VIP darshan ticket at Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi

Posted on August 31, 2024 by nandan

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, more than just a place of worship, is the spiritual heart of Varanasi and holds profound significance in Hindu traditions. As one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas, it symbolizes Lord Shiva as a divine pillar of light. For Hindus worldwide, visiting this temple at least once in their lifetime is a cherished aspiration. Unfortunately, the temple has a tragic history, having been demolished four times by Muslim invaders in the past.

The current temple was constructed in 1780 by the Maratha queen Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. In 2020, the Indian government expanded the temple’s area and facilities for visitors by building a new corridor. They also implemented a “Sugam Darshan” ticketing system to streamline the experience. For a fee of ₹400 (Indians) or ₹600 (foreigners), visitors can purchase a ticket that includes darshan, the services of a priest, a small packet of sweets, and (for Indians) a Rudraksha mala or (for foreigners) a scarf. This ticket allows visitors to bypass the general queue

The priest accompanying the visitor assists in obtaining darshan. Tickets for Sugam Darshan can be purchased at the Vishwanath Temple office across the street. While the process is straightforward for Indian visitors, it can be quite complex for foreigners, especially large groups. The temple staff may require individual passport checks and data entry, which can be time-consuming. As a frequent visitor with guests, I often purchase Sugam Darshan tickets to avoid the long queues.

The regular queue can take at least an hour, and during festivals, it can be significantly longer. For some festivals, people begin waiting in line the night before. While Sugam Darshan also has a queue, it’s typically shorter than the regular one. With a Sugam Darshan ticket, darshan can usually be obtained within 20 to 30 minutes. Initially, I used to bring a priest, but I soon realized it was unnecessary. The priest would simply accompany us to the temple and direct us to the Sugam Darshan queue.

During the queue, the priest would often wait nearby, reappearing after our darshan. He would then tie a Kalawa on our wrists, recite mantras, and request payment. The priest’s fee is included in the Sugam Darshan ticket, and the temple office explicitly states that any priest soliciting additional funds should be reported. The priests I encountered claimed to receive only ₹30 per assignment, which is a meager sum. While I occasionally offered them additional cash, they were never satisfied with the amount.

The priests often demanded additional payment, pressuring my guests to give them more money. Their persistent dissatisfaction prompted me to decline their services altogether. They would also guide visitors to the Gyan Wapi well and the large Nandi statue, urging them to make donations. If the donation was deemed insufficient, other priests would join in, subjecting the visitor to emotional manipulation and exorbitant demands. I learned that donations are typically divided between the priest who accompanied the visitor from the office and the one stationed at the Gyan Wapi well.

My tradition emphasizes that faith is a deeply personal matter, and no one has the right to interfere. Hindu philosophy posits that seeking divine guidance through others is akin to trying to see through someone else’s eyes or walk with someone else’s feet—impossible endeavors. Personally, I’ve never been inclined to use priest services, so I stopped engaging them. When purchasing the Sugam Darshan ticket, I informed the office that I didn’t require a priest, and this arrangement worked.

My experience became more spiritual after forgoing priest services. Things were going smoothly until I encountered another form of corruption. Before reaching the main temple, visitors must pass through two or three security checkpoints. At the final checkpoint, priests often wait to intercept visitors. Once visitors have passed through security, these priests approach them to check their tickets. Then, they accompany visitors to the main temple, where the familiar pattern of extortion begins.

Although I didn’t bring a priest from the office, I was still stopped by one near the security checkpoint inside the temple. He checked my ticket and insisted on accompanying me. I told him I was happy to go inside without a priest, but he persisted, urging me to take him with my group. I declined, and then I heard other priests telling him to talk directly with my guests. They threatened to ‘manage me’ if my guests agreed to their services. Fortunately, my guests also refused their offer. The priest was asking for a fee of Rs. 100, which was clearly a marketing ploy. We all know what they do inside.

Fortunately, I was able to visit the temple without being accompanied by any priest. However, I’ll be more cautious next time. I’ll inform my guests beforehand about the possibility of priests approaching them, even inside the temple. If there are no accompanying priests, a visit to Kashi Vishwanath is a beautiful spiritual experience. But if any priests do approach, they can ruin the whole experience. Their primary interest seems to be visitors’ money.

If you’re planning to visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple, here are a few tips:

1: For a quick Darshan, walk directly from Godowlia crossing to the temple. Traffic is prohibited between Godowlia and Kashi Vishwanath, but you can easily find wheelchair assistance for Rs. 500. Wheelchair helpers will take you to the temple, wait while you perform the rituals, and then bring you back to Godowlia crossing.

2: Be wary of people wearing ID cards who claim to be authorized by the temple to help visitors. These individuals are often frauds. Avoid talking to them. If you need directions, ask a police officer or local shopkeeper, but never agree to go with them.”

3: The temple office is located just 100 meters before Kashi Vishwanath Temple on the main street. Here, you can purchase Sugam Darshan tickets and deposit your belongings in the free lockers provided by the temple board. The tickets can also be booked online through temple’s website. Please note that you cannot carry any electronics (mobile phones, chargers, batteries, e-watches, etc.), sharp objects, pens, cosmetics, hand sanitizer, tobacco products, or other prohibited items inside the temple. Deposit all of these items in the lockers and keep the key with you.

4: You can enter the temple corridor with your shoes on. Shoe racks are available inside the corridor.

5. As mentioned before, decline the services of priests politely. Prasadam (a box of sweets) and Rudraksha Mala are available at the temple office. Be sure to collect these items before entering the temple. This way, you can offer them to Bhagwan during the Darshan.

6: Avoid buying flowers from the vendors outside the temple. They may not ask for payment upfront, but they will demand exorbitant amounts after your Darshan. If you purchase flowers from these vendors, they will send someone with you inside the temple who will try to extort money from you, similar to the priests. Consider bringing flowers with you from outside or purchasing them from the shops along the street between Godowlia crossing and the temple. There’s even a wholesale flower market about 300 meters from the temple where you can buy flowers in advance.

“7. As I mentioned previously, avoid interacting with any priests inside the temple.

8: There is a separate queue for Sugam Darshan. Ask a police officer to direct you to the correct line.

9: You cannot enter the Garbhgrih. The Garbhgrih is cordoned off, and everyone performs Darshan from the other side of the barrier.

“10. If you have a Sugam Darshan ticket with a Rudraksha, you can give it to the priest at the Garbhgrih and ask him to touch it to the Lingam. You cannot touch the Lingam yourself, but your Rudraksha Mala can, and you can wear it forever.

11: Don’t forget to visit the newly opened Sringar Gauri (Ardhangini of Mahadev) shrine located under the basement of the Gyanwapi mosque. The shrine was always accessible to devotees but was closed for political reasons in the 1990s. It was reopened last year. Be sure to thank Yogi Adityanath for his efforts in reopening the shrine

12. After completing your Darshan of Kashi Vishwanath, explore the various other temples within the corridor. One temple I highly recommend is Annpoorna Mata. The statue of Annpoorna Mata was stolen from the temple nearly a century ago. It was displayed in a museum in Canada for many years before being returned to India in 2021. Don’t confuse this temple with the larger Annpoorna Mata temple located outside the corridor.

13: I also encourage you to explore the entire corridor. Near Ganga Dwar, you’ll find Pashupatinath Temple, locally known as Nepali Mandir. Be sure to visit this temple as well.

14: While many people desire to visit the temple during the various aartis, I recommend against it. Despite the large size of the Vishwanath temple corridor, the Grabhgriha (inner sanctum) is quite small. A bench is placed directly at the entrance of the Grabhgriha, which is only about 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall. Only those who manage to secure a seat on this bench can see the Aarti or the events happening inside the Grabhgriha. The rest of the people are relegated to the back, with limited visibility. Even those standing behind the bench may struggle to see clearly. For a more enjoyable experience, I suggest opting for a regular Sugam Darshan.

15 : Lastly, be cautious about engaging with anyone claiming to be a guide. If you desire a guide, ensure they are authorized by the government. Many individuals may present themselves as temple-authorized guides, but this is false. The temple does not authorize any guides. You’ll often encounter people wearing temple-issued ID cards, which they claim proves their authorization, but this is not true. These cards are typically daily visitor passes issued to locals for a fee. If you’re unsure, ask the guide to show their official government-issued guide license. Avoid engaging with fake guides, as it can significantly impact your experience. You can read about a group of devotees who had a negative experience with a fake guide in this article:

A man posing as tourist guide fled from Kashi Vishwanath Dham with 17 mobiles and other belongings of a group pilgrims from Tamilnadu.

I’m not trying to alarm anyone with these negative comments. Unfortunately, everything I’ve written is true and based on my personal experiences. My only goal is to ensure you have a peaceful and fulfilling spiritual experience at Kashi Vishwanath. By sharing these tips and insights, I hope to help you avoid any potential pitfalls. I hope that the authorities will take steps to address the issues related to certain priests. Hari Om, Peace!

Here is a map to help you reach Kashi Vishwanath Temple Help Desk office from Godowlia Crossing:

Organized loot of Indian Pharma Industries, Retailers and the Government

Posted on August 20, 2024 by nandan

My liver transplant was performed in November 2020, and I have been on a specific regimen of medication ever since. My body recognizes the new organ as a foreign object, so my immune system could potentially attack it at any time. To prevent this, my doctors have prescribed immunosuppressive medications. I take two different immunosuppressant drugs and a steroid that acts as an anti-rejection medication. These drugs are Tacrolimus, Mycophenolate, and Prednisolone. The most common brand of Mycophenolate worldwide is Cellcept, produced by Roche.

Initially, my doctors prescribed Cellcept, but I experienced side effects including upset stomach and headaches. Consequently, they discontinued it. Since my transplant, I’ve primarily relied on Tacrolimus and Prednisolone. However, during the past four years, I’ve had occasional infections requiring Mycophenolate. While the standard brand is Cellcept, I’ve been taking Mycofit S, produced by the Indian company Intas Pharmaceuticals. Cellcept is available in 500mg and 250mg strengths, whereas Mycofit S comes in 360mg capsules.

Cellcept typically costs around ₹650-700 per strip of 10 tablets, with a print rate of ₹750. Some people report getting even better deals, purchasing it for as low as ₹550. Mycofit-S 360, on the other hand, has a print rate of ₹1,330 per strip of 10 tablets. Given this significant price difference, I’d aim for a substantial discount on Mycofit-S. A 30% discount would bring the price down to around ₹930, which is still higher than Cellcept but more reasonable. However, I’d personally negotiate for a discount closer to 40% to make it more comparable to Cellcept’s price range.

Due to their specialized nature, immunosuppressant medications can be difficult to find. Despite Varanasi having a large medicine market near BHU, I struggled to locate Mycophenolate last year. Eventually, I found a shop that carried Mycofit-S 360 and purchased it for ₹900 after a 30% discount. I was surprised by the price. Considering my previous experience with Cellcept, I anticipated a similar or lower cost for Mycofit-S 360. However, it was nearly twice as expensive.

Given the high print rate of ₹1,330, I initially accepted the ₹900 price without question. However, I had a gut feeling something was amiss. I contacted a friend who had also undergone a transplant and was taking Mycofit-S, but in the 500mg strength. To my surprise, he paid only ₹300 per strip, despite a similar print rate of around ₹1,400. This significant discrepancy between the print rate and the actual selling price was shocking.

My friend explained that these pharmacies often charge regular customers between ₹900 and ₹1000 for Mycofit-S 360. However, they offer significant discounts to repeat customers or those with personal connections. He introduced me to his pharmacy, where I’ve been purchasing Mycofit-S 360 for ₹275 per strip ever since. Incredibly, this pharmacy is located just 50 meters away from the one that initially overcharged me.

Print rate of Mycofit S 360

I purchased Mycofit-S from the new pharmacy for a month until my doctors determined it was no longer necessary. Unfortunately, my liver function tests have been unsatisfactory for the past month, and despite adjusting the medication dosage, my doctors have restarted Mycofit-S 360. I typically buy medications from the ILBS hospital pharmacy in New Delhi. However, to my surprise, they quoted me ₹850 per strip for Mycofit-S 360. ILBS is a semi-private hospital operated by the Delhi state government, where I expected to receive subsidized medicines.

