INDIALIVING HAS COME TO AN END

IndiaLiving for me has come to an end.  It has been in incredible two plus years.  We came with the intention of outsourcing our retirement here.  I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  My husband learned you really can’t go home again.  I learned I am extremely adaptable.

The India my husband left forty-five years ago is not the same India today.  Her population has exploded.  The infrastructure has not been able to keep up.  Sadly, India is literally drowning in he own feces, garbage and corrupt bureaucracy.   

Come visit India. See magnificent ancient architecture that is thousands of years old.  See the opulent palaces of warrior kings.  Hear the stories of valor and self-sacrifice.  Witness the splendor of the Himalayas.  Experience a camel safari in the desert.  Take a medical vacation.  You will save thousands of dollars. 

Do not try to live here.  For me it is not worth the aggravation of dealing with the bureaucratic nightmare, trying to travel on roads filled with potholes and enduring a two-hour traffic jam all for the want of a stoplight or traffic officer.  If you have a pet you will not be able to bring it with you unless you are an overseas Indian resident and have been out of the country for at least two years.  If you have been gone for two years, think twice.  Dealing with the Animal Quarantine Officer is very stressful.  Coming to India we missed our flight because of their arrogance, incompetence and untimeliness in managing paperwork they demanded.  Our two dogs will NEVER set paws in this country again.  As I write this, Ram is dealing with the Animal Quarantine Office trying to get our dogs out of India.  On the first visit to the Quarantine Office, Ram was told the dogs must be microchipped. The Quarantine Officer stated all Indian dogs must be microchipped.  None of our Indian friends’ dogs are microchipped.  Though they are American dogs born in America, the officer insisted they must be microchipped.  THE USA DOES NOT REQUIRE IT!! ….. They are now microchipped.  Today if we do not have the “blessing” of the Animal Quarantine Officer we will miss our flight.

Leaving India is bitter-sweet.  I will miss friends, family and the spiritual peace I found in the Himalayas.  We plan to visit again to see family, friends and for all things medical.  It may be separately.  One of us will remain home with our furry children.

Up date:  We are starting home to the USA tomorrow. Our doggies have their final exit papers!!! We will make our flight!

LOCAL EYE SURGEON GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”   Mahatma Gandhi

Dr. Sing consulting with a patient

Dr.Yuvraj Singh lives his life by these words.  Dr. Singh is a successful Eye Surgeon living In Bharuch Gujarat.  He owns Desai Eye Institute & Research Center with branches in Bharuch, Vadodara and soon to open in Ankleshwar.  The branch in Vadodara is a state of the art optical and surgery center which provides multispecialty eye care and surgery. Recently he added a medical doctor with an added specialty in Diabetes and a pharmacist to the branch in Bharuch.  When it opens in February this year, the Ankleshwar clinic will offer eye care and general medical care with a physical therapy department.  He will also have a pharmacy and laboratory drawing station on site.

Sunday January 11, 2014, I was privileged to observe a medical camp sponsored by Dr. Singh.  The camp was held at a village school near Bharuch and Ankleshwar. Dr. Sing along with ten other doctors, a nutritionist and pharmacist provided health care and screenings to 1,100 villagers.  Dr. Singh gave out 162 pairs of free reading glasses and provided medications handed out by the pharmacy according to prescriptions written by participating physicians.  He is able to arrange for free cataract surgery if it is needed. He said a simple thing like reading glasses can make a big deference in one’s life.

Dr. Sing said he tries to hold a medical eye camp every Sunday always in a different location so he can reach more people.  Once a month he organizes a multi-specialty camp.  He was proud to say more doctors in the medical community are starting to follow his lead and organizing camps themselves.  Dr. Sing said the local Rajput community has also helped him with the camps by providing advertising, helping with crowd control, moving furniture and whatever else is needed in order for a camp to be successful.  Dr. Singh's ultimate dream is to build a hospital near his village. Now the villagers must travel long distances for medical care.

