Human Body and longevity

It is said that Lord Krishna lived for about 300 years. He walked the planet about 5000 years ago. After him the kalyuga started. 

On an average, people lived for about 150-200 years, during ancient times. There are many references to that proposition in Vedic Literature.  It is possible to attain that kind of longevity if one followed the principles of 'Yog Chudamani Upnishad', some of the shlokas mention. 

Human body has an inherent capacity to repair and rebuild itself. If one accepts the existence of astral pathways and energy cycles, this becomes believable. If mass and energy are transmutable, if a human body, organ or system gets disturbed with some disruption in energy or mass itself, if an intervention is done in the form of externally supplied energy, or mass (like organs) the system can rebuild itself. Alternatively, if organ development can happen outside in the labs, it can happen within the body too. 

Numerous neurons, cells, tissues, transmit and receive energy, directly from the universe. It is a constant give and take. Human Body is that machine which is transmitting and receiving energy all the time. 

Indian and Western astrology, are based on this principle. The horoscope is actually a picture of the sky when a child is born. Based on the time when a child is born, his human body is capable of receiving certain types of energies better and for certain types there is a limitation. That is how planets, nakshatras and their impact on life is explained. If we accept the existence of chakras and astral pathways, the astrological principles perfectly fall in place. 

Human body is vibrating all the time. Human body is transmitting and receiving energy all the time. That is what life is. 

I tried to research the planets or planetary energy impacting the energy chakras in the body and this is what I found in the internet. Finding a vedic reference to it is a work that I will have to do though. 

Mooladhar - Mangal, Mars ( Root Chakra)

Swadhisthan - Shukra - Venus ( Sacral Chakra )

Manipur - Surya - Sun ( Solar Plexus Chakra ) 

Anahat - Chandra - Moon ( Heart Chakra ) 

Vishudha - Budh - Mercury ( Throat Chakra ) 

Agya - Shani - Saturn ( Third Eye Chakra ) 

Sahasrara - Guru - Jupiter  ( Crown Chakra ) 

There is a link between the planetary position in a horoscope and the activation of the chakras - balance is good for health, over-activation or under-activation will cause problems. 

Now let me explore the various alternative healing techniques that could be based on the above explained principles. Or to understand the alternative wellness wisdom to achieve overall wellness, and a disease-free life. 

Pranayam - Pran + Aayaam is Pranayaam. Pranayam is the yogic practice of breath regulation, described in ancient Hindu texts like the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gītā, and the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. It involves conscious control of (poorak)inhalation, (kumbhak)retention, and (rechak)exhalation to harness prāṇa (life force energy) for physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Vedic literature explains several types of Pranayam. Baba Ramdev has played a crucial role in making this knowledge available to general public. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Sudarshan Kriya is also a kind of breathing exercise, very effective in relieving stress and detoxification of the body. 

Yoga - Yoga is an ancient Indian discipline that unites body, mind, and spirit through postures (āsanas), breath control (prāṇāyāma), and meditation. Its significance in healing lies in reducing stress, balancing the nervous system, improving immunity, and supporting recovery from chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety, and pain. 

Mantra - Mantra Healing is a spiritual healing practice that uses sacred sounds, syllables, or chants (mantras) to harmonize the mind, body, and energy field. It is rooted in Vedic and Tantric traditions of India, where mantras are believed to carry vibrational power that can purify, protect, and heal.

Pranic Healing - Pranic Healing is a no-touch energy therapy that works on the body’s energy field (aura) and chakras to restore balance and support physical, emotional, and mental well-being. This modern energy-healing system developed by Master Choa Kok Sui that uses prana (life-force energy) to cleanse and energize the body’s energy field. 

Reiki - Reiki is a Japanese spiritual healing practice developed in the early 20th century by Mikao Usui. It involves channeling “universal life energy” (rei = universal, ki = vital force) through the practitioner’s hands to balance the body’s energy and promote relaxation, stress relief, and well-being.

Astrological Remedial measures - Astrological remedial measures are imbibed in wearing stones, undertaking remedial measures, generally imbibed in charity, good work, helping the poor and needy; for seeking an energy balance. This is done by looking at the horoscope, finding the energy imbalance, reference to 'prarabdh' or past karma and an effort to seek the missing energies by doing certain activities. 

Ayurveda - Ayur + Veda or the science of Life, Ayurveda is rooted in the Vedas, especially the Atharva Veda, and systematized in classical texts like Charaka Saṃhitā and Suśruta Saṃhitā (c. 1000 BCE). Ayurveda is India’s ancient holistic medical system that seeks to balance the body, mind, and spirit through diet, lifestyle, herbs, and therapies. It heals by restoring harmony among the three fundamental energies (doṣas)—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha—that govern physiological and psychological functions.

Homeopathy - The philosophy of Homeopathy is - Illness is an imbalance in the vital force; healing comes from stimulating the body’s natural defenses. Of all the above-mentioned techniques, I have the least knowledge of Homeopathy, but it is common in India and Europe, known to be effective in certain diseases. 

More on human body and yogic reference

In the last post I was trying to establish a link between the nervous system as understood by modern science and the text of 'Yog Chudamani Upnishad'. The point where I got stuck was - the word 'naadi', is it nerve in the physical form as explained by science or is it some sort of astral pathway. Some intense research across various vedic texts leads me to a conclusion that 'naadi', is not nerve, it is an astral pathway inside the body that that forms a channel for the 'prana' to travel up and down the body. 