Initially, I considered buying other medications at ILBS and purchasing Mycofit-S 360 in Varanasi upon my return. However, I was concerned about the availability of the drug in Varanasi and my deteriorating health, so I opted to buy it at the ILBS pharmacy for ₹850 per strip. Upon returning to Varanasi, I visited a local pharmacy and was shocked to find the same medication for ₹275 per strip. Questioning the drastic price difference, the shopkeeper claimed it was a coordinated exploitation by pharmaceutical companies, retailers, and the government.

He explained that pharmaceutical companies have free rein to set exorbitant prices, and there’s little to no oversight. They collaborate with retailers to create a deceptive marketing strategy. While companies sell medications at relatively low prices, retailers drastically inflate costs. These retailers can offer substantial discounts while still making enormous profits, keeping customers satisfied. Unsuspecting consumers believe they’re getting a great deal with a 30% discount, unaware that they’ve actually paid four times the reasonable price.

Mycofit S 360

India boasts a massive pharmaceutical industry with a stellar global reputation. However, this sector is also plagued by significant control issues. Contributing over 20% of the world’s pharmaceutical supply and meeting approximately 60% of global vaccine demand, India’s pharma industry is a cornerstone of healthcare. It supplies 40% of generic drugs to the US and a quarter of all medicines in the UK. Given its immense scale, it’s shocking to witness such a lack of oversight. This clearly indicates a substantial failure in government regulation.

It’s impossible to claim the government is oblivious to these unethical practices. They’re fully aware but seemingly indifferent to addressing the issue. Prime Minister Modi launched the Jan Aushadhi Kendra initiative to provide affordable, quality medicines. While offering generic alternatives at reduced costs, these centers unfortunately don’t stock all medications, including immunosuppressants. Had they done so, it would have been a game-changer for patients like me.

Life becomes prohibitively expensive after an organ transplant due to exorbitant medication costs and frequent hospital visits. Patients endure significant financial hardship, a reality that pharmaceutical companies seem to disregard. While pharmacies often overcharge, it’s essential to acknowledge the role of companies in setting inflated prices and the government’s failure to regulate the industry. Every patient I speak with expresses deep concern about the astronomical cost of their medications.

Immunosuppressive medications are a lifelong commitment, and I’ve observed that patients consistently seek ways to reduce costs. They explore different brands and alternatives to manage medication expenses, especially for Mycophenolate, the most expensive drug in the regimen. Exploiting the financial vulnerability of already suffering patients is unconscionable and must be stopped. However, considering the industry’s current practices, immediate hope for change seems elusive.

Do we really need Bullet trains?

Posted on August 17, 2024 by nandan

Indian Railways is the backbone of India’s transportation system, carrying over 24 million passengers daily. This figure excludes metro systems and other local trains in various Indian cities. India boasts the world’s fourth-largest railway network, operating more than 22,593 trains. It is recognized as one of the largest railway systems globally under single management. Indian Railways offers a diverse range of trains, including superfast express, express, passenger, Rajdhani, Shatabdi, and the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat. Luxury tourist options like the Maharaja Express and heritage Himalayan trains are also available.

Trains offer various seating and sleeping accommodations. Most trains include unreserved general class, non-AC sleeper, 3AC, 2AC, and 1AC classes. While Shatabdi and Vande Bharat currently lack sleeper options, the railway plans to introduce sleeper class Vande Bharat trains soon. It’s also rumored that Vande Bharat trains will replace older Shatabdi trains. Rajdhani Express connects state capitals and exclusively features air-conditioned coaches in 3AC, 2AC, and 1AC classes. Renowned for speed and luxury, Rajdhani Express is a popular choice for inter-state travel.

Shatabdi Express trains offer only chair car seating and connect major cities within shorter distances. Considered fast and luxurious, Shatabdi trains are popular among travelers. The majority of passengers, however, opt for superfast, express, and passenger trains. Indian railways underwent a significant transformation after 2014 under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership. Substantial investments were made to improve railway infrastructure. The implementation of the Clean India campaign led to enhanced sanitation at stations and within trains.

The most noticeable change since Modi came to power is the significantly improved cleanliness of railway stations. There are more comfortable amenities like better waiting areas, cafeterias, drinking water facilities, and overall sanitation. Trains also appear cleaner due to increased and frequent cleaning. A major upgrade is the introduction of vacuum pressure flush toilets in trains. Before 2014, train toilets directly emptied onto the tracks. These improvements have been widely appreciated by the public.

One other major change we’ve noticed is that the railways are shortening the number of non-AC sleeper class coaches. They are replacing these non-AC coaches with AC ones, primarily 3 AC coaches. They have introduced another AC class coach called 3 AC Economy. The 3 AC Economy coach has a capacity of 83 beds, while 3 AC coaches have a capacity of 72 beds. 2 AC coaches have a capacity of 54 beds, and 1 AC coaches offer coupes that can accommodate either 2 or 4 passengers. Non-AC sleeper coaches also have a capacity of 72 beds, and unreserved general class is open to all passengers.

There is usually a waitlist for all train classes. Tickets open four months in advance, and popular trains often sell out immediately. Availability typically dwindles to nothing about a month before departure, unless you try for a Tatkal (urgent) ticket, which opens a day in advance. Tatkal tickets are notoriously difficult to obtain, especially for AC classes, which open at 10 AM. The booking servers immediately become overloaded, and even a minute’s delay can mean losing out. After countless failed attempts, I’ve given up trying.

There are ticket agents who manage to buy tickets from the ticket counter. I’ve heard they bribe ticket counter officers to obtain them. Another major problem with Indian trains is delays. Such delays are so common that 15-20 minutes is hardly considered a delay. People often expect delays of an hour or more and plan their schedules accordingly. While trains are delayed for a day only during the dense fog of winter, there’s no doubt that punctuality has improved since 2014. However, there’s still significant room for improvement.

Indian Railways has been working to improve tracks and increase train speeds. I’ve noticed a significant change in train speeds. Before Mr. Modi took office, the average speed of most trains was around 70 kilometers per hour, but now it’s closer to 100-110. Vande Bharat, Shatabdi, and Rajdhani trains even run at 130-140 kilometers per hour. There has been considerable progress in railways over the past decade, but serious issues remain. Many major railway stations are still in poor condition, and the state of non-AC sleeper and general class coaches is so terrible it’s difficult to describe.

Waitlists for tickets are often so long that it’s very difficult to get a confirmed one. India is also building a Bullet train. The first Bullet train will connect Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Construction began in 2017 and was supposed to be operational by 2022 but was delayed due to the Covid pandemic. I’ve heard it might be operational by the end of 2025. I traveled in both non-AC sleeper and general class once last year, and I had such a horrible experience that it made me question the need for Bullet trains. A few months ago, I wanted to go to Delhi but couldn’t get a ticket from Varanasi on the train I wanted. The same train had seats available from Lucknow, so I booked a 2AC sleeper ticket from there.

I thought I’d simply buy a general class ticket from Varanasi to Lucknow and then upgrade to AC 2 there. I purchased an unreserved general class ticket. The train arrived thirty minutes late, and all non-AC sleeper and general class coaches were packed. As I tried to enter the unreserved general class compartment, the train started moving. I managed to board, but it was a huge mistake. The coach was so crowded I couldn’t even see my feet. Every seat was occupied, and people were sitting on the floor, luggage racks, and even outside the toilet.

There was no space at all to even sit on the floor. It was going to be a five-hour journey, and I had no idea how I would survive that long. Somehow, I managed to squeeze near the toilet and sit on the floor with other people. There were about ten of us crammed into one square meter. Since I was right by the toilet, I had to constantly move whenever someone needed to use it. Eventually, I had to go too, but when I opened the door, it was disgusting. Someone had thrown a plastic bottle in the toilet, it was clogged, and there was urine on the floor. It was impossible to use.

I came back to my spot on the floor, filled with regret for choosing general class. I knew conditions were bad, but I hadn’t realized how truly awful it was since my last general class journey. Despite the ordeal, these experiences can be quite eye-opening. I encountered a situation I never imagined. A family boarded at a stop; they looked like nomads without a permanent home. The family—a mother, father, and three children—was aggressive as soon as they entered. They loudly demanded space and pushed their way towards the toilet, ignoring other areas. It seemed like they already knew where they were headed.

They reached the toilet, entered together, and locked themselves in. Clearly, they saw it as their only available space. When others needed to use the toilet, the family refused to open the door. People started pounding on the door, but the family remained unresponsive and comfortable inside. The frustration grew, and people threatened to break down the door. Finally, the family opened it, appearing annoyed at the disturbance. They acted as if the toilet compartment was their private space. It’s unbelievable that passengers can take over a public toilet on a moving train.

Another bizarre encounter involved two fellow floor-sitters. One man had an open mouth ulcer from cancer, covered with a cloth. Given my immunosuppressive medication and heightened infection risk, being near him was terrifying. I couldn’t imagine his own suffering with cancer, let alone the added stress of this overcrowded, unsanitary environment. Such a journey would undoubtedly be incredibly challenging for someone battling cancer. It highlights the harsh realities faced by many due to economic constraints. Poverty often forces people into unimaginable situations.

There was another guy who wanted to go somewhere in Haryana, but the train only went as far as Delhi. He told me he had started the journey with just Rs. 500 and that the ticket checker had charged him that entire amount to issue a new ticket, leaving him with nothing. I suspected the ticket checker had taken a bribe, but the man showed me a legitimate Rs. 500 receipt for the new ticket. He explained that he would switch trains in Delhi, then take another train part of the way, and finally walk the last 40 kilometers.

I was shocked to discover he didn’t have a ticket for the next leg of his journey from Delhi, nor did he have money for a bus ticket to his final destination. His ordeal was heartbreaking. His innocence made me want to help, at least by buying him a bus ticket. As the train approached Lucknow, I grew increasingly eager to escape the general class compartment. I asked him how much a bus ticket would cost and gave him some money to ensure he wouldn’t have to walk the 40 kilometers.

The train arrived at Lucknow station thirty minutes late. I gave him some money, and he looked puzzled but accepted it gratefully. I changed to the AC 2 class, cleaned up in the washroom (AC class washrooms are usually clean), and went to my seat. That journey still haunts me. It’s heartbreaking to see the appalling condition of general class compartments in Indian trains, where ordinary people endure so much suffering. While some help is available on trains, the state of general class is so dire that it seems insufficient.

I recently had another experience traveling in non-AC class a few days ago. Usually, I book round-trip tickets before my journey, but this time I didn’t have a return ticket to Varanasi. I planned to buy a Tatkal ticket (available a day before departure) but couldn’t get one. As usual, the Indian Railways server crashed, and I couldn’t purchase a ticket. I explored other options from different cities and found a train from Gwalior to Varanasi with available seats for the next day. I booked a ticket on the Bundelkhand Express for the next day.

Gwalior is a four-hour train ride from Delhi, so I looked for a train to Gwalior that evening. All reserved seats were booked, so I decided to try unreserved class again since it was only a short journey. I arrived at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, bought a general ticket, and went to the platform. It was August 14th, and we had a holiday on the 15th. The 16th was Friday, and Saturday and Sunday are already officially off days. With another festival on Monday, it meant a long holiday, so many people were traveling back home. The platform was full of people waiting for the train. I thought that if the unreserved class was overcrowded, I would get on a reserved class and pay the penalty.

There were two unreserved coaches, and both became overcrowded as soon as the train arrived at the platform. People were even jumping onto the moving train to secure seats. By the time the train stopped, it was already overcrowded, so I couldn’t board. I went to the reserved non-AC class, hoping to find a spot in a corner. However, many others with general class tickets had the same idea, and the reserved coach was also packed.

It was incredibly difficult to even board the train, but somehow I managed. The train was so crowded that even those with confirmed seats were forced to share them. I managed to find a standing space and later used my backpack as a seat. Everyone said most passengers would get off at Mathura station, but the opposite happened: few got off, and more boarded. Eventually, I couldn’t even sit on my backpack and had to stand the entire time.

