The Ugandan Medical Safari... Part I

Going to Uganda as a young medical graduate with a lot of enthusiasm to serve offered me an immense opportunity to grow as a doctor. There was plenty of work to do and a lot to learn at the same time. Soon after I was exposed to the patients there with routine and casualty duties I realized that I was inadequately prepared to handle them efficiently. The internship training period we had in India was not properly utilized, as the young medical doctors would feel elated, having finally qualified after slogging for so many years of rigorous theoretical education. Also, working as a House Surgeon did provide ample chance to handle patients but in that particular specialty only in which you are posted. 

The work in Ugandan hospitals in the seventies expected you to handle cases on your own especially while on emergency duties. This was really a very challenging task and required a sound practical knowledge and grit to tackle the patient.

Here, I found that the young Ugandan doctors were bolder and better prepared as they had already been exposed to cases like minor simple fractures, obstructed Hernias, hydrocoele, minor amputations, D and C, Caesarian sections etc. while in medical school. They would approach such cases with more confidence, whereas in our case we were rather timid or just not able to deal with the problem at hand. This was due to faulty or inept practical training and lack of serious attention to acquire skills on the part of interns or both. However, it was imperative to acquire greater practical skills in order to fit into that medical setup where medical facilities were few and there was a dearth of the specialists as in Uganda of those days.

In such situations, we had to handle the cases with our utmost and sincere abilities, and despite the challenges, the results were 80-90% good. It was sometimes a do or die situation: in case we didn't try to handle a complicated case, there were greater chances of fatality. Referring patients to higher centers was not always feasible most of the time due to lack of transport or fuel, or the sheer distance, or all the factors combined. If one took the plunge, generally the outcome, would be rewarding and greatly encouraging. I stayed in Uganda for 11 years and worked in hospitals like Tororo, Kapchorwa, Mubende, Hoima, Masaka and Mulago in Kampala. This gave me ample clinical work to practice my skills, learn on the job and draw a great satisfaction at the same time. Unfortunately this sojourn of mine (1970 to 1981) happened to coincide with the tyrannical and murderous regime of Idi Amin, a very trying period especially for Ugandans.

Kwaheri Uganda!

The summer time spent in India during April-June, 1980 was a harrowing experience especially for the children as they were not accustomed to the heat which is quite extreme in the months of May and June. We started our return journey and on arrival in Nairobi, thought of visiting my sister Kamla and his family in Lusaka, Zambia. So, we travelled to Lusaka by Kenya Airways and had a glimpse of relaxed and tension-free life in Zambia. It was also a good extension of our holiday. While we were there in Zambia, there was a welcome proposal for us to explore an opportunity to work in that country. It was a politically stable and peaceful country under the dynamic leadership of President Kenneth Kaunda, popularly known as KK, who advocated the philosophy of "Humanism". So I appeared for an interview there in the Ministry of Health and then we moved back to Kampala, Uganda, and resumed our duties in our respective workplaces.

At the time of renewal of work permit, I was informed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the permit could not be renewed as I had already enjoyed the privilege of staying and working in that country for 10 years which was the maximum limit. As such, we were expected to leave the country. Meanwhile, we were being issued three monthly short-term work permits to allow us time to make arrangements to return to India. On the contrary, the Ministry of Health was not very keen for me to leave, as they were really short of manpower those days. They promised to solve this tangle at their own level and told me to hold on. The main reason why people wanted to leave the country was general insecurity and unavailability or scarcity of essential goods. 

However, as we were contemplating our future course of action, I received an offer letter from Zambia. It gave us an option as well as time to plan out our strategy to exit Uganda. It was not an easy decision to make as we were so well entrenched in our work and life there. My wife Meenakshi was teaching Biochemistry at Makerere University, Uganda's most prestigious university, and I was working at Mulago Hospital, the country's biggest hospital. In fact, it was painful to end our beautiful relationship with Uganda. 

One fine day I presented my resignation letter to the Ministry of Health, routed through the Medical Superintendent of Mulago Hospital, Dr Jagwe. At first, he refused to accept it and asked me to go home and discuss with my wife and reconsider or reverse our plans. We had taken the decision after careful deliberation. After a lapse of 3-4 days, I once again presented my resignation letter which he accepted with regret and forwarded to the Ministry. Similarly, Makerere University did not want to lose Meenakshi, but had to relent.

