Monday, August 10, 2009

The Menacing Malady


A well to do family. Parents and two kids. One boy and one girl. A metropolitan city. Good school. Swimming at a posh club each evening. Various other activities to keep fit and busy.

One morning the little girl complains of a slight fever with headache. The Mother worries about the ongoing swine flu cases. She is taken to the best paediatrician in town by late morning. The doctor offers cal pol and advices rest for a couple of days.

Mother: "That's it? No test for the flu? There are so many cases in town, it's spreading like wild fire, lets do the test, she has fever, she's just come back from a holiday, she has headache, lets do the test."

Doctor: "We don't have the kit! we don't have the medicines either, its available only with the ministry of health. Wait for a couple of days, let's see what symptoms she develops, as of now its just fever, don't worry, give her cal pol three times a day."

Mother: "Can I take her to the Ministry for a test then?"

Doctor: "No, they have their own system based on a flow chart that they are following, they won't test unless referred."

A helpless feeling. Stories of the 14 year old from Pune who succumbed to this disease causing havoc in the mind. What if we get late? How long to wait? why is there no way out, why is the testing kit not available to all clinics? Endless questions. The day goes by with the mild fever and headache staying. News comes in from various sources of a lot more cases being detected in the city, many from the same school, from the same school bus even. The helpline numbers for H1N1 cases are called, only to be met with the 'on hold' music.

The second day dawns. The fever is less. By afternoon the fever has completely gone, just the slight headache remains. The little girl is getting bored at home. She calls up her friends, who are also in the same boat, suffering from fever and body aches, unable to attend school, missing out on portions covered and also on the lively chit chats. The small boy keeps going to school, though reluctantly.

The third days also passes without fever. Parents are breathing easy now. The girl is studying at home, the little boy is angry that he doesn't have the flu and so he has to go to school, while his sister can be at home. A call from the school, the teacher informing that the little boy has high fever. He needs to be collected from the school immediately. Panic rises, the throat is dry. A rush to the school, there are other similar parents collecting their wards who are red with fever. The little boy smiling mischievously through his bloodshot eyes. The mother hugs him to her and carries him to the clinic.

Mother: "Please refer this case, the fever is so high, he is too small to talk about other symptoms."

Doctor: "Lets see how he responds to these medicines, a lot of ordinary flu cases also happening, people are panicking unnecessarily. Bring him back to me after 36 hours, he should be fine by then. Its the heat, temperatures are soaring. How is his sister?"

Mother: "She does not have fever since the last 2 days, just a slight headache."

Doctor: "OK"

The little boy is brought home. He is asleep by the time he reaches home. The daughter has in the meantime vomited two times. She complains of stomach cramps and slight breathlessness. There is no support of relatives, just friends to count on... The boy is left home in the supervision of a neighbour, while the daughter is again rushed to the clinic.

Mother: "Now what? are we supposed to wait till she dies for the test? or can we do it now?"

Doctor: "She is showing the symptoms, don't worry, let me call up the ministry"

The Ministry of health takes long to reach. A thousand forms follow. the little boy is also brought to get tested. Queues and red tape make the wait frustrating to say the least. Numerous parents with kids in tow, waiting for the test. Money might get the best doctors, but in this case its proving so useless. Nothing seems to be working. the officials chat, smile, crack jokes, they have their tea, they have their masks, while the family waits... and waits some more, with children who are burning with fever.

Finally the turn comes, both the kids get tested, both the results are positive. The appointment has to be made with the doctor in the ministry who alone has the medicine that can cure the kids. The mother is on the verge of tears, the father is silent. the kids still burning. The appointment is for later that evening, masks are provided for the parents and the kids. The little girl has rashes now and is slightly delusional, the little boy making friends with other boys, unmindful of the seriousness.


