Jagjit Singh

I had a great collection of Jagjit Singh's ghazals during my college years and used to hear his songs regularly. Especially, on the morning of an exam day, I would have his songs plugged on to my ears (good old sharp walk man - with auto reverse!). His voice had a soothing effect and I found/find it very meditative. A percentage of my good(!) final year marks can be attributed to Jagjit Singh.

His voice is so heavy and beautiful, just listen to this later day beauty from Sarfarosh… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAh4bqBUGkY (even if you don’t understand the meaning it is fine. May I suggest that you get, if possible, a CD or the mp3 and listen in a good system with the volume a bit higher than normal to feel the heaviness of his voice, the humming portions are so magical.

The lyrics… most of the ghazals are in urdu and are inherently beautiful. This song in Sarfarosh talks about the magic of love and goes something like this (to the best of my borrowed knowledge):

Hoshwalon Ko Khabar Kya
Bekhudi Kya Cheez Hai
Ishq Ki Jaye Phir Samajhiye
Zindagi Kya Cheez Hai


Person who is in his full sense will never know
how it feels to lose oneself (to love).
Fall in love and you will understand
What life is all about.

Irshaad comments that most of the Ghazals are about love or wine... It is true, while most of the songs are about the Nasha of Love or wine (they sure know what to celebrate), many songs are quite philosophical and about some fundamental questions too.

Jagjit Singh passed away this October 10th.

The Palace of Illusions

The Palace of Illusions is Mahabharata told from Draupadi's perspective; she is the Protagonist. Given this premise and given that the Mahabharata is the most complex story ever told (wiki: With about one hundred thousand verses, long prose passages, or about 1.8 million words in total, the Mahabharata is roughly ten times the length of the Iliad and Odyssey combined, or about four times the length of the Ramayana), this could have been a magnum opus by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (CBD). Unfortunately CBD falters after a great start.

The initial phase of Draupadi's tale, her interactions with her brother Diru and friend Krishna, are told with great sensitivity and style. As Draupadi grows up and gets married, she sounds more and more like an ordinary human (with 5 husbands, of course). Much worse is that Draupadi keeps cribbing (I agree that she had many reasons to crib) and page after page yearns for the forbidden love of Karna. Although these feelings towards Karna (and vice versa) are hinted in other versions of the Mahabharata; the palace of illusions talks about it in almost every page, which kind of gets annoying – ‘for heaven's sake, the human race as we know is getting erased and millions are getting killed in the great war and here we are crying over love’, is what you want to say.

The other disappointment is the characterization of Kunti and Yudhisthir; both are portrayed as one-dimensional cardboard characters and in fact Draupadi treats them with disdain throughout. There is a bit of remorse in the end, but that is probably too little too late. The mother in law - daughter in law interactions between Draupadi and Kunti are so clichéd and you wonder, if the author wants to portray Draupadi as a stong and extraordinary women, born to rewrite history, then why does Draupadi get into these petty trappings?

The good aspects are: the book keeps a good pace, the narrative is easy and does not have the usual complications of a tale of this complexity (probably because the book is targeted at the western reader, CBD lives in the US), yet it covers most of the critical happenings of Mahabharata - with a few liberties taken here and there, like the two marriages and nine sons of Karna are never revealed, probably to keep the romantic angle alive.

For me, the highlight of the book is the Krishna - Draupadi relationship, it touches a few philosophical notes of man-god relationship.
Sample this:
When asked by Draupadi: "Can't you ever be serious?' Krishna replies: 'It's difficult, there's so little in life that's worth it’.
In the end when Draupadi is about to die, Krishna explains the futility of her remorse and tells her that she is just an instrument, this is probably taken from the essence of the Gita itself, but it is a good discussion.

If there is a God, I wish he is like Krishna, ever playful, ever intriguing, great philosopher and charioteer for the righteous (and in the process bends the rules here and there).

Wisdom Paradox

This post was trigged by a coincidence; I got a mail from Venkat about this blog while I was reading ‘The Wisdom Paradox’ by Elkhonon Goldberg; the coincidence is that the blog and book are on a similar theme – Dementia or the atrophy of the brain. It is a known fact that our brain atrophies as we age and eventually most of us will lose some and an unfortunate few will lose most of our cognitive abilities. This topic is of great interest to me since I have recently crossed the milestone 4 decades of existence and every now and then I worry about the possibility of me spending the last years of my existence wearing a bib and trying to recollect what I did a minute ago!

The book; The Wisdom Paradox is a paradox in the sense that it gives you hope and at the same time it reconfirms your fears about aging too. The bad news first -after the initial stages of development and maturity (till your thirties) our brain starts to degenerate, starting with the newly evolved neocortex that make us who we are, humans (neocortex controls the working memory, speech and language) and the right hemisphere deteriorates more than the left. So you will have issues with new learning, analytical ability and creativity. Your ability to learn new languages will be affected too (there goes my goal of learning French this year).

The good news is that what you lose in creativity and novelty you gain in wisdom. Wisdom is an acquired response to recognized patterns. So during the early stages of our life we assimilate new information and develop neural patterns. As we age, the brain begins to atrophy, losing about 2% of its size per decade, but we reach insightful conclusions intuitively based on the lifelong collection of the neural patterns. This, you see, is the strength of leadership. The experience accrued over a lifetime being used in decision making, esp in abstract situations – like running a nation or an organization.

The point to reflect is that this wisdom can’t dawn overnight when we become old, we need to collect various experiences in our early stages of life and build the neural patterns that would help in achieving this wisdom, even when as we lose our analytical and learning abilities. So, spend your early years hunting for knowledge (like reading this blog :)) that can be turned into wisdom later.

The Blog; I believe that the overall, degeneration (cells dying as we age) would be of little consequence – so it does not matter that, ‘You had more brain cells the day you were born than you’ll ever have again’. You definitely had less brains when you were born than you’ll ever have. Also, it is very complex, elephants have double the neurons as humans, and if you are talking about the brain to body ratio, then birds have a better ratio… I am sure you will agree that we have better cognitive capabilities compared to elephants and birds (of course, can’t say that for everyone I work with). So, it is difficult to say why you will lose your mind -whenever that happens; but you can be sure that it is just not because of reduced cells. It is worthwhile to note that research has not established the reason or medication for, say, Alzheimer more than 100 years since Dr. Alzheimer described it first. So I find this article to be assuming too many things and making it simplistic. It is possible that dementia is more of genetic in nature and probably has no cure or prevention. And your cognitive skills at the ninth decade would probably be thanks to the strong genes provided by your parents (and generations before them).