We spent our last two days in Lake Victoria Hotel, Entebbe, before taking the flight home in July, 1981. We left after spending almost 11 youthful years in Uganda doing work energetically under the most trying conditions during Idi Amin's despotic rule. At the time of departure from Uganda, we had a very strong conviction that one day we will be back here once again as we had fallen in love with the Pearl of Africa. Despite our great desire, it hasn't materialised so far.

Strangely, our daughter Neelima who went to University of California, Berkeley, on a Fellowship, got the opportunity to visit Uganda for a project on coffee and climate change through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She was only 2-plus when we left Uganda and she went there in 2010 after about 30 years. Through her, we visited Uganda once again. She sent us photographs of Makerere, Mulago, Rubaga Hospital (where our son, Rajeev, was born) Masaka, Kapchorwa, Sipi Falls, Jinja and Mbale, all those nostalgic places where we had worked. She even visited our apartment in Quarry House of the Makerere University campus where we stayed for some years.

The Festival of Lights in the Middle Kingdom!

We are here in Beijing, China, on a holiday, with our daughter Neelima and her husband Maulik. It has been a very nice trip and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. It is always a great pleasure to be with children. 

It gives immense satisfaction that we can be of some assistance to them albeit for a short period, running a bit of their errands for which they can’t spare time in their very tight schedule. That is the usual pattern of life for the young couples when they are both so occupied with their work and fast pace of life. To give them a helping hand is really of utmost significance and relaxing. 

On their part they have taken us around Beijing showing us various places of interest, historically and culturally and to a far off place like Hangzhou too. The latter too is a very scenic and beautiful place with Buddha relics, a Buddha temple, estates growing the famous green tea on the slopes of the land with a nice lake – the focal point of attraction. 

It was a great time for us to be here with them as Diwali happened to be on Sunday, 3rd of November. We were looking forward to celebrating it with them.  Celebrating festivals in a foreign land is quite different, starkly different from what we would do in India, though the festive joy is no less. 

We improvised tea lights as diyas and they served the purpose very well in place of the traditional earthen diyas. Once the diyas were lit, we did puja in our own simple way as we always do and wish for the good health and the prosperity of all. 

The big difference was that there were no crackers, no noise, and no consequent air pollution arising out of the smoke, though otherwise, air quality in Beijing is generally quite poor.  Moreover, the noise of the crackers could bring about an unnecessary panic or confusion in the society here, who I presume, may not be accustomed to such celebrations. However, today, the use of crackers is increasingly being discouraged in India too, because of obvious hazards. 

Taj Pavilion, one of the Indian restaurants, here in Beijing was considerate enough to wish its regular clients like Neelima and Maulik a very Happy Diwali with a box of traditional Indian sweets which served us well for the occasion. 

Meenakshi's culinary skills were at their very best - a special meal cooked at home gave us a treat for Diwali in our own way. On the whole we enjoyed the Diwali with children after a long time. 

The Indian Embassy here did invite the members of the Indian community on Sunday, 10th November, over a Diwali dinner. Due to other commitments, we had to miss this occasion.

And this reminded me of my time in Africa. Several years back we had a very pleasant experience of celebrating Dussehra in Kampala, Uganda. Before the rise of Idi Amin, there was a very large, progressive and vibrant Indian community there, especially the Gujaratis. We used to have Garba dance for some days, just like we would have in India. The diaspora was so keen to participate in all the activities there with a great fervour.  The venue used to be the Hindu Temple. The great nostalgic memories of those days are still fresh in our minds. We did miss our kith and kin at such times when we are far away from them. No doubt that is an integral part of life.

Certainly, this was an enjoyable Diwali!

Some Quirky Chinese Beliefs & Taboos...!

It is very interesting and a good learning experience to know about the weird thinking of different communities and nations, how they conduct themselves. No particular community or nation is immune to this. The western and so-called developed nations have similar notions. 

No wonder we observed similar things in China!