Not enough space even to stand

The next stop was Agra, and even more people got on. By this point, it was nearly impossible to stay in the compartment, but I had no other choice. People were sitting on the floor everywhere, and even the reserved seats were occupied by those with unreserved tickets. People trying to move were constantly stepping over others’ feet and luggage. Although the non-AC reserved coaches had open windows, it was so overcrowded that I felt suffocated the entire time.

Finally, the train arrived at Gwalior station, about 30 minutes late. These two recent experiences of traveling in non-AC class have been horrible, literally a nightmare. If there’s any other option, I wouldn’t want to travel in either unreserved or non-AC sleeper class again. It’s not just my story; everyone shares the same opinion about non-AC travel. While there have been improvements recently, many problems still need to be addressed, especially the condition of the unreserved class.

On one hand, we have numerous problems with running existing train services efficiently, while on the other, we’re investing in bullet trains. My recent experience has made me question the need for bullet trains at this point. I understand that such projects enhance a country’s image and attract foreign investment, but shouldn’t we prioritize improving existing services first? I believe focusing on making current trains better would be more appreciated by the Indian public and International community in general.

Why not try to end the waitlist in train tickets first? Why not make trains run on time first? Why not make them litter free first? Why not make the condition of general class coaches better first? Why not replace non-AC with AC coaches first? Why not try to improve the track quality first and make the trains faster? Why not arrange good pantry services available at all the trains first? Why make huge investment on Bullet trains when our other trains are in bad shape?

About 15 years ago, I met an English man who was an expert in building bullet trains. He had been involved in bullet train projects in Japan and other countries. He told me that Indian Railways had invited him to collaborate on a project in the 1970s. Forty years later, he returned to India as a tourist and wanted to see the progress of that project. He visited the Vadodara Railway Headquarters and was shocked to find that no progress had been made in the past four decades.

He said it wasn’t wise for India to build bullet trains while regular trains were in such poor condition. I agree to some extent. I want India to have modern rail infrastructure, but existing trains should be perfected first. I understand the government might be trying to shift lower-middle-class passengers from non-AC sleeper to AC coaches, but can everyone afford it? Do they even want to? And even if they do, are tickets available? Of course not!

I understand many people prefer non-AC travel due to financial constraints, and the government should address this. While Indian Railways passenger trains operate at a loss, subsidized by freight services, it’s unacceptable to neglect the conditions of non-AC coaches. There needs to be a balance between financial viability and passenger comfort.

The only solution I can think of is to replace all non-AC sleeper class coaches with 3AC Economy and all unreserved class coaches with a metro train-type coach. Every train should be air-conditioned and equipped with clean toilets. This would require additional funding, which could be recovered by charging passengers equally or slightly more for those traveling in 3AC, 2AC, or 1AC. Railway stations also need improvement, and the waitlist system for tickets should be eliminated.

With the rising middle class, many Indians now travel by airplane, but the majority still can’t afford it. India’s vast population and immense size contribute to its significant challenges. Solving even small problems requires immense effort. It often feels like there’s a lack of will to address these issues despite visible solutions. Indian bureaucracy is plagued by corruption, laziness, and a focus on personal comfort rather than public service.

Indian train journeys can be delightful if you secure a confirmed seat in AC class. I prefer train travel for overnight journeys. I wish the government would prioritize addressing the core issues affecting ordinary citizens. While I support the development of bullet trains, I believe improving existing train services is equally important. We need safer, more comfortable trains, an end to ticket waitlists, and a reduction in accidents and derailments. India has made significant strides in railway infrastructure over the past decade, and I’m optimistic about future improvements. I hope to see a world-class railway system that surpasses global standards.

Contributed 300 books to a library

Posted on July 20, 2024 by nandan

I have a friend in the US named Mr. Lane Rasberry, who is a social worker and data scientist by profession. I met him for the first time in 2007 when he was living in Varanasi to learn Hindi. We’ve been in touch ever since and have collaborated on many different projects. His dream was to establish a library in Varanasi for students. He contacted the Seattle Public Library to donate books for Varanasi students, and they generously provided almost 350 books covering a wide range of subjects, including science, math, geography, culture, and religion.

Books provided by Lane

He sent me a large consignment containing all the books and some other materials. The consignment arrived at the Kolkata port but promptly became entangled in a corrupt bureaucratic process. I received a call from someone at the Kolkata port office who informed me that my consignment could not be released because they had found offensive materials within it, violating Indian law. I inquired about the nature of these “offensive materials” and was told that they were materials related to sex education.

Books at the library of Lok Samiti

I laughed incredulously when I heard this. The irony was palpable: a country that gave the world the Kama Sutra and boasts erotic art in its sacred Hindu temples was now being told that sex education materials were prohibited. It was clear that this was just a pretext; there was something more sinister at play. He requested that I visit his office in Kolkata, but being preoccupied, I enlisted the help of my friends Babu and Marc.

They traveled to Kolkata the following day and met with the officer. The officer offered numerous excuses for withholding the consignment, primarily focusing on a few sex education chapters within a couple of books. It was astonishing to witness his meticulous examination of every page in those hundreds of books. If government officials consistently displayed such vigilance and integrity, India’s landscape would undoubtedly be transformed.

They excelled at their jobs when corruption and bribery were involved, but their competence vanished when it came to fulfilling their duties honestly. Babu and Marc contacted another officer who revealed that the “offensive material” was merely a pretext for a bribe. Seeking guidance on how to approach the officer, they were advised that a direct bribe request was unlikely and that they should instead contact the officer’s assistant.

Ultimately, they contacted the assistant who explicitly stated that the consignment would not be released without a bribe of Rs. 10,000. Despite Babu’s explanation that the books were destined for non-profit work, the assistant remained unyielding. Faced with no other recourse, they reluctantly paid the bribe, securing the release of the consignment. A subsequent courier service was engaged to transport the consignment to Varanasi, which arrived approximately a week later.

The next challenge was determining the library’s location. My home, with ample space and a ready demand, was a viable option. At that time, I was involved in an educational program for underprivileged children called “Chance India,” led by my Hungarian friend, Mr. Attila Csapo. As the program coordinator, I oversaw the education of 70 children—28 from the city and 42 from a village. These children were enrolled in the nearest English-medium schools to their homes.

Our village children were selected from an NGO called Lok Samiti, which operates a school named Asha Samajik Vidyalay. While the school has made significant progress, it still lacked many resources. Previously, it was merely a better alternative to no education at all. Despite having proper classes and teachers, the school required substantial improvements. We selected forty-two students from Asha Samajik Vidyalay and enrolled them in a proper English-medium school. Initially, I considered establishing the library at my home, but something held me back.

I realized that establishing a library at my home would limit the number of beneficiaries to perhaps the twenty-eight city children. Another potential location, Asha Samajik Vidyalay, lacked both a library and the necessary space. After discussing this with Nandlal Master, the coordinator of Lok Samiti, I learned that they were planning to open a library soon. Therefore, I decided to wait and donate the books to Lok Samiti once their library was operational.

Years passed without Lok Samiti realizing their library plans. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought everything to a standstill. My own health deteriorated, making for a challenging year. As normalcy gradually returned in 2023, Lok Samiti finally opened its library. The library was a collaborative effort, supported by individuals and organizations alike. Many former students of Lok Samiti contributed to its establishment.

I finally organized all the books and donated them to the library of Asha Samajik Vidyalay in Nagepur village, Varanasi, which is run by Lok Samiti. The school children had never seen such a diverse collection of books. Their enthusiasm for the new library was evident. Lane, Nandlal Master, and I were immensely gratified to see the books finally benefiting the community. Marc tragically passed away a few years ago from sudden liver failure. His joy at seeing these books become part of a proper library is undoubtedly immense, even in his absence. The library serves as a humble tribute to his invaluable contributions.

My next goal is to assist in establishing another library at an education center run by my friend, Mr. Amit Rajbhar. He operates special classes for children of kiln workers and also runs a school for children aged 5 to 15. I am hopeful about being able to contribute to this project as well.

Local newspaper also reported the story

Corruption in India

Posted on July 15, 2024 by nandan

India, before invasion, was renowned as a “golden bird” due to its material prosperity, profound spiritual wisdom, and advanced scientific understanding. From physiology and its inner dimensions to the concept of the multiverse, discussions and innovations were already prevalent. However, this golden age was disrupted by the devastating era of Islamic invasions, leading to widespread destruction. Millions of lives were lost, and countless people were forcibly converted to Islam. It is estimated that over 60,000 Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples were razed to the ground.

The destruction of Nalanda University and its incomparable library, along with the countless Jain and Hindu temples sacrificed to build the Qutub Minar, are well-documented tragedies. The suffering endured by the sacred sites of Ayodhya, Mathura, and Varanasi is similarly heart-wrenching. Indeed, the historical atrocities inflicted upon India are vast and complex, defying concise summation. Ultimately, the nation was partitioned, with present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal once forming an integral part of India. Expanding the cultural perspective, Tibet and Afghanistan were also deeply intertwined with the Indian subcontinent.

Following the brutal Islamic era, British colonial rule ensued, often referred to as the “British Raj.” However, many argue it was essentially a “Christian Raj,” with colonial objectives mirroring those of their Muslim predecessors: exploitation of India’s wealth and proselytization of Christianity. While Mother Teresa is celebrated for her humanitarian work, her canonization is often attributed to her role in religious conversion, particularly among the Hindu population.

Her work among the impoverished was undeniably extraordinary, defying verbal description. While her humanitarian efforts were commendable, it’s also acknowledged that her primary objective included proselytizing Christianity, particularly within the Hindu community. Despite the actions of previous rulers, India gained independence on August 15, 1947, igniting hope among millions. However, the nation has grappled with persistent challenges such as corruption, poverty, and illiteracy.

India’s journey into independence was marred almost immediately by the Jeep scam of 1948, a stark indicator of the challenges to come. Since then, a seemingly endless stream of scandals has plagued successive governments. The pervasive nature of corruption is exemplified by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s infamous assertion that only 15 paise of every rupee allocated for public welfare actually reaches its intended beneficiaries, with the remaining 85 paise siphoned off by politicians, bureaucrats, and their associates.

The frequency and scale of corruption escalated over time. Multi-million and even billion-dollar scams became commonplace. International aid and loans intended for poverty alleviation were diverted into the coffers of politicians and bureaucrats. The plunder extended beyond foreign funds to the nation’s natural resources. The coal and Commonwealth Games scams are infamous examples of this rampant corruption.

Corruption had become so normalized that it was expected at every level of society. Citizens anticipated bribes from government employees and police officers. The opulent lifestyles of politicians, often funded through illicit means, were accepted without question. This systemic corruption created a toxic environment where dishonesty permeated every sector, from government offices to private businesses.

Finally the 2014 elections came and Mr. Narendra Modi was introduced as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP party. Mr. Narendra Modi had a reputation of being business friendly, honest but also anti-minority. The ruling party Congress made Mr. Modi’s reputation of being anti-minority a huge issue. The elections were polarized in the name of minority appeasement. Mr. Modi was labeled as an anti-minority because of the Gurjat riots which took place in the year 2002. Gujrat riots started when a group of Hindu pilgrims train was attacked by Muslims in Gujrat.

“A train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire by a Muslim mob, resulting in the deaths of several people. This incident triggered widespread communal violence across the state. Mr. Modi, the then Chief Minister, was criticized for his handling of the riots. However, his reputation as a business-friendly and honest leader, coupled with his successful track record of bringing development to Gujarat, significantly contributed to his election as Prime Minister of India in 2014.”

When Mr. Modi became Prime Minister, people had high expectations. They anticipated rapid improvements in governance, including zero corruption, enhanced internal and external security, transparency, better infrastructure, increased financial prosperity, and overall progress. It is now 2024, and Mr. Modi has completed two terms as Prime Minister. We have witnessed significant changes on the ground level.

