Oasis in a Desert

Never fall-back, face everything with determination. 

For sure, you will be victorious at the end

There is that one yearning soul, who never felt his thirst until he glimpsed a spring in the middle of a desert. So adorable, captivating or enchanting that it took him only a fraction of second to comprehend its value.  Paradoxically, the Oasis, we are talking about is rigidly showing a disregard to the desperate requisition[s] made. It (Oasis) addresses him, “to pass away, the pure water available here is not meant for you. For sure, you deserve not to afford it. It is so costly that you cannot even imagine affording it”.

The sad soul is repeatedly being pushed off, put down & mercilessly being dejected.

Regardless of what he is being said and directed for, he keeps on insisting, requesting & petitioning. That he is not willing to give up.

Initially, he was not feeble, but, some (self-created) ordeals have made him lose some fortitude. Now he goes unconscious. At times he falls down. For some moments, he does become silent.

Despite that, as soon as he comes to life again, he finds himself in the very deplorable condition, near the same reservoir, with the same intensity of thirst. So for the time being, he once again realizes the purpose of traveling to the oasis. Thereby, it inspires him. He gets overwhelming hope. Though he is still thirsty, however, time and again he won’t be given even a drop of water in mercy. Ruthlessly he gets demoted. But, what keeps him alive is the intention to live on to hope and dream.

He holds onto beseeching for some amount of water, but of no value. This time he is purposely being disheartened to not drink the water, he pledges. “For it is poisoned. You will die. Get some fresh water from another pond, which may be nearby”, with these words he is ignored.

When, he regains his conscious, yet, another time. It is being said, “The cold water you ask for is polluted. You’re fooled and deceived by its shape. It has [no]thing kept for you. Except that you’re allowed to peer at”.

Against this, what seems [un]realized is, the oasis he has reached, happens to be at a place which is bleak outside. There is nothing except the hope of this reserve. Had been there something else, perhaps, the fate of this wandering soul would have melted and greeted that.

The spring, which will quench his thirst, and put in a new life in him, is definitely passing through agony, as is evident from its location. But, it is so appealing spring that it is utterly ignorant of its true fascination. So magnetic and striking that it has come as a blessing for the desperate man, in a place where nothing, but only fate meets destiny. Its serenity has made him felt that he is yet [un]dead. Its essence for him is such that it cannot be put into words.

Nonetheless, whatever endeavors, pledges & attempts he may make. All gets struck down and yelled upon by the glamorous spring. It seems not bothering about the repeating calls from the thirsty soul. It keeps on watching, how the person, in an urge to quench, will die while soliciting for a savior. Though it knows he is murmuring. It still is freezing, readily, in refusal to the soul of least recognition.

Whether it is a crystal clear ‘No’, or it is like his ‘forbearance’ is being examined. Whatever! It cannot break him down.

The striving soul’s morale to stand there in extreme ‘heat & humidity’ may result in his going-into-unconscious. But, the oasis has to medicate his quench. It has to prevent him from dehydration. Because he didn't go there, his path and luck made him land there. He happens there not to pass on like others do; He reach[ed] there to get involved in the very delightful spring of sweet-fill-in. He knows there lies nothing outside. It is all dreadful for him to even envy for what lies in the surrounding.

The blessed soul is though stoic, but he has been told by someone, “You get everything, provided you ask for it with a true heart”. Thus he has asked for this oasis of beautification.

He is honestly examining, where this belief will take him…! Whether it the with poison or cool clean water? It doesn't matter for him. For, he’ll love to die again and again by tasting its poison. Now, if it is the thing which may quench his thirst; he, if allowed, would immensely and unstoppably be quenching his thirst throughout his life, from the-only-oasis. Until then he keeps on asking, praying, wishing, hoping, aspiring and conveying, proposing or waiting for the affirmation of spring, which has the ‘blended beauty and the tantalizing aroma’…….

Mashooq Yousuf Malik

The Doubt People Possess

After all, we are humans. We can fall prey to anything.

 May it be a doubt or contagious disease.

People appreciate; then they ignore. People trust; then they get hurt. People build; then they destroy. People plead mildly, and then they swindle, too. But there exist some who can realize; resort trust; build firmly; remain honest and illustrate the life to the extent of inspiration. 

Enough literature is written to describe the theories- of right and wrong, confidence and doubt. Yet, every generation brings out its own way of fear, suspicion and craft of living. 

Talking of which (doubt), reminds me, “We are a generation of broken hearts and catastrophic souls”. We get killed and cheated each day. We get attached and go apart. We get vegetated, then, we start life again.

But, do we know where things are good for us. Or, we don’t wish them to be good. We want them broken, so that they may not create much of fuss. We live in fractions of time, why would we want to talk for life. Our life begins on foreign land and ends with a see off. Our perceptions change like a chameleon’s character. Our life takes a rebirth, but, before that, we never lived once.

We were people, but, we started to haunt. We were social, and then we got stuck with freebies (as of Wi-Fi). We used to be original, but we became manufactured. Our hurts are more than our wealth. Our joys don’t overlap. We prefer to be an introvert, and then we share life. We want to live, but, then again we don’t want to miss a much. Our miseries are more often self-created. Our beliefs are becoming disloyal. We weep, and then we find a reason to smile.

We search. Again go for research, but we conclude that ‘alternatives’ should be there to make us happy. We maintain a network, which becomes a ‘chronic disease’. We name relations, which we never mean.