We stay with our daughter Neelima here in Beijing in a multi-storey tower on the 12th floor.  As we took the lift very often to go up and down, we noticed that the floors 4 and 13 are missing. We learnt that people avoid taking any apartment with an address bearing number 4. Towers and the hotels avoid having floors and rooms with such numbers since the clients won’t take them.  The number “4” is an unlucky number in Chinese. It is a homonym for “death” or “to die”. For the same reason, numbers like “14” and “44” are also inauspicious and avoided. Some hotels in China now don’t have a 44th floor because many Chinese guests wouldn’t like to stay there.

The number “8”, on the other hand is a very lucky number. It sounds like the word “getting rich” in Chinese, especially Cantonese. Therefore, the business houses love to have “8” in part of their address or phone number. They believe that the usage of number “8” will bring them good luck and prosperity. In  fact, people spend a lot of money to get phone numbers or license plates that incorporate the number ”8”. Similarly, a real estate property with an “8” in its address will be in greater demand, and a vehicle bearing “8” in the license plate will signify that the owner has spent a fortune to procure it. A very similar thinking is noticeable in India where you may spend a huge  amount of money to get your desired number which you may think is going to be lucky for you.

The number “6” is also considered a favorable number. It sounds like the word “happiness” in Chinese. Beware of the number “38”; it is especially problematic when associated with women. In Chinese parlance, it can mean bitchy, bimbo-like, or shameless depending upon the context. Ironically, March 8, or 3/8, is the International Day of Women. It is a day when all Chinese women take a half day off from work. Stores and restaurants have special concessions for women on that day.

Big ears with thick and large ear lobes are considered auspicious signs and people who have those are thought to be very lucky in life. No wonder some of the great men like Gandhiji  and Obama do have big and prominent ear lobes and stand as a testimony to the belief  prevalent here in China. It is not to say that the greatness was thrust upon them. They did great things for the society to ameliorate their sufferings and earn a name for themselves.

One month long, post-birth rituals, or zuoyuezi, are the most well observed and well respected rituals in tradition. It literally means “sitting for the month” in Chinese. During this month, a new mother is not allowed outside of her house so that she won’t catch cold from the blowing wind. No shower or head bath to avoid headaches and arthritis in later life. However sponge baths are allowed. She has to follow a diet regime of lot of chicken or fish soup without any salt added to promote the production of breast milk. No television or reading of books or magazines allowed to protect her eyesight. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks even on hot days to protect from cold in joints. Similarly the use of air conditioners or fans is prohibited. It is pertinent to mention here that such rituals are very much in vogue in India too, more so in the smaller towns and other rural places. Even the metros aren't immune to all this. 

Modern education, great advancements in medical science and improved civic amenities in life are bringing about a lot of change in the lives of people everywhere. While an upwardly-mobile lifestyle with a broader outlook is gradually replacing the old, rigid and dogmatic views, some quirks are bound to stay here in China, as we have seen in India. 

On The Trails of Marco Polo.... Part II

The Leifeng Pagoda overlooking the city from Sunset Hill is another attraction in Hangzhou. Originally built in the year 977, all that remains of the original pagoda is the crumbling foundation, to be viewed from outside the glass case that it is housed in.

Leifeng Pagoda

The Pagoda Remains Memorial Museum is at the bottom floor of the pagoda. With escalators and elevators, a totally new pagoda sits on top of the foundation. There is not much to see within the pagoda itself. It was most recently rebuilt in year 2000. However, the view of the city skyline and the vast lake is one of the best from here. The reflection of the beautifully lit pagoda in the evening and night in the lake waters gives a good view to enjoy.

Pagoda view at dusk

A few miles outside Hangzhou, tucked away in the hills west of the West Lake, the world famous Lingyin temple, boasts of a history of 1,600 years and is home to the country’s largest statue of Sakyamuni, rising 24.8 meters into the sky. 

Lingyin, meaning “heart of the soul’s retreat”, is one of the three oldest and most famous temples in China. There are hundreds of Buddhist stone statues carved into the cliffs in the “Peak Flying from Afar”.  This depicts very clearly the influence of Buddhism there in China as in the rest of Southeast Asia. It is very much evident that the people here have a great reverence for Lord Buddha. They prostrate before Buddha with all the humility and respect. We were lucky to be there when the evening prayer, much like the Indian “arti”, was being performed by the monks. They were 80-100 in numbers and were going round and round for about half an hour in three rows around the massive statue of Buddha humming a very soothing prayer. All of us (the visitors) were watching and soaking all this to our memories.

