Notes to Avighna and Aashka

Sunday in NJ: Notes to Avighna and Aashka: Note 1

So, how are Sundays spent in NJ, USA? you may wonder!
Typically, we get up late. After finishing the daily routine of a shower and the like, we as usual fix ourselves some cereals and coffee. But, the day is not empty, as it is in India.

Weekend is about chores. We go grocery shopping, shopping for miscellaneous items of daily use, do our laundry and  ironing. (Typically, sashing clothes and ironing is a once a week affair for most). We also " weed the lawn", and basically do Garden maintenance. Of course , water the plants (The lawn and patio are quite large, so the watering should take 10 minutes approx).To make things easier,  We have a very long water hose. (Photograph below). It's nice and pleasant now, so plant watering is a thereaupeutic experience. We also have to invest in a lot of gardening paraphernalia,  and shop for gardening equipment.  Grass, fertilisers, insecticides, weed killers and seeds of specific flowers or plants which we want to grow. We have a manual sprinkler system, but many big houses with lawns have an automated sprinkler system with a timer based activation.

In the evening we chill off and relax,  catch a movie, or go out on a beach or someplace. We typically fix ourselves a light dinner. We sleep early, because for most people in US, the day starts at 5- 5:30 am.

Love you kids. Study well and remember me!

Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan: My experience

Let us not pretend that Gandhiji's birthday is something we look forward to for  anything more than a welcome break from our routine.  A movie at the local multiplex , followed by dinner (regretfully sans spirits) is the agenda for most of us. This year , surprisingly had something else in store for me.

Our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji had declared 2nd October as "Swachha Bharat Divas". He suggested that this day, every one of us shpuld keep our surroundings clean. In keeping with the spirit of the suggestion, the team at Zynova Heart Hospital Ghatkopar decided to do something spontaneous.  Nothing groundbreaking or monumental, but at least symbolic and genuine. 

At precisely 9 am on Bapu's birthday,  we gathered at the hospital's gate, armed with a zadoo (broom). Around a dozen doctors,  
with other employees of the hospital swept the roads of Ghatkopar,  meticulously sweeping the garbage to the sides of the street and then collecting the same in disposable containers which we put in the large plastic bags.  The "Swachhata Abhiyaan" started from under the Zynova hospital and we proceeded through the crowded streets of Ghatkopar,  a broom in hand, contributing our infinitesimal bit towards the lofty goal of "Clean India."

The route we followed was circular, encompassing a radius of 2.5 km.We first moved towards Ghatkopar station, engrossed in our onerous task. We traversed the streets shouting slogans like" Swachha Bharat Abhiyaan,  ho raha Bharat Nirmaan""Vande Maatraam" and "Bharat Maata ki Jai!". The pedestrians looked at us with what I suspect was a mixture of respect and guilt. There was no mockery or condescension in their gaze. What started of as a "Facebook Photo-op" imperceptibly graduated to a sincere heartfelt campaign of creating awareness for cleanliness.  Stunned onlookers spontaneously took out their camera phones and started clicking away. A good number of them walked up to us and shook our hands in admiration.  Well dressed doctors sweeping the streets was not something that people saw everyday. I could see a sort of resolve building up in the minds of the common man which reinforced the vision of our great prime minister (and albeit countless great men before him) that we should be the change we want. 

Three hours afterwards,  we returned to Zynova hospital,  with the satisfaction of having made a small dent in the universe.  A cleaner surrounding,  but more importantly a more aware common man. I have no illusions the garbage that we swept today, will reappear tomorrow.  But even if one person who saw a dozen doctors sweep the streets today thinks twice about littering tomorrow,  I think our effort will not be in vain.

I will end on an anecdote. As we approached the end of our journey,  a bearded gentleman,  probably in his late sixties , dressed in an old kurta pyjama, and a skull cap adorning his silver hair came to me and congratulated me. But he didn't stop there. He took the broom from my hand and painstakingly cleaned a corner of the road. After five minutes of dedicated efforts, he looked at me, smiled and said:"Allah aap ko barkat de!"

Ostensibly, Narendra Modi's clarion call has found resonance far beyond his traditional vote bank.

-Dr Kaushal Chhatrapati
Interventional Cardiologist.