The season of Cashew fruit

I am reminded of my childhood when cashew was a cash crops that people cultivated in every space in their property. 

The coconut palms which has replaced cashews in the recent years were uncommon then. My parens had about thirty cashew trees in our property which yielded abundantly in each season. 

During the summer holidays of April and may, it was my morning routine to gather the fruits from the trees by plucking them with long bamboo poles which had a hook at the end. I remember fooling my parents by climbing the trees to pluck them, which was forbidden. OI did not escape from being caught! I was denied to be outdoor for two days on one occasion!

The cashews were separated from the fruit for drying and the fruit was given to the cows which they relished. They ate them like a desert. 

My mother used to make fire and roast the cashew nuts. I often to remove the shell to gather the nuts form inside. That was our desert after dinner every evening for months. In fact we had several kilograms of cashews that we gave away some to friends who visited us. 

From the pulp of the fruit, Anna made juice this time, which tasted great. 

It is the third year that we have cashew fruits in our two trees, which we planted about five years back. For Anna, it is a great delight to see fruits in different trees that we planted in our garden since we started living here nine years ago. 

I wonder about the habit of living in farm land! There are farms which are well kept with regard de-weeding the land and fertilising the plants and trees. Ours is not of that standard since the gardener had to be discontinued due to his inconsistent work. 

A farm land is a sign of great hope because plants and trees give their fruits in due season. The away we invest on the land is the way it yields.  

This is a season of desert for people in India with the second wave of COVID. 

It is a call to be mindful of others beyond the usual! It is one time when everyone is our neighbour! It is the time to spread our goodwill till it costs us!

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)

 

A Bird nest in an electric post !

I stopped at a place where I look for bird movements during my way back home from the hospital. I noticed a Myna flying out from the hollow in an electric post. Soon thereafter anthte Myna descended in to the hollow. I waited to catch these two birds arriving and departing. 

As I stood watching this sight, others passing by too joined to see this interesting sight. 

What held my attention was the ingenuity of this bird family. It found a safe place for nesting. One of them was in the vicinity, while the other was away bringing food to feed the young birds in the nest.  

What was heavy on my mind as I drove home from the hospital was the visuals in the screen of how people with COVID 19 were waiting outside the hospitals in New Delhi. Some people came with oxygen cylinders for admission and others waiting in the hope of getting admitted who also needed oxygen! It was a sight of distress to say the least. 

But for this sight of the birds finding their home, I would have arrived home sad and confused!

The sight of the birds revived my spirit!  Jesus of Nazareth spoke to His followers about God, who provides for the birds of the air who do not sow or reap. Help my unbelief, My God, to trust that you would provide for those who are breathless! 

I have not seen such a situation of health related distress spread widely in our country! The international community is awake to the reality! We in India ares till comprehending it and I hope more action would follow!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Road side gardens!

I decided one  morning on my way to hospital, to take photos of plants or flowers I notice at the compound wall or outside it on the properties along my way. It was large collection. Let me present some of them here as the sights can take away of the monotony of the routine. Although a twenty minutes travel ended in an hour, I felt enthused to create a gallery of the flowers from which I chose above.

It is common to have plants and flowers on the compound wall or outside it in many houses. It is a way of greeting travellers. 

I was stopped by some to find why I was ophotogrptahing the flowers, which gave me an opportunity to enquire why they cultivate plants on the hedges or in pots. Everyone of then told me, it is a way of welcoming and greeting visitors and travellers. 

It is since these conversations, I have taken more interest to watch the sights on either side of the road. It is no more a travel along a road to reach my destination, but celebrating the journey remembering the efforts of others to create something beautiful for strangers on the road. 

Those who can think of strangers and create space to remember them, express an altruism that we desperately need. 

I got stranded yesterday with an error showing on the screen in the car. It happened next to a car sale outlet. The mechanic was cordial and needed the car to be left for inspection overnight. They on their own arranged for dropping me home in an auto rickshaw.

A touching gesture, when I was lost a bit! 

Showing gestures of mindfulness to strangers is an expression of kindness, but it is beyond that. Strangers are without friends on the spot, when they are caught unaware in a situation of need. 

I went home thinking once again of the flowers that are offered on the roadside to strangers travelling on the roads. 

M.C.Mathew(text adze photo)

A sight in our garden!

Now that the nutmegs are almost ready for harvest, the fruits hang like this, split open! Most of them drop in the wind. It is therefore easy to gather. 

My parents planted them about fifty years back. Although we are left with about 20 of them out of the fifty they planted, they yield bountifully. 

I remember my parents choosing the nutmeg saplings because they have a long life span of yielding fruits. 

I received a request to be associated with a department in. aMedical College that is seriously involved in bringing lifestyle issues to patients to make wellness more holistic. I thought that is a lasting investment the department would offer for more than one generation. 