Monks prostating

Monks doing their aarti

Hangzhou is also known as the “China’s Tea Capital”. The Longjing tea is one of the most famous teas in China. It is a green tea, enjoyed by all here and taken several times a day. The green tea is hand plucked.  The tea plucked in the month of March is most expensive while the one plucked in April and May is a little cheaper.

Longjing tea gardens

Longjing tea, a kind of green tea

We enjoyed the tea at a local farmer’s house in Longjing village after visiting the tea gardens there on the slopes of the hill. The restaurants there were doing a roaring business. The city is also a blessed land of silk and sericulture with a China Silk Museum, China silk town and Du Jinsheng Embroidery Museum. Hangzhou is also famous for pearls after green tea and silk.

On The Trails of Marco Polo.... Part I

This is our second visit to China, and after going around Beijing, seeing the beautiful Beijing Capital Museum, Confucius temple and Art Galleries in 798, Neelima and Maulik planned a visit to the beautiful city of Hangzhou in the southeast of China. 

Hangzhou is a main city of the Yangtze River Delta. Located on the Hangzhou Bay, it's barely180 kilometres southwest of Shanghai. For over a 1000 years, Hangzhou had been one of the most powerful and prosperous cities of China, in part also due to its beautiful natural scenery. Hangzhou was the capital of China in olden days, before it was shifted to Beijing. 

The Venetian merchant Marco Polo supposedly visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century. He referred to the city as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world....The number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof."

The renowned 14th century Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta visited Hangzhou and said it was "the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth."

Today Hangzhou is one of the most important tourist cities in China, famous for its natural beauty and historical and cultural heritages.  

A two hour morning flight to the city from Beijing by Air China was smooth with a vegetarian breakfast (by choice) served on board was refreshing. On arrival at the airport, it was a revelation that the airport is quite big, sleek and modern with all the amenities and handles domestic and international flights, including flights to Delhi(!) on Ethiopian Airlines.

The temperature outside was pleasant, at around 17 degree Celsius. We stayed at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, and we were surprised to learn that its Chinese nomenclature Hai Hua Hotel was also inscribed along with. Perhaps it is customary here to give everybody a Chinese name, including the persons who come here to work.

Hangzhou is a modern, well planned city with wide roads, side roads, lanes for the cyclists and zebra crossings for the pedestrians. Tree plantations along the roads are a treat for the eyes and enhance the beauty. A very pleasant sweet scent drifts from the gold petals of Osmanthus flowers over miles, making it ideal for some quiet reflection. As long as you walk around, the enchanting aroma will linger on.

The city is blessed with the West Lake, Xi Hu (pronounced ‘she who’), measuring almost 3 Km by 3 Km. It is the most famous scenic sight. Within the lake area itself are various islands and causeways, while the shores are home to endless parks. “A voyage on this lake offers more refreshment and pleasure than any other experience on earth...,” so said Marco Polo.

A visit to the Xixi National Wetlands Park is a great way to see birds and other wildlife. The birds are especially beautiful and varied.

A boat ride in the park is an exhilarating experience with stoppages at the islets where you can have local fruit, like the fiery red Persimmon from the vendors. A walk around the lake or a ride on bicycle on well-maintained pavements and tracks is memorable, especially in the morning, when people of all ages, children, young adults,  middle-aged and senior citizens are roaming around the lake, taking a walk or doing various types of exercises, practicing tai chi or martial arts or yoga and even dancing.

People doing Tai chi on the banks of lake Xi Hu

There were others who were enjoying and passing their time playing cards. We saw that some people had brought their own food and the vendors were there selling breakfast snacks.

Local fruit, including Buddha's hand

A boat on the lake

Another curious observation was that some old people with long paint brushes and a can of water were busy doing calligraphy on the tiled floor. Since water is used instead of paint, it has a short life. Communication was a barrier because of the language problem, but it was apparent that they were indulging in some sombre thoughts or contemplating over the wise sayings of the saints. Everyone was completely relaxed and appeared to be happy go lucky by nature. The cool temperatures of the morning with all the varied activities on the shores of the lake were a great experience for us to relax and carry good memories with us.

