A Renowned Laparoscopic And Bariatric Surgeon From India.
Unseen Struggles: The Weight Beyond Weight ©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker This is the story of Shruti and Raj (names changed). A touching journey of profound emotions woven through an array of love, loss and unyielding hope amidst a backdrop of deepset societal prejudices and biases. …
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker It was the last case on the list on that day. A very routine laparoscopic fundoplication that took an unexpected turn. In a fateful moment, a short gastric vessel ruptured, with torrential bleeding across the surgical field. Suddenly, all I could …
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker, Mumbai, India
The recent Cricket World Cup that concluded day before yesterday was an exhilarating spectacle, captivating fans worldwide. As we navigate the mixed emotions following our defeat, there’s been a thought lingering in my mind— more of a reflection that’s stayed with me throughout the entire World Cup.
It’s time to shed some light on it.
India is a cricket crazy nation. We eat, live and breathe cricket. It doesn’t matter whether we are 7 years old or seventy. Cricket rules our emotions and unites us like no other sport in this world. With millions glued to the televisions and mobile phones, many viewership records were broken during this world cup. No wonder that it presented an immense opportunity for advertising. Many brands were riding high on this cricket frenzy and mania. Among these, a concerning trend emerged – advertisements adeptly masking tobacco promotion behind the veil of seemingly innocuous products.
According to a survey performed in 2016-17, 21.38% people in India use smokeless tobacco and 10.38% use smoking tobacco. Adverse health effects of tobacco in any form are devastating. Tobacco smoking causes almost every type of cancer in the human body and leads to significant increase in cardio-vascular events like heart attacks. India has one of the highest rates of oral cancers in the world and chewing tobacco is responsible for almost 50% of these cases. (Remember those gory oral cancer pictures in movie theatres just before the movie starts!). Tobacco single-handedly leads to more than eight million deaths annually worldwide and accounts for almost 10% deaths in India. It kills more people than tuberculosis, HIV and malaria put together. To make matters worse, deaddiction from tobacco is extremely difficult.
Coming back to the World Cup, viewers were bombarded with a continuous stream of ads after every single over. Amidst the mounting tension, whether in anticipation of a boundary or a wicket, based on our team’s position, we endured the repetitive onslaught of these commercials. These ads featured some very famous movie and sports personalities endorsing products that appeared to promote something other than tobacco. Though not explicitly advertising tobacco, they cleverly alluded to products often linked or used as an alternative to tobacco. This crafty advertising tactic sidesteps regulations against direct tobacco promotion. The involvement of influential personalities, including movie and sports idols and celebrities, amplifies the impact of these misleading campaigns.
What’s disconcerting is the lack of responsibility displayed by everyone involved. Shouldn’t public figures reconsider endorsing products that indirectly promote habits detrimental to public health, particularly amidst the country’s struggle against increasing cases of cancer and tobacco-related illnesses? Contending that these endorsements exclusively concern products other than tobacco doesn’t absolve celebrities, brands, TV channels, or agencies from considering broader implications.
It’s time for our stars and influential personalities to prioritize their roles as societal influencers over monetary gains. They hold significant power to shape public opinion and behaviours and bear the responsibility of promoting a healthier, more responsible society. 2 years back, Christiano Ronaldo created headlines for the right reasons when he had replaced a bottle of an aerated cold drink with a bottle of water during a press conference. More power comes with more responsibility and don’t our beloved stars owe this much to us?
As doctors we see the other side of the spectrum on a daily basis. Hospitals are not stadiums full of an excited and energetic crowd, nor are they the make-believe world of the movies. We see a lot of suffering, we see people with disfigured faces, we see people who cannot swallow a single morsel of food due to a cancer roaring in the food pipe. We see people who have lost their voices and we see people whose disease is so far advanced that we cannot help them despite our best efforts. We see young children getting orphaned and entire families getting destroyed.
It’s crucial to recognize the veiled implications within these commercials and advocate for higher ethical benchmarks in endorsements, particularly concerning health risks. This highlights the urgency for increased personal responsibility and ethical consciousness among public figures, TV channels and brands. Let this echo as a compelling plea for increased mindfulness, ethical integrity, and personal accountability. At the end of the day, regulations and laws often contain loopholes, but personal responsibility stands higher and is devoid of such gaps.
Is this too much to ask for?
