Why the babies will continue to die in West Bengal

“These deaths are not unusual at all…Sometimes the influx of patients is so high that three, four, five can die. Sometimes 15 can die.” – M.K Chatterjee, Superintendent, BC Roy Memorial Hospital for Children, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. There is a proverb in Bangla – “kings fight it out with other kings while irrelevant commoners … Continue reading Why the babies will continue to die in West Bengal →

India at night on Diwali: a could-be-but-isn’t-true story

“Deepavali ki shubhkamnayein, Tiwari” “Diwali mubarak, sirji! What are you looking at with such purpose, Mishraji?” “It is this beautiful satellite image of the Indian night sky taken by NASA showing all of the lights over this wondrous country of ours. Lovely, no?” “Yes, Mishraji. It is quite spectacular. How did you come about to … Continue reading India at night on Diwali: a could-be-but-isn’t-true story →

The unthinkable option

Although I never asked my parents, I know that leaving India was difficult for them. Fresh out of India's premier medical institution, they left, along with a majority of their peers, to fill a dearth of specialized physicians and medical researcher positions in the United States in the late Seventies. While in the United States, … Continue reading The unthinkable option →

Three monkeys

I remember the day Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated quite well. There were framed photos of the man on street corners with garlands hanging from them. He was smiling in most of the photos and wearing a white kurta. Women were crying. Men were shell-shocked. It didn’t matter what your political inclinations were. It didn’t matter … Continue reading Three monkeys →

Fountain pen

The old man recognized me although he has not seen me in over a decade. “When did you come back home?” “Last week,” I said with a feeble smile. “Kaku, are you well?” “I am fine, though my eyesight is not as good as it used to be. I could hardly recognize you. You look … Continue reading Fountain pen →

Group therapy

I was frustrated with the typos I was making with the on-screen keyboard of the tablet, until I saw someone grapping with the much smaller keyboard of a smartphone. At the bus stop, I was standing last in line and restlessly looking at my watch, until someone stood right behind me. Later that evening, I … Continue reading Group therapy →

There is no app which replaces Steve Jobs

I. “You have an iPod?” asks the stranger inquisitively. “I have an mp3 player, not an iPod. This one is made by Creative, not Apple,” I respond not quite sure where the conversation is going. The year is 2004. I’m on vacation in India for only a few weeks, recuperating from a PhD program in … Continue reading There is no app which replaces Steve Jobs →