The evening visit to the lake gave another glimpse of its beauty. There is a musical fountain. Rising about 100 meters into the sky, the fountain is a perfect combination of light, water and a fine collection of musical masterpieces.

A beautiful view of musical fountain on lake Xi Hu

It is best appreciated at night, when the colourful streams shoot into the sky accompanied by beautiful music and giving the feeling of dancing waters. The crowds wait anxiously for the fountains and it is a beauty worth a visit once one is in the city.

The Ritual of Getting Through "Customs"....

While working in Uganda with the Ministry of Health, as a doctor, I used to go home to India on leave to India almost every two years. That privilege was often soured by the fear of passing through the Indian Customs, quite ill-reputed in the seventies and eighties. They were known for harassing genuine travellers as well who were not smugglers or illicit drug traffickers. The customs officials generally are very smart with hawkish and penetrating eyes, trained to spot smugglers through their peculiar behaviour and suspicious movements.

As the journey came to an end and we neared India, almost all of us got nervous and panicky. I was reminded of those old days when we had to clear our MBBS professional exams and had to pass through so many examiners, especially for viva-voce. They would enjoy pulling our leg for sheer amusement, which would be very embarrassing and traumatic for the examinee. It is pertinent to mention here that not all the examiners were of that temperament.

Needless to say those were the days of scarcities in Uganda during the regime of Idi Amin. Still, as we headed home, we had to carry a few gifts for the family. It was a dilemma to select items for taking home, when everyone would prefer to have ‘imported’ electronic items, which was such a big craze in India at that time. Under such conditions, it was really difficult to do justice with the choice and the high prices and to satisfy the recipients of the few available items. However, all those are side effects of staying and working outside in a ‘phoren’ land. This was also noticeable that one could not avoid all this. The expectations from NRIs are very high, no matter where they live and work and under what conditions.

Once as we were returning to India and were asked to declare what dutiable items we were carrying, I did mention about a camera. The customs official started probing the hand baggage and came across a toy camera that our children used to play with. He got so pissed off that stopped searching further. In fact, he was rather annoyed with us thinking that we were making a fool of him. The fact was that our recent acquisition, an Asahi Pentax, was in the same bag which he really missed as he thought it was a waste of time to look further, and searching another traveller would be a good and rewarding option.

On another occasion, we were in transit to India for onward journey to Zambia after a few days. We were carrying a black and white NEC TV with FM radio (two in one), which was supposed to be endorsed on the passport to be exported to Zambia on our further journey. The customs people were more concerned if we decided not to take it with us to Zambia. Now the young custom official wanted to ascertain if it was a colour TV since it was not mentioned on its carton. He was told that it was only black and white, but he won’t take our word, and we told him to switch it on and see for himself. On that he consulted his superior, seasoned and more experienced officer who agreed with us and let us go.

On our finally leaving Zambia for good in 1987, we moved with our household goods on transfer of residence. The boxes were a part of unaccompanied baggage, may be 8 or 10 in number. Once they arrived in Delhi, we went for its custom clearance. The custom official wanted to know the contents of the various boxes. We explained they contained household effects, kitchen ware, my medical books, and the kids’ books and toys, etc. He was also duly informed that we were returning after 17 years of service abroad. Now to make sure of the authenticity of our statement, he wanted to see things for himself. On his asking, one of the boxes of his choice was opened for him to see the contents physically. He further questioned about things in other boxes. He was told that those also contained similar household items or books and toys for children. 

The official seemed to be more frustrated than us to find that we had not brought any electronic goods worth the name for which we could be charged the custom duty. That is the occasion which gave us a sense of guilt when he commented that after 17 years of stay outside we returned with this stuff only. On the contrary, we had an immense sense of satisfaction that wherever we worked, we rendered our best and had a great job satisfaction. Our employers, the Ministry of Education (in the case of my wife), and Ministry of Health did not want us to go. They were of the opinion that we had rendered a useful service to the people there and were still capable of doing that. That was our greatest ‘wealth’  which we valued more than the materialistic possessions  we lacked.