The greatest disorder I find in my interviews with parents is with regard to the sleep hygiene practices of children. During an interview with 25 parents who visited us in one week, 82 percent of parents make children sleep when the adults go to sleep, which sometimes was at 11 pm. Most children had only six or seven hours of sleep. 

I felt disturbed that parents do not think of the long term impact of inattention, irritability, loss of memory, fatigue, etc that set in with sleep debt in children.  

The wellness is not in the agenda of parents. They take care of children well but their casualness in letting children watch TV or use the mobile phones or let them sleep late. These are some of the parenting practices I feel disturbed about. 

Out of the 15 ICMR projects we did with medical students, nine were on issues related to sleep in children. 

Invest with long term plans for the wellness of children!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A fruit for livelihood!

I read in the news paper yesterday that farmers who live in and around Palani in Tamil Nadu, who have plenty of Guava fruits to sell fetch only rupees 15 per kilogram in the local market.   They can fetch upto 120 rupees for kilogram in Kerala. So they hire a van and bring farm workers to sell this fruit in the high ways form Palakkad to Ernakulum. They travel in the night to come and spend the day selling the fruits and return in the night to after another 48 hours. They do this for about three months till the monsoon sets in. 

Now with the pandemic making the road traffic restricted at night, these farmers are yet another group who would lose their income for livelihood. 

The direct purchase of the fruits by factories has suffered with demand going down for juice, jam, pulp, etc made from this fruit. 

When Anna and I look at the two Guava trees in our garden and relish the fruit as a desert, we seldom think of the farmers who have this as their main crash crops in their farms. It is a fruit tree which needs least attention. 

I remember noticing acres of Guava farms on either side of the high ways, while travelling in the Dindigul and Trichi districts of Tamil Nadu. 

Life has become stressful for farmers. Even after six months of protests in New Delhi, the government has not yet thought about the stress the farmers face in their lives!

The least among us do not get enough attention. 

A family from Assam with their son having intractable seizure came yesterday and I felt lost as I listened to their story. They neither have the resources or know how to take care of their son. But a group of post graduates took some initiative to help that family. I felt touched by their spontaneity! They bought clothes for the child and made arrangements for medicines for the next three months. 

I feel that there is just as much of poverty as it was when I was growing up!

I wish that more people would come forward to feel the pain of others and be involved with them. 

 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A friendly Bulbul!

I found this Bulbul in the garden in front of our cottage and waited for me to take a few pictures before it was disturbed by a Magpie Robin and moved out of sight. It's look in all directions seems to be its second nature. It's alertness struck me. 

I have recently thought about sleep walking. Only when some one would turn to me and greeted , I would be aware of someone passing by! Now that most of us wear masks, we might even miss someone who is familiar to us. 

Even otherwise, it is likely that we pass by people and fail to wish them or enquire of them. 

As students wear uniforms sometimes I see the movements of students in groups and fail to notice their faces, unless they stop me by their greetings. 

Staying alert and be aware of people who pass us by in the corridors is a good habit for communication and conversation. 

What surprised me was the 360 degree view of its surrounding that this Bulbul had in spite of my presence in its presence with the camera. 

The physical distancing and avoiding social contacts, which is part of the profile of behaviour we have been made to practice could make us lonely and less thoughtful!

Others become potentially a source of infection and we are forced to avoid it!

I enquired if telephoning and texting have become more common to stay in touch. I do not get that message. 

The con sequencing is 'social distancing' which is what is advocated during this pandemic.

Let me argue for the opposite. Be more active socially by using phone, messaging, zoom meetings, etc.

We need to stay mindful of our neighbours. No pandemic can make us strangers to each other. 

I suggest that the habit of writing letters, telephoning and messaging be given even more importance in our daily plan!  

We miss out in giving and receiving if we withdraw from being in touch!  

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A new visitor!

 

A parakeet who occupied the site soon after a pair of Kingfishers vacated it! It was about 300 meters away form our garden! 

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Farewell batch of 2015 !

Anna and I got to know some friends from 2015 batch of medical students and three of them who joined our foster family became rather special, Samuel, Neville and Christina (not in the picture)

These three got involved with us in different ways. Samuel spent a month as a visitor-observer during his holidays in the department of Developmental Paediatrics and Child neurology. He along with Neville organised a staff-student badminton match for the department. Christiana took forward a clinical study on sleep monitoring in developmentally challenged children and educated parents on step hygiene. They were frequent visitors to meet Anna and myself for conversations. 

They finished their internship last week and are about to set out in their professional journey in higher education. 

Anna and I remember them as those who carried a sense of responsibility and accountability in whatever they did. They along with few others in their class stood out as those who embraced the vocation of medicine by expressing their diligence and sense of altruism. We remember them going out of their way to help people stranded during a flood which made many needing shelter and care for a week or more. They were motivators and role models. Sa teh pmuel excelled academically and played foot ball and basket ball in the college team. Neville became the student's union leader and Christiana edited the college magazine for a year. Hoe fulfilled was to know them and watch them grow and become adults ready to go on in life as those who are developing into leaders and role models!