There are 72000 naadis in the body, of which 72 are the main naadis and out of them the three are main - Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. The human body is a combination of mass and energy. 'Prana' or the basic energy that sustains human body is represented in duality - the Ida and the Pingala, the Sun and the Moon, the Shiv and the Shakti, the Feminine and the Masculine. The Sushumna is the empty space between them. It is a unique astral pathway, which is largely dorment or empty. The pranic energy doesn't travel through it, but when it does, it unlocks the most prolific dimension of the human mind. 

This explanation of human existence in the vedic texts is found everywhere - Rig Veda, Yog Chudamani Upnishad, Geeta.... I have myself found the shlokas, that explain the same thing. 

In that case Modern Science or Allopathy, knows very little about the human body. 

I relate this to the famous Einstien's equation on Energy and Mass. Human existence is a combination of energy and mass, and transmutable. The yogic texts make complete sense. 

Now this explains the concept of energy chakras also. There are six of them, Mooladhar, Swadhishthan, Manipur, Anahat, Vishudha and Agya. The sahasrara chakra is connected to Sushumna Nadi and the others to Ida and Pingala. 

ब्रह्मद्वारमुखं णित्यं मुखेिाच्छाय णतष्ठणत । 

येि द्वारेि गिव्यं ब्रह्मद्वारमिामयम् ॥ ३७॥ 

मुखेिाच्छाद्य तद्द्िारं प्रसुप्ता परमेश्वरी । 

प्रबुिा िणह्नयोगेि मिसा मरुता सह ॥ ३८॥

Mahamudra, Nabho Mudra, Uddiyan Bandh, Jalandhar Bandh, and Mool Bandh; these are two types of Mudras and three types of Bandhs. Through these a yogi achieves salvation. 

Yog Chudamani Upnishad mentions Anulom Vilom Pranayam for Nadi Shodhan.  

In healing traditions, like Reiki, and Pranic Healing, the focus is on balancing the energies for curing  a disease. 

Ayurveda mentions the balancing of elements Vata, Pitta, Cafa. Disease is because one of the elements is imbalanced. 

Yoga Pranayama tends to cure the diseases through breathing exercises, where again balancing of Ida and Pingala energies and other energy pathways are unblocked through breathing techniques. 

Yog Chudamani Upnishad mentions SO-Hum. But more about it in the next post. 

I am amazed at the immense knowledge hidden in these ancient texts. I am also now accepting the limitations of modern science. There is a lot which is not known. 

My mind is thinking. How about devoting the rest of the life researching this aspect of knowledge, particularly the human body, consciousness and healing?

Modern Science, particularly life sciences or allopathy provides solutions, but they are very complicated solutions. 

Ancient knowledge is much simpler and very easy to grasp. This is the ultimate knowledge, I am very sure of. 

Yog Chudamani Upnishad

In order to do a better research on Khechari Mudra, I stumbled upon a gold mine. I came across ‘Yoga-Chudamani Upnishad’, which is a goldmine of knowledge.

At the beginning of Yoga—Chudamani Upnishad, there is a mention of Two Aaasans ( Sidhasan and Padmasan ( which is mentioned as Kamalasan) ),  Shat Chakra, Shodash Aadhar, Tri Lakshya, and Panch Aakash. The Shat Chakras or the Six Chakras are  -

Mooladhar Chakra (in the Tailpiece of the spine)  - Like Four Lotus Petals

Swadhishthan Chakra (Just below the navel )  - Like Six Lotus Petals

Manipur Chakra ( in the navel )  -  Like Ten Lotus Petals

Anahat Chakra ( in the heart ) – Like Twelve Lotus Petals

Vishudha Chakra ( in the throat) – Like Sixteen Lotus Petals

Agya Chakra ( in between the two eyebrows )  - Like Two Lotus Petals

Sahasrara Chakra ( In the Brahmarandhra, top of the head) – Like a thousand petals

Generally, there is a mention of seven chakras, but in Yog Churamani Upnishad, the six chakras are mentioned. Sahasrara is mentioned as Bhahmarandhra, in the middle of the divine patha.

आसिं प्रािसंरोधः प्रत्याहारश्च धारिा ।

ध्यािं समाणधरेताणि योगाङ्गाणि भिन्ति षट् ॥ २॥

एकं णसिासिं प्रोक्तं णद्वतीयं कमलासिम् ।

षट्चक्रं षोडशाधारं णत्रलक्ष्यं व्योमपञ्चकम् ॥ ३॥

स्वदेहे यो ि जािाणत तस्य णसन्तिः कथं भिेत् ।

चतुदालं स्यादाधारं स्वाणधष्ठािं च षड्दलम् ॥ ४॥

िाभौ दशदलं पद्मं हृदये द्वादशारकम् ।

 

सहस्रदलसङ्ख्ख्यातं ब्रह्मरन्ध्रे महापणथ ।

आधारं प्रथमं चक्रं स्वाणधष्ठािं णद्वतीयकम् ॥ ६॥

योणिथथािं द्वयोमाध्ये कामरपं णिगद्यते ।

कामाख्यं तु गुदथथािे पङ्कजं तु चतुदालम् ॥ ७॥

तन्मध्ये प्रोच्यते योणिः कामाख्या णसििन्तिता ।

तस्य मध्ये महाणलङ्गं पणश्चमाणभमुखं न्तथथतम् ॥ ८॥

 

Yoga Consists of six parts. Aaasan, Pranayam, Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyaan and Samadhi.

The Prana, also known as Swa, or as I infer the AAtma, the life energy, according to this text resides in Swadhishthan chakra.

The kundalini energy, resides at a point in between the Swadhishthan and the Manipur Chakra as per this text.

