Took the kids on a joy ride on the Metro today!

I never imagined we would have one in Pune in their liferime!

One of my favourite aspects are the various scenes we get to witness from the Metro that we would normally be fortunate to experience.

Like the various bridges…..





Some more bridges and some tracks…..

Pune has always had a rich tradition of “Ganpati mandals.” Associated with the same is a history of “Dhol Tasha troupes”.

Schools like Ramanbaug,Numavi and Jnana Prabhodini have had one for a long time. In the early 1990’s, 2 school boys yearned to play in a Dhol Tasha troupe. They approached their “Shakha Shikshak” with a request to have their own Ganpati mandal, mainly so they can play the Dhol Tasha.

The shikshak agreed to have a 1.5 day Ganpati and the boys were able to get started with their Dhol Tasha dream.

I have said this so often!

When you are a student, you are either in a university town or urban America and surrounded by people your age.

Happy hours and weekend parties help build a decent social life.

When you start working, that starts dwindling.

Specially if you are

https://twitter.com/i_sudeepa/status/1746004437980917828

Now in rural America in states like Ohio, Idaho, Nebraska which does not a lot of Desi folks living there.

Eventually comes the inevitable move do suburban life, which is when the loneliness really sets in.

Weekdays are pretty much occupied by work ans household chores.

Healthcare in India is set for a major overhaul.

@ThePollLady shared this article the other day:

#India #Healthcare #VentureCapital #Doctors #Hospitals Initally healthcare was a Patient-Doctor relationship.

Then the Corporate Hospital Ownership came in and made it slightly commercial. People don't realize that this arrangement made it possible for doctors to avail of world class technology and deliver the best healthcare.

Dental treatment gets a bad rap for being "painful".

If done by a well qualfied, skilled dentist with proper diagnosis and anesthesia, there is usually zero or near zero pain.

The pain and discomfort if any is usually during the healing phase.

There are 2 factors that are responsible for this.

The difference in how the person's body and immune system reacts to surgery and dental procedures ARE surgeries. No one can predict that.

The other, and more relevant factor, is how well the patient follows the post operative instructions.

Senior couple living alone in Pune 4.

Over the last few months, wife has been deteriorating mentally at a rapid pace.

And hence physically also.

Husband is struggling to cope.

Goes to terrace for a 5 mins break.

Comes down to find wife is not in the apartment. Panic strikes.

Calls made to daughter and couple of neighbours.

Friends called. Search ensues.

Local police station reports old lady at police station in the city area. Unable to remember name and address.

Daughter goes there and finds her mother.

Turns out that area

Back in the 90’s, the Palkhi was basically an unexpected unplanned holiday from school and a LOT of people walking on FC Road!

Move to 2023 and it means so much more!

Reverence, respect, dedication, perseverance and better understanding of our culture!

#Pune #Palkhi2023 I had the distinct pleasure of walking on FC road just as the warkaris started coming and ended up getting a Darshan close up of both the Tukaram and the Dnyaneshwar Palkhis towards the end with some friends.

I won’t write too much right now but here are some pictures!

I feel Twitter is the best social media platform. It has tremendous social, educational and networking value.

Personally it has helped me create a lot of awareness about the importance of oral health and clear a lot of myths about my profession.

As an aside, it has enabled me to help people in dental pain also.

What happened today was the best example of that.

I woke up to a few people tagging me in this tweet:

https://twitter.com/sardesairajdeep/status/1668104758903595008

He was a normal 13 year old kid. Studied in one of the good schools in town. Fortunately it wasclose enough to home.

So close that not only did he go to and return by cycle, he used to go home for lunch and make it back in time too.

But one day, fate had something terrible in store for him.

He was struck by a speeding vehicle and suffered a head injury.

He was unconscious for approx 3 weeks and it was touch and go.

By God’s grace, he made it though and recovered from the accident.

He was back in school and over the course of next few months

Some day I will make up for not having visited the temples of Goa.

But this time, when visiting family in Singapore, I took the initiative to visit a few amazing temples.

I will cover one temple at a time to do justice to them.

Hope you enjoy.

#Singapore #Temples #Hinduism Sri Thendayuthapani Temple:

Prior to 1859 Nagarathars worshipped a Vel (spear), a representation of Lord Muruga, under a tree. The Vel was kept under a Pipal tree (Arasa maram) at the bank of a tank (pond). Fresh water from the hill emerged as a waterfall and filled the tank.

