Tag: India

The Cheetahs from Africa

On By itsmylife126In UncategorizedLeave a comment

Whatever their fate in their new land, the 8 cheetahs from Africa have already made history, being the first Cheetahs to fly. Well, they have been recorded to run at an amazing speed of 98 km/hr but they had to fly from Namibia to India for their Indian sojourn. A special jet was hired to bring these special guests to India followed by a helicopter ride to Kuno National Park, where they were released in a specially designed enclosure. Now they will begin a life of being acclimatized to Indian prey and forest conditions.


It’s their good fortune that hunting has been banned in India since 1972. Otherwise the ex-Royalty of India or the neo-royals would have made their life a formidable struggle.


Settling in new lands is a challenge in itself, hopefully they would find sufficient prey in the National Park. And poachers would be on the prowl too. I am not aware whether any highways pass through the national park otherwise there would have been an added hazard. Not to mention, they would also have to compete with their cousins, the leopards for their prey and their habitat.


And when they start sprinting, I hope the area of the national park doesn’t fall short to break them into a trot.

People line up in Mumbai to gawk at the penguins. A similar line would have been seen at Kuno to ogle at the new arrivals but for the cool off time given to them to first settle down.


Yatindra Tawde

Thanks to @pumplekin for making this photo available freely on @unsplash 

A Public Library

On By itsmylife126In humourLeave a comment

Recently a library in New Zealand had to un-install a buzzer from outside their premises. 

Apparently this high frequency buzzer had been installed by them to get rid of bullies who did not allow the students of the studious variety to study in peace. In short they were a nuisance. 

But the authorities decided that the buzzer itself was a nuisance since, in addition to the bullies, it disturbed the students too. 

And it was said to violate the fundamental rights of the bullies too. And , what may we ask, are the fundamental rights of the bully? 

And mind you, it was not any library attached to a college or something, it was a public library.

In India, there is no such need for a buzzer to get rid of bullies, especially in a public library. First of all, the public library is usually situated in a real public place, which is quite noisy in itself. Due to which, there are not many patrons for it. 

Usually such libraries are bang in the middle of the vegetable markets thus the major study which happens is, “potato 100 Rs. A kg.”, etc. 

If a person goes to study physics, the only knowledge he will gain is, how the vegetable prices go on rising defying the laws of gravity. And if he goes to study the mechanics of flying rockets, he will be brought harshly down to earth, by slipping on a banana peel on the way. 

I know of a public library in Thane, which is located near a fish market. It is a good place to study about the edible aquatic life and also the local names of all such fish. But then you should be able to survive the olfactory onslaught on your senses. And you can also learn haggling of the highest order. 

Another library that I know of is situated bang inside a cloth market. Here you get good knowledge of the traditional Indian sarees like Kanjivaram, Paithani, Banarasi, etc. and the latest trends in fashion industry. 

To keep things short, there is no need of such buzzers near our public libraries since the job is done very efficiently by the very fact that they are located in real public spaces. 

One must say too efficiently, since the patrons too keep far away from them.

Yatindra Tawde

Death at midnight – A book review

On By itsmylife126In book review2 Comments

Book title – Death at midnight

Author – Dr. Manoj Paprikar

Publisher – #ArtoonsInn Room9

No. Of pages – 167

Death at midnight is a medical thriller set in a town near Nashik, Maharashtra. It is a story of a Doctor couple who get caught up in unfortunate circumstances.

Though it starts slowly with the author introducing the various characters, it soon captures your attention as soon as the Doctor decides to take up a difficult pregnancy case even after knowing that the woman has been brought late and time is running out to save both, the mother and child. He takes fast decisions to retrieve the situation after involving the father, but still tragedy strikes.

This unleashes a wave of misfortune on the Doctor couple, when the father’s influential friend indulges in goondaism inside the hospital. During this mayhem the Doctor is grievously injured.

The novel captures today’s trend in india, of patient’s relatives attacking doctors if the treatment doesn’t work and there is loss of life. 

It also captures the media trials where the media usually paints a negative image of the doctors, all in the name of social responsibility but which is nothing but a race for garnering highest TRP’s.

It  brings into focus the Nexus between politicians and media and the extent to which they will go for their mutual benefits. All this at the expense of responsible doctors and the common citizens.

Yes, there are some doctors in the real world who would put their patients life in danger for extra bucks. But which profession doesn’t have black sheep? It does not mean that every doctor is dishonest. In fact, majority of the doctors are very responsible.

The author has written a story of hope which is a recommended read for all doctors as well as the general public to understand such social issues from the doctors point of view. Especially those doctors who sacrifice their personal and family life for their patients heath. 

An apt book to read in these pandemic times, when you see the entire medical world working selflessly and tirelessly, putting their own lives at risk.

Yatindra Tawde