We have witnessed some of his popular schemes, such as housing for all, direct benefit transfers, digital transactions, universal tap water supply, affordable internet, an excellent new road network, improved electricity, and sanitation, bring about changes in people’s lives. Additionally, there have been no new scams reported in the government thus far. While it’s possible that scams exist but remain undisclosed due to the current administration, it’s also noteworthy how many previously corrupt leaders from other parties have adopted a clean image upon joining the BJP.

Anyways, Mr. Modi seems to be a lot better leader than any other option but one place where his karizma does not seem to work is the corruption on ground level. The corruption which people face in their daily lives, such as corruption in government offices and policing. I know that Policing is a matter of the state government and Mr. Modi can not do anything about it. I also know that most of the work which literally matters in people’s lives is done by the state governments. There are many central government run offices and institutions in different states but they are also somehow highly affected by the governance of the state.

I cannot think of a single government office where anyone can get any work done without offering a bribe. If I want a new electricity connection, I will have to offer a bribe. To build a house, I will have to bribe someone in the municipality and city development authority. Starting a business requires bribing the concerned authorities. Even getting a loan or registering a police complaint involves paying bribes.

The government of India has a program called housing for all. The way this scheme work is that if someone who has a piece of land but not a house then the government gives some money. The money is sent directly into the beneficiary’s account in four different installments. The beneficiary provides a plan, gets it approved by some government officer and then the amount is sent directly to the beneficiary’s account. But since there is an officer involved in between, he charges almost 20% bribe in advance, I have heard that at some places its even 40%.

So, I mean to say that corruption is prevalent in almost every aspect of life, and it’s often incredibly frustrating. I have countless personal experiences with corruption and would like to share a recent incident involving the birth of a child in my family and the death of my uncle. This case highlights corruption within the central government, state government, and private sector—a reflection of the broader corruption of humanity.

Let’s focus on the birth of my sister-in-law’s child. Most people who can afford private healthcare avoid government hospitals due to inefficiency caused by corruption. This isn’t about the quality of doctors but the poor service resulting from corruption. Patients are often neglected, with doctors and nurses absent or unwilling to see them. Senior residents handle most cases, and essential services like medicines are charged despite being supposedly free. The infrastructure is excellent on paper but poorly maintained.

My sister-in-law’s husband was unemployed when she was pregnant, so they opted for government hospital services, which were supposed to be free (including medicines, delivery, vaccines, supplements, and doctor fees). The day she went into labor, she was rushed to the hospital and, after much chaos, was admitted. They informed the family that she would deliver that night and that she was hemoglobin-deficient, requiring three units of blood. The family managed to find donors without difficulty.

The hospital planned to perform a caesarean section. When I visited her, I was appalled by the conditions. The mattresses were dirty, the bedsheets used, and garbage littered the floor. A single nurse was responsible for perhaps fifty patients, with many nursing duties delegated to family members. It was horrifying. To add insult to injury, the hospital demanded a bribe of Rs. 7000 for the delivery, payable in advance.

The surgery was scheduled for around 9 PM, but they demanded the money around 5 PM. Seven thousand rupees might not seem like a large sum to a middle-class Indian family, but it was a significant amount for someone unemployed. The father didn’t have the money and was struggling to arrange funds for his wife’s post-surgery care. This sudden, unexpected expense was overwhelming.

He questioned the hospital staff about the fee, given that the surgery was supposed to be free. The response was that while the surgery itself was free, a payment was still required. This money, they claimed, went directly to the doctor, and failure to pay could jeopardize the mother and child during the operation. Imagine the shock and fear this caused. The hospital employee explicitly threatened the well-being of the mother and child if the bribe wasn’t paid.

Despite lacking the funds, the father felt compelled to comply. He borrowed the money and gave it to the hospital employee. Only after the bribe was paid was his wife taken into the operating room. This harrowing ordeal illustrates the deep-rooted corruption a person faces even before birth in India.

Now let’s discuss the other incident involving my uncle’s death. One of my uncles died in a motorcycle accident a few months ago while returning home. He was alone when the accident occurred and was brought to the hospital by strangers. My uncle was still alive at the accident scene and gave his mobile phone to passersby, asking them to inform his family. They called some relatives using his phone and then took him to BHU, Varanasi’s largest hospital.

BHU is a centrally funded university with the region’s largest hospital. It’s the backbone of healthcare in eastern Uttar Pradesh and serves patients from neighboring states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. My uncle was brought to BHU’s trauma center already deceased. Upon arriving at the hospital, I found his body unattended. The doctor informed me that my uncle had been brought in dead and hadn’t been officially admitted. They asked if we wanted to take the body or if they should perform an autopsy. Indian law mandates an autopsy in cases of unnatural death. As an autopsy is required for insurance claims, loans, and other financial matters, we requested one.

BHU staff informed us that they no longer performed autopsies on-site. Instead, all autopsies were conducted at another government hospital about 10 kilometers away. They explained that they would first inform the police, who would then handle the paperwork before the body could be transferred. Our request for an autopsy initiated a series of frustrating and corrupt events.

The hospital had stretchers but stored them outside the trauma center. We were asked to fetch one ourselves, a minor inconvenience but a task that should have been handled by hospital staff, especially considering the emotional state of grieving families. After obtaining a stretcher, we waited for hospital personnel to assist in moving the body to the mortuary.

An hour later, someone arrived, but initially refused to touch the body, demanding that we move it to the stretcher. My brother and I were unable to do so alone and needed additional help. Despite our pleas, we were forced to move the body ourselves. We then had to transport the stretcher with the body approximately 300 meters to the mortuary.

Moving a stretcher with a body on it requires proper handling. I had no experience with stretchers but somehow managed to navigate it. We finally reached the mortuary, which could accommodate about four to six bodies. There was no hospital staff to open the mortuary or store the body. The accompanying hospital employee was only there for paperwork. He called someone, and after about thirty minutes, a severely intoxicated man arrived, reeking of alcohol.

He wasn’t a regular BHU employee but a temporary hire. I believe there should be a dedicated person for this job, but someone was likely avoiding their duties. This is a common issue in India, where government employees often delegate their work to others while still receiving a salary. I suspect this was a similar case. In fact, I know someone personally working at a village health center who never shows up for work. He’s anxious now because the government is implementing a biometric attendance system.

Anyway, this intoxicated man demanded payment for his services. He asked for 1000 rupees to move the body into the mortuary and later retrieve it. The real challenge began when we tried to move the body with this drunk man. Just the two of us, plus him, had to handle a body soaked in blood from the accident. The bleeding hadn’t stopped. With great difficulty, my brother and I managed to move the body into the mortuary with his help. Then the hospital staff told us to wait for the police.

He said they had already informed the police but suggested we contact them directly to speed up the process. He also mentioned that the autopsy hospital had a 4 PM cutoff and if we were late, the autopsy would be postponed until the next day. He warned that if we arrived after the cutoff, there might not be mortuary space available for the night. Now we had to decide whether to proceed with the autopsy that day or wait until the following day.

It was already 1 PM, leaving us just three hours to complete the police paperwork and reach the other hospital. The police finally arrived around 3 PM. They asked the intoxicated man to remove the body from the mortuary. He again requested our help, which we reluctantly provided. As we placed the body on the floor, blood gushed out everywhere. This is clearly a job for trained professionals, not family members. Despite the mess, we managed to position the body on the bare floor while the police questioned the intoxicated man about the body’s condition.

I was astonished to see the police officers didn’t even examine the body. They sat about 20 meters away, conversing with the intoxicated man. The officer recorded the man’s description of the body: fair complexion, a jaw injury, a scratch above the eyebrow, and the clothing color. Meanwhile, we were tasked with arranging an ambulance to transport the body to the other hospital. It’s unbelievable that such a large hospital lacked an ambulance, or perhaps they were unwilling to provide one. We were directed to contact private ambulance services.

We found a vehicle with “ambulance” written on it, but it wasn’t a real ambulance. The seating arrangement was the only difference from a regular car. The person helping us find an ambulance warned me that these ambulance drivers often charge extra and that I might need to negotiate. It was heartbreaking to realize that even in death, corruption and bargaining were involved. Overwhelmed, I simply asked him to find an ambulance. The police then demanded a special packing material that was sold outside. Neither the police nor the hospital had any.

We found the required packing material at a nearby store. It was a large plastic bag with the Uttar Pradesh Police logo. With the drunken man’s assistance, we placed the body in the bag and sealed it properly using wax and a hospital logo. We managed to leave BHU around 3:20 PM, giving us only 20 minutes to reach the other hospital. We arrived just in time and handed over the body, waiting outside. To my astonishment, the body was returned to us within 45 minutes. I’ve always questioned how such a complex procedure could be completed so quickly.

It appears they simply opened the body cavity and closed it without performing any actual procedures. They probably copied the information directly from the police report, which was inaccurate as it was dictated by the intoxicated man, not the police themselves. The body was returned to us, and we cremated it that evening. My uncle’s family went to their ancestral village for post-cremation rituals and later returned to Varanasi to obtain the death certificate after two weeks.

Typically, death and birth certificates are issued by the municipality. We contacted the municipality, and they requested a police report. At the police station, we were informed that the report was under process and would take at least a week to complete. They suggested finding the specific officer who created the report. After locating the officer, we were told that police reports are confidential and not shared with families. We could apply for a certified copy once the report was submitted to the police commissioner’s office. As an alternative, the officer offered to provide an unofficial, unsealed copy, which he claimed would suffice for the municipality.

We asked the municipality official for the non-official police report. We returned to the police officer and witnessed him making a phone call to another officer on speakerphone. The other officer agreed to prepare the report if we “took care” of him, a clear request for a bribe. It was unimaginable to be extorted in such a manner while grieving a loss.

By this time, we already knew someone who could help us, but we decided to try another option. We contacted someone at a larger police station’s communication department, who agreed to provide the report. We were told to return the next day to collect it. When we arrived, the officer openly asked for a bribe. He was young, probably around 27 or 28, and demanded whatever we could give him. My cousin offered the only cash he had, 200 rupees, but the officer insisted on more.

After a few minutes of negotiation, he handed us the report, and we left without further conversation. So, he did demand a bribe but ultimately received nothing. We obtained the certificate, but the ordeal was far from over. We later discovered a misspelling of my uncle’s name on the report, rendering it useless. The next day, we visited the municipality office, where we were informed that due to the involvement of the police and BHU, the death certificate would be issued by BHU, not the municipality.

We contacted the BHU office the next day to explain the name misspelling issue. The officer stated that it didn’t matter and they would use the name from the ID card, not the police report. This was a relief. We filled out the required form and submitted it. Inquiring about the processing time, we received a surprising response. The officer mentioned it could take a week if the government website was functioning correctly, but it might take one to two months if the website was down. When we asked about the website’s reliability, he explained that it often experienced technical difficulties, hindering certificate generation.

I was astonished that while India boasts of widespread smartphone usage, 5G internet, and globally renowned tech professionals, our government websites are dysfunctional. Eventually, we navigated the university bureaucracy and obtained the certificate within three days.

Comparing these two cases, we find starkly contrasting situations: one involving a yet-to-be-born child and the other a deceased individual. Multiple institutions were implicated: a state-run hospital for the caesarean section, a central government hospital like BHU, another state-run hospital for the autopsy, state police, and a private ambulance service. The common thread throughout this ordeal was corruption at every step. One life was adversely affected before birth, while the other continued to grapple with its consequences even in death.

Everyone in India experiences corruption at some level, but people seem desensitized to it. One of India’s most significant problems is poverty, primarily caused by corruption and overpopulation. I believe poverty could be eradicated within a few decades if corruption were eliminated. I once met an American working for the World Bank in Bangladesh who had just completed a ten-year project there. He was visiting India on vacation before returning home.

He told me that the World Bank provided substantial funds for road construction in Bangladesh, but corruption prevented the completion of even a single project. He explained that projects were intentionally delayed as a pretext to request more money. Consequently, projects were perpetually delayed, and no one benefited. He admitted to not completing a single project in his ten-year career. India also faced similar issues under previous governments, but there seems to be improvement under Prime Minister Modi. While hopeful about Modi’s leadership, I recognize the challenge of tackling corruption. His reputation makes him a target for opposition, even to his positive initiatives. It’s essential for everyone to prioritize the fight against corruption if India and its people are to realize their full potential.

