dog devoured by the tiger.Budha is sad and blames himself for the mishap. He buries the remnants of the dog and goes food less in depression.

Budha  is sad and lonely without the dog.Then one day he discovers an old and injured Buffalo abandoned by the owner come for his protection.Budha fights tooth and nail with the injury on the buffalo. She responds but only partially.Budha in an attempt to rescue the being of the malady falls and gets hurt when the buffalo steps on his feet injuring him greviously.But Budha has forgiveness in his soul. He continues to nurse the old Bufallo.That night Budha develops high fever and doesn’t get a wink of sleep.

Budha is now fighting for his life and the life of the Bufallo.But that night Budha gets delirious and he is now coming clear and affront. As the night proceeds Budha drifts from tree to tree ,he touches all the creatures  the goats and squirrels and the sky and the valleys ,the mortal remains of the buried dog .He feels a strange  inner voice that beckons him to all his experiences one by one on the mountain slope and gently but surely Budha  passes  into oblivion.

Next day dawns Budha is sleeping peacefully .But there are ants all over his body .But he cares not. For Budha is back into his elements and with his ancestors. He has won .Budha has acquired the ultimate the oneness with the God Of the Woods who descends onto him and delivers him to eternal peace.

Budha the intelligent,  is now  inseparable  with the soil for which he has waited patiently .