They say its late for the little girl, she cannot be taken home. She has to be admitted to the ICU. How late? why late? we came to the doctor the first day itself? what now? The parents mind get tizzy with fear and worry, the despair is too much to bear. the little girl is being taken to the ICU, the father is strong no more, he breaks down and starts abusing the authorities, the mother just cries, the little boy is scared into silence.

Its been two days now. The little girl is still in the ICU. The little boy recovering with medicines at home. he misses his sister and wishes to go to school.

Again, a fiction but based on the frustrating situation that I along with many parents are facing to get their kids tested in private clinics for Swine Flu. Why is the kit not available with our regular doctors? Its said its treatable when medicines start within 48 hours, then why the wait?

66 comments:

Aparna said...

Oh my god, you and your fertile imagination! Relax and chill.
Most cases are pretty mild. The virus is self limiting and the child gets better in few days.
In India, I can take the child directly to the government testing centres and get my child tested. But yes so far only government centres are carrying out such tests. I hope the private hospitals are also allowed by the government. This will make life easier for us.
Stop worrying, let those damn antibodies in us do their job. We will all be fine.
Oh, and was I saying something about comments as long as blog posts a while back? Sorry.

Bhavya.B said...

Lets hope everything 'll be fine.Already six people died of swine flu in India.And my home town in Kerala is in the black hands of Chikun Guniya.Even though not dangerous as Swine flu , it puts the common daily waged men's life in stake.

R. Ramesh said...

baaappree..so touching..i could not stop till i reached the last word..u deserve a punch for scaring me...ooff...lemme take a cup of water..hey i am not joking yarr..

amrit said...

Shit - you scared the hell out of me! Thank God it was all made up! Shit!

Kavi said...

Phew ! Phew !

My heart started breathing easy only when i came to the end. What a narration.

With all the frenzy the media is kicking up, this was just the pill !

And i recommend the 1st antidote to swineflu : switch off the TV.

Unknown said...

i really hope the panic dies down and so does the H1N1! everyday i open the newspaper to see news abt swine flu plastered all over it!! ppl in my office have started wearing masks and emails regarding holiday policies are being circulated! HELL! this problem looks bigger than it is. But I really hope the solution outdoes the problem soon.

2Shaye ♪♫ said...

Great write up, Sujata!

Honestly, I'm having a terrible time with our the medicine community, lately. I think we're seriously about to move to homeopathy as we learn how much of a "practice" modern medicine is. My family is tired of being the proverbial guinea pigs with each new infection. We're learning that healthy diet, hydration, plenty of time outdoors, etc. are more important in building our immunity and provide more protection than what the doctor's office can provide anymore. Additionally, their office contains more germs and other infections so when we leave, we have all that to contend with. Ick!

Do you know what they're using in your area? I believe Tamiflu (or a variation) is the main medicine they were testing out to "treat" swine flu, but even that's looking to not be effective against the this strain.

The media has really driven up the fear over the swine flu--at least here in the states. We get the weekly announcement over how many have it in our community. Percentage wise, I believe far less have died from this strain than from the average yearly flu. For those in relatively good health, it's looking to be even milder than the regular flu. I really don't know what to think at this point other than to just keep building our natural immunities up and stay hydrated. The rest seems to literally be out of our hands.

Hugs to you and yours!

~2Shaye

अनिल कान्त said...

fikra to hoti hai ....khayaal bhi rakhna padta hai...aakhir parents hain...

but beemari buri aur failne wali hai

के सी said...

व्यवस्था के अंहकार से उपजी अव्यवस्था का आपने जबरदस्त चित्रण किया है. एक पिता और माँ होने के नाते आप इन बुरी स्थितियों के बारे में सहज कल्पना कर सकते हैं पर जैसा कि अपर्णा जी ने कहा ज्यादा चिंतित होने का विषय तो है पर इतना भी नहीं कि संवेदनहीनता का शिकार हो जाये हम सब. इस पोस्ट से ने तो एक बार का डरा ही दिया था मुझे.

JD said...