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker A few days back, I took an old recycled cloth bag and threw in some coloring pens, a sketching pad, a pencil, an eraser, headphones, and a book that I am reading presently. Just out of a whim, I called this …
आज आईने में मैंने अपना चेहरा देखा; तो नज़र आई कुछ लकीरें…… कुछ लकीरों में चमकने लगी थी सफेदी, कुछ में हो रहा था थोड़ा सा दर्द, कुछ लकीरें खिंच गईं थीं दिलो–जान पर, कुछ आ गई थीं रिश्तों के बीच, कुछ मिट रही थी, कुछ नई बन रही थी, कुछ थी ऐसी, जो किसी को नज़र नहीं आ रही थी, और कुछ ऐसी, जो चाह के भी, छुप नहीं पा रही थी. आज आईने में मैंने अपना चेहरा देखा; तो नज़र आयें कुछ लकीरें….. समझ नहीं पा रहे थे की; हम इनको कैसे करें कम, कशमकश में और डूबते जा रहे थे हम, फ़िर एक दोस्त ने समझाया की, ये लकीरें ही ज़िन्दगी हैं, ये लकीरें हम में हैं, और इन लकीरों में हैं हम. समय के साथ सीखा हमने; लकीरों पे करना ऐतबार, लकीरों की ख़ूबसूरती जो समझ ली हमने, जिंदगी का मजा ही हुआ कुछ और. अब लकीरें कितनी भी हो टेढ़ी; चेहरे पे नहीं दिखती, जो दिखती है कभी चेहरे पर, वो आती है बन के मुस्कुराहट, और कहती हैं लकीरों से, कि हमसे हो तुम, और तुमसे हैं हम, करते हैं मिलके मजा, क्यूंकि यही है जिंदगी की रजा. आज जब फिर एक बार आईने में मैंने अपना चेहरा देखा; तो नज़र ना आई कोई लकीरें….. Be independent and free from …
©️ Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
This morning, I had to fly to Ahmedabad for a conference (#YoungHSICON). Last night, the Prince of Wales intrigued me so much that I couldn’t stop bingeing on the period drama that I was watching on Netflix. Even after 75 years of independence, the crown still succeeds in evoking that uncomparable feeling of awe and has the potential to lead to a sleepless night.
Finally, when I slept, it was way beyond my usual sleeping time. I was having an elaborate dream about Buckingham palace when the alarm started blaring in the wee hours of the morning, and I woke up with a start! As expected, waking up so early was a terrible ordeal. I cursed myself for not having enough discipline and plodded myself out of bed at half my usual pace and then in a painstaking effort to stay awake, I spent double the time sipping on my tea (English Breakfast, ofcourse!).
My husband, who is an epitome of self-discipline, kept chiding me for staying up late and then dragging my feet through the morning. He was worried that I was going to miss the flight. To be honest, I was running quite late but somehow managed to get into a cab and crossed my fingers, hoping to reach the airport on time. Fortunately, early mornings in Mumbai on a Saturday are quite forgiving when it comes to traffic. The roads were empty, and I made it to the airport on time. I wasted no time in sending a message to my husband that I was “on time”! (A very loving wifely gesture, trying to prove a point!)
I finally relaxed and stood in the queue to enter the airport. The queue moved ahead quite fast, and in no time, I was at the gate with my ID proof and boarding pass ready. I smiled at the security guard, and she smiled back at me. Then, she looked at my boarding pass and looked up. The smile had disappeared from her face, and suddenly, my heart skipped a beat. In my absent-mindedness, I am perfectly capable of carrying my husband’s ID proof instead of mine! I was sure she thought of me as an imposter.
“You are at the wrong terminal!”
I looked at her, then I looked again at my boarding pass and finally looked at my watch! In my Netflix stupor, I had come to the wrong terminal. The other terminal was 5 km away. Panic rose up in my throat. Not because I could potentially miss my flight, but how would I go back home and face my husband!
I came out running with my bag in tow. Luckily for me, a couple of cabs were waiting outside. The cabby quoted an insanely high fare, which I readily agreed to, as I had no time or energy to negotiate.
Just then, two airport supervisors appeared out of nowhere. Apparently, I was not the first person in the city of Mumbai to land up in the wrong terminal. They reprimanded the cabby for trying to take advantage of my predicament and suggested that I take another cab who would charge more reasonably. For me, money didn’t matter, but I was grateful for their concern at a time of distress. I took the cab they suggested and tried to hand out a tip to them as a gesture of thankfulness. They graciously refused to accept any money from me and saw me off.
En route to the other terminal, I kept thinking. Nowadays, it is rare for someone to show concern for others. It is also hard for us to accept the selfless concern of a stranger. There is an implied expectation of a reward for any good deed. I found it difficult to accept that they helped me just out of concern, without any expectations for a reward. It was just a good deed, human to human. As plain as that.