VIP tickets at Hindu temples

Posted on May 15, 2024 by nandan

In recent years, there has been a noticeable trend of more temples offering VIP darshan tickets. While VIP access has existed for some time, it was previously limited to a selected few temples. However, the number of temples offering this service has grown significantly. Having visited temples across India, I’ve observed that temples in North India often exhibit the most concerning levels of corruption. Even in the absence of a formal ticketing system, one can frequently find priests, intermediaries, agents, or even police officers offering expedited darshan in exchange for a fee.

Only two prominent temples in Varanasi, Sankat Mochan and BHU New Vishwanath JI, seem relatively free from the corruption associated with VIP darshan tickets. Unfortunately, visiting any other well-known temple in Varanasi often involves dealing with harassment. For a peaceful experience, Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples are particularly challenging. While Kashi Vishwanath can be navigated by avoiding priests and other troublemakers, Kaal Bhairav presents a significantly more complex situation.

My recent visits to Nagreshwar, Somnath, and Mahakal Jyotirling temples in Gujarat were marred by the implementation of ticketing systems. Nagreshwar Jyotirling, for example, offers tickets that grant access to the Garbhgrih (sanctum sanctorum). For an additional fee, visitors can also avail themselves of special rituals performed by a priest. While darshan at Nagreshwar Jyotirling is technically free for all, access to the Garbhgrih is restricted to those who purchase a ticket.

Shri Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Gujrat

Somnath Temple offers tickets for the evening sound and light laser show. Mahakal temple in Ujjain also has a VIP ticket system but a commendable feature of Mahakal Temple is its provision of a separate queue for senior citizens, exempting them from VIP darshan fees. A temple should not be treated as a commercial enterprise. It should be a space for personal reflection and meditation, accessible to all without distinction. The concept of VIP status should be entirely absent from such sacred places.

Paying to visit a temple feels akin to entering an amusement park. A sacred space should be open to all without charge. The introduction of VIP tickets has eroded the spiritual essence of temples. Now, anyone with a few hundred rupees can receive preferential treatment, creating a sense of inequality. India seems unable to fully escape its colonial past, as people continue to be judged based on their wealth, social status, or other factors.

The hierarchical system is deeply ingrained in Indian culture. While the Modi government has made commendable efforts to curb VIP culture by restricting the use of red or blue beacons on vehicles, the mentality of privilege persists. I frequently visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple with guests, and it’s disheartening to witness the preferential treatment afforded to politicians, government officials, judges, and police officers. Their vehicles are often parked directly at the temple’s entrance, a privilege denied to ordinary citizens. This demonstrates a continued bias towards those in positions of authority.

Inside the temple, these individuals also receive preferential treatment, gaining access to areas restricted to the general public. While I understand the need for special arrangements for high-ranking officials like the Prime Minister or President, the same privilege is often extended to politicians and individuals with political connections. While the government introduced VIP darshan tickets to streamline the visiting process, it has inadvertently transformed the temple into a place of privilege. While the time of dignitaries like the Prime Minister or President is undoubtedly valuable, it’s unfair to expect others to wait in long queues while these individuals enjoy special treatment.

I believe a VIP darshan facility is necessary, but it should be exclusive to senior citizens and individuals with special abilities. These groups should be considered VIPs and receive preferential treatment not only at temples but also in offices and public spaces. For the general public, an organized online registration system should be implemented. This system would offer different time slots based on availability, allowing visitors to choose their preferred visiting time.

A similar approach should be adopted for all visitors. By determining the maximum number of visitors per hour and offering different time slots, visitors can choose the most convenient option. This will limit the number of people at any given time, reducing wait times. Those who haven’t registered should be directed to a separate queue. Implementing this system would quickly eliminate long queues and enhance the spiritual experience for visitors, especially if the temple were to offer free entry

I visit Churches, Mosques, Buddhist temples, and Sikh Gurudwaras, but I’ve never encountered a VIP ticket system. While these places of worship may face their own challenges, they haven’t resorted to commercializing their sacred spaces. Unfortunately, the commercialization of temple visits is a prevalent issue in Hindu temples only. The presence of priests and middlemen seeking financial gain, combined with the VIP ticket system, further complicates the experience for devotees.

My Western guests have shared with me that many people have stopped attending churches due to their commercialization and politicization. Priests in these churches often sought to control people’s minds, promising them eternal salvation in exchange for monetary donations. Reports of churches selling certificates for heaven further highlight this disturbing trend. While Hindu temples have historically avoided such practices, there are signs of a concerning shift. Hindu temples are not merely places for rituals or priestly control. They are spaces for self-discovery, introspection, and spiritual growth. They offer opportunities for peace and inner awakening

“I hope that authorities will reconsider the current state of Hindu temples and allow them to serve as true places of self-discovery, introspection, and spiritual growth. If the system remains unchanged, it’s only a matter of time before people lose their devotion to these temples, mirroring the decline of churches. I personally know many individuals who have stopped visiting temples due to overcrowding, VIP tickets, and the exploitative practices of priests and middlemen. I sincerely hope that this trend will reverse, and temples will regain their ancient glory.

Inhuman behavior of doctors at BHU

Posted on August 14, 2018 by nandan

The BHU hospital is a beacon of hope for millions in Purvanchal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Nepal, and other parts of India. Patients flock from these regions seeking medical care, as it’s the largest hospital in the area. Unfortunately, the hospital’s management, staff, and doctors are plagued by corruption and cruelty, lacking basic humanity. Even locals believe BHU offers top-tier medical expertise, but without personal connections, navigating the hospital is an arduous challenge.

Navigating the BHU hospital is an arduous ordeal from registration to treatment, medication, and even claiming rightful subsidies. The process begins with the frustrating task of obtaining a registration number. As there’s no online option, patients must endure long queues, often waiting hours. The next hurdle is consulting a doctor, which involves another lengthy queue and encounters with a corrupt system. Patients with connections can bypass these queues, while others wait patiently.

BHU’s OPD typically operates with one senior doctor and five to six junior doctors. Patients are initially seen by junior doctors, who may consult with the senior doctor if needed. However, preferential treatment is given to those with connections, undermining the system. Diagnostic tests like blood tests, CT scans, and MRIs are often recommended, but accessing these services is another challenge. Despite affordable costs, patients face excessively long wait times, making it nearly impossible to obtain timely tests in emergencies. To avoid delays, many patients opt for private facilities, often at inflated prices, which may also benefit the referring doctor through commissions.

Hospital admission is another major hurdle. While beds are technically available, securing one often requires connections within BHU. Numerous acquaintances have shared experiences of initial denial, followed by immediate admission upon intervention by influential individuals. Patients without such connections are frequently left to endure inhumane conditions, including treatment on the hospital floor due to a scarcity of beds and stretchers. Once admitted, patients are subjected to a complex system of commissions, with BHU staff playing a central role.

Patients and their attendants often face pressure from external pharmacies to purchase medications. These pharmacies offer discounts as an incentive, but these deals are typically less advantageous than the subsidized prices at the hospital pharmacy. To exacerbate this issue, some doctors recommend specific external pharmacies, often due to undisclosed commissions. A recent case involving a neighbor diagnosed with breast cancer exemplifies this problem.

A biopsy confirmed the patient’s cancer had progressed to stage three, necessitating urgent chemotherapy due to the tumor’s size. Disturbingly, the doctor mandated purchasing medication from a specific off-campus pharmacy. This was particularly egregious given the hospital’s AMRIT store, a government initiative offering cancer and heart medications at significantly reduced prices. The scale of the issue is alarming. India records 700,000 new cancer cases annually, with 2.8 million living with the disease and half a million succumbing each year. Breast cancer specifically affects 145,000 Indian women yearly, according to the World Health Organization.

The exorbitant costs of cancer treatment often force over half of patients to discontinue therapy after just two or three cycles. To address this crisis, the government launched the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) program. When the patient inquired about the medication’s cost at the doctor-recommended pharmacy, they were quoted an exorbitant Rs. 17-18,000. Given my experience paying around Rs. 5,000 for a similar treatment at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital, I advised the patient to check the price at the hospital’s AMRIT store.

The patient was astounded to find the same medication priced at a mere Rs. 4000 at the AMRIT store. Coming from a destitute background, they were already seeking government financial aid, but the process was time-consuming, and immediate treatment was crucial. With limited savings, they purchased the medicines from AMRIT but returned to the doctor to verify the prescription, unable to fathom the price discrepancy. The doctor initially approved the medications but unexpectedly requested the purchase receipt.

Upon presenting the AMRIT store receipt, the doctor erupted in anger, berating the patient for disregarding her instructions. The patient explained the significant cost difference and their dire financial situation, emphasizing the impossibility of affording the exorbitant price quoted earlier. Despite the clear financial benefits of the AMRIT purchase, the doctor remained inflexible. In a callous disregard for the patient’s well-being, she discarded the medications and dismissed the patient, effectively ending their treatment.

Overwhelmed by despair, the patient pleaded with the doctor to begin treatment, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. This was not an isolated incident; numerous patients faced identical ordeals. With treatment options dwindling and time running out, we were forced to consider alternatives. The Railway Hospital in Varanasi, although not our first choice due to BHU’s perceived superior facilities, emerged as the only viable option. Upon explaining the situation, the Railway Hospital’s medical staff extended their sympathy and agreed to admit the patient. Their willingness to accept the AMRIT-purchased medication was a beacon of hope in this distressing situation. Even the hospital staff expressed shock at the events.

The patient’s treatment commenced at the Railway Hospital, with chemotherapy medications procured from BHU’s AMRIT store. However, a temporary setback occurred when the Railway Hospital was closed for renovations to align with Tata Memorial Center’s standards. While this disruption to treatment was disheartening, the prospect of improved facilities and care at the revamped hospital offered a glimmer of hope.

Fortunately, all Railway Hospital cases were transferred back to BHU on a government order, resolving the immediate crisis. Subsequent chemotherapy treatments were administered at BHU, where the AMRIT medications were accepted. Reflecting on the ordeal, the doctor’s cruelty in denying treatment due to financial constraints is unconscionable. The underlying motive of profit through medication commissions is a stark indictment of the medical profession. While locals like me have options, the plight of those from distant regions is unimaginable. This systemic failure to prioritize patient care is a grave concern.

A particularly egregious case involved a cardiac patient from Aurangabad, Bihar, admitted to BHU in May 2017. Hailing from a poverty-stricken background, the family had secured government aid of Rs. 1,75,000 for the treatment. Typically, these funds are directly transferred to the hospital or reimbursed against bills from authorized pharmacies. Despite presenting the government approval, the patient was denied treatment. The doctor fabricated excuses and demanded a Rs. 2,50,000 upfront payment to a specific off-campus location.

Desperate to save their loved one, the family mortgaged their agricultural land to raise the demanded Rs. 2,50,000. The surgery itself, performed at BHU, likely incurred minimal costs – I recall paying only Rs. 500 for a heart valve surgery for a cousin about a decade ago. The exorbitant expenses were primarily attributed to medication costs. Post-surgery, the family sought reimbursement by requesting medication receipts from the shop. To their dismay, they received receipts totaling only Rs. 1,80,000, revealing a discrepancy of Rs. 70,000. Outraged by this deception, the family filed a formal complaint with the hospital’s Medical Superintendent.

The Medical Superintendent intervened, demanding the shop owner return the excess Rs. 70,000. Despite an initial agreement, the shop owner reneged on the promise. Adding to the family’s distress, government reimbursement was contingent upon receipts from AMRIT stores – a condition impossible to fulfill due to the doctor’s mandate. This blatant exploitation, driven by the lure of commissions, underscores a deep-rooted malaise within the healthcare system. The suffering inflicted on vulnerable patients is unimaginable.

The family’s financial ruin due to the doctor’s greed is a tragic consequence. This is not an isolated incident but a systemic problem, prevalent in many healthcare institutions across India. While not every doctor is corrupt, the frequency of these cases is alarming. Increased transparency and online systems offer potential solutions, but the journey towards a just healthcare system is likely to be long.