Well doen trends! You shall remain in our thoughts. Anna and wish all three of you our good wishes for fulfilling years in the practice of medicine! We hope that our paths would cross again!

We would have had a farewell get-together but for the second surge of COVID19, which imposes restrictions on us to meet!

We send you the following flowers from MOSC campus, as a token of our kind thoughts and  warm regards for you!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

The dance of Kingfishers

On a cloudy Sunday morning, about three hundred meters away in our garden, there was a captivating sight that held my attention for a while!

It was a romantic time for these two Kingfishers, at the end of which I noticed one of them gathering strands of coconut palm leaves for their nesting! 

It was a cloudy and dull morning with sun behind the clouds.  But they were at their best in celebrating their mission of togetherness. 

The second or third wave of COVID 19 consumes the attention of most people, generating fear and uncertainty. I had three telephone calls yesterday reminding me of the risk of going to hospital and continuing the clinical work. There is some truth in it. 

But the song of hope and purpose shall arise from our inner being! The circumstances do affect the wellness within. But the Kingfishers defied that logic. They were free to celebrate their togetherness and found the magic of belonging good enough, amidst the gloom of a cloudy morning. 

I found taking these pictures difficult in low light; but whatever I was able to take gave me a feeling of hope that transcends difficulties or fear!

I was thinking of millions of school going children who have been denied of the joy of togetherness and fun of learning and playing for one school year now, threatening to go on to another school year!

We are a divided society with multiple influences coming upon us. I deeply regret that the Prime Minister of india has been so accusative of the Chief Minister of West Bengal during the ongoing election time, that it makes me wonder, as to from whom will come a voice of harmony at a distressing time such as this. Mr Derek O' Brien in a recent interview in the NDTV used so much of derogatory language to blame the Prime Minister, that I feel less hopeful of this country getting united to fight the corona virus!

That is why it was a pleasure and an uplifting experience to watch the Kingfishers making such a display of celebration and demonstration of togetherness!

Who is not our neighbour! Is not someone from another political party our neighbour! Is not someone from another denomination our neighbour! Is not someone from another discipline of medicine our neighbour! Is not someone who speaks ill of us our neighbour!

I watched these Kingfishers and wondered whether they were telling me that, 'Find being together as a mission'!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

Sunday Morning!

I waited for a long time for honey bees to arrive. But they did not! 

Flowers are also for them!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)

A Bulbul at the edge!

 

At the edge of a slender stem! The Bulbul balances with just one pair of its legs.

Yesterday, I heard the story of a family with five members sick at one time, three with COVID and two others due to ageing. The only working woman of the house was bearing the burden of this for the last three months. With her younger son showing behaviours of anxiety and stress she came to visit with no respite in sight for her. 

I hear similar stories frequently when families come to visit. It was this which prompted me to suggest to my colleagues about another effort to call all families who have visited us more than two times in a year and find out their state of wellness. A colleague prepared a list of sixty  people while scanning the visitors list for four months in 2019. We now have designed three questions and classified them into hierarchy of wellness to get a glimpse of the state of adjustment of families. 

With another surge of the pandemic in many places. the three groups of people who suffer most are families, work force, and health care professionals. 

To be at the edge in disappointment is a costly experience. 

A family in a conversation told me that they decided to turn the state of anxiety into a practical step of expressing solidarity with others. They do some baking  and deliver the goodies to families who live close by. During the Easter week end they had a virtual sing-song evening. 

The conversations have moved on from disappointing news to observations and discoveries between families. A family took the initiative to organise a virtual birth day get together for their daughter where the neighbours joined in enthusiastically. 

A pastor told me that the virtual meetings do not make much impact on his parishioners. He has been visiting people with due diligence. He felt the intensity of loneliness that people have felt. A family who ran a snack shop close to a college lived on the income from the sale. That is no more an income generating project now. They take orders for cakes and snacks and are engaged in home delivery. Yet they do not generate enough income for a four member family.

A neighbour needs about five thousand rupees for the expenses of his daughter to go to college every month. He being a mason has not been hired for many days at a stretch. His struggles are too many. 

I hear of community groups in some places who try to find help for people in need. With another long spell of the pandemic, people also would suffer from donor fatigue! 

The difficult times are not to seen in desperation. The difficult times give us an opportunity to find an alternative to live and help others. A college teacher decided to visit homes where a few students can gather to listen to his lecture rather than do it on Zoom. He does it in five different parts of the city. Since he started doing that students have a new level of enthusiasm. The teacher found that as a way of being in a mentoring role to students.  

We are fellow travellers with others. It is this consciousness which such difficult times can provide to make us more humane and relational. 

It is a recovery time from self absorption and pursuit of personal success!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)