We judge people on others estimation, and on our own. We miss opportunities for meagre flashes; fallback, not to face the world. We let the things go; don’t want them to stay around. We become broken; however, we don’t let the world feel. We know things are polluted; then again we buy some. We love taste than that of smoothness. We equate between love and friendship. We keep wounds open to feel the oozing of blood.

We fall for one thing and compromise on another. We create disaster under the garb of falsified sympathy and affection. Then, again we repent of not dying the way we had prepared.

We believe in destiny, but we don’t want to strive. We become moderate. And, then, far away from props, we start cloning the destiny, which at times kept knocking on the door, until the dusk put it away.

In the backdrop of all of this, we forget who we are. We rely on nothingness. We pretend that history repeats but prefer not to create. We sideline ones who are being sent by destiny. We sleep to ease burdens, whereas someone(s) remains awake in thoughts. We feel all people are same; sailing in one boat. Then, we label them. Warn ourselves against them. We agitate against caste and classism. However, we practice otherwise. We refuse to be social. But, we don’t acknowledge the adversary of refusal.

We pledge to be happy, but we push away happiness. We believe in nature, but don’t want to be part of the fascination, sorrow and misery. Mostly ‘we don’t let our questions to be answered, reasons to be justified, and fate to be accepted’. We keep examining the real objects until they get buried… For, we’re people; we raise and live in doubts… sometime to clarify the truth, but, most often, to transform the reality and disregard the honesty.

A Promise of Love

Love never fades away;

With the silliness of time;

It keeps breathing anyway…..

At times in shape of memories;

It keeps us pinching straight away….

The strange iridescent limpidness;

Keeps pulping in a sharp way…..

Rejuvenates at the promising stint;

It always engulfs the lit of affection;

And jellies one to not shy away…..

Remember it never fades;

With the quench of certain warmth,

It keeps breathing in a soulful way.

Medical (Un)Ethics: Undermining the Hippocratic Oath?

(Also published in  http://kashmirreader.com/2017/06/21/medical-unethics-undermining-the hippocratic-oath/ )

Days before, I overheard a conversation of a group of girls at my university campus. One of them complained to others “doctors these days fail to diagnose the patient, yet provide the prescriptions and recommend tests.” With all energy, they would refer to particular cases.

Being a sacrosanct profession, the profession of a doctor distinguishes its successors as noble human beings. Like other professions, it has also been, however, subject to some intrinsic ethical principles famously known as ‘Hippocratic Oath.’ The Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002 which endorses the Hippocratic Oath states that “the prime object of the medical profession is to render service to the humanity at large; reward or financial gain is thereby a subordinate consideration.”

So, why has the profession of a doctor earned an infamy? There can, possibly, be an indefinite number of reasons given the magnitude and proportions the rot in the profession has taken. I, however, identify the following:

1.      The fact that Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is a hub of spurious medicines is now an open secret. It has rather become a fact of life in this part of the world. Only recently, a national level drug survey in India has claimed that 8.37 per cent of drugs provided in government-run hospitals in J&K have been found “not of standard quality” (Tribune India, Feb 22, 2017). All this happens despite the existence of a full-fledged central level legislation on the point. This’s horrifying. What’s more, doctors are very part of the phenomenon in that they prescribe drugs with the trade name rather than the generic. This’s actually the point where the problem, in fact, starts.

2.      Currently, over five million cases of medical negligence are recorded on an average every year in India ranging from wrong drugs to the uncalled for surgeries (India Today Magazine, Oct 9, 2014). Needless to say, doctors contribute to the problem in a phenomenal way. India Medical Times reported a 110% cumulative increase in medical negligence cases per year in India.

3.      Doctors posted at the government hospitals more often lure patients to their private clinics. A local weekly Kashmir Life (Feb 27, 2017) recently reported one such incident wherein a doctor posted at the state’s premier medical institute (SKIMS) had recommended a patient to a private clinic for some medical tests. While the said doctor had done so despite the facility at the institute, rest part of the story is not hard to understand.

4.      Recommending medical tests have become the norm with the twenty-first century doctors. A casual visit to a doctor’s clinic can land you in a medical laboratory for an unnecessary examination.

5.      Again, doctors aren’t at a bay in matters of sex selection and the killing of female fetus. The recent census figures, which show a skewed sex ratio in the state, are an indicator. The National Centre for Biotechnology Information has, in 2014, reported selective abortions of girls in India tallied about 4·2-12·1 million from 1980-2010.

6.      The scenario got worse when the Apex Court, in 2011, after hearing a writ petition that challenged a government order banning private practice of doctors, ruled that “defying the ban doesn’t amount to any illegality or corruption.”

Having reached a point of no return, all this’s an utter disregard of the Hippocratic Oath. All this happens despite the Geneva Declaration, 1948, adopted by the World Medical Assembly, directed the member countries to take punitive measures against the violators of sacred oath. Now, financial gain appears to be the prime object of medical profession; “service to humanity” only supplementary. It’s time to translate the Geneva Declaration, 1948 into action.

Tailpiece: An advocate may cause asset-loss to his client; a teacher may seek pearls from private tuition, but a doctor’s deviation destructs life, results in economic loss and causes mental agony.

(Mashooq Yousuf Malik is the student of LLM at School of Legal Studies, CU-Kashmir. Feedback at mashooq.law@gmail.com)