H1N1 is sounding scarier with each passing day. It's just a matter of time when each family will be affected by it. There aren't enuf medicines and the TV makes sure that our fear doesn't end.
I'd rather sleep peacefully for now.

Ire said...

My mom is already buying us masks! There is a lil bit of panic in the air! Sigh... I just hope everything goes well!

Amit said...

i can very well understand your apprehensions with your kids,i am here in brisbane and my parents are making a trip to Ujjain back in India, i am worried about what they are going to eat/people they are going to meet. Hope no one gets affected, thanks for sharing this!

PS: I absolutely loved your one liner comment on my last post. it was a welcome break seeing it on that post, from all the usual crap i am getting. Thanks!

PPS: i loved the song which is playing on your blog, i heard this long time back, and hearing it now after so long,and i love old songs thanks again for sharing!

NR said...

The situation is really scary...i totally agree with u that the kit should b available to the local doctors, every seconds seems precious .

ZB said...

scary, but nothing to panic. Swine flue is like any other flue. Follow hygiene, wash your hands with soap( and preferably Alcohol based hand sanitizer) and donot touch your face or nose without washing hands properly.

Actually the fear is more dangerous than the flue itself. My wife is now refusing to join me next month, saying she doesnt want to travel with the baby in a closed space(plane). I am convincing her with my fandas, which i shared in the above paragraph.Dont worry. :))

mathew said...

In my office there is a circular already out to avoid handshakes...i fully understand the frustration you are feeling..

SJ said...

aiooo very scary :(

Sakshi said...

You scared the shit out of me. But thanks a ton for waking up the paranoid mother in me. Will be extra careful with my son now. Hope this flu flies off to outer space soon...Amen!

BK Chowla, said...

Sujata,it was very scary.I really do not know what will happen if this turns out to be a reality.It shows how much faith we have in our Government and the system of Governance.

Nona said...

Good writing! The lack of antidotes in every possible outlet is also causing panic!

Meira said...

good lord! You know...it might be a true story...with the authorities not being prepared!
But I do believe that if we eat well and take precautions, we can fight it!

Sumandebray said...

I thought it was true ... I know there is a panic situation in Muscat as the ISM and other Indian schools have been asked to remain closed while other will reopen... (I thought it was a bit unfair though)
But in such situation I would try to recall a slogan that we use to hear in earlier days “gujab e kaan deben na; gujab rotaben na"... kind of true and same thing applies to panic or else it puts unnecessary pressure on the system while it is already struggling to keep up. This might put genuine patients at
I was in Kolkata last week and found that people are relaxed while the media is trying to cash in from this situation with breaking news and quarter page illustrations!
But people are confident and I honestly hope they are not complacent

sujata sengupta said...

@Aparna..I have been hovering on the verge of paranoia for the last few days, its really frustrating tha I cant get my kids tested at our paediatrician, and the ministry just has a single window operation system. The flu is catching on real fast esp after the vacations.

@Bhavya.B I think the situation is getting out of hand

@Ramesh this is not completely fiction you know..there are small girls in the ICU. But drinking water and keeping ourselves hydrated is a very good antidote(wink)

@Amrit shit man shit!!

@Kavi the part of the world I am in..there is no freedom of press, so nothing gets shown on TV niether does anything get printed on paper apart from how many decrees the sultan issued. So there is no news of swineflu, but my kids and their friends have fever and I am finding it tough getting them tested for the flu, and in my child's school there are many positive cases that have been detected. But as to the actual statistics..we are unaware.

@Purnima masks are out of stock here, all the kids are wearing them to school, yesterday I hunted 10 med stores for the particular type of mask that is reccomended, but they all said, its out of stock. I hope this thing dies down fast.

@Shaye, they are prescribing Tamiflu here as well, but its not available with our community doctors, niether is the testing kit. Tamiflu is being rationed they say because if you take this drug without actually having the swine flu, you end up building resistance to the drug, so later if you do get the flu, this wont work. Thats ok, I dont want the drug over the counter, I want the chance that each mother can calmly take her kids to her own doctor and get the child tested. I dont know why this is proving such a big thing to ask for. Homeopathy says it has a cure, but I really dont have much patience with homeopathy. Building up the immunity is the only thing I guess.

sujata sengupta said...