Seventy Two Thousand Nadis, are spread in the entire body, from the kundalini, From amongst them Seventy two Nadis are the main Nadis, and from amongst them 10 are the principal Nadis.

१.     इडा, २. णपंगला, ३. सुषुम्ना, ४. गांधारी, ५. हन्तस्तणजह्वा, ६. पूषा, ७. यशन्तस्विी, ८. अलम्बुसा, ९. कु ह और १०. शंन्तखिी॥

Ida, Pingala, Sushumna, Gandhari, Hastajivha, Yashaswini, Alambusa, Kuhu and Shankhini.

If we draw a parallel from the Nervous System as we know there are -

• Cranial nerves: 12 pairs, emerging directly from the brain.
• Spinal nerves: 31 pairs, branching from the spinal cord to the rest of the body.
• Peripheral nerves: Hundreds of named nerves that extend into arms, legs, torso, and organs.
• Neurons: Microscopic cells that transmit signals; ~86 billion in the brain alone.

The twelve Cranial Nerves are as follows –

Olfactory	CN I	Sense of smell
Optic	CN II	Vision
Oculomotor	CN III	Eye movement, pupil constriction
Trochlear	CN IV	Eye movement (downward, inward)
Trigeminal	CN V	Facial sensation, chewing
Abducens	CN VI	Eye movement (side-to-side)
Facial	CN VII	Facial expressions, taste (front of tongue)
Vestibulocochlear	CN VIII	Hearing, balance
Glossopharyngeal	CN IX	Taste (back of tongue), swallowing
Vagus	CN X	Autonomic control of heart, lungs, digestion
Accessory	CN XI	Neck and shoulder movement
Hypoglossal	CN XII	Tongue movement

 

The structure of Spinal Nerves is as follows -

Cervical nerves → 8 pairs (C1–C8) Control neck, shoulders, arms, and diaphragm.

Thoracic nerves → 12 pairs (T1–T12) Serve chest, upper back, and abdominal muscles.

Lumbar nerves → 5 pairs (L1–L5) Supply lower back, hips, and legs.

Sacral nerves → 5 pairs (S1–S5) Control pelvic organs, buttocks, and legs.

Coccygeal nerve → 1 pair (Co1) Smallest group, serving the tailbone area.

In the Yoga Churamani Text it is mentioned that the ‘Prana’, travels up and down in the body, through the Nadis.

If we translate this to the modern knowledge of the body, it would mean that the life energy travels up and down the body through the nerves.

Would that mean that the nerve disorders could be cured through Pranic healing?

I have to read more on the chakras, nadis and the technique of Pranic Healing.

Rig Veda First Mandal - Notes to myself

 नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि

नैनं दहति पावकः।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो
न शोषयति मारुतः॥

No weapon can cut the soul into pieces, nor can it be burned by fire,

nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.

A short sabbatical that I have taken, gave me an opportunity to do something that I was planning to do for years. I revised the Sanskrit lessons I had taken in school, taught myself Sanskrit grammar, and prepared myself to read Rig Veda, though with a Hindi translation alongside. 

I begin with the first mandal.

It begins with the worship of Agni Dev, and inviting agni to the holy yagna. Agni means fire. Without invoking Agni, Yagna is not possible so the first prayer is to the Agni. 

The second set of prayers is to Indra, Vayu and Varuna. Vayu is air, Varuna is water, or sky in some references, I think Varuna is that part of sky that brings water. 

Indra is the King of Swarg (Heaven) in the Sanatan tradition, and in Jain tradition he is the king of some higher realm, where super humans live. Swarg denotes a realm where unlike the mrityu lok, there is no misery. The existence in Swarg is that of bliss. Whether this bliss comes from the state of being or some means is unclear. 

At Yagna Indra, along with Vayu and Varuna are evoked in the second sukta. 

In the second sukta, there is a mention of Soma - which is a liquid used to perform Yagna. What constitutes this liquid, will be explored further. 

14-05-2026

Finally, after a lot of research, the mystery of the 'soma' could be solved. Soma is an element/chemical which is produced in the human body. A shloka in 'Gheranda Samhita', mentions - 

ललाटदेशे यस्य सोमः स्रवति निरन्तरम् ।

केचरीमुद्रया योगी तं पिबत्यामृतं शुभम् ॥

Meaning: “In the region of the forehead, soma flows continuously. Through khechari mudra, the yogi drinks that auspicious nectar.”

In Shiva Samhita too it is mentioned - 

बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।

योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥

Meaning: “From the bindu flows soma, the eternal nectar. The yogi drinks it daily and sustains the body for a long time.”

In the Hatha Yoga Pradeepika, a shloka mentions - 

तत्र स्थितं दिव्यं सोमरससमुद्भवम् ।

योगी पीत्वा तदामृतं अमरत्वं प्राप्नोति ॥

Meaning: “There, the divine nectar of soma arises. By drinking that amrita, the yogi attains immortality.”

In another shloka it is mentioned - 

यत्र यत्र स्थितो योगी सर्वदा सर्वकर्मसु ।

तत्र तत्र स्थितं दिव्यं सोमरससमुद्भवम् ॥

Meaning: “Wherever the yogi abides, engaged in all actions, there remains the divine soma-nectar produced within.”

So Soma Rasa is a rasa that is produced within the body at bindu point, and this rasa flows constantly into stomach, where it gets burned by jathragni (acids). 

Yogis, by folding their tongue inside, touching the inner soft point at the end of the mouth, drink Soma, which is supposed to keep the human young and provide 'Amaratva'. Folding the tongue mudra as mentioned in the hath yoga is called as 'khechari mudra'. 

The chemical industry inside the human body is very interesting. Muh muh more to explore...................

बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।
योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।
योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।
योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥

बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।
योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥

बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।
योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥

बिन्दोः स्रवति यो सोमः अमृतं च निरन्तरम् ।
योगी तं पिबति नित्यं देहं धारयते चिरम् ॥

Happy Diwali !

 Happy, Happiest Diwali !

The joie-de-vivre was back this Diwali, and everyone loved that. Keep going ! Diwali is the time for meeting friends and family. I somehow feel that I understand friendships the best in life because I have had strong friendships. Else, apart from familial bonds, I don't understand much. 

Daak Ghar

 Indian Postal System was created by the British. For a very long time the country depended on the 'Dakiya', to bring letters. In the yesteryears, the romance of handwritten letters had been celebrated in literature and art. In today's day and age of internet, email, zoom calls and mobiles, it's hard to imagine that people once wrote letters to communicate with each other. 

I have seen posts coming to the house in my childhood, the yellow postcard, the blue inland letter, and the envelopes with colorful stamps, the birthday cards, the diwali and kshmapana cards. I have written several letters from the age of 9 or 10, to friends, cousins, my brother studying engineering away from us, even to some of my teachers, I still have some favorite letters that I received, one of them from Sir N.C.Sharma, the Principal of my school. I will always keep them. 

One of my friends had a pen friend in Cyprus. I used to enjoy communicating with her pen friend, because mostly, I would write the draft of the letters, but she paid the money for the stamps etc. There was excitement when a letter came, all of us sat together and read them. In those days, when my friend went for physics and chemistry tuitions to prepare for her pre-engineering exam, her pen friend back in Cyprus had a boyfriend who was involved in guerilla warfare fighting for the country. She sent her photographs and wanted to have one of my friend's too. I had suggested that we cut out a picture of another classmate of ours who looked like a model, from a group photograph, and send it, to create a good impression. Can't remember whether she actually did that or not. Those were the days of anonymous pen friends in faraway countries. you could never cross-verify people from facebook, instagram profiles. 

As a management student, I was always fascinated with the supply chain created by post offices across India. Every small village in India had access to the post from a nearby post office. Every nook and corner of the country covered by the postal department. This is perhaps the biggest network, which has now turned irrelevant, as we leapfrog to satellite connectivity. 

I have pondered over various uses of this huge infrastructure. How about converting every post office into a primary health center? How about converting them into computer-AV center for self-learning, done through distance digital learning? A commercial company would perhaps lap up the opportunity to convert post offices into convenience stores, local fitness centers, food joints....... the thoughts go on.

But is a postal chain irrelevant? If for some reason we have a satellite blackout, no emails, mobiles, video calls, or if one doesn't have a phone number or email ID, just an address........................... can a post be sent out for communication? 

I created an experiment. I have sent out a post to an address I know. If it gets delivered and received in time.... postal system is still relevant. If not........ I should write a detailed blog on enhancing health infrastructure through post offices.

Meanwhile....... after ages, sent a birthday card ................. by post. :) 

Happy Birthday Jesus !

 Wish you a very Happy Birthday !

This year please send Santa to make people realize ...

That happiness lies in living those small, ordinary moments of life !

That humanity is beginning to pay the price for the so-called economic growth,

That we do not need much to have a good life,

That we need peace in this world.

I am sending you good wishes by post !

We witnessed the Chandrayaan landing ......

August 23rd 2023, 8 PM

We witnessed a historical moment today. Chandrayaan 3, landed on the moon at 6.04pm. Very soon, the Pragyaan rover will roll out from Vikram lander and will start its journey on the south pole of the Moon. This journey will last for 14 days, to be precise, Half a day of the moon, and 14 days of the earth. If someone spends a day on the moon, from sunrise to another sunrise, it is 27 days on the earth and if someone spends the time from sunrise to sunset, that will be 14 days. So, Pragyaan will try and study the surface of the moon, by taking a stroll on its wheels, for half a moon day. 

Chandrama, or moon was created some 4.5 billion years ago when the earth collided with another planet, and a big mass started revolving around the earth, and thus the 'chandamama', was born. Tiny humans living on the earth, looked at the moon, and created several stories, until 1969. After 1969, when Mr Armstrong had already landed on the moon, all the poetic references to a beautiful moon were negated. Moon wasn't as beautiful as it seemed from the earth. 

If someone lived at moon, would they see an earth rising, in the same way as we see a moon rising? No, the moon always keeps the same side facing the earth. The period of rotation of moon is the same as the revolution. So when the moon spins, every degree it turns around the earth, it turns a degree around itself, so the same side faces us. In the outer space, there are many big and small balls rotating and revolving, the moon and the sun, amongst them. Well, the sun is a ball of gas, but moon is solid. 

So Pragyaan will study  the thermal conductivity and temperature through chaSTE;  seismicity around the landing site with ILSA; Plasma density and its variations through LP, and lunar laser ranging studies from a NASA instrument. Navigation on moon will be made possible by a software prepared by a Noida based startup, Omnipresent robot technologies. More details about what new they find on moon will be made available in the coming days. 

August 24th 2023, 9.30 AM

I slept yesterday night and woke up today to the news that Pragyaan has started taking a walk on the moon. In the Indian astrology, the moon is supposed to affect the 'mann'. Thus, moon is responsible for the mood swings, mental health ailments, personality disorders, etc. Suicides, statistically estimated, happen the most on a new moon day. Moon also signifies intelligence and creativity. In my experience, I have found this 'moon' and 'man' connection to be true. An afflicted moon causes some of those problems mentioned above. Looking at the sky, at night, I have often wondered - 'Is this silver ball responsible for my good humor?' I was born at the eve of 'dev-deepawali'. Moon is supposed to emanate its life supporting energies the best on the day, in the entire year. But astrology is probabilistic, not deterministic. Human potential is indefinite.

