Odysseys of George

I came across this while surfing through MMR blogpost. Even before reading it, I had sensed that this would be something that would move me.

As I read the first paragraph of the post, I immediately realized that this was something long due and very appropriate – A tribute to the late Tan Sri T.J.Danaraj, the founder of the medical faculty University Malaya. A visionary man who had managed to have an impact on me even though he never thought me.

We stand on the shoulders of Giants is a teaching blog dedicated to the late Emeritus Professor T J Danaraj, the foundation Dean of the University of Malaya Medical Centre. The blog is moderated by Dr. Wong Yin Onn.

I remember presenting about this great man, during my batch Deepavali Festival as a tribute to him. We felt that little was done to honour this man, so much so that many present UMMC medical students hardly even know him.

I end this with a letter he once wrote which I copied from that very blog. An encouraging note to all……….

Dear …….,

T.J. Danaraj

TJ Danaraj

I was overlooking a chat over the internet, and it went,

Man(M): i am missing you so much babe

Female(F): i miss u too…but what makes today different babe?

M: it just feels more intense, the emptiness is painful.

F: emptiness?..

M: the emptiness is always there – it is what you left me with – i can fill it up with other stuff but only you could make it full

F: i love u babe

M: whats the difference today babe?

F: hmm… today i love u a teeny weeny bit more than i did yesterday

M: but yesterday you said you love me less!

F: love grows baby! love shouldn’t be stagnant

I smiled and suddenly this emerged in my mind

so let love grow,
like the wilds of the forest,
but let it not cover your vision,
lest you forget the real me and live in your dreams.
but unlike the wilds of the forest,
let it be nurtured and tendered,
as it grows around filling us from within,
ageing like wine and violin.
.. GeorgeGC

Friendship

Kahlil Gibran

Your friend is your needs answered.
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.
And he is your board and your fireside.
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the “nay” in your own mind, nor do you withhold the “ay.”
And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

I have been silent. I have had my ups and downs. But this morning, I was saddened! Lost for words – I decided to start blogging again! Narrow-mindedness, greed for politics supremacy, what — what could compel people to do such shameful things? Is your faith so fragile that you truly believe that such issues will harm the religion in a large scale? Perhaps, one should think that the actions of such poor demeanor would be more harmful for the religion in a larger picture? It is 2010 and we have proved to the world that we are so much more backwards in comparison to the other financially poorer countries just by the way we think and behave. Modernization and development of a country is not just perceived by how tall is your tallest building or how enormous and modern is your new federal territory but most importantly by the way your nation think and behave.

Malaysian churches fire-bombed ahead of demonstrations

The group that has been propagating such intense anger and acts have been doing so for many months – i believe it has always been political – to scare the public in whatever way possible to make them vote for one and only one party. I suppose there would be more to come as fear is the biggest enemy of mankind. One can be coerced into a decision or become a rebel. The choice again befalls the public and hopefully a right choice for a better Malaysia will be the main intention of all.

Happy New Year Malaysian and friends all over the world

Updated readings:

PM, you have failed me – Stephanie Sta Maria

I received an sms from a fond patient of mine wishing me Happy Vishu greetings. Little did I know about it because it is not as famous as the Onam celebrations the Malayalees have. So I decided to check it out and gathered some information to share with all.

The festival of Vishu is celebrated with joy and mirth on the first day of Malayalese month of Medam. Vishu is celebrated on the astronomical New Year’s Day and Malayalis believe that the fortunes for the year depend on the kind of the object one sees first in the morning of Vishu Day. The previous day goes in preparing the auspicious articles for the next morning. Some raw rice is put in a circular metal vessel and a new washed piece of cloth is folded over the rice. A gold-coloured cucumber, betel leaves, betel nuts, a metal mirror, yellow flowers of the Konna tree, a book of palm leaves and a few gold coins are then placed over the cloth in the vessel. Two coconut halves containing oil with lighted wicks are placed in the vessel. A metal lamp with coconut oil is kept burning by the side of the big vessel. Early in the morning on Vishu day, one of the elderly female members of the house, wakes up and takes a look at the auspicious objects. She then wakes up the other members of the house to take a look. Special care is taken to see that they do not look at anything else.This is called ‘Kani Kanal’, the literal translation of this is ‘first sight’ ,where there is a prescribed list of items, which a person must see first thing on a Vishu morning to bring good luck.Children are brought blind folded from their rooms to see Kani Kanal, the first thing in the morning.There is also a tradition to give small amounts of cash to children of the family. This tradition is called Vishu Kaineetam. People believe that this custom will ensure prosperity for their children in future.After everyone has had a look, the vessel is even taken to the cattle for them to have a look too.

After the rituals are completed, the family members have a bath and take a trip to temples to offer prayers. Once the worship is complete, everyone sits down for a feast, which is not as lavish as the one for Onam but nevertheless elegant.

A grand sadya (feast) is prepared by women of the house and the whole family sits together at lunch to relish it. Dishes are usually prepared from jackfruits, mangoes, pumpkins, and gourds besides other vegetables and fruits, which are in plenty at that time of the season. People also wear kodi vastram (new clothes) on this day. Patassu (fire crackers) are burst in the midst of dancing and merry to mark the day.

A group of young men and women dress up as ‘chozhi’ , wearing a skirt of dried banana leaves and masks on their faces and go from house to house in the village dancing and collecting small amounts of money. On Vishu, these entertainers get good rewards for their performances. The money is spent on the Vishuwela (the New Year Fair).

Vishu occupies a unique position in more than one respect. It has none of the pomp and show that most other Hindu religious festivals have. In addition, Vishu has nothing to do with religion although its observance is as solemn as any religious occasion.

Come 24th November, I together with another 11 divers will be going to this remote paradise, a divers haven. It is regarded as the mother of all dive sites and is situated at the furthest point of the Indonesian archipelago. So why paradise — because it is the richest marine biodiversity in the world!

To give an idea of where and how remote this place is this is a map showing the location:

Raja Ampat* means “the four ‘kings’”, a name dating back to the 15th century, when the Sultanate of Tidore – one of the muslim sultanates in the original Maluku west of Halmahera – appointed four local “rajas” in Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo.

Even earlier, Seramese traders from small islands off the eastern tip of Seram had established trade settlements, sosolot, throughout the region, exchanging cloth, beads, and other products from western Indonesia for trepang, plumes, forest products and slaves from Papua. There where also a strong ties to the island of Biak east of the Bird’s Head Peninsula.

Rock paintings found in caves in Misool and in on the west coast of the Birds Head, as well as bronze artifacts, show that trade with other parts of Asia was already established 2 – 3 000 years ago.

Going further back, it should be noted that just 10 000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, most of what is currently sea in this area was still land, roughly corresponding to the lighter blue parts in the Raja Ampat Map. This means that most of the early coastal settlements in this area are now submerged, and will require underwater archeology to be found and explored.( Ref: http://travels.patrik.com/ra/)

Biodiversity Features in Raja Ampat
and the greater Bird’s Head Seascape

1,356 species of reef fish in the Bird’s Head Seascape
1,223 species of reef fish in Raja Ampat
25 species of endemic reef fish found only in the Birds Head Seascape
600 species of hard coral recorded in the Bird’s Head Seascape
75% of all known coral species in the world
10 times the number of hard coral species found in the entire Caribbean
57 species of Mantis Shrimp in the Birds Head Seascape
13 species of Marine Mammals in the Bird’s Head Seascape
5 species of endangered sea turtles in the Bird’s Head Seascape

The dive sites:

Go here to know more about the dive sites

*An archipelago is a chain or cluster of islands that is formed tectonically.