I agree that the brain needs constant stimulation (not the one provided by TV) that allows the neurons to form new connections. We should constantly try to learn new skills, improve your social interactions and broaden our knowledge (browsing the net does not count) and ponder about them (hence, having a mid-life crisis is probably a good thing for your brain).

Yes, every time I search for that wretched remote or the car keys; I am worried that very soon I may forget my own name, I am still not sure how to avoid it completely – let me try Sudoku or Rubik’s Cube or learn to draw and paint.

RX100

"The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself."

"In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.

On a cycle the frame is gone. You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming."

— Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

When you move around in a car with all the windows closed, there are only 2 vehicle exhaust sounds that you would distinctly hear inside the cabin -one is, of course, the Bullet and the other is a Yamaha RX100. The sound is so apparent that my normally vehicle/gadget illiterate dear wife would stir and ask me, ‘That is a Yamaha, right?’ of course she is right (isn’t she always right?), for the heartbeat of an RX100 is very hard to miss. Whenever I hear that sound, I immediately go back by some 20 years, when I had the pleasure of driving around my very own RX100 -a black RX100 (I had to choose and would not take any other bike or any other color).

The day I took my RX100 to college, I became ‘somebody’. Guys I have never known before wanted to be friends with me; I became a sort of mini celebrity (yes, I am exaggerating a bit, but not much). But, one still has to capitalize on this newly acquired status, and I realized this couple of years later when a colleague, exclaimed, “I never thought YOU will be driving THIS!!!” A good way of thanking someone who offered a lift, in the middle of the night!

I took great pride and took great care of my RX100. Used to wash it and shine the chrome every day. Will be tuning and adjusting the idling or scraping the carbon off the spark plug. If I had to sit somewhere I would normally put my bike on centre-stand and sit on my Rx100. I took it to the best mechanic in town, who specializes in Yamaha and also someone who loves bikes (the second attribute was every important). Today, I sometimes wonder where that passion has gone; it is true that I am quite detached when it comes to my car and view it as just a mode of transportation. I am reminded of the quote I read somewhere, “Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul”; that probably explains!

Recently I had the opportunity to drive my old RX100 (I can’t say ‘my’ as it is currently owned by a cousin, who was kind enough to let me drive for a while – of course with a thumping heart I am sure), the old bugger was as good as it was 20 years ago. Obviously between the two of us the RX100 had aged more gracefully! They don’t make bikes like this anymore!

There are many memories associated with this bike (with great reluctance I call it with a lack of identity –Bike). I vividly remember the day I took my wife (then fiancée) out for the first time and it was on this very vahana. We went around from Nungambakkam to Greams Road and the bends around the crooked College Road is still fresh in our collective memory.

A quick anecdote to end this blog; one of those days when zipping down the Bannerghatta road at Blore, my best friend (Happy Birthday, Irshaad ) was sitting behind, tears streaming, he hollered, “I don’t know how you are driving, I can hardly open my eyes!”, and I hollered back, “close them, just as I have closed mine!!!”....

Cheers to those many rides.

Farewell Waltz

Just completed 'Farewell Waltz' by leading Czech author Milan Kundera. The 'Farewell Waltz' is a dark comedy at the outer layer, but, underneath, is a very poignant, political novel with a touch of magical realism. The original Czech version was published in the early 70’s but was banned during the communist regime for the political undertones in the narration till 1989.

The story unfolds over five days in a small spa town with 8 contrasting characters and has commentaries on relationship, religion, politics –all with lightness and a searing satire. The end was a bit sudden and sad (although Mr. Kundera does not delve on the sadness) but overall the book was a fine read. This is my first Kundera and surely not going to be the last.

Couple of quotes from the book (all of these are dialogues between the characters):

- 'To come to the conclusion that there is no difference between guilty and the victims is to abandon all hope. And that, my girl, is what is called hell.

-'There isn't a man in this world who isn't capable, with a relatively light heart, of sending a fellow human to his death. At any rate I've never met one. If men one day come to change in this regard, they'll lose a basic human attribute. They'll no longer be men but creatures of another species'.
'You people are wonderful!'... 'When you turn everybody into murderers your own murders stop being crimes and just become an inevitable human attribute'.

Both the quotes are in reference to the political situation in Czech during the 1970s; when uprising and suppression of these uprisings thru capital punishment was a norm. After a while the roles reversed the revolutionaries moved to power and persecution of the earlier rulers started, hence there is a blur of victims and the guilty.

Second quote is a dialogue between 2 characters when they discuss about human nature and how we will punish a fellow being with certain happiness (sadistic pleasure if you will); History is strewn with people who stand testimony to this statement.

And finally the most interesting, “All I know is that I could never say with complete conviction: Man is a wonderful being and I want to reproduce him”. Again, this is a dialogue between 2 characters in the book where one gives out reasons why he will never sire a child! What a powerful reason -I have tried this life, but do not find in good enough that I will recommend for someone else!

Feeling an emptiness that follows the completion of a good book!

Following Fish by Samanth Subramanian.

Travel and cooking are 2 of my (many) passions! I just love travelogues. I have already written about Bill Bryson here, the other writer I recently discovered and loved is Paul Theroux. An unexpected but good read was Che Guevara's ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ - of course that is not just any travelogue.

Travelogues just take you to distant and mystical lands for a few hundred rupees and you could do the journey by just sitting on your couch and without the travel fatigue.

I picked up 'Following Fish', without any knowledge about the book or the author. I was a bit skeptical, given the drab cover and a fishy title :)! Since it involved both travel and food, I could not resist. To my pleasant surprise, it indeed turned out to be a wonderful read for a weekend.

The book is divided into 9 essays and it starts from Kolkata and its famous Hilsa and rightfully so, as Kolkata is the food capital (at least for seafood and sweets) and Hilsa is the queen of fishes.

The journey takes a detour inland to Hyderabad where Samanth visits the Goud's family for the famous fish treatment for his Asthma and returns skeptical than before.

The best part of the book is the essay in search of the best toddy and karimeen in Kerala and the one about the Mangalore fish curry comes a close second. The journey continues to Goa (of course), Mumbai and ends at Gujarat. Befittingly, for Gujarat, the last essay talks about the huge fishing boat building industry rather than the cuisine.

The writing is easy and almost like a note from a friend and lyrical at times and sparkling with humor all the time. The author draws in from a host of other great writers and sprinkles their quotes throughout the book. The essays are full of colorful characters and their interesting stories - this is the book's greatest strength.