Science is definite. And thus we will learn new things from Pragyaan, in the coming days. There is a definite gratitude that I want to express towards the ISRO scientists. They work on government salaries, some of them, the finest brains in the country. Many of them sacrifice international careers to contribute to the country. The cost of Indian space mission is far lesser than the similar missions of other countries and the prime reason for that is - the scientists at ISRO are paid much lesser than their counterparts in the rest of the world. They are motivated by idealism - service for the country, and a love for pure sciences, their discipline. ISRO, also functions on merit. There is no reservation policy for ISRO recruitments. 

Idealism exists in today's world. ISRO is an example. Indian astrological tradition also says that a bright shining full Moon provides Idealism to humans. Ideal, isn't it?

Congratulations to all Indians for Chandrayaan 3!

'Goodbuy' 2022 !

 December is a month of reflections. 2022 was an unusual year, which forced us to reflect many times during the year, and will force us to reflect for many years to come; about the futility of wars, the irrelevance of some of the things we chase, the utility of the structures created for the modern world to function - political, economic, social and organizational, the essentials that make life beautiful and happy, the chaos - both internal and external, the life itself - transient, infinite, squared, fluid........

What happened in 2022 will shape the way we live in future. I see both the possibilities; of a life that could be the most beautiful that a human can create OR of a prolonged misery arising out of destruction that a human does. 

2022 also made the world realize, for one more time, the simplistic, cliched maxim -  there is enough for everyone's need, but not enough for anyone's greed. All the economic and political philosophies driven by greed, lead to destruction. One of my students, who works for a big multinational medical equipment supplier, met me recently, who came to Jaipur to establish a neuro-surgical facility, told me - 'I am paid to be greedy.' The discussion was about rising healthcare technology costs, reducing shelf lives of the equipment, and a large amount of taxpayers money or social cost booked in it. What he could easily do for fifteen lacs, he is trained to ask thirty lacs for it, so he explained. 

'Ma'am, you are on the other side. You look at health as a means to make life beautiful, businesses don't.' Unfortunately, the discussion can't end here, as it did in our case. For this leads to a complete destruction - 2020 to 2022, we have had an illustration. 

2022, also brought home the fact that I have lived for about half a century. I want to be hopelessly-hopeful for the next quarter. For I believe that the generations after me, the young people, look at the world with a new perspective, be it a candor about the organizational learnings they have, or a clarity about life and the world around them. 

When they are forced to reflect, they will think the right things! Looking forward 2023 !

At the crossroads of destruction and creation........

Nord Stream are subsea pipelines, which run under the Baltic Sea, to export gas from Russia to Europe. The twin pipelines can export 110 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia to Europe at least for 50 years. The length of the pipelines is 1224 kms. The second pipeline of the two was completed in 2021. 

Nord Stream is a symbol of human endeavor. The entire progress in the modern world has been a result of relentless efforts by billions of people, for years, to create a safe, happy, and comfortable life for a human being. 

Recently, there have been blasts in the pipeline. Experts say that they were planned and well-orchestrated. It was speculated that UK was involved in the blasts, to refrain France and Germany to get an uninterrupted access to gas from Russia, owing to political concerns. There have been many theories, about who orchestrated the blasts, and which country stood benefitted by them. The leaks in the pipeline did bring up a scenario of a chilly winter in Europe. 

It's not important who caused the damage. 

What is important is the fact that a human destroyed what has been created by massive human endeavor. Nord Stream sabotage is a point at which the world stands at the crossroads - of massive destruction or unprecedented creation. 

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Heavy Engineering, Sustainable Energy, Internet of things and a lot more, the technologies of future bring about a promise of making life beautiful, bountiful, and comfortable on a sustainable basis, like it has never been in history. In the next thirty years, there is a promise that life would change, no one in the world would be sad, hungry, or impoverished. 

The other path is one of war, massive destruction, and death. 

Unfortunately, those who are in a position of power, those who are responsible for making rational, wise choices, have become lunatic. 

One nation which has attained a position of power, will go to any extent to maintain the same. If that means war, massive destruction or death, there is unscrupulous indifference to it. Some of the most powerful leaders of the world have absolute power. Some nations in the world think that they can retain a position of power forever. 

Life is transient, 70-80 years. When life itself is transient, it is impossible to keep an entity forever in the position of power. 

What humans have created; the humans can destroy. At micro or macro level, the lunatics, holding the position of power, in today's world, are unfortunately, very strongly driven towards destroying - pipeline, buildings, organizations, entities and nations. 

Nord Stream blasts are symbolic of a great and wide-spread fear of massive destruction, that has forced me to write this post. 

There are so many who have this fear today. All of them need to voice their opinion. 

A global voice against war and destruction. A global voice for creation !

The world is at crossroads. 

The economy of War...

 Today, I stumbled upon a rather interesting report - Firearm and Ammunition Industry, Economic Impact report 2022, for United States. The report states, 'America’s firearm and ammunition industry is a critical component of our nation’s security, public safety, and economic wellbeing'.' Somehow, I was stuck with these words, the use of nation's security, public safety and economic wellbeing in the same sentence. The report further states, 'the economic growth of America’s firearm and ammunition industry experienced in recent years has been nothing short of remarkable and has been driven by an unprecedented number of Americans choosing to exercise their fundamental right to keep and bear arms. This includes an estimated 5.4 million new gun owners in 2021.' 