@Anil thanks esp bacchon se aap baar baar haath nahi dhulva sakte, naa hi woh mask pehen ke rakhte hain..aur immunity bhi kam hoti hai..

@Kishore I dont think I am over reacting, the situation is getting worse by the hour, I just want the local doctors to be able to test a child as soon as possible, its not too much to ask for is it? Children are getting fevers as high as 104 and in the desert dehydrated conditions the fever gets really bad.

@JD lets hope we get more kits to test the flu.

@Nikki masks are out of stock here.

@Hopeless Romantic I can understand the concern, really bad time to travel, esp the planes and the airports are sacry places. Thanks for liking the music and the comment to your post.

@NR yah just the kit with all doctors..is that too much to ask?

@ZB better to let your wife have her say in this, the mom always knows the best..might not be physics..but as far as her child is concerned she knows whats best!!

@Mathew circulars of various dos and donts are floating everywhere, most have contradicting material printed on them too. But better no handshakes

@SJ you scared me witless with your out of service post..so I came up with this!!

@Sakshi aka buddhi 007 am sure you will kick the flu to outer space yourself.

@BK Chowla what is fiction for me today is reality for many mothers here.

@Nona antidotes need to be controlled as they are building up resistance in the body and if you later get the flu the meds are not working, i have nothing against keeping the meds under control, but why the kit? Why cant I go to my doctor and get myself or my kids tested?

@Meira, I hope that good food, hydration and rest really helps..its like doing what mom always told you to do!! Btw can you please send me your new poage link again, I have lost it.

Deeps said...

Oh Sujata I have tears in my eyes after reading your post. Whenever I find a mention of children,I getvery emotional.I tried to actually visualize my daughter in place of the two children and it gave me shivers!
Why ever is the ministry or concerned authorities treating this issue so callously??They are making all kinds of hue and cry about it but at the same time acting unreasonably stupid.

Its really sad!

Deeps said...

I had wanted to tell you how amazing your header looks when I dropped by the page,but after reading the post,I'm seriously not in that frame of mind...so sorry sujata! Your post shook me virtually!

Gayathri said...

omg..is that totally fictional or..??i desperately wished you ended with a negative test result..

eye-in-sty-in said...

ah! Another one where you cry "wolf" !

It did get my blood pumping and temper soaring. Very well written. While I think the concern is genuine, the ministry is also right in its own way. If masks are given to every1, people will throw the used masks in the streets! If the meds are available everywhere, parents who think their wards are affected will start shoving the tabs down the children's throats! Result, the bug will spread thru carelessly discarded masks and the bug will mutate developing resistance to the meds! More people will get affected and there will be more casualties.

Arun Meethale Chirakkal said...

I’ve this feeling that I have developed some of the symptoms of ‘swine flu’, thanks to the
generous dose of information, the dos and the don’ts including, provided by the newspapers. Let’s hope the pandemic won’t claim any more lives and will be tackled effectively.

ANjaLI said...

stop worrying it's really nothing that can happen to our children. but it wud be better if they actually did have the kits in private hospitals.....chk out my blog whn u get the time....i am just gonna start on sat

Onward said...

Wow...now thats imagination!! But u know u r absolutely right...the disease is not an epidemic yet but considering the severity of the disease, its high time more kits were made available...the ministry really needs to think on its feet now...

Great story Su..for all the families out there..lets hope it stays that way...a fictional story

luv
amith

Gymnast said...

Actually yea, its pretty
scary..this swine flu business.

Especially for people like me who are forced to eat food everyday from outside and travel in crowded trains with a million people crashing in on you all the time.

Its scary.

G S Pillai said...