The book also touches upon the cultural, ecological issues of the day, talks about the dwindling fishes in our seas, and the sandless beaches of Goa, where the tourist industry is eating into the fishing industry. 'Goa - A state that had come to be unfortunately infected with the idleness of its guests'.

This is Samanth’s first book and I hope he continues to write in this fashion for a long time. May he continue to be the 'discoverer of people, a finder-out of stories'.

Iconoclast - Gregory Berns

The dictionary (http://www.thefreedictionary.com) definition of an Iconoclast:
iconoclast [aɪˈkɒnəˌklæst]
n
1. a person who attacks established or traditional concepts, principles, laws, etc.

But the general understanding from this book (at least for me) is that an iconoclast is someone who breaks through barriers (both internal and external) and sells his Idea to make an impact on the society (for the betterment of the society) and, of course, makes some money and success in the bargain!

Gregory Berns is a leading Neuroeconomist and the Distinguished Chair of Neuroeconomics at Emory University, where he is a professor in the department of Psychiatry and Economics! In this latest book, 'Iconoclast', Mr. Berns explains an iconoclast's ability to think outside the box (I tried to avoid this cliché) through the brain's biological functions and tells us how to harness these powers -including an appendix (Iconoclast's Pharmacopeia) on drugs that can enhance the iconoclastic powers! – this appendix, I specially found to be very interesting!

What makes this book even more interesting is that, Mr. Berns connects these theories to the many real life iconoclasts (including Florence Nightingale, Jackie Robinson, the Dixie Chicks, Pablo Picasso, Richard Feynman and Steve Jobs) and provides valuable insights around the central theme of the book.

Many books are termed as life changing (probably for the author :) ) and this is such a book. According to Mr. Berns; an iconoclast has three traits that differentiate them from the others:
1. Will view things differently - perception
2. Overcome their fear of failure - Fear factor
3. Have great social skills - Network

View things differently: Brain runs on very little power (around 40 watts -if you must know) and hence will conserve power wherever possible. In the process of this conservation, our brain uses perception gained from experiences to form ideas; so to think differently (like an icon) we need to avoid these brain shortcuts and bombard the brain with new information, change in routines and novel experiences.

Overcome the fear factor: Novel experiences stimulate the fear factor in us and we need to overcome this fear to succeed, fear is a major success inhibitor. The author describes options to overcome (rewire the brain) this stress, by accepting (preconditioning), by avoiding unpleasant associations (blocking) and by developing a don’t care attitude (develop a thick skin). Even a short physical stress (exercise) can be used to overcome long term mental stress.

Learn to network: Developing and nurturing good ideas is not sufficient, one must sell these ideas to others and this can be achieved through strong networking skills (Picasso Vs van Gogh). One has to build a social network with the realization that the brain works in a 'tit for tat' basis (a good deed will be reciprocated), maintain a good reputation and constantly being in touch with the social network (breed familiarity).

This is it… three traits that can make you an icon. Are there only these 3 differences between an iconoclast and an aspirant? I don't think so, but these are some good starting points for the Icon to be!

The book drags a bit in the middle, but as mentioned earlier, the relative stories from the lives of icons makes it interesting and keeps us going (including Dixie Chicks as one of icons was stretching it a bit far).

Some good quotes from the book:
-Perception is a process that is learned through experience, which is both a curse and an opportunity for change. P. 8
-Unfamiliarity forces the brain to discard its usual categories of perception and create new ones. P. 33
-The more radical and novel the change, the greater the likelihood of new insights being generated. To think like an iconoclast, you need novel experiences. P. 57-58.
-The critical fears that inhibit people from sharing their ideas: the fear of being rejected. At its core, this fear has its origin in social pressure, which is one of the most common of human phobias. Pp.77-78
-Groups that allow for minority opinions are statistically more likely to make better decisions than groups that require unanimity. P.103
-A group with a lot of diversity among its members is more likely to arrive at a good decision than a group that is composed of members who are alike. P.104.
-The brain is lazy. It changes only when it has to. And the conditions that consistently force the brain to rewire itself are when it confronts something novel. Novelty equals learning, and learning means physical rewiring of the brain. P. 199.

Bill Bryson

My wife calls me the most boring person in his 30s (very late 30s), for, it is not very often that I break into a laughter or even a smile. It is not an exaggeration to say that I am emotionally as flat as a warm beer. So, whenever she sees me chuckle she orders a cake to celebrate and these celebrations happen very often when I am reading a book by Bill Bryson.

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa (1951), spent most of his professional life (as a Journalist) in the UK, moved back to US very briefly and moved again to England. In the process he wrote two wonderful books: 'Notes from a Small Island', a travelogue across 'United Kingdom', just before moving back to US and 'I am a Stranger Here Myself' - a compilation of his weekly column on the changes that have happened to the US in his absence. Today, he is probably the best selling non-fictional author, surely the most loved. It is not an exaggeration when Chicago Sun-Times says that, "Bill Bryson could write an essay about dryer lint or fever reducers and still make us laugh out loud."

I got introduced to Bill Bryson on the 21st of July 2004, when i brought his popular science book "A Short History of Nearly Everything", in a small, excuse for a book shop at the Pune airport (finally, some use of noting down the date and place of purchase of a book!). 'The Short History of Nearly Everthing' is a wonderful compilation of, as the title suggests, a short history of nearly everything, right from the big bang, thru the early stages of our planet, evolution, and an impressive cover of various developments in science. All of which is told in an engaging, dry 'Bryson' humor.

It all starts from an admission that he is not familiar with science and how science books at school were a bore (they still are!) and one fine day in a trans Atlantic flight he was struck by the realization of how little he knew and became curious to know more; how lucky for us! This book must be a mandatory study at every high school! The book really shows us how little we know of the planet we call home and even about ourselves. It is a huge seller internationally and won the Aventis Prize for Science Books as well as the Descartes Science Communication Prize.

After finishing this book, I hunted for all the other books written by Mr. Bryson have managed to read whatever is available in the market! All of them written with the same great wit and a style that is so endearing.

BTW, I have just got home his latest book 'At Home" and my dear wife is ordering for cakes!

Here is a sample chapter from his book "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" -an absolute joy.

His other books:

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
Bill Bryson's African Diary
In a Sunburned Country - Travel - Australia
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
A Walk in the Woods
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America (1989)
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe (1991)
Notes from a Small Island (1995)
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States (1998)
Shakespeare: The World as Stage (2007)
And the latest:
At Home: A Short History of Private Life (2010)

King Corn - Documentary

Couple of days back, I had a chance to watch the documentary, King Corn thru NetFlix “watch instantly” option. BTW – this worked very well. There was no disturbance/buffering when I watched it; it also “remembers" where I left when I resumed viewing in a different machine.