Prime Minister Modi’s efforts to combat corruption are commendable. Initiatives like the AMRIT scheme demonstrate a commitment to improving healthcare accessibility. It is imperative to sustain this momentum and implement stricter measures to hold corrupt medical professionals accountable.

New Paper article

Cancer treatment in India

Posted on January 11, 2016 by nandan

Healthcare services are in terrible condition in India and especially at government hospitals. I know that the situation is not same everywhere but its same more or less everywhere in this country. Government hospitals have either no facilities or they are super corrupt and private hospitals are so expensive that a regular person can not afford them. I know several people who have paid for vaccines or medicines at government hospitals which is supposed to be free. If I just have to talk about hospitals in Varanasi, which is the biggest center for health care services in entire Purvanchal (Eastern Uttar Pradesh which includes 17 districts), very big portion of Bihar state and Madhya Pradesh is full of patients all the time.

There are several government and private hospitals in Varanasi with Sir Sundar Lal Hospital at Banaras Hindu University or BHU being the biggest one. And even at this hospital seeing serious patients sleeping on the floor under open sky, doctors being not available or treatment being evil is never ever a big deal. I have heard of so many complaints where people say their patients just died because of bad services at BHU. In fact I have also personally experienced similar kind of behavior when I was there with a patient of four years whose head was broken, he was bleeding so hard and there was no doctor in the emergency ward. And when treatment started they did not have stitches. Anyways, it is still the biggest hospital of eastern UP and very big hope for a lot of people.

My most recent encounter with this hospital was when my mother noticed a small lump in her breast. We contacted a few doctors at some private hospitals or at doctor’s personal clinic and different ones had different opinion. But most of them said that it might be beginning stage of breast cancer and they will have to remove the whole breast which will be followed by radiation therapy and chemo might also be needed. It was a huge shock for me to hear that someone might be suffering with cancer in my family. Although my mother was absolutely fine with no pain in body or she just did not have any problem at all. I contacted many people and every one suggested me to at least see some doctors at BHU. We contacted oncology department at BHU and they advised FNAC test with mammography x-ray.

The results showed that my mother was suffering from first or second stage of cancer. I had no idea what to do. I was talking with many people, different ones had different opinions but most of them said that I should follow what doctors say at BHU. There is another cancer research hospital run by Indian Railways which is also kind of very famous in the area. A lot of people advised me to see the doctors there but I always had one thing in my mind I won’t start any treatment before getting advise of doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. Tata Memorial Hospital is most probably the most famous cancer hospital in India. My mind had almost stopped working, I did not know what to do and there was a time when I thought that lets see what the doctors say at Railway hospital and I was preparing to go there.

At the same moment a friend of mine came at home and I told him that I was thinking to see the doctors at Railway Hospital today and then go to Mumbai tomorrow to see the doctors at Tata Memorial. But then he told me that if I am already planning to see the doctors at Tata Memorial why to even waste a day. Why not go there today. I also thought that I should not waste a day and I immediately arranged to travel to Mumbai. I have a few friends (I was expecting help especially from Alok and Yogesh) living in Mumbai and I informed them my mother’s situation and in fact one of them happened to know a doctor personally at TMC. Somehow Mr. Arun Pathak, who is like my elder brother and he is a social worker and a politician in Varanasi, also heard about my situation and immediately arranged my stay in Mumbai at an apartment which he had rented for himself.

When I arrived in Mumbai Yogesh came to pick me up from the airport and dropped me at his place. At the same time Mr. Pathak wanted me to stay at his place which was the biggest luxury possible in a city like Mumbai where hundreds of thousands of people have to sleep on the street but I had two apartments to live there. I spent a few nights at Mr. Pathak’s place. I arrived in Mumbai without my mother and went to TMC but unfortunately the doctor my friend knew was basically dealing with mouth cancer. So we could not see him. Anyways, everything seemed super organized at TMC. I was really amazed by hospital management: everything seemed to be working in order, staffs were very helpful, all the services were computerized, things working very smoothly, it seemed like a hospital which had some sense of hospital management and care for patients.

They looked at the FNAC and mammography report and asked me if I would like to get treatment started at TMC or if I just needed advise. I don’t know why but I said that I need the treatment. There were two categories of registration – general patients and private patients. If I get registered under general patients category then the cost of the treatment was going to be ten times cheaper than if I get registered under private patient category. They mentioned it clearly at that same moment that there won’t be any discrimination or different in treatment whether I get treatment under general patient category or private patient category. The only different would be of the rooms. The rooms of patients under general category are basically shared basis whereas rooms for patients under private category are private. Doctors are same, treatment is same…everything same but some luxury.

They provide bed only when the treatment is happening like during surgery or when chemo is being given for two three hours. Rest of the time the patients have to take care of themselves and I literally saw hundreds of people sleeping on the street outside the hotel who were there go get treatment. Those people would go to the hospital whenever it was needed otherwise street was their home for rest of the times. Sometimes they just live on the street for the entire duration of the treatment which might be even six-seven months or even more. The hospital also gave me an idea about the cost of the treatment immediately which was around 30,000 if I get treatment under general category or around 2,50,000 if I get treatment under private patient. I thought for a while and chose the private category.

My mother had always lived a very relaxed life and I did not want her to be in any kind of stress. Although the cost of the treatment was out of my budget because it was not only about paying for the treatment but I knew that traveling between Mumbai and Varanasi and other expenses were also going to be there. But I still made the decision of getting the treatment under private category. They registered me and sent me to the breast cancer department. There was a very big line but again everything was very well organized so it was not a big deal because at least I knew what was happening. Finally my number came, I was really scared because I did not know what the doctor was going to tell me, and finally entered in a room where I saw a lady doctor waiting for me.

There was something really good that they see only one patient at a time and give proper time otherwise at BHU there is one doctor surrounded by hundreds of patients and you just don’t know whats happening. The doctors saw all the reports and stared asking some questions related with my mother which I did not know. I asked her if she would like to talk with her on phone but she denied. Anyways, I called my mother on phone and tried to answer her questions. The doctor said that she would like to see the patient and without meeting the patient it won’t be possible for her to say anything. She said that in some case doctors might advise or give some suggestions but in case of breast cancer it is necessary to see the patient personally because it is necessary to feel the lump and size of breasts also matter which they need to see. Finally I arranged my mother to come to Mumbai and brought her to the hospital after a couple of days.

The doctors looked at all the reports, examined my mother personally and advised a few blood tests with biopsy. They said that FNAC was not enough and biopsy test was also needed. And in any case they were not going to rely on BHU test reports if we wanted the treatment there. So actually they advised so many different blood tests and during the same time they also advised us to meet with the radiation therapy doctor. We saw the radiation therapy doctor also, she also looked at the lump and said we had two options- either have the full breast removal followed by chemo and radiation therapy or just get the lump removed followed by the chemo radiation. I did not know what to do and I asked her for some time. We contacted some other doctors and all of them suggested us that let the doctor make the decision. During this time we got biopsy and other tests done.

And when we went to see the doctor again they said that a surgery will be performed and since the lump was not so big it is also possible to just remove the lump and not the entire breast. They again gave us an opportunity to get the surgery done at TMC, have medical protocol prepared by the doctors at TMC but have rest of the treatment like chemo followed by other doctors at BHU because it could have been easier for us. When doctor gave us this option my mother was also present there who immediately refused it because she had also seen the condition at BHU. She wanted to get the treatment at TMC only. By this time everything was almost clear but there was only suspicion regarding chemo cycles. The doctors said that final decision will be made after the surgery is done because the number of chemo cycles are decided based on the reports of lymph nodes checkup which are done during and post surgery.

They gave us two options- either we get surgery done at TMC after three months because there were already so many patients in line or we get the surgery done within a week at their another research center located in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. This other center is also run by the same team but only the location was different. It was around 40 KMs from the old hospital. This new center of TMC was opened in Kharghar in the year 2002 and it was called Advanced Center for Treatment, Research & Education in Cancer. I was still a bit confused and did not want to miss any opportunity of taking advice of as many people as people. One of my friends relatives in Mumbai suggested me to see the doctors at a charitable hospital located in Mumbai called Millat Hospital.

I decided to at least see the doctors at Millat and see what they say. When I met with the doctor there, he also said that surgery will be done, chemo will be needed with radiation therapy. But they did not have radiation therapy available at Millat. Finally we made a decision that we will get all the treatments done at TMC only. We contacted the doctors at TMC and agreed on getting the surgery done at Kharghar center. They prepared all the papers and transferred the case at Kharghar center. At first I went to Kharghar with a friend of Yogesh named Ashish who always a very big help. The biggest benefit of having Ashish was that he used to have his own pathology which meant he had some knowledge of medical field and other than that he was also a Marathi which means he could speak local language which is always a very big help.

And in any case it is very hard to find people like Ashish who are always willing to help others. He was not only helping to me but whoever wanted. I noticed him several times just going to unknown people at the hospital and asking them if they needed some help. Anyways, the doctors at Kharghar center said that they could perform the surgery in next four days. They gave me a date and asked me to bring the patient the evening before of surgery and get her admitted at the hospital. Finally I arrived at the hospital the evening before, doctors checked my mother and then the biggest blunder happened. They did not have any private room available, which the patients registered under private category are supposed to get. It was not possible for me to travel back home then return back at the hospital the next day at 7 AM because the traffic in Mumbai was crazy.

They asked me to sleep at the hospital guesthouse which is basically lodging facility patients getting treatment under general category which did not seem to be a big issue and we thought that we will sleep overnight there. After all it was only about a night but once we arrived at the guesthouse room I said to myself that it was not the place where my mother could sleep. The biggest problem was that there were eight beds at a distance of hardly two feet from each other in one room and all of them had patients whose surgery was already performed. Most of them had either mouth or throat cancer and would was visible. I had full sympathy for the patients but I did not want my mother to be scared of surgery or be stressful the night before her surgery.

I think they should keep the pre-surgery patients separated from post surgery patients because the cancer wounds are very scary and it might scare the patients going to get surgery. The other problem, which was the biggest, was that the windows of the room were kept closed intentionally so that already sick patients do not feel cold. There was terrible smell of medicine without any ventilation in the room. I saw at my mother’s face, she did not say even a single word but I knew that she was not comfortable at all. I immediately decided that I was not going to stay there over night. Fortunately I had another friend from Varanasi who was in Mumbai those days and he had a relative living somewhere in Kharghar. I called him and explained the situation at the hospital and finally he arranged for us to sleep overnight at his relative’s place which was happened to be hardly 10 minutes drive from the hospital. It was such a big help.

Anyways, I could not sleep the whole night because I was tense about the surgery the next day. I was just laying down and thinking about the next day and suddenly I noticed the sunlight. I prepared myself and we headed for the hospital. The doctors did some basic tests and asked us to wait outside the surgery room. During this time different doctors and nurses were coming, asking us different questions and one of them asked us what patient has eaten or drank since morning. My mother had nothing other than a tea but when I informed her about it, she asked milk tea? I said and then they said that we have to wait for another four hours minimum because the tea my mother had contained milk which is a solid food product as per their science. And if there is any food in the stomach then it can cause serious respiratory problems during the surgery.

Actually the doctors had advised my mother the evening before to not eat anything after walking up on the day of surgery but we did not think that milk could also be a problem. The doctors sent me to deposit the surgery fee which was kind of unexpected. They asked me to deposit 50,000 immediately. I had around 20,000 in cash with me and hardly 40,000 in the bank account. The worse thing was that sometimes ATMs do not allow to withdraw more than 25,000 a day. Anyways, somehow it worked, I had money and I deposited it. By the time I returned back at the surgery room, my mother was already inside the operation theater. The doctors had told me that there are two kinds of radiation therapy- internal and external. Internal radiation therapy can be given in case if the lymph nodes are not infected with cancer cells and they might at least put a tube inside the breast during surgery for internal radiation if the case was in favor.