Firstly, what may be the right thing to do at the level of the individual, may not be the best thing to do keeping larger interests of society in mind. For eg, whereas the best thing apparently would be to give the drug (Tamiflu) to all suspects, it runs the risk of developing resistance if given to those not needing it. This would leave us helpless to fight the disease, as there is no other drug proved to be effective.

It would definitely be good idea to have easier diagnosis possible, but this being a new disease, it is impractical to expect govts across the world to be prepared with diagnostic kits that too in sufficient no for entire population, well in advance. But easier diagnosis should not dilute the quality control of diagnosis, meaning not missing a true case, and not giving a 'false positive', which would again fail the point of the whole exercise.

It is also important not to give in to mass panic. For eg, it may be a good idea to avoid public places, but we still need doctors and drivers going about their jobs. Now its one thing to have your loved one skipping work in favour of safety, quite another to have someone refusing to serve your loved one because he cant take the risk.

Its sad, its scary. But that's the way it is.

sujata sengupta said...

@SumanDebRay first of all welcome back to the gulf..hope the cal trip was great, I was wondering where you were. Now the topic of the flu, I just want more kits and easy access to diagnosis, ISM here has more than 50 children in each section. The numbers in this school are unmanageable. There are 11 cases detected positive including a teacher in the school, after a lot of hue and cry the school has been declared closed from today till the 21st of this month. Tamiflu is a drug thats causing resistance if given to people whoi do not have the swine flu, I am not asking for the drug over the counter, I am asking to be tested when I or my family has high fever and flu symptoms. I hope calcutta stays away from this, because if it reaches there managing would be hell.

@Deeps There are mothers out there who are going through this, just like I say, today whats fiction for us is a reality in some home.

@Gayathri stories might have happy endings, but the kids who are dying in Pune their lives are not getting the wished for ending. It is not totally fictional, I could not get my daughter tested for the flu, inspite of her having fever and headaches and lack of appetite, shes better now but there are many kids here who go to the test centre each day and wait for almost the entire day to get tested, There are 50 new cases detected in the last two days here.

@eye-in-sty-in I dont want masks, I dont want meds, I can understand those issues, I want diagnosis made easier, I want the community doctors and clinics to have the kit to test a patient.

@Arun Meethale Chirakkal I am hoping so too.

@Anjali welcome to the page, hope to see you around, My worry is genuine and I will worry till kits are made available at clinics. I do not have the link to your page, clicking on your name is not leading anywhere am sorry.

@अर्शिया अली thanks and you are welcome here.

@Aw.S.M thanks,ISM has closed as of today till the 21st after much debate.

@Gymnast I can understand what you are going through, take care.

@Blubird I ws waiting for a doctor's viewpoint and here it is. I am not debating the issue of Tamiflu, I know it develops resistance and needs to be given under strict supervision, I am just wanting more kits made avaialble, its not that difficult, the flu has been here for more than 3 months now. Why is it stil so hard to get yourself diagnosed?

Suraj said...

You do make the readers of your blog travel quiet a lot...with your last article i was all happily riding my bicycle with my cousin and this article of yours really worries me especially with so many people around me sneezing all the time aaaachhoooooo, did i just got infected ?

nsiyer said...

Nice one!The flu is a commercial invention. I wont be surprised thatit is being financed by pharma companies and otherparties with vested interests.

G S Pillai said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
G S Pillai said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
G S Pillai said...