There has been an ongoing protest in the US on gun rights, for years. We keep reading about several incidents of gun shootings in schools, shopping malls and other public places. The report discusses at length, how 'manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and supplies, along with the companies that sell and distribute these products, provide well-paying jobs in America and pay significant amounts in tax to the state and federal governments, the tax proceeds being used in wildlife conservation.' Protests against gun rights are irrelevant, thus for an economic reason. 'Sporting' firearms is what the report produces economic numbers for. In 2021 the firearm and ammunition industry was responsible for as much as $70.52 billion in total economic activity in the US. 

The global military expenditure in 2019 was around 1.97 trillion $. Financial value of the global arms trade for 2019 was at least $118 billion, however the true figure is likely to be higher, because the governments do not give the exact data. United States has a major share in this market at 39%, followed by Russia (19%), France(11%), China (4.6%) and Germany (4.5%). The other major exporters in the world are UK, South Korea, Spain, Israel, Holland, Sweden, Canada, Turkey, Italy and Ukraine. It is said to be a highly competitive market. The market segment includes Small Arms, Rifles, Machine Guns, Portable Explosives, and other weapon types; explosives, tanks, antitank weapons, fighter aircrafts, missiles, defense systems etc. Fastest growing market in this space is Asia Pacific and the largest market is US. The companies that dominate the market are  - BAE Systems plc, General Dynamics Corporation, Kalashnikov Concern JSC (Rostec State Corporation), MBDA and Raytheon Technologies Corporation. 

The size of global food and grocery retail market was 11.7 trillion $ in 2019 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.0%. At of end-2020, the total global pharmaceutical market was valued at about 1.27 trillion U.S. dollars, the global automotive manufacturing market was sized at about 2.7 trillion U.S. dollars, the size of the global dairy market was US$ 827.4 billion in 2020 and the global real estate market size was valued at $6.8 trillion in 2018. The GDP of the top six economies in the world in 2021 was  - United States: $20.89 trillion, China: $14.72 trillion, Japan: $5.06 trillion, Germany: $3.85 trillion, United Kingdom: $2.67 trillion, India: $2.66 trillion.

Most of the commodities in the world are produced because they are consumed. If the development of civilization happens to an extent that arms and ammunition is kept in showcases or warehouses, for display, not for use, CAGR figures for this market will be 0. Till then, the wars will be responsible for the economic wellbeing of certain nations. Some parts of the world stuck in war, will increase the defense expenditures of the rest of the world, for the fear of a possible war in their region. Fear invokes self-defense. 

The war brings destruction in one part of the world, but is supposed to bring economic well being in the other parts of the world. There is a reasoning to wars.

The problem with destructive forces is  - they plan of small scale destruction for potential gains, consoling themselves that the amount of gains would be bigger than the extent of destruction planned, but when the destruction actually happens, the magnitude of destruction is in nobody's control. 

I might write another blogpost on - 'which economies benefitted the most from COVID19'. BUT, I have to endeavor to get together, my broken spirit, and that sense of extreme hollowness in the heart, resulting from what I have written so far. 

New hope for 2022.......

 At the end of 2021, something that Sadhguru said in one of his talks stuck in my mind. He said that the western civilization is like a manicured garden, beautiful but needs a lot of maintenance, while it should be like a self-sustaining forest. 

In order to create civilization as beautiful as the modern world is, we need lots of resources. That much is not available on earth. So we need to develop a model of a beautiful civilization, that requires just the resources that are available. Enough resources to let a human being live with dignity. Enough to sustain a modern life, of mechanics, information, and mobility. 

2021 showed us the futility of having a non-sustainable manicured garden. 2022 will embark upon the process of self-sustainable development. A sum total of intelligent choices at Micro and Macro level, between sustainable and non-sustainable is how the future society, economy, and culture will be defined. 

Making intelligent choices is an easy thing to do, for citizens, nations, and the world. All complexity of sorting algorithms is eased if the selection variable is sustainability. 

Equal education to all helps people achieve social mobility. Equal health to all let them live a dignified life. A world where everyone claims equal resources may be a utopian world. Equal Health and Education is realistic. 

The Sun of 2022 will shine bright above all clouds. Hopefully !

Happy 2022 !

Angry Little Girls - International Day of Girl Child

 Today, is International Day of Girl Child. As a news item flashes on my computer screen, declaring the day to be celebrated worldwide, some innocent faces of angry little girls flash before my eyes. 

One was a face of a little girl with bright dark shining eyes, on a round face which was tender and stoic at the same time, in a peculiar way. She was eight or nine. Her family had migrated to Rajasthan from West Bengal. Her mother had come looking for a house help's job at my house and the little girl had accompanied her. They had migrated looking for employment, the father, mother, and her elder sister. She was the first one to pick up Hindi in the family, almost in a week's time. Thus, she was required to act as a translator for her mother. 

The job was given to her mother. A few days later, when she had accompanied her mother to work, I asked her if she had taken admission to the school. She denied with a nod. I asked her if she had studied in her village. She said Yes. The expression on her face had changed by then. I saw a face lightening up with a glimpse of a smile. As we talked for the next few minutes, I was told that she had a favourite teacher back in the village, who taught her most of the subjects, Maths, English, and Bengali. It was fun going to school because the teacher loved her a lot and she had friends there. I was also very shyly told that she had stood first in her class in the previous exam. There was a playground, classrooms, trees in her school, and a river beside.  

