The layover trilogy series has 3 parts and must be read in this order:The K terminal layoverThe D terminal layoverThe H terminal layover Experience is quite a teacher and I came up with a robust, but delicate plan (Oh! The paradox of it all). The starting point was Vellore and the destination was Kodaikanal. Rather than a lonely layover at the famed K terminal, I chose the more bustling Hosur junction – let’s call this the H terminal. I booked a combo which would give me a 1 hour break between buses. Neat! I finished work early and called Bus 1 as there was a discrepancy in the boarding times – it was 1 hour earlier than I thought. No…

The layover trilogy series has 3 parts and must be read in this order:The K terminal layoverThe D terminal layoverThe H terminal layover Dejavu? The return from Kodaikanal was different, yet so similar (Oh! The paradox of it all!) The plan was finalised a few hours before I left. The starting point was Kodaikanal and the destination was Vellore. The first leg was in a taxi and the second leg was a train. The journey had a stopover at a place called Dindigul – lets call this the D terminal. We planned it to be a 20 minute wait after I got off the taxi. It should be OK! The ride down the hills was scenic and beautiful. We stopped…

The layover trilogy series has 3 parts and must be read in this order:The K terminal layoverThe D terminal layoverThe H terminal layover At the outset, it was a complicated but simple plan (Oh! The paradox of it all!!). The starting point was Vellore and the destination was Kodaikanal. This route had a junction called Krishnagiri where I had to change buses. There were dozens of buses for the first leg and a handful for the second. I booked a combo that gave me a one hour ‘layover’ at the famous Krishnagiri T Junction terminal. We’ll call this K terminal. My first bus was a little late and after a short interim halt, I reached Krishnagiri at 10.30 PM. My…

Time certainly flies and I can’t believe that in 2020 I’ll be due for my job confirmation as I would have completed 3 years since doing my DM (Neonatology). This will ensure a permanent career in Neonatology  I’ll have to ensure I tick the correct boxes so the confirmation happens easily. So here is a list of things I’ve done or plan to do. If I don’t get this job confirmation I may need to hunt for a new job across oceans and maybe even over a wall. 1. I got my friends to make a movie about me called DM Benji. My childhood friend played ‘me’ and the guys promised to just call it coincidence that it was released…

You’ll need to know the history of my cajon to understand this wish… and if you don’t, well it’s too long a story to blog.

A memorable 10 day visit to Broadwell Christian Hospital, Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh. My biggest achievement was coming back with my name unchanged. Or maybe not A sprinkling of NICU, deliveries, NRP, community visits, training, opd. I felt I received more than I could give. The reality of healthcare is starker than it looks.

I had to wake up super early this morning to work on a deadline and was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise. Vellore comes across as a dry, crowded, dusty place and moments like these are a precious reminder that beauty is there – you just have to look for it!

Today is one day when I am glad I was born in the modern era. I needed a couple of complicated dental extractions and my mind was numb with fear as images of people screaming, getting drowned in blood and needing to be tied down flooded my mind. But that was thousands of years ago.The only thing that was numb was my mouth and gums. All I needed to do was lie down with my mouth open and brilliant Dr. Saurabh took care of the rest. A few deft jabs to get the local anaesthesia in and even though the extractions were pretty difficult with brittle teeth remnants and complicated roots I could close my eyes and be a little…

After celebrating 68 years of Independence on August 15th, lots of people were chatting and facebooking about what has changed after Independence. Ironically this full page front page ad on the post independence day newspaper seems to sum up what is so wrong with our society. The ad involves a top newspaper, a well known jewellery store and two well known celebrities. You would expect the message to be positive given that it was the day after all the Independence Day celebrations.Unfortunately this ad is wrong on so many levels it’s almost impossible to blog about it. This ad could  be legally banned in a lot of countries.At a time when womens equality is a norm and people are professing…

I’ve hit the restart button on my blog and am considering blogging again. I don’t expect me to be as active as before, but hope to share thoughts and bits of my life.Its been a few years since my last entry – so hope I can keep the flow going!