ABANDON VILLAGE OF KULDHARA

On the road less traveled, Kuldhara is not an often visited historical site.  Located 20 km from Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.  It is interesting nonetheless.  Kuldhara, established in 1291, was the largest village in the Paliwal Brahmin community.  There were 84 villages in all.    The Paliwal Brahmins were prosperous and known for their business and agricultural abilites. One night in 1825 all the people in Kuldhara and in the nearby 83 villages mysteriously vanished.  Why, after having prospered there for more than 5 centuries?

It is said that  Salim Singh, minister of Jaisalmer,  when visiting the village saw and demanded to marry the beautiful daughter of the Kuldhara village chief.  If the chief refused, there would be retribution.  Rather than allow the chief to force his daughter to marry, Kuldhara and the other 83 villages left in the dead of night.  Where, no one knows.  The ruins of these villages remain today untouched except for the slow destruction due to nature’s elements.  The locals believe that a curse was placed on the villages and thus, it remains uninhabited and untouched.

PERSPECTIVE

This morning I was feeling a bit inconvenienced as I was heating water on the gas cook top to take a bucket bath and wash my hair.  Then I remember the women I have seen carrying water on their heads home for the days use.
 

Could we have a hot water heater in the bathroom?  Yes, if we want to pay for the instillation in our rental home.  We plan to leave in a few weeks.  In Gujarat it is very hot most of the year and a hot water heater is not needed.  Now it is in the 80s F and the water tank on the rood does not heat up that much.

Today I am grateful for running water in my home and a gas cook top I can use to heat it instead of an open fire using cow chips for fuel.  LivingIndia does put things into perspective.

AN ACCIDENTAL MEDICAL VACATION

We are spending the winter in Bharuch Gujarat, population 150,000.  Bharuch is the oldest city in Gujarat and the second-oldest city in India. Her history goes back 8000 years.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharuch

We wound up here quite by accident.  After a month long tour of Rajasthan we planned to see a few ancient historical places in Gujarat and Maharashtra and then on to Goa for the winter.  Our route took us through Bharuch, home to Ram’s second sister’s grandchildren. Bharuch has the perfect winter weather and good infrastructure.  Here there are no rolling blackouts.  We were EXHAUSTED from our constant travel.  We found a nice furnished rental in the same complex that the family resides.  I am enjoying our stay and getting to know them.

It turns out that this area has very good medical care.  At my urging Ram had his hearing checked and purchased hearing aids.  Oh happy day, I no longer have to shout!  He also began having vision problems.  Our family arranged a visit to an excellent eye clinic.  Turns out, he has bilateral cataracts and a deteriorating retina in his left eye.  He had the cataracts removed via laser surgery.  His retina is being treated with eye drops and oral medication.  It should improve some and will not deteriorate any further. 

During his work up one of the doctors asked if I wanted to get rid of my eye glasses.  She said I am too old for Lasik but if I had developing cataracts, I could have the same surgery as Ram.   If I did not, she would not recommend it.  I never thought I would be happy with the news that I do in fact have developing cataracts, 1%.  My surgery is planned in a week or so.  After my surgery they say I will see better than I am able to see with my glasses.  I however will need glasses to read.  Sounds like a win win situation for me.  Right now I am dealing with Ram’s complicated eye drop regime.  His Doctor said that he uses oral and topical antibiotic regime that most doctors do not use just as an extra precaution.  I am glad that I will not have to wait until my cataract surgery becomes medically necessary under the insurance guidelines in the USA.  My doctor told me it is actually better to remove the cataract early on. The surgery is easier with less chance of complications.

The cost of Ram’s surgery was $800.00 per eye.  This includes all the diagnostic work up, medications, post-surgery eyewear and follow up doctor visits.  His hearing aids ran $500.00 for the pair.  He did choose the larger and less costly behind the ear hearing aid simply because it was easer to handle than the small in your ear type.  I do not know the cost of my surgery.  I have not had the complete work up yet.  That will determine the type of intraocular lenses I need and that will determine to cost of the surgery

I never cease to be amazed.  The Creator, God always puts us in the place that we need to be.  At the same time we meet the people we need to help us or that we need to help along our pathway.