In case if the lymph nodes are also infected then only external radiation was the possibility. The doctors told me that they take a tiny peace of flesh from the lymph node and send it for testing while the surgery is going on, which is basically just a quick checkup, which only gives a quick sense whether lymph nodes are infected or not. The final treatment is planned only after the detailed report which might take up to a week. The doctors had also said that the final decision about whether to remove the whole breast or just the lump will also be made during the surgery after seeing the level of infection. I think it was the most tense moment of my life when I was sitting outside the operation theater waiting to hear anything regarding what was going on inside. Suddenly a doctor came and said that they have sent the lymph node samples to the lab and the result will come soon and they will inform us.

And then another doctor came and he said that there was no need to remove the whole breast because lump was not so big and the infection was also not serious but the internal radiation was not possible because there was some infection in the lymph nodes. They also said that in such case chemo might be needed, 90%, the final decision will be made once the detailed report has come. By this time my elder brother, Chandan, also arrived from Delhi which was actually a very big psychological support for me otherwise I was going crazy. Chandan is a very matured man and deal such situations better than me. Finally the surgery was finished and I they brought my mother outside the operation theater but she was still kept on the other side of a glass door. I saw her sleeping, actually she was fainted due to anesthesia. Now they asked us to bring some medicine from the dispensary.

Something that I liked about this hospital a lot is that there was no cheating. They make a smart card for all of the patients, when doctors prescribe any medicine then the data is automatically entered into the smart card. Money is also deposited in advance in the smart card. You just go to the dispensary, put the smart card on a card reader, the people at the counter know what medicine to give, money is also automatically deducted from the smart card, very nice system. Otherwise at BHU it is a very famous scam, and everyone is aware of it, that the doctors give you a list of medicine the evening before of surgery but the real drama starts while the surgery is going on. Different nurses and staffs come, give you a peace of paper and ask you to bring more medicines. They pretend to be in hurry and very serious which is nothing other than an emotional blackmailing.

People have no idea what these medicines are for and its a very human thing that nobody would question those nurses. Families want to do their best by having faith on the doctors and other staffs but in fact they are cheated and looted. Later all those medicines are sold. And its not only the case at BHU but at all the other government and private hospitals in Varanasi and in other cities. Two years ago one of my friends father needed a heart surgery and the nurses at BHU told us that they had all the medicines available with them at the hospital which they were willing to sale for half the printed rate. This is how they use those extra medicines that they get from the patients family while the surgery was going on. Luckily there was no such system at TMC.

Finally we brought all the medicines for my mother and by this time she was already shifted to ICU. The doctors kept my mother under observation for 24 hours and then discharged her from the hospital and advised to see the doctors at the old center of TMC in Mumbai after a week. They had also implanted a surgical drain to drain out the fluid of the wound and we were supposed to have a written record of how much fluid was drained everyday. She was taking medicines, getting better everyday and finally the surgical drain was also taken out after fifteen days or so.

My mother was called at the hospital the very next day of the surgery for a physical exercise training session. In my opinion it was not only for physical exercise but it was also to boost up the moral of the patients through psychological training. They taught some physical exercises to my mother and other than that there were a few volunteers who shared their stories and I think that was very important. They were basically telling all the positiveness about their treatment which helps a lot to prepare the patients for the treatment. By this time the detailed report of lymph node test was also available and doctors had an idea about the treatment. They advised us several other tests which also included whole body bone scan and CT scan.

There is always a very big line for any service at TMC because they have patients have from over India, in fact from out of India as well. Hence the line for bone scan and CT scan was also very big. We got the date for bone scan after five days but nearest date available for CT scan was after 18 days. There was a possibility of getting these tests done at some other hospital but we did not want any excuse so decided to get the test done only at TMC. And in any case my mother was on other medicines and it was not urgent to get those tests done. Finally both of the tests were done, we contacted the doctors again, they looked at the reports and prepared the final medical protocol.

They advised eight cycles of chemo therapy (with two different medicines, four each) at an interval of every twenty days and twenty cycles of radiation therapy with Linear accelerator technology. They have advised five sittings of radiation therapy each week which means it will take around one month. After planning the medical protocol they again asked us if we would like to continue the treatment at BHU but again my mother refused it. By this time she was scared of BHU because during these days she met so many other patients who came from either Bihar or eastern UP (where we come from) and most of them had similar stories that they got their first treatment in their own cities of Bihar or other cities of eastern UP, the doctors immediately removed both breasts, gave several chemos and finally said that the situation was not under their control and they should see the doctors at BHU. And when these patients went to BHU then their case was refereed to TMC.

The other option for us to get treatment away from Mumbai was Delhi because my elder brother lives there. Mumabi was not a big problem for us but it is always the best to live with the family. So we were looking for options where my mother could stay with the family while getting treatment. My elder brother, Chandan, contacted AIIMS in New Delhi but there was a very big problem that the line to get treatment was very big, our number would have come after six months or so. Another thing was that the doctors and other staffs at AIIMS, whom my brother knew personally, said that they did not understand the reason behind bring the patient from TMC to AIIMS when it was possible to get treatment there. They said that TMC is so better than AIIMS that when any case is out of their control then they send their own patients at TMC.

They said that the best thing with TMC is their huge research data which in fact no other hospital in this country has. The other option of getting treatment in Delhi was at some private hospital. Chandan contacted a very big private hospital near to his home called Dharamshila Hospital in Noida. We were shocked to hear that the treatment there was around ten times more expensive than at TMC. The cost of chemo medicines at TMC was around 8,000 each but the cost of the same medicine at Dharamshila was around 60,000 each + other expenses like room charges, doctors fee etc. The cost of radiation therapy at TMC was around 25000 but the cost of the same radiation therapy at Dharamshila was around 2,00,000. Many people told us that these private hospitals always tell you less amount, if they are asking for 7,00,000 then their total final bill would never ever be less than one million.

It was insane, how come someone could be this selfish. Anyways, after reviewing everything we realized that TMC was the best option possible for us and we decided to get proceed with the treatment there only. Anyways, we contacted the doctors again at TMC and informed them about our decision but I still had suspicion in my mind about how chemo would react on my mother’s body who was 67 years old. I asked the doctors about it and just like any other time they gave me proper time and explained everything. They said that age does not matter in getting chemo. The thing which matters the most is the general health of the patient and my mother was perfectly fit. She did not even have diabetes or high / low blood pressure. The doctor said that sometimes they give chemo to even 80 years old person if he is fit and sometimes they can not give chemo to even a twenty years old one if he has health issues.

It was very relaxed feeling to hear getting chemo was not a complicated issue in my mother’s case. Finally they gave all of the dates for chemo and radiation. The date of first chemo came, we arrived at the hospital, deposited the money and proceeded with the medical procedure. The first thing that happens on the day of chemo is a blood test which is called CBC (complete blood count) which is basically a general test that gives information about the cells in the blood. Just like any other service at TMC, the result of this test also takes around 4 hours and we have to meet with the doctors who examine the blood test and then approve getting chemo. After getting approval of the doctors we had to go to the ward where they give chemo. Here the process was not so long, it took around an hour of waiting so that they could prepare the medicine.

In most of the cases chemo is given as an infusion into a vein and my mother’s chemo was also given by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in her arms. The first chemo was kind of fast, it took hardly 30 minutes and now the doctors asked us to take patients back home. They advised us to see them back after a week. They said that the most common side affects of the medicine given to my mother were upset stomach, vomiting, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, headache and hair loos. They also gave her medicines for upset stomach but advised to not start it if it was needed. Since it was the first chemo they wanted to see how her body was reacting. The first twenty hours were absolutely fine, she was just like any other day but then she felt some problems which were not so big. A little bit of stomach ache sometimes and cramps.

When we saw the doctors after a week they said that was a very normal side affect and there was nothing to worry about. She also started to feel better everyday and finally we brought her back to Varanasi after a week. We did it only because we wanted to her to live close to her friends and family rather than getting bored with my friends in Mumbai. Other side affects were gone but one thing was constant- loosing the hair and the speed was really rapid. We also had to change her diet completely. The doctors advised us to give food full of fiber mostly. We sent her back to Mumabi again a day before the next chemo. The next chemo was also done last the first one. CBD first, then doctors approval and then chemo. But this time my mother made a mistake because of some confusion. She did not take the medicine which was given to her for upset stomach. She was taking some other medicine and the result was serious upset stomach with ache and nausea.

She was living with my friends and I was in Varanasi because my friends had told me that they would take care of her and I did not need to be present in Mumbai. Actually I make most of my by working in tourism which is a seasonal business in Varanasi and my friends advised me to at least work so there is no problem in finance hence I had sent my mother alone to Mumbai and was hoping my friends to take care of her. Our plan was that she would go to Mumbai, get chemo with help of my friends and then return back to Varanasi after three-four days. Suddenly she called on the third day after getting chemo that she was not feeling good at all. She had serious cramps in her stomach all the time. I went to Mumbai the very next day, spoke someone at the call center of TMC and they asked me if she was taking both of the medicines. I asked my mother the same and she said that she took only one of them.

She had left the one which was good in case of upset stomach. Those people at TMC advised me to give her that medicine. She took the medicine that night and she was absolutely fine the next day. So the whole mistake was that she did not take the proper medicine. After getting second chemo we could easily see how she was loosing her hair very fast. Finally four cycles of first medicine were completed in total of twelve weeks (each chemo is given at an interval of three weeks) and we realized that she does not feel anything abnormal for first twenty four hours, everything stays normal but the she starts getting side affects which could be avoided if post chemo medicines are taken properly. She was a bit sick for a few days and then she was fine, she traveled between Mumbai and Varanasi during the gap between two chemos. In fact she also went to Delhi and Pune once so traveling and staying away from Mumabi was a good decision.

And finally the fifth chemo came when the medicine was going to be changed. I was again worried this time as I did not know how her body would react to this different medicine. Rest of the procedure was same but since the medicine was different, it also took longer than the first four ones. The first four ones hardly took 30 minutes each but the fifth one took almost two hours. They said that the quantity of medicine is same but this one is given slowly. The side affect of this medicine was also different and since it was a different medicine the doctors asked bring the patient back at hospital after a week for followup which means we could not bring her to Varanasi this time.

The doctor said that the side affect of this medicine would be mostly pain in the muscles and it was exactly the same. My mother did not feel any problems with her stomach but felt serious pain in her body, mostly in the legs, around 24 hours after the medicine was given. Since they wanted to see the side affects they did not gave any medicine. They said if there is any problem bring the patient immediately to the hospital. And this pain was so strong that my friends had to bring my mother at the hospital only on the third day after chemo. They again gave two different pills and it was all right. She is getting her sixth chemo today in Mumbai and I hope that it will be all right. Now there are two more chemos left and then radiation therapy will start from 29th of February.

My mother first noticed the lump in her breast sometime in the last week of July and I went to Mumbai on the 12th of August. Its already 11th of January today and my whole experience dealing with this situation was sometimes full of anger, sadness, hopelessness, confusion, weakness, stress and sometimes it was full of hope, satisfaction and strength. I was hopeless, angry, sad and confused until I was in Varanasi consulting BHU or other doctors in my city but I was full of hope and satisfied as soon as I arrived at TMC. The only time I was not comfortable at TMC was when they asked me to sleep at their guesthouse in Kharghar the evening before surgery. The helping behavior of my friends, especially Yogesh, Ashish, Alok and Babu, gave me so much strength that really helped me and my family to deal with this hard time. Mr. Arun Pathk’s generosity of providing his apartment in Mumbai and his cousin (Sandeep) welcoming and helping nature was also huge help for me.

I will never ever forget all the help of my friends. In Hindu philosophy we have a belief that owe something to someone but can not repay in this life then you do it in your next life and I am sure that I can not repay my friends in this life for sure, especially to Yogesh. Maybe I will have to be reborn, maybe more than once, to repay only my friends. Since the treatment is still going on, the article does not finish here. I will be keep writing experience of dealing with this situation and my only intention behind writing this post is that others might also get benefited otherwise I usually never write about my personal stories. But I have advise for anyone seeking cancer treatment that if you do not have money to go to really big private hospitals then don’t waste your time, just go to TMC and they will take care you. There is no one better than them.