This movie is produced by 2 college grads – Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis - alarmed by the obesity epidemic and ubiquitous presence of corn in almost all processed foods, they move from Boston, MA to Greene, Iowa to grow and farm an acre of corn. During this period, they try to trace the corn from fields to the food system and come across many troubling questions about how and what we eat.

Though the farming aspect of the film is slightly boring, the film makers have captured the viewer’s interest by graphically presenting the data on where the “manufactured” corn goes – to sweetener industry for High fructose corn syrup, to feed lots for cows and chickens for fattening etc. America has moved from small farm owners to big corporation thanks to the technology improvement in farming practices. For example, the movie shows/says that an acre of land takes about just 18 minutes to plant corn seeds. Corn yield per acre in 1970 was 86 Bushels whereas in 2007 - 180. Technological improvements in the farm yield, is direct result of farm subsidies (introduced thru the farm bill (1973) by Earl Butz) which makes farming corn a profitable one. This farm bill was instrumental in making the food cheaper and resulting in more disposable income available to amercian families.

If you take McDonald's meal, you don't realize it when you eat it, but you're eating corn. Beef has been corn-fed, Soda is corn. Even the French fries. Half of the calories in the French fries come from the fat they're fried in, which is liable to be either corn or soy oil. Everything in your plate is corn. - Michael Pollan, UC Berkeley, in King Corn

The upside of the farm bill is - food became cheaper and made americans to spend just 10% of their income on food in 2009 (from 22% in 1949) - one of the lowest in the world. Industrialization of food also made food available throughout the year. Politically, a noble and a electorally powerful goal too.

The reductions in cost and year round availability of food - took its toll on human health. All animals (cows, pigs, chickens) are made to eat just corn, because corn is made cheaper thru subsidies. These animals are not evolved to eat grains 100% (including humans, of course, but that is for a different day).

To quote from natural news on the effects of forced grain feeding for animals, "Ruminant cattle, like cows and sheep, possess a special digestive system in which grasses are converted into digestible nutrients. Unlike humans who are unable to properly assimilate grasses and their nutrients, these animals are able to convert the plant cellulose into protein and fats. The result is a meat composition of roughly a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids with omega-3 dominating slightly.

Grains, disturbs the cow's digestive system that, unless done gradually, can kill the animal. "Feedlot bloat", a term used to describe the buildup of trapped gas in the rumen of the animal, is the primary reason why feedlot cattle must be fed antibiotics and hormones in order to keep them alive. Their digestive systems are unable to process the immense amounts of starch in their feed, turning their pH from neutral to acid and causing them to contract a myriad of diseases".

The health impact for humans are also discussed in the movie; Whether the corn gets to sweetener industry for High Fructose Corn Syrup or it gets to the cows/chicken/pigs as food – everything comes to us in the form of milk/yogurt/jelly/soda/bread/meat – what we consume. And it changes the human metabolism considerably causing life style diseases including Type II Diabetes and heart disease.

All in all, worth watching documentary and take an informed decision on what to consume.

Pink Floyd

I am not a great fan of Pink Floyd. Yes, like everyone who grew up in the 80s, I have listened to the Another Brick in the Wall and loved the video and applauded what the song and video stood for. Otherwise I go for something that is a bit on the milder side.

Recently, fortunately, came across a couple of songs from Pink Floyd and the lyrics just blew my mind away. The band is known for its great lyrics and like any great art form, the interpretation is usually left to us.

Time

For me, these lines are biographical, my biography! Probably, yours too! When I was young, just wasted all the time waiting for someone to show me the way and now I am always chasing something or the other, in the meanwhile Time is just slipping away.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine
Staying home to watch the rain
And you are young and life is long
And there is time to kill today
And then one day you find
Ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run
You missed the starting gun
And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to nought
Or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desparation is the English way
The time is gone
The song is over

Wish you were here

This song is said to a tribute to Syd Barrett, one of the original members and a genius, who had a mental breakdown possibly due to heavy drug usage. You can, of course, interpret this in many ways and relate it to your relationship with someone. Wonderful guitar solo.

How I wish, how I wish you were here
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here

Track your Plaque - Book Review

How often do we come across news wherein a friend or a relative suffered a heart attack and had to die all of a sudden?

Do you know that the conventional tests (HDL, LDL, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, Treadmill test) for assessing whether a person has a risk for future heart attack are woefully inadequate? Meaning, even after all the above are performed on time (with results are considered normal range) – still that person can experience a fatal/non fatal heart attack?

Very often we hear that an apparently otherwise healthy individual suffering from heart disease had to undergo bypass surgery or had to operate with stents etc.

If you want to find answers for this and to educate how to protect yourself – you have to read Track your Plaque book. Dr. William Davis addresses heart disease and what causes heart attacks, how we can identify the risk one has against heart disease, how we can improve upon those parameters through life style changes, diet and medicines.

Why this book? Don’t we have hospitals for cardiovascular care and incase if someone has heart disease – he/she can get better treatment in the hospital, why read this book and make changes to life style among other things?

From Dr Davis's own words - Cardiac care is big business. As a nation, US spent $59 billion on cardiovascular care per year (American Heart Association, 2002). Annual hospital revenues for bypass surgery total $25 billion. Thirty percent of hospital revenues and 50% of profits are from cardiac care. Heart care to a hospital is like the Accord is to Honda, or Windows is to Microsoft—it’s a hot seller.

We live in an age when hospitals measure their success by the number of coronary bypass surgeries they perform. Incredibly, it is still easier to get a bypass operation than it is to get good information on heart disease prevention. There are even billboards on the highways advertising bypass surgery.

Second – this book explains that plaque take decades to grow (for most people) in the arteries and by taking right steps and actions at the right time (not when taken to ER) – we can successfully regress it. This is not big money to you or for the hospital. You can achieve this at much lesser cost than a bypass or an operation involving stents etc. So hospitals are not going to be advertising preventative things to you and me over TV and media. There is no money for them in this. It is your responsibility to protect yourself.

This book explains that - non-invasive 10 min scanning of the arteries for calcium deposits using an Electron Beam Tomography (EBT) Scanner. Based on the scan results, the cardiologist will assign a risk score to the patient, and will order additional blood tests least of which is LDL, HDL, triglycerides and Total cholesterol. Not that they are not important. There are more “definitive” tests that can/need to be done today and identify our current state of Cardio parameters rather than relying on the same old LDL, HDL and triglycerides. A good result in LDL, HDL test does not mean that one is not going to have heart attack.