We deal with a new situation based on our experiences with an old or existing problem, dont we? This is even more true of govts and the beurocracy that runs it. In the case of TB, govt of India has had a bad experience allowing diagnosis from private labs. A lot of cases were missed, and in some cases treatment given to people not needing it. I have heard a particular (real) story in which a technician offered to classify a healthy patient as infected, in exchange for a bribe, who will then get 'costly medicines' free. I attended a conference on Swine flu (which, incidentally, is NOT spread by pigs) a while ago, and one of the core areas of concern identified was that in the event of the disease becoming widespread among general public, then the affluent sections might try and hoard the drug interfering with principle of equitable distribution.
The solution then may be labs in public sector, or private sector under direct supervision of health inspectors.
And yes, three months is a lot of time in the right hands, but we are a country that, as a rule, chooses to turn a blind eye to problems until they become insurmountable monsters. For the first 2 months the disease was thought of as benign and 'flu-like', complete cure being the rule even without treatment. The medical profession had been warning all along that the virus H1N1 could undergo a mutation, which might render it lethal, but I gather govts have been used to ignoring doomsday reports by scientists. I share your concern about the disease reaching our metros and affecting the general population. Our health services are already stretched so thin, that a pandemic may well be the last straw.

Crazy Four said...

Let's just hope for the best...and keep our fingers crossed!!!

Tall Guy said...

The problem with swine flu is that the symptoms are same as the normal flu so one has to make sure that they are treating the right ailment.

Doctors are in a tight spot as they don't want to end up giving wrong medication.

The situation is bad and one must not panic.

Anonymous said...

OMG! Imagine me strangling you. You scared me!!!!

I know its a bad situation. And its getting worser by the minute. What to do!

Onward said...

ISM closed? wow!!...thats where i studied!!...swine flu is that bad kya?

sujata sengupta said...

Suraj wear that goddamned mask!!

@Nsiyer maybe it is a commercial thing and pharma companies have promoted it..but it is taking a serious shape now.

@Bluebird I really appreciate you coming back with your inputs. The situation here is that the private clinics dont have access to any diagnosis kit, the govt has put up health centres to do the test, but the number of cases are too huge and already beyond control, so the health centre is giving tamiflu to Indians with clinical symptoms without doing the test. The test is being carried out for Omanis alone and some western expats. I think this is pathetic. I am just at a loss as a mother as to what to do..and also there has been a death of a school student here following which the schools have been declared closed for 10 days.

sujata sengupta said...

@crazyfour my fingers are crossed. Welcome to this page. Hope to see you again here.

@Survivor exactly, thats why we need more diagnostic kits made available to us.

@Jyothi I did imagine you strangling me..you know my imagination does run wild!! But its a very scary situation

@Aw.S.M its worse than bad, one ISM student has already died of it yesterday.

Pesto Sauce said...

Spreading in Gurgaon too and am scared....did not know Oman also is badly hit, but I thought services to be better there

G S Pillai said...

It is definitely not a sound practice to do the test on only one subset of the population and not on others. Not only is it unethical, but its also positively dangerous to all sections of society.

The only rationale possible behind this, suppossing your information is correct, is that the pandemic has reached the general population, wherein the protocol is to administer the drug to anyone with symptoms, without waiting for definitive diagnosis. But even then I dont understand why it would reach the general population of one subset, but be contained in another group: Unless there are specific as yet unidentified factors that make the disease more likely in one group and less in another. In plain words: beats me.

One more thing. I know this is YOUR blog and I am just a visitor and all, and I really have no business interfering in your conversation with anyone else, but I still find someone's suggestion here that the whole exercise is a corporate conspiracy hard to put up with. I can only see that as a way of coping - through denial: denial that we may have a problem at our hands that we are not masters of.

Rush said...

Holy crap!! this is the situation?
and they say come winters..the flu may have a widespread effect than in summers?
Have tulsi chai ;)

Rush said...

anil was complaining of fever and headache after our hiking trip...gave him some homeopathy meds and i am regular with the tulsiwater...hes fine now.
It didnt even strike me for once!!
will be more cautious now...u r a great storyteller, u shud think of publishing (serious)

Urmi said...

Good post.People are very much panicked as the disease is spreading.You will be surprised to hear that 4 people died in Townsville.So we are also scared.Specially the children gets affected more quickly.So everybody should take care.

Rajesh said...

Even though this is just friction, I don't think reality is any different from this. Worst part is, some people try to make whatever money they can by selling the medicines at a premium. Just for few extra bucks they are not hesitant to play with the life of the people (mostly kids).

sujata sengupta said...