When I asked, why she had not taken admission to school in Jaipur, the expression on her face changed. A pair of bright eyes that had a twinkle a moment before, had a bursting anger now. When little girls are angry, their eyes speak a thousand words. No transfer certificate was sought from her last school because there was no plan to get her educated further. She was denied education and with that all good things that the school brought to her, a loving teacher, friendships, and an opportunity to learn and grow were denied to her. She was bright, eager to learn and thus, was angry. 

Another face that I am reminded of was also a little girl, eleven years old, holding a toddler brother in her arms, standing in a small village of Jalore district. We were doing a project and had visited a scheduled caste colony, where a proposed water tank was to be constructed. This little girl was the one who had the best communication skills in the community and thus she was summoned to have a conversation with me about her colony. She was confident and well-spoken. She was irreverent about the whole business of constructing a tank, though. I enquired from her, if they went to fetch water, and about her daily routine. As we talked more we became friends. I asked her if she went to school. She looked sideways, pursed her lips, looked back at me, and nodded her head in denial. The face in front of me was that of a little girl who was angry, at being a school dropout because she had to take care of her younger siblings, at being a part of a society that forced her to give up education, at being a citizen of a country which could not ensure education to her. 'Hum Padna chahte hain, padhne hi nahi dete to kya karen.' 

Later, I met the school teacher in the village. She said that there were always a couple of girls in every class, who were good at studies and were likely to do well if they continued their education. There were a number of factors because of which they were dropouts. Children coming from scheduled castes were ragged and ridiculed in school. The girls dropped out at late primary levels because there was no girls' school close by. Those who wished to study were a few while those who wished to give up on studies were many, so they were in minority. They were required at home, there were social pressures and their families felt that education would not do any good to their daughters. 

Some little girls wish to study because they love studying. If they are denied the opportunity they are angry. 

I have another young lady, today in front of me, who will be denied a post-graduate education, for she cannot afford it. She is bright, has dreams in her eyes, and has been able to complete her education till graduation with good grades. She has always had limited resources but she managed to score 78% in her 12th grade. She has been sailing against the tide all through. She could because she is a very hardworking girl. 

Little girls are angry. Matured young girls learn to suppress their anger. I have another conversation this time, but a mature one. I am told that professional education and job would make a young lady independent, not just financially, but also in terms of making her own choices in life. If she is denied education, she will be married off. Her cousins were bright too, but they were married off. A slender, soft-spoken demure girl tells me that domestic violence is common in the area, from where she comes from. Life after marriage is unhappy for all the girls, she knows of. 

Long back, I had taken the little daughter of my house help to a Girls School at Durgapura, close to my house. I had met the Principal and told her that if she was admitted to school, I will take care of her other needs. She said she couldn't do much in the absence of a TC. I told her mother to get her TC from village. She was reluctant and said that the father of the girls was not interested in getting them educated. I watched her growing up in my colony, first accompanying her mother to the job, and then gradually helping her out. She was known for being outspoken and for picking up a newspaper to read, in the houses, where her mother worked. 

Thirteen years later, her mother still works for us. The little girl has grown up, got married, and has two kids, a girl, and a boy. My house help proudly says that her daughter has a Pacca house to live in, has a TV and a Fridge. I wonder if her granddaughter will receive the education that was once denied to her mother. Her mother had once been very angry, when she was a little girl. 

I couldn't do much for the angry little girl in the village, I had met, except for asking the teacher to convince her parents to resume her education. I have no idea what happened to her life. I had seen a keen desire to learn in her, to educate herself, and an anger for being denied that. 

I am angry too, at my helplessness for not being able to do anything for those little girls. 

Education, particularly in India, is not considered as a value addition to life, by many. The fact remains that lack of education closes many possibilities for both boys and girls. There are some angry little girls, who seem to understand this when they are forcibly dropped out of school. Whatever little education they receive leaves a hunger with them to receive more. 

Investing in girl child is enough for India's future. We don't need any other developmental paradigm. 

I couldn't do much for two little girls. I am convinced that the third one will get an opportunity, and I will not be helpless this time. She will receive an education and will get a job. She will work hard, make her own choices, and will have a happy life. She will educate her daughter too. 

I have something in common with all three of them - the love for learning, for studying, for exploring the world, the new dimensions of life......................

COVID 19 – Will the Government help in acquiring and managing data?

 The third wave of COVID 19 is imminent in India. In an article published in Nature in September 2020, it was mentioned that a typical SARS-CoV-2 virus accumulates only two single-letter mutations per month in its genome — a rate of change about half that of influenza and one-quarter that of HIV. Despite the virus’s sluggish mutation rate, researchers have catalogued more than 12,000 mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genomes.

Scientists can spot mutations faster than they can make sense of them. Many mutations will have no consequence for the virus’s ability to spread or cause disease, because they do not alter the shape of a protein. Scientists said that as population-wide immunity rises, whether through infection or vaccination, a steady trickle of immune-evading mutations could help SARS-CoV-2 to establish itself permanently. Our immune responses to coronavirus infections, including to SARS-CoV-2, aren’t strong or long-lived enough to generate selection pressure that leads to significantly altered virus strains.

Manaus, a Brazilian city of more than two million, has stood out as one of the world’s leading COVID hotspots. Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has promoted the idea of letting the pathogen move throughout the population until most people have been infected, to get close to herd immunity. Manaus was the first city in the world to reach herd immunity—the point at which enough people are immune to a virus that the spread of new infections is hindered. Preliminary preprint study of researchers at the University of São Paulo estimated that 66 percent of the population had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 (they later revised their figure to 76 percent as of October).

In December 2020 a second wave did hit. And by January the city’s health system, had collapsed. ICUs were full to bursting, and oxygen supplies became exhausted. Some patients were airlifted to other regions of Brazil. But many died of asphyxiation on makeshift beds in hospital corridors or their home.