Based on those results – the patient can work with the Doctor and identify what needs to be done for improving the odds.

One thing I wanted to mention – in the changes that need to be done to improve health - food/fats – the Dr and the author Dr. William Davis argues against saturated fat. He castigates that saturated fat is unhealthy and is not required for the body. In fact it is just the opposite. Second he also says you can consume Canola oil which I do not agree. Vegetable oils (Corn oil, cottonseed, rapeseed etc) are a menace and humans are not evolved to consume that in industrial quantities, which we do . Third he also mentioned that Oat bran can be consumed – I am against it. Oats raise blood sugar and it cannot be good for anyone’s health including Cardio parameters. Recently William Davis wrote in his blog that he has changed his mind on Oats.

Dr. William Davis also runs a program called Track your Plaque. All of the concepts explained in the book – you can also have it done thru this program.

The key takeaway is - artery plaques can be identified in humans using non-invasive techniques, additional blood tests will need to be done to identify what caused the plaque, adopt life style including medicines, supplements and diet and you can regress the plaque.

A must read for anyone who is interested in staying healthy and not wanting to give a surprise to oneself or family.

The Prestige

Nolan brothers make movies that respect the intelligence of the audience and even challenge the viewers to look beyond the ordinary. I watched 'The Prestige' last week and was thrilled to find that this movie was no exception.

'The Prestige' revolves around the rivalry between two stage magicians during the early 20th century in London. The rivalry turns into obsession for an ultimate illusion and both men pay a heavy price in the bargain. The movie has wonderful twists and turns and will keep the viewer guessing. Even after a week, I am going back to the movie again and again as I recollect the hints the director left here and there.

The movie adopts a typical Nolan brother's non-linear style of story telling and goes back and forth. 'The Prestige' weaves reality in the story, by bringing in the character of Tesla and his legendary struggle with Edison, the rivalry between these two real life giants run parallel (at least for a while), to the rivalry of the reel magicians. (Tesla worked with Edi­son dur­ing his early years as a scientist, but split and worked against him after a bit­ter fight. Edi­son was a mean and manip­u­la­tive sci­en­tist; they were fight­ing for the stan­dard­iza­tion of cur­rent, Edi­son for DC and Tesla for AC; their fights were leg­endary. The pop­u­lar­ity of AC today proves who won the “cur­rent wars”:-))

The cast includes Hugh Jackman and, Christian Bale as Robert Angier and Alfred Borden - the obsessed magicians, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. It also stars Michael Caine as Cutter the stage engineer, who designs and manages the illusions from behind the scenes, Scarlett Johansson as the attractive stage assistant, at her seductive best, who falls in love with Borden. Although all the actors have given their best; watch out for Michale Caine as he weaves his magic yet again and proves that he is the master, even at the ripe age of 76.

Watch 'The Prestige' to appreciate the craft of story telling and for Caine's performance and "watch it closely".

Read Toto's review here

Black Swan

I was watching this program on a business channel last week (I rarely commit such a sin, but it was one of those days) the program was on: "How markets will behave in 2010", with great dismay I watch an expert talk (with great authority) that the market will cross 20k in 2010. The market will need a lot of Bull (pun intended) to cross 20k, the man was doing his bit. I am sure you have the same feeling of dismay while you switch to one of those news channels and hear the pundits predict a poll outcome.

I have seen the head of sales and marketing of my company make a series of calls to his contacts at critical client organizations and conclude and report back that we are not going to be severely affected by the slowdown, of course he was wrong, we were not spared and neither were our clients (this was in 2000 - 01). We have seen this happen over and over again, especially in the current globalized economy, Chaos Theory rules. A butterfly flap in New York will crash (or push up) the markets in Tokyo. We have seen many predictions and decisions based on past data/experience going awry in business and in our day to day life. This is the theme of Black Swan, a multimillion copy seller by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb is an extremely complex character, he is the grandson and great grandson of former deputy prime ministers of Lebanon (his grandfather and his great grandfather were both deputy prime ministers of Lebanon), he is a mathematician who prefers to call himself a philosopher, had a short career as a trader and investment banker in many leading banks (although, he is very skeptical about the many models used for trading). Later he started Empirica a hedge fund that trades in options and then retired from trading in 2004 (he continues to be an adviser for Empirica) and incidentally Empirica made a few billions during the recent market crash. He is a distinguished professor and of course he is the author of hugely successful books, Fooled by Randomness and later Black Swan. He has sold more than 2.7 million copies in some 31 languages. He never watches television and never reads newspaper! Hope I covered the many facets of Taleb. Here is a write up by Malcolm Gladwell on Taleb (this write up is also a part of the new book by Gladwell titled "What the Dog Saw").

Taleb strongly believes (and I would agree) that we lack the ability to predict events that are rare but have great impact, he states that there is no difference between the person in a position of power ( A deputy prime minister of Lebanon) and his car driver when it comes to knowing the way events are going to play out. Both believed that the Lebanon war would end soon, but it took 15 years when you look at most of our ministers you would readily agree. The difference is that the qualified think that they have some privileged info and the unqualified does not think so and puts the burden on fate/God.

Taleb talks about Inductive Reasoning and why it will fail, the title of the book is a good example of inductive reasoning. Let me explain, since people in Europe had never seen a black swan, they thought all swans were white. In fact there used to be a terms about Black Swans that people used when they wanted to refer something improbable (I would rather see a black swan before I see you coming on time!) and the sighting of a single black swan in Australia blew away the belief held for centuries. Inductive reasoning is generalization, we tend to generalize with specific set of (past) data and when this generalization proves to be wrong, it is often with disastrous results. Mike Gatting had seen many spinners before and Australia is not a country that has produced decent spinners in the past (Rajan to confirm). He would have thought that this is yet another bloke from down under and this first Warne delivery against England (known as the Ball of the Century or the Gatting Ball) was a complete Black Swan, the look on Gatting’s face was priceless.

Black Swans can bring good fortune too; the explosion of IT in India is a Black Swan - at least for the many graduates who passed out after 1991.

Black Swan events are random, hard to predict and rare events that create high-impact (Outliers). Taleb, defines black swans as below:
1. Hard to predict (based on historical information)
2. Has disastrous effect
3. Explained after the occurrence of the event by experts.

This has not been an easy book for me... but it is entertaining never the less and been an information overload and introduced many useful terms for sure : platonicity, narrative fallacy, modernistan, falsifiability; to name a few). I found the style to be contentions, probably a bit too aggressive and egoistic. The (repeated) digs he has at the cost of many economists and statisticians are at times in poor taste, so are his digs at the French.