What should be the requirement to become a Police?

Posted on November 30, 2015 by nandan

What kind of Police do we all want- honest, educated, helping and polite, right? But when we think about Indian police, UP police for sure, the first thing we think about them is their cruelty, corruption, no sentiments for people and no politeness at all. I don’t know any person who would ever like to go to the Police station because of their such qualities. In fact nobody has any faith in them. There is no work done at any Police station without taking bribe. Even if someone wants to register a complaint they have to pay a bribe. I read so many articles in the news paper when media reports about how they do not even register the complaints for even serious crimes like rape or murder.

It happens all the time and everyone is very well aware of it but it has become so much part of the system that people expect for such kind of behavior by Police. The only thing UP Police is expert in is how to torture people and loot their money. I think the biggest reason behind it is bad governance and this is the reason why the condition of UP Police is getting worse and worse everyday. There are two political parties which have been ruling the state of Uttar Pradesh for long time. One of them is Bahujan Samaj Party and the other one is Samajwadi Party. Bahujan Samaj Party does the caste based politics all the time but policing is better during their time. They are good in controlling the criminals but no difference when it comes to control the Police.

Samajwadi Party is the worse political party ruling the state of UP in my lifetime. They do the politics of religion and caste both. During their times Muslims and Yadavs (a Hindu caste) can do anything they want. As soon as Samajwai Party comes in power they immediately put only Yadavs and Muslims on all of the higher rank jobs in the state does not matter whether they deserve it or not. They also recruit a lot of Police but they are also either Yadav or Muslims. They do all these things only to get attention of their vote bank which is enough to keep them in power. Police reform is a very big issue and everyone wants to see honest and helping police and I think it will be the biggest gift for us if anyone can make it possible.

But it seems like these political parties like Samajwadi Party want to make the situation worse. Its impossible to believe but the Chief Minsiter of Uttar Pradesh Mr. Akhilesh Yadav announced that there won’t be any written exams for Police recruitment in the state. He believes that only physical test along with the marks in tenth and twelfth class is enough. I was shocked to hear it. I believe that whatever Police does is because of political pressure and their training but still education is needed. And the situation becomes more horrible when a government like Samajwadi Party makes such announcement which is known for allowing cheating in the exams. The whole of nation knows how the percentage of students passing the tenth and twelfth grade exams increase dramatically as soon as they come in power.

In fact a lot of people from other states come to UP to pass tenth and twelfth grade exams during the Samajwadi Party rule because cheating happens openly and it is also very common practice that students won’t even participate in the exams, they just give some money to the school or the teachers and they will arrange someone to write the exam for them. One of my friends who was living in Mumbai literally came to Varanasi to pass tenth grade exams because he tried it three times but not succeed but now when he heard that Samajwadi Party is back in power, he came to UP and got his tenth grade certificate. In his case he went for the first two tests but then the teachers came to him saying that why he tortures his fingers and mind by writing the paper, they had another option of having someone else write his papers for a few hundred rupees.

He liked this idea, just gave some money to the teacher and was sitting at home watching TV and passed the exams. UP government wants to recruit Police on the basis of merit and I wonder what does merit mean if everyone is openly cheating the exams??? It scares me to think what will happen in future when we will have such uneducated Policemen? The situation is already horrible but future seems more dark. I still remember when I was talking with a friend who is a Policeman in The Netherlands and he said that the general impression of Police in his country is that Police is friend but here they are already our enemy. I think that an educated enemy is thousand time better than an uneducated enemy and its very sad UP government wants to create a whole force of uneducated enemies to torture us.

I think if they want to solve the problems then they should better end the system of interviews because that is the place where major corruption starts. The people wanting a job in the Police have to bribe the officers taking their interview and if they get a job after bribing a huge amount of money then they will be needing it back as well. And who will repay it? We the regular people ! I don’t have any hope from people like Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav or Akhilesh Yadav who have been ruling the state for long time. The only way to get some relief is by kicking them off the power completely but it seems very very hard because of the vote bank politics. Muslims and Yadav will still vote for Samajwaadi Party and all people coming from lower castes will still vote for Mayawati does not matter if they can bring any change in their lives. But I never loose hope, I still hope that people of UP will not forget corrupt and communal governance of Samajwaadi Party and will throw them out of power in the next elections of 2017. Jai Hind.

My car accident, Police and Insurance company

Posted on August 17, 2015 by nandan

I had bought a car in September 2014 for my business purpose which had an accident in May 2015. The car was going to airport, with guests in it, when an over speed bus hit it from the back. The street from Varanasi city to the airport is a two lane highway and an over speed bus which was trying to take over the car hit it and my car came right in the middle of the street and a motorbike coming from the front hit the car from front. The accident was so serious that the lady sitting on the back seat of the motorbike, which hit the from front, hit the front windshield of the car from her head and broke it. She did not have any serious injury but the person driving the bike had serious injuries and he was admitted in a hospital.

The driver who was driving the bus left the bus on the street and ran away from there so I never got to see him. The bus did not only hit my car but it also ran over another motorbike. The motorbike driver somehow survived, actually he reached right under the bus so did not get any injury but his bike was damaged completely. The trunk and hood of my car were completely damaged. The accident also caused some mechanical problems in the car. Luckily nothing happened to the car driver and guests sitting in my car. I was at home when the accident happened and the driver, Mr. Sanjay, informed me about it. The accident spot was around 20 KMs from home so it took me almost an hour to reach there. During this time the Police came and sent my car and the bus to the Police station.

After arriving at the Police station I first asked Mr. Sanjay and he said no one other than the bike driver. I tried to get some information about him but it was not easy. Finally I went to see my car and suddenly I noticed that LED screen for rear view was missing. I asked Mr. Sanjay what happened to it and he was also surprised to see that it was not there. I went to see the back camera and it was also missing. Now I checked my car and noticed that all of the external car accessories (some wires, mobile charger etc) + a few CDs, jump drives, my glasses and a few documents were also missing. While we were just talking about it suddenly a person standing next to us said that he had seen Police taking everything out of my car and carrying it to the Police station. This gentleman had a shop next to the Police station.

Now I was kind of relaxed that at least all of those stuffs were with Police. After inspecting the car we went to the Police station and asked for all of those stuffs. Two Police officers present there said that they did not know anything about it. I went back to that person who had seen Police taking everything and asked him it again. He said that he was cent percent sure that a Policeman took everything and kept it inside the Police station. He in fact knew the name of that Police officer as well. He said that the Policeman who took everything was Mr. Sonkar. Now we returned back to the Police station and asked them where was Mr. Sonkar and they sent me to a small house which was right behind the Police station.

We went there, knocked the door and a person wearing shorts opened the door. I asked him if Mr. Sonkar was there and he said that he himself was Mr. Sonkar. I asked him about my car accessories and he said that he had kept them in safe at the Police station. He sent me back to the Police station and asked me to take help of other Policemen there. I returned back to the Police station and told them that Mr. Sonkar has kept everything in a safe. They opened all of the safes in front of me but found nothing. Now they sent me back to Mr. Sonkar. We again knocked the door and this time Mr. Sonkar got angry on us. He was angry because he was taking a nap, while on duty, and we were disturbing him.

We requested him to give our stuffs back and he said that he did not know anything about it and locked the door again. Now we were waiting for him at the Police station, he showed up again after two hours but his response was still the same. He said that he had kept everything in the safe and if it is not there then it means somebody stole it and he was not responsible for it. It made me really angry but I could not do anything. I was talking about it with another Police officer there and after a while he also confirmed that Mr. Sonkar had taken everything to his room. I was angry and sad both and told that Policeman that I was relaxed when I first heard that all the accessories were with the Police because I knew that everything was in safe hands and then the response of that Police officer literally shocked me. He laughed and said that who told you that Police is not thief.

I did not know what to say so I just gave up. During this time I also called the New India Assurance insurance office in Delhi and gave me contact number of someone Mr. Singh in Varanasi. I called Mr. Singh and he said that first try to take the car Police and then call him. I also asked him if I should register an FIR with the Police and he said that if we register an FIR then the process will be longer to better settle everything on mutual consent. He said that if the case is registered then there will be hearings for months at the court and I won’t get my car back until the hearing is finished. So I told the Police station that I did not want an FIR to be lodged but they said that they won’t give my car back until and unless they have not heard that the bike driver admitted in the hospital is safe.

Their excuse was that in case if something happens to that driver or if they register a case from their side then the case has to be registered. So now the only option I has was to wait. Finally after a week I got a phone call from the owner of the bus who said that the bike driver was safe and he also wanted to settle the case without registering any complaint. I agreed on meeting with him at the Police station the next day. When I arrived at the Police station he was already present there, there was someone from the family of that bike driver as well and we all wrote a letter to Police saying that we did not want the case to be registered and finally I got me my car back.

Now I called Mr. Singh, Insurance officer, again and he said that just bring your car to any authorized Maruti dealer and leave it there. They will repair it and we will pay for it. The shop where I had bought the car was AGR Automobiles in Varanasi so I just brought my car there. They took some pics of my car, did some documentation work and said that it will take them around 10 days to repair my car which sounded absolutely fine. They also said that they did not have all the parts available so it might take 3-4 days more. Now I started going everyday to the service center and everyday they had a new excuse but one thing was common everyday that they have already ordered the parts but they don’t have it yet and they are already overworking.

It took them almost two months just to get the parts and more than three weeks to repair my car. It was very frustrating but there was not even a place where I could complaint about it. The car was ready and it was the time to settle the bill. I was supposed to pay only a processing fee of Rs. 1,000 but I was given a bill of Rs. 35,000. When I asked them why the bill was so big they said that the insurance does not cover any fiber parts, scratches and some other smaller parts but still the bill seemed so big. I also notice that the insurance company was paying only Rs. 31,000 which did not seem fair at all. I bought the insurance but insurance company was paying less than the customer??

They asked me to contact Insurance company and their excuse was such a nonsense. They said that in case of accidents spot photography (photography of the car at the place where accident happened) is necessary which was not done hence I have to pay more. I asked them why did not they do spot photography and they said because I did not ask them to do so. I was like what the fuck is this, how come you can expect me to tell you your job? It was your job and you should have done it but they just did not want to hear anything. I called Mr. Singh and he was also telling the same thing. I reminded him about what he had said when I spoke with him the first time but he completely denied it, in fact he started shouting at me.

I told him that I will take the case to consumer forum court and he said do whatever you want but we won’t pay even a single ruppe more than the amount already sanctioned. It clearly seemed like he had already done such thing several times and he had no threat of consumer court at all. I had already lost a lot of business and money due to this car accident and I did not have any money left but now I had two options- either I spend more money on going to the court, wait for endless time for judgement to come (India has most number of legal cases pending in the whole world) or pay the money he wanted and start my business again. I contacted many people from different fields such as insurance, travel agents, lawyers and all of them told me that these things happen all the time, there was nothing new what happened with me.

I thought a lot and again surrender before the corrupt Police, government and judiciary. I borrowed some money from my friends and family and paid the amount they wanted so that at least my living starts. This whole experience was so horrible that I changed that insurance company and still think what kind of justice is there or if it is really possible for a normal person like me to get justice? I know that corruption is everywhere in India but UP and Bihar always tops the list. Police should be more responsible than government because they are the ones whom people like me deal with but it is more than 100% corrupt in UP and it becomes worse as soon as Samajwadi Party comes in power. Police stole all my car accessories, Maruti took almost three months to repair my car and Insurance company did not pay…and still I can’t think of any place where I can complaint about them.

After going through this experience it reminded me of a very famous Bollywood movie dialogue when Nana Patekar says सौ में से अस्सी बेईमान, फिर भी मेरा देश महान (80 out of 100 are cheaters but still my country is great) ! I have a hope from the central government but I know that it won’t be easy for them to finish this corruption soon because the political parties which have ruled India destroyed this country so much that corruption has become part of the system and depending on different states sometimes there is some help and sometimes no help at all. Jai Hind.

Pragyabodh

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Category Archives: Corruption