While I was lost in my thoughts, the cabby almost flew the car, and it took us exactly 10 minutes to reach the other terminal. Much to my displeasure, he demanded 1.5 times the money that we had agreed upon. I had no choice but to pay, as I had no time to indulge in a squabble.
In a single morning, within a span of ten minutes, on one hand, I experienced selfless human concern, and on the other hand, there were people who without an iota of doubt were ready to take undue advantage of a vulnerable situation.
There are all kinds of people in this world. Sometimes, we receive support from unknown quarters. It pleasantly surprises us and reinforces our faith in people. At other times, we feel cheated by others, and it can lead to varying degrees of dejection. We can not avoid the cycle of good and bad, but we can always choose to care more for the good over the bad. Every person has an impact on our life. It can be big or small. I could have spoiled my morning, fretting over the behavior of the cabbies. But today, I chose to focus on the kindness of airport supervisors over the cunningness of the cabbies. It made me feel better in an already rushed morning.
Yes, the cabby did succeed in making a little more money, but at the end of the day, it was the airport supervisors who made an impression on me and earned my respect. Also, I do believe that every time a good deed is done, it sets the foundation for the next one somewhere in the universe and helps to keep the balance intact.
PS: This time, I messaged my husband after completing the check-in process. I need to start paying more heed to his advice. But then, if husbands and wives always lived in tandem and heeded to each other, what would become of the drama in life! 😉
And yes, I did make it to the conference.
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker Samarth (name changed) had called my team at least a dozen times over two days, seeking an urgent appointment for a consultation for weight loss. He wanted to lose weight in a very short span of time. As is common understanding, …
©Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker I recently treated an 80 years old diabetic lady for a gangrenous gall bladder. By the time she presented to us, she was in severe sepsis. It was a difficult surgery. After the surgery, I met her son and grandson and …
Dedicated to all the #mothers
©️Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker
In a city like Mumbai, most people live in nuclear families, and many a times, children have no option but to tag along with their parents even during medical consultations. Some people feel a tad awkward about getting children with them and leave them with caretakers. However, if responsible caretakers are not available, I wouldn’t refrain from saying that children can also be a barrier to seeking timely healthcare, especially when it comes to women’s health.
A few days back, we treated a lady for a breast abscess, and she had to come in for frequent dressings. Every day, she would bring her three years old daughter along with her. The daughter would just not leave the mother and cling to her all the time. She would refuse to sit outside in the waiting area and insisted on being inside the dressing room with her mother. On being denied, she would start crying inconsolably, and absolutely nothing would comfort her. Being a mother myself, I presumed that as the child was so small, she may have some degree of separation anxiety and wanted to be with the mother all the time. Hence, much to the chagrin of the staff at the hospital, I requested them to allow her to be with her mother during the dressing. This went on for almost 10 days….. It was the same story every day. Mother and daughter would come together, and while I did the dressing, the little girl would sit quietly on a chair inside the dressing room. On the last day, I asked the mother if the little girl was so clingy at home too. She just smiled and said that though she lived in a joint family, no one accompanied her for the hospital visits. The husband had to be at work, and the others were busy with their own lives.
Her three years old daughter came with her every day because no one else came. She didn’t want her mother to come alone to the hospital. That was her way of supporting her mother. By being on her side…. All through…..
It set me thinking about how mistaken I was in my thought process. This little human was not a barrier for her mother’s treatment. She was, in fact, the enabler. Any surgery, however small, is a big deal for a patient. One needs physical, mental, and emotional support, and all these go a long way in the healing process. At the tender age of three, she understood this well and, in her own sweet way, supported her mother by being there for her.
May is the month of the “mother”. I am a mother myself, and honestly, many times, it can get a little overwhelming to manage a kid, family, home, and work together. As a mother, I think of myself as the doer who is not allowed to be vulnerable. I believe that it is my job to take care of the needs of my child, my family, and my patients. I feel that all of them look up to me, and meeting these expectations is an unquestionable and integral part of life.
However, this episode set me thinking about all the times when my child tries to support me through difficult times in his own innocent ways. If I complain of a headache, he brings slices of cucumber and puts them on my eyes. If I look tired, he brings me a glass of water. If I look stressed, he asks me if everything is okay at the hospital.
Children try to comfort us in their own sweet way, and it is up to us to allow them to help us and accept their help. Mother’s Day is not meant to make us sit on an unreachable pedestal. Some degree of vulnerability can make mothers a little more human. Be vulnerable, and next time when your child offers you help, do accept it. It will definitely make your journey a lot easier and bring a smile to your face.
I have been pathetically camera conscious for most part of my life. The moment I know someone is taking my picture, I tend to stiffen, I don’t know where to look, and I smile weirdly. It’s not hard to guess the end result. The awkwardness …