Taleb also gives 10 points/principles to a Black Swan proof world, can be read here with description. Giving below some that I liked a lot:

• No socialization of losses and privatization of gains.
• People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.
• Counter-balance complexity with simplicity.
• Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning .
• Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to “restore confidence”.

In our everyday life we come across many Black Swan events and hence it is important to approach each day with a fresh perspective and leave behind preconceived notions.

Try this (from the book):
All Snoogles are Boogles.
You see a Boogle.
Is that a Snoogle?

Spend a minute and you will get it. I tried this on my daughter and explained here the logic and it was an interesting experience, she thought that I had finally gone crazy completely:-)

The answer is 'may be'.

Rajiv Kolai Vazhakku - NHM's new book

Ordered the book online – “Rajiv Kolai Vazhakku” (Rajiv assassination case) authored by Mr Ragothaman – Chief Investigating officer of Special Investigation Team (SIT). Kizhakku Pathippagam has published this book too. (pages 227, Rs 100).

I was interested in this book for 3 reasons. First, this incident happened right around our graduation years where we can understand and analyze (and discuss endlessly!) the social, political situation that lead to this (unlike Mahatma’s where we have to go by books or hearsay), Second this happened right in Tamil Nadu, third being Rajiv was former Indian Premier and had all chances of bouncing back in that elections to power. Other than that I am not a Cong sympathizer and hence do not believe that Rajiv would have ushered in Raama Raajyam.

So, back to book. I received the book one afternoon and started reading it casually. Could not stop in between and completed it in one shot. Wonderfully written book. The author has narrated the investigation process from the beginning till its end.

The book explains step by step how the SIT started with just Haribabu (photographer) camera, his employer Suba Sundaram’s denial that Haribabu was not employed with him, Haribabu’s Mom’s doubtful behavior before the investigation team, his Dad’s body language – conveying that he wanted to share information but holding back because of his wife’s presence etc. From there, the book travels to Baghyanathan (Nalini’s brother), other LTTE functionaries and by implicating Pottu Ammaan and Prabhakaran and finally also explains why SIT team was waiting outside Sivarasan’s hideout in Bangalore with no meaningful action.

The book details the motive behind - why LTTE wanted to kill Rajiv and cites evidence towards that end. And also implies that this is not the work of any other group(s) or individuals.

3 assassinations have happened in India since Independence. Mahatma, Indira and Rajiv. Time has taught that we (Indians) lost Mahatma due to sheer irresponsibility. The powers that be at that time, felt that no one will kill Mahatma and hence the security was very lax and finally we paid the price. The same thing happened in Indira’s case also. The book says that in the senior Intelligence officers meet it was decided to remove all Sikhs who was employed to provide Indira’s security. One of the affected police guy went and cried before R K Dhawan and he rolled back the order. We know the result.

The book talks of ineffective security and a general lax attitude when Rajiv made his last trip. Rajiv flew in from AP that day and his copter was delayed by 2 hours. None of the policemen involved in providing security at Chennai were aware of the delay whereas Sivarasan was aware that Rajiv is arriving late by 2 hours. When CBI enquired with a Sub Inspector (in charge of recording and allowing who is permitted to garland Rajiv) – Inspector had recorded names in a piece of paper he picked from the floor. It did not carry any additional information about people seeking to garland the leader.

Secondly, the author talks of his anxiety in not allowing CBI to investigate the political leaders. Even when CBI had many reasons to suspect that some of the prominent TN leaders had prior information of the assassination, they were not allowed to enquire any of the politicians. The book details the reasons for suspicion and raises many questions in the readers mind.

Thirdly, the coordination between RAW, IB, CBI and Jain Commission etc. The author has explained that instead of working together, these agencies were at loggerheads helping the common enemy. (Apparently, the then RAW chief kept stating, LTTE did not commit this crime and hence that angle should not be probed at all).

On the whole, I agree with the author that we need to know the truth and what happened during those days. For those inclined to know about the Rajiv assassination case, I would recommend to read this book.

Notes from a School Visit

Like many things in life, I was neither in the front bench nor was I a last bencher in the school, probably because of this; I don't remember an instance when my parents had to come to school to meet the teachers - for good or bad. This being the case, I find it strange to drag myself to my daughter's school every quarter to meet her class teacher and that too on a Saturday. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the overall experience, only find it strange!

The D-day starts with some instructions by my daughter on what to say and what not to say to the teacher. She is not required to be with me during the interview and hence, quite naturally, she is worried. I drive down to the school, and reach a spot a couple of kms before the school. The road gets choked after this point with the many hundred parents and their cars. We are guided to a parking lot and shuttles run from the lot to the school. For someone who has always used the public transport for commute to school, (Running a fleet of buses was never a priority for most of the schools in the 70s and 80s) and hence never traveled in a school bus, I enjoy the short ride despite the inconvenience of fitting into a seat which is obviously not designed for elders. Luckily the distance is short and I walk out with just a couple of cramps.

The most difficult part starts now; there is a long queue outside every classroom, eager parents line up to meet the teachers; with great reluctance I join the line and start to twiddle my fingers and keep shifting my weight from one leg to another. I wonder what these parents have to discuss for so long. My question is answered soon, as I enter the class room and a couple discussing with great eagerness the progress of their kid who is in the 5th standard (my turn is next, hence allowed in the classroom -much like the guy in a wedding dining hall, who wants to occupy your seat for the next round and stands behind you as you are in the last course of your meal, nudging ever so lightly). I could strain a bit and hear the parents talking to the teacher about the kid and I could hear that the teacher suggesting professional help for the kid to help him cope with the class and the social environment it provides and primarily to hold his attention when something remotely related to studies happens at the class – thankfully students are not required at these meetings.

My turn is on and I just breeze in, collect the report, thank the teacher for making my daughter wanting to come to the school every day, sign a couple of sheets and walk out -All in about 2 mins. This stuns many parents who are waiting outside and must think that I am an irresponsible father having scant interest in my daughter’s progress, but I guess the teacher is very pleased to see the back of a parent so fast. My daughter will be happy that I did not mess up.

I look at the grade sheet, and I am amazed, the sheet has some four pages (A4 size) and has close to some 60 line items, this is much more complicated than the appraisal system at my office (believe me, our appraisal system ‘IS’ complicated). For a 10 year old at the 5th standard, first term result -this is too much. My 10th mark sheet had 5 line items for 5 subjects, those were the days.

