Advance booking before birth and after death

ADVANCE BOOKING BEFORE BIRTH AND AFTER DEATH

Advance booking for birth is more often done by the family priest, astrloger, rather than GOD. The woman is wheeled into the theatre and caesarian section is done at prefixed time. Latter advance thinking has to be done reg.schooling, career, and choice of profession etc. One has to book in advance for air or rail ticket, book a hotel room or even to get dharsan at Tirupathi lord Venkateswara and for the laddu prasadam.All these types of advance booking is acceptable these days of fast and competitive life .

Recently two events or episodes has prompted me to pen my ramblings

FIRST:: one 60+ patient was admitted with a massive heart attack—unrecordable B.P., low thready pulse. He was resuscitated with intubation, inotropic agents, --his parameters improved but still critical.. Next day he became worse and was put on intra aortic balloon and cardiac pacemaker. With that support he was kept alive for second day. All the time the crowded relatives were informed periodically about his progress or deterioration. The relatives had divided opinion as to continue the treatment or call it off.. On the first day itself the relatives at his native place were informed about the status of the patient. They have made elaborate arrangement to receive the body. While the patient was struggling in the hospital and the relatives were divided to continue or disconnect as a form of passive euthanasia. The relatives at the native village have already booked the crematorium which will take the last body at 4p.m.and hence repeated calls from them as to when the body is coming.
This also is understandable.

These days of fast food culture, stress at work, addiction to alcohol, smoking increasing traffic accidents, avoiding seat belt, and helmet, Are we not advance booking our exit ticket


SECOND: this really is intriguing. We have a Tamil daily which posts most the obituaries of the nearby city and villages. As soon as one is dead the relatives rush to book a space in the paper. This also I accept. Often we see a obituary ad about the 12th or 14 death anniversary. Depending on their finance half or quarter page with photo is published. Once I saw an ad reg.12 anniversary of person whose grand son I knew and asked him How come you are regularly posting the obituary anniversary news? To which he said Oh. No. we have given advance standard instruction to the ad, agency so that we get the ad .space in time. Even if we forget he will send the bill. Death anniversary is a family affair to be solemnized with remembrance, gratitude .why should it be regularly advertised year after year. How long to continue? Should the memory be made public?



My ramblings are not intended to offend, down size, degrade the love, the respect of children for their parents .

old age or advanced age

Old age or advanced age ??

The words” old man” is usually expressed to imply that the person is frail, with wrinkled face, become senile and good for nothing. May be he or her is physically weak, walks with a gait ,wears hearing aid ,thick spectacle or a walker but he or her should not be counted as useless . I for one feel that the prefix old should be erased in all context and replaced by the prefix advanced. This I feel that it is more euphemistical which is appreciative of his or her attitude, caliber, who is willing to accept his limitations and limit his expectations rather than highlighting his physical appearance. We are truly old when we begin to suffer the physical disabilities needing assistance for our daily chores and not before. To assume that aged citizen is either senile or incapacitated is basically inaccurate. When a respect is restored in our thinking for the aged citizens this will bring back the need for living in a family unit. Automatic age brackets must be eliminated. Aren’t we verdurians eager to do fewer things for the first time blogging, browsing which is the antidote for dementia, rather than more things for the last time? Yes we are advancing in chronological aging but appreciative of mountains, clouds frequently displaying different pattern on the canvas of sky, the orange yellow sunset behind the mountains making us aware and wonder what next? Doesn’t speak for our eagerness. We are growing and not aching to get applause, popularity ,as we did during our professional career –the turbulence of fears,bitterness,secret tears which once irritated us are no longer there .We are truly old when we are incapacititated with disabilities and not before. We elders also think revolutionarily accepting our limitations and limiting our expectations

But the word old is so much ingrained in our mind that it may not be possible to refrain from addressing as old man or woman –at least we can delete old age home and address as retirement home

Aging is a luxury, which is held back for the youngsters.

Let us sing Robert Browning’s song together” Grow old with me the best is yet to be”

Grow old along with me
The best is yet to be
When our time has come
We will be as one
God bless our love
God bless our love
Grow old along with me
Two branches of one tree
Face the setting sun
When the day is done
God bless our love
God bless our love
Spending our lives together
Man and wife together
World without end
World without end
Grow old along with me
Whatever fate decrees
We will see it through
For our love is true
God bless our love
God bless our love

living bridge

living bridge
The living bridges of Cherrapunji, India are made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree. This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves.


Cherrapunji is credited with being the wettest place on earth, and The War-Khasis, a tribe in Meghalaya, long ago noticed this tree and saw in its powerful roots an opportunity to easily cross the area’s many rivers. Now, whenever and wherever the need arises, they simply grow their bridges.