More severe than the first one, the new wave took Manaus by surprise. Wearing masks and practicing social distancing had been discarded in the belief the city had reached herd immunity. Caseloads surged out of control, and bleak milestones from last year were surpassed. In January alone more than 3,200 excess deaths were logged,

The Manaus variant, or more formally P.1, caused reinfections in people, who had earlier bouts or could have sped the rate of transmission among the still uninfected. William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Heath said that Herd immunity through infection, instead of a vaccine, only comes with an enormous amount of illness and death.

Resistance to new measures persisted for months in Brazilian towns. Social distancing and mask wearing lagged. The Manaus experience holds a cautionary message for the rest of the world, including the U.S., about maintaining basic public health strictures even as vaccination campaigns progress. And it underlines why only a global approach to immunizations will work. Manaus got hit really hard because they dropped all of their mitigations, and they didn’t have an adequate state of herd immunity, as was assumed. Latin American countries—where vaccination numbers are behind the global North and infection rates are high—are fertile ground for breeding new variants. The more the virus spreads, the more it is able to find vulnerable groups in which mutations can arise.

The P.1 mutation is believed to have emerged in Manaus in early November 2020, but by January it made up three quarters of all variants detected in the city and had spread to Japan. It has since been detected in at least 34 other countries and regions, including the U.S. and the U.K. Like other variants first detected in the U.K. and South Africa, P.1’s 17 mutations occurred unusually quickly, and many of them are in the spike protein, which is used to penetrate the cells of an infected person. Fiocruz researchers found that the level of SARS-CoV-2, or viral load, in patients infected with the variant was 10 times higher. CADDE study estimated that P.1 dodges 25 to 61 percent of protective immunity gained from infection with earlier variants.

Immunity gained through vaccination appears to be more robust than immunity achieved from infection. Johnson & Johnson’s jab proved 85 percent effective against severe disease in trials in Brazil—no less than it did in the U.S. Experts say that the situation is worrying—not just for the people of Brazil but for the rest of the world as well because of the virus’s track record of acquiring mutations in areas where it abounds.

The above mentioned facts derived from a number of studies done internationally bring home three facts in Indian context–

1.       The probability of a third wave would be higher if the virus cannot be controlled quickly in the second wave as it will get more opportunity to mutate.

2.       Immunity gained through vaccination will provide a better security against a mutating virus but vaccinating a large population is difficult.

3.       Public Health measures like masks, social distancing and lockdowns seem to control the spread of the virus, and indirectly control the processes of development of viral variants in the future, which are more infectious and fatal.

International understanding on vaccination is required. Accelerating the vaccine campaign throughout the world will be helpful in controlling the pandemic. If COVID is somewhere, it has the potential to be everywhere. Thus, vaccination of the entire population in the world is required, simultaneously. I will not discuss the details of politico-economic dimensions of vaccination in this post.

I want to focus my attention on the other aspect – Public Health.

The success of Public Health depends entirely on data. Restricting viral spreads to limited geographies would be much easier if data related to disease is provided to researchers, epidemiologists and statisticians.

I will take a simple example. Data related to patients, who have been hospitalised and those who have died, disaggregated on the basis of those who have or have not received vaccine, doses of vaccine, co morbidities, age, gender, rural-urban, residence, on a real time basis and flashed on a dashboard would be so helpful in developing targeted vaccination drives, testing for affected populations, taking public health measures and creating awareness.

If it is found that hospitalisation of patients is increasing in Jaipur from nearby areas, care could be taken close to them by establishing make-shift COVID centres or care units. If there is vaccine hesitancy or casual attitude towards social distancing measures, targeted awareness campaigns could be launched.

In a country which has robust IT infrastructure it is not difficult to create dashboards with easily accessible databases. If data can save lives, doctors and data scientists should work together.

While the Indian Council of Medical Research has granular data on all residents who’ve been tested so far, it restricts access to this database. 300 scientists have asked PM Modi to give access to data for charting Covid-19 spread. Their petition says - “The ICMR database is inaccessible to anyone outside of the government and perhaps also to many within the government,” they wrote. “While new pandemics can have unpredictable features, our inability to adequately manage the spread of infections has, to a large extent, resulted from epidemiological data not being systematically collected and released in a timely manner to the scientific community.”

State Governments should heed a request for data on an urgent basis. We request for recording of data at the hospitals and vaccination centers too and transferring it to a centralized database. Digitizing patient data at the hospitals would not take much time with a lot of technological tools like scanners and spreadsheets available. 

Vaccine Hesitancy is probably not found in the cities where COVID second wave spread has happened. But it is still prevalent in the smaller towns and villages. I have personal information about the early stage of vaccination, in a city like Jaipur, where vaccines were wasted because people did not show up in adequate numbers for vaccination. A data check on foot-falls at vaccination centers would eliminate the wastage of vaccines, which is almost criminal in the present scenario. Only with vaccination will we be able to control the pandemic and stop the emergence of new viral variants.

For a densely populated country like India, a third, fourth or fifth wave may occur. In the second wave virus has moved to small towns and villages. Tracking is imminent and essential.

I can give numerous examples where systemic data management and analytics can help make hospital supply chain robust, predict demand for resources, medicines, beds in the wake of new wave and can help in controlling the pandemic better. If only I have an access to data.

Will the government respond to the call?

There is a possibility that the virus weakens itself during mutations. In spite of the anguish, pain and agony that is prevalent around us, a human being wants to be optimistic. Yet data collected during the current pandemic will go a long way in managing the future bursts.