I wander around the school and this is my favorite part. Even though kids are not required to be in the school, there are still many children running around at about 100 kms per hour and are quite oblivious about the great struggle the elders have to take to guide them to a brave new world. A world of great vanity and make believe. They seem to understand what the grand master Chaplin once said: In the end, everything is a gag.

China - Vilagum Thirai - A Book Review

Recently I read this book – “China – Vilagum Thirai”. This is the translation of the much acclaimed book 'Smoke and Mirrors' by Pallavi Aiyar. This is translated (in Tamil) by Raman Raja and Kizhakku Pathippagam has published this book (Price Rs 200; pages 350).

Pallavi – a journalist, has stayed in China for 5 years and travelled the length and breadth of the country, met different set of people from businessmen to saints, lived in one of the old type settlements (Hudong) in Beijing and mingled with the local people as one among them. This experience gives her the insights normally missed by the standard travellers and their travellogues. This book is more about China in the eyes of an Indian, so it is easy for us to understand about this Marxist Country.

Here are the salient points from this book.

• Though you can see poor people in rural China – they lead a better life compared to similar economically challanged people in India; It is not an exaggeration to say that the Govt of China has made them live a gracious life.
• Govt’s iron hand is visible in all places – people think what Govt wants them to think.
• Apparently Chinese people have a confused sense of patriotism and dissent – they consider dissent is not good – whatsoever and they toe the govt drawn line.
• People cannot settle from villages to cities – they have to obtain inland permit (something like passport called as “Hukou System”) and then move. Else, they will be sent back to their village if caught by the police; this is the reason why they do not have slums in Beijing and in other large cities.
• When a journalist meets a religious head/businessman/professor – a Chinese govt appointed person will follow the journalist. The guest cannot say anything that they think in their mind.
• Any dissent will be viewed seriously by the Govt – they will be arrested and put behind bars
• Ordinary Chinese people are not bothered about the type of work they perform – that is just an avenue to earn a living; they are proud of doing any work.
• Related to this is; there is no caste system in the country – Marxists act tough on religious activities – so no question of caste. This means – a person who is cleaning road/toilet, will not be identified and picked by birth. He may work today cleaning toilets, tomorrow he may be a businessman or something like that. He is not identified by the work he is doing.
• Tibetans resent Chinese interference – but cannot help it – when China sets its eye on Tibet.
• Religious freedom is allowed as long as it does not question/comment/feedback anything the govt does.
• If Govt wants a piece of land – buildings, farm lands will be demolished after issuing notice. Owners will be given a pittance and they cannot go to court.
• Personal productivity of a Chinese labourer is better than Indian labourer.
• Coruption is rampant – but not the type of corruption you see in India but the types you see in the US and other developed countries. If they have to build a bridge – they will build and take some money from that; not like do crappy stuff and swindle all the money.
• Govt encourages businesses big time and people have sort of given up worrying about the govt – they are busy making money. This generation in China is apathetic to politics (like any other country’s younger generation) and they are only bothered about their own growth.
• Lots of foreigners including people from India move there to China and start Yoga schools, work in hotels, buying products wholesale, etc.

The book is an interesting read for anyone who wants to know about China. The book maintains the interest in the reader throughout. One thing is certain – Raman Raja has done a wonderful work translating this book – you do not get a feeling that you are reading a translated book at all.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know about China.

Master of the Universe – Carl Sagan

Nov 9, 1934 - Dec 20, 1996

I don’t remember when exactly I got hooked on to Carl Sagan; it was probably in the eighties when I watched his Cosmos for the first time in Doordarshan or probably when I read his book Contact a bit later, I don’t know, but it was an association for life and an association that introduced Science to me (okay, whatever little science I know) and it also introduced skepticism.

Carl Sagan, in many ways is similar to my favorite writer Sujatha, similar in the way they spent a lifetime popularizing science, similar in the way they sowed the seeds of knowledge in a young mind. The difference could be that Sujatha was a writer who was also a man of science; Sagan was a man of science who was also an author. The other difference is, probably Sagan was a skeptic and I guess Sujatha never wavered from his Srirangam upbringing!

Beauty of Sagan’s writings lies not only in the way he simplifies complex theories (which he does very well) but also in the way he inspires and creates a sense of awe in the readers mind, especially the young readers.

I wish we have more science teachers like him (or like Sujatha) in our schools.

Contact is a science fiction by Carl Sagan this was published in 1985 and later made into a movie starring Judy foster and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Given his background as a renowned scientist (astrophysicist), it is not surprising that the book is written with real science as the foundation of the book, unlike many other science fiction books that are full of ‘made up’ science and harbor a gloomy/doomsday outlook.

The protagonist Ellie Arroway (named after Eleanor Roosevelt and Voltaire Arouet) is an Astronomer (the character is very similar to Sagan himself). Ellie is convinced of intelligent life out there in the universe (…I'd say if it is just us... seems like an awful waste of space) and pursues her belief and becomes the director of ‘Project Argus’ that scans (with the help of many Radio Telescopes) the sky for intelligent signals from the cosmos as part of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). She does hit the jackpot when the telescopes start picking up a sequence of coded messages coming in from the Vega star system – the first contact from an extraterrestrial intelligence. The message once decoded contains, among other things, a blueprint for building a machine (vehicle). The struggles to building the machine (a multibillion venture) and undertaking the space travel by Ellie are the meat of the book (Ellie travels thru a wormhole to the Vega star some 26 light-years from Earth!).

The culmination of the book indicates a creator of the universe and an intelligent design, which is very surprising (and a bit disappointing) given that Sagan is a confirmed atheist (or at least a skeptic), or is there a different message – honestly I am not so sure. But, I would like to believe that the Creator, Sagan hints at is the collection of many physics and mathematical laws that govern and that are interwoven into the universe and not the Creator as propagated by the many religions. Nevertheless the book is a wonderful read for its scientific accurateness and the awe it can inspire.

The movie by Zemeckis is equally powerful and worth a watch, I will leave the review of the movie to my good friend Toto. Meanwhile you can enjoy the opening sequence of the movie here.

Sagan can make us feel very special (‘we are made of star stuff’')and at the same time make us feel very humble (A vision... of the universe, that tells us, undeniably, how tiny, and insignificant and how... rare, and precious we all are!) But, my all time favorite (and a longish) quote is from

Pale Blue Dot: Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

The other book I would recommend is The Demon-Haunted World. This is a great book that advocates Science and fights against the practice of Pseudoscience, right from UFO sightings to religious superstitions. Sagan speaks about the power of reasoning and importance of questioning the many beliefs without bias. The Baloney detection tool kit introduced in this book is a great tool thru which such beliefs are to be passed before accepted. The book does not spare scientist and sets high ethical standards for them. It’s a vast canvas that Sagan paints in this book and what a beauty it turns out to be.