@pesto Sauce better take care and get the immunity high..thats the only option.

@BlueBird You have the right to put your views up on my blog. So say your mind.

@Rush Tulsi rocks!!

@Babli I have heard that Australia is one of the badly affected countries take care.

@Rajesh not only medecines, masks and sanitizers are all being price hiked.

Ire said...

Hope everything is good with you guys!

Take care!

Deepanjan Ghosh said...

The office upstairs from ours has had 5 people testing positive for swine flu. We're on a crazy disinfection drive. I don't anyone in the history of medicine has gone through hand disinfectants as fast as we are. Scary times!

aquariius said...

i just stumbled across your blog today and omg, what a first post to read! it was very vivid and too close for comfort...

here in kuwait there are 500+ cases and it will only go up as the vacationers return before ramadan and school season...i am dreading it.

but im thinking in this 50+ C heat maybe the virus will not survive for too long... :)

R. Ramesh said...

Su, what tall claim yar, "I dont nag." let yr hubby say that..lol...hey thanks yar for passing by..cheers and best wishes

SG said...

Nice post. Don't we feel like taking a gun and shoot the heck out of some doctors and government babus?

pradipwritenow said...

I do not know why the test for this is to be restricted when a late detection could be fatal. The test kit should be made available because a single source may not be able to cater.

Santanu Sinha Chaudhuri said...

Your story is less about the disease and more about bureaucratic apathy and inefficiency that make life difficult for ordinary citizens everywhere. The basic pattern is the same, only the degree varies.

The point has been made most effectively.

sujata sengupta said...

@Double Dolphin sanatizers and masks are being sold at a premium and also being hoarded, i think these need to be controlled more than diagnostic kits!

@Aquarius thanks for writing in. You are welcome to this page. Do you run a blog too? Here the cases have crossed 350, Even we are hopeful that the high temperature and lack of moisture in the air wonty let the virus survive for long.

@Ramesh not a tall claim at all..he doesnt read the blog..do I complain/nag? I dont!! Leave a guy alone is my policy..

@SG thanks for writing in. Yes at times I do feel like shouting at the red tape and beauracracy and the miles of forms that need to be filled to move just an inch.


@Pradipda thats my point totally.


@Santanuda thank you.

aquariius said...

No, I don’t have a blog, hard-pressed for time :) wishing you a very happy independence day! Hope our beautiful country continues to prosper and develop!

kaalpanique said...

Hi Sujata,
I thought of visiting your blog to say thank you for your comments on my painting site and loved reading your writes.
Talking about swine flu, it is a scary situation. I have a 14 month old daughter and i realise how vulnerable she is. and all of us. Luckily i live in a small town in kerala but still... things are so vague. was watching NDTV yesterday where prannoy Roy was interviewing few doctors includign one from US and it feels like no big deal and yet people are dying includign children... It is worryign because i get the feeling that the value of a human life is far less rated in our country than say in US. A death in US is a big deal.. here thousands die and they are just headlines for a day and forgotton... Unfortunately we feel helpless in situations like this. Stay at home. and pray...Thats the best we can do....
I posted some more watercolors on "Strokes of passion". do visit when you have time.

ani_aset said...

uhh i dunno wat to say on this, to panic or to stay calm.The govt seems to be using this to divert all attention from horrible drought situation in the country as well. Saw some shows on news channels where even docs said that the situation is not serious and there is no need to panic.i just hoe things are in control sooner

Oceana said...

ohhh that was a fiction ??...i hold my breath till the last sentence ..the situation is sooo scary.. hope everything will go better soon

Aparna said...

Come and get your award from my blog.

2Shaye ♪♫ said...

Hey there! I just had to pop over to leave another funny. Hope you enjoy THIS video. Let me know if the humor transfers well. They're so silly...

kochuthresiamma p .j said...

has the situation improved? are testsmore easily accesible than before? the papers say so.