Food Inc - A Review

Though this documentary is more related to the scenario in the US now, since we are opening up to MNCs everywhere, this could be our situation in no time.

Last week I had a chance to watch a documentary titled - Food Inc. The movie is co-produced by Eric Schlosser – author of the book "Fast Food Nation". In many sense, this is a video version of that book.

The documentary’s primary aim is to create awareness among the public and they have traced the food from their plate to its source. The documentary is a journey of the director and the travails he faces in this journey. Today, a curtain is in place between consumers and the “manufactured food”. And certainly, it is not in the interest of the general public.

Never before in the history of mankind, have we had 3 square meals everyday with certainty. Ever since WWII, the administration wanted to keep the food prices down and ensure that food is available in abundance. Favorable government policies on grain farming thru heavy subsidies, technological improvement and questionable practices have ensured year round availability of cheap food. Factory farming concentrates on making every product – faster, fattier and cheaper. Just a handful of companies are controlling our food today – right from seed to supermarket.

There are some unintended consequences of these actions –
1. Healthy calories have become expensive whereas unhealthy calories have become cheaper
2. Manufactured food – “sometimes” have E Coli or Salmonella infection – infecting people.
3. People do not know what they are eating - Genetically modified food does not need labeling
4. Obesity, Type II diabetes have skyrocketed – consume cheap food and pay for the consequences- in effect, the total cost of such food gets higher.

For example – the movie talks of Tomatoes – “plucked when they were green and made to ripen using ethylene gas. So what you see in the supermarket is not a real tomato – it is a notional tomato, an idea of a tomato”.

Since companies do factory farming – problems are being addressed at a micro level without caring about its impact on the health or seeing a big picture. In essence they are not manufacturing a product, they are making food.

For example – Farm subsidies have made grains like wheat, corn, etc very cheap and as a consequence companies that raise (and butcher) hens, cows and pigs, now only feed them corn – only corn. Evolutionarily these animals do not support ONLY grain based diet and hence they become fatter quicker, get infected with bacteria etc. When cows are infected, just feeding grass will make them shed 80% of such bacteria. Instead they are given anti-biotics.

Conventionally, it takes 90 days for a chicken to grow fully, now it takes just 47 days. They have also redesigned the chicken breast and made it larger so that those chickens are not able to withstand their own weight so much so that they do not walk inside the giant smelly barn.

The message is – people should go for organic produce, go buy from regular farmer’s markets and be involved on food access issues etc. Getting people involved can make the food industry change its ways. The tobacco industry was booted decades back like this. What is needed today is awareness about the issues in the food industry and a sentiment among public that is similar to the sentiment towards the tobacco industry.

Bad Science

There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance. - Hippocrates,Greek physician (460 BC - 377 BC)

Last time I went to my doctor (M.B.B.S, M.D, PhD!), he examined me for a while and gave me 2 plastic bottles with green and blue caps and filled with mini white spheres, tasting like sugar (they were sugar globes indeed!). Homeopathy, he said, and gave a set of instructions along with the pills. I dutifully discarded the pills, the instructions and finally the doctor!

In the recent times many forms of alternate medicine has become popular; the most popular of them is probably Homeopathy, so much so that even some general practitioners, like my own doctor, of the so called Allopathy (interestingly the terms Allopathy/ Allopathic medicine were coined by Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy and considered derogative!) today prescribe homeopathic pills. In most of the cities, every street has a homeopathic practitioner and a long line of patients waiting outside, not the least worried about the practitioner’s credentials.

I have always wondered about the effectiveness of alternate medicine and this wonder led me to Ben Goldacre. Ben Goldacre is a doctor by profession from the Oxford and a celebrated journalist. He has a master's degree in philosophy. He writes a weekly column in the guardian titled ‘Bad Science’ and blogs here http://www.badscience.net/. His recent (Sep 2008) block buster book is titled; you would have guessed it by now – Bad Science. He is just 34.

His columns are very critical of the many pseudo science practices that are popular today. The book is a follow up to the columns and continues the scathing yet witty style of writing, but a style that is very thorough. The book covers a lot of things from detoxification myths to media’s role in the health fads and even large evil pharma companies. Since it covers a lot of ground it is a bit laborious at times and that can surely be excused.

Bad Science has a long chapter dedicated to Homeopathy and followed immediately by a chapter on placebo effect. Ben Goldacre completely debunks the practice of Homeo and writes: “Homeopathy is perhaps the paradigmatic example of an alternative therapy: it claims the authority of a rich historical heritage, but its history is routinely rewritten for PR needs of a contemporary market; it has an elaborate sciency sounding framework for how it works , without scientific evidence to demonstrate its veracity; and its proponents are quite clear that the pills will make you better, when in fact they have been thoroughly researched, with innumerable trails, and have been found to perform no better that Placebo.”

The other book that has received great reviews is the wonderfully titled “Trick or Treatment”; co authored by the other popular British author/journalist (pseudo patriots can take pride in his Indian origins!) Simon Singh. This book is all about alternate medicines and goes all out at Homeopathy and criticizes the two pillars of Homeopathy 1. Like cures like and 2. Dilution increases potency – for more details watch this video where Simon Singh talks about his book and Homeopathy in detail (you have to tolerate his weird hairstyle ;-)).

Both the books argue based on meta studies based on rigorous trials and the outcome of these trails have been fairly conclusive in terming homeopathy as no better than Placebo.

If Homeopathy is no better than Placebo, then why is Homeo so popular today? It is a good question, and the answer lies in the power of Placebo and the desperation of people when mainstream medicine (still) has no answer to many of today’s ills (we have to remember that mainstream medicine has only taken off in the last 70 odd years after the start of proper clinical trials and advancement in science - otherwise it was no different from the pseudo medicine and followed practices like bloodletting for cures for more than 2000 years).

Placebo is usually a non medicinal substance (like sugar pill, saline water, etc); that will have no effect on the illness, but administered to the patient. The patient believes that the substance has medical value and at times his condition improves, purely based on psychological stimulus.

Many trials have proved the effectiveness of placebo; especially when the Doctor is confident and sounds very honest and caring. Tests have proved that the color, shape (capsules are more powerful than tablets), the brand (Crocin seems to be more effective even though there are hundred other Paracetamol tablets available in the market). In all this, the elobrate ritual and props are very important.

The power of Placebo effect can be seen in the many other beliefs like: astrology, spiritual gurus, good luck gems, etc. and of course, the biggest of them all – God.