This is a GREAT point and one I feel should absolutely introduced from next year!

For those who are wondering what it means, a brief background:

NFL games are played on Thursday(1 game) Sunday (2 games each at 1.00 and 4.15 and one game at 8.00 PM) and 1 game on Monday Night.

https://twitter.com/kaustubhradkar/status/1659793093397303297

The Networks involved in covering are CBS, FOX, NBC and ESPN with now Amazon also for 2 years.

Amazon is the exclusive provider for Thursday night, while CBS and FOX carry the games at 1.00 and 4.15 PM, while NBC and ESPN have the prime time games at 8.00 PM.

#Thread on Maharashtra Day:

Sometime in the early 2000’s a young Maharashtrian musician realised that Marathi songs were not being played on the FM stations, as they were not commercially viable.

He decided to address this situation by making a landmark Marathi song. He took a unique approach. He decided to make that the sole focus of his life.Over the next 18 months, he did not take up any project.

The other decision he took was that it would be done with the best singers, in the best recording studio and with the most talented musicians.

Mumbai: the city of dreams, Local trains and now Metro, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar!

Must be a mammoth task to govern it and I was fortunate to get a first hand view of the flagship of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation today, thanks to @Khaki_Tours!

#Mumbai #BMC Most people will@say Mumbai was formed by the amalgamation of 7 islands, but in reality there were 23 of them.

A large part of the city is reclaimed land and 2/3 feet under sea level, which often causes flooding during monsoon, often unfairly blamed totally on the BMC.

Just when I thought I had had an amazing morning, my dear friend @nitinwelde made it even better!

What a beautiful city we live in.

Some shots…..
1) Army Institute of Physical Training
2) Race Course
3) Race Course
4) Poona Club Cricket Ground

#Pune Shaniwarwada.

We had the pleasure of attending the “Hidden Temples Of Pune” Walk with @GodboleSandeep today.

Posting some photos from the walk.

Thank you Sandeep for introducing my beloved city to me.

Such hidden treasures we never were aware of!

#Pune #Temples #Heritage

#GaneshChaturthi is a very very big day in Pune.

As sad as it is to bid farewell, #GaneshVisarjan is an even bigger deal!

It’s something you should absolutely try and experience first hand at some point.

#Pune
#GanpatiVisarjan2022
#गणेश_विसर्जन It starts with the Rangoli. The boys and girls who do it are amazing artists specially since you practically get only one shot.

A constant fracture is the “Bhagwa” “भगवा”.

#Pune
#GanpatiVisarjan2022
#गणेश_विसर्जन

For many, 15th August, 1947 was the summit in the fight to achieve Independence!

In reality, it was the base camp!

As we celebrate our 75th years of Independence, the question always comes up “Are we really Independent?”

And I feel that it’s relative!

#IndependenceDay You have to look at it like vectors!

Relative change of position in a specific direction!

And in this case, that arrow has to point upwards, forwards and onwards!

So a visit to the post office the other day reminded me how much Independence we have truly achieved!

The search for something for our clinic landed me in the heart of Ravivar Peth!

Any true blue Pune 4 native has his roots in the original Pune aka “The city area” or Pune 30!

A thread of what was meant to be a 30 mins visit which turned into a 3 hour walk!

Enjoy……. Small narrow by lanes with chock a block shops doing brisk business but run down houses above which are but a mere shadow of their glorious past!

A common theme you will see often in this thread…

Every week, I get at least one phone call complaining of severe toothache, almost always in the molars. (Back teeth).

The patient comes in and the clinical examination and xrays show no cavities, and the tests for fracture are usually negative at this stage.

#Pune #Dentist

https://twitter.com/Gautaamm/status/1524044718706860032

Usually it can only mean one of two things:
1) If the pain is restricted to the upper molar, then a recent of concurrent history of sinusitis/runny nose/cold etc. I typically see this around late November and the history is very clear.

2) BRUXISM!

“Doctor why do I need to take this letter to my physician? It’s just a tooth l! Just take it out! What does my heart have to do with it?”

If you are a dentist, you have heard this line many many times!

Here’s why:

Old family friend.

Wife passed away many years ago due to Cancer!

Son in the US!

Not much going on for him other than a job!

Over the last few years, ended up neglecting his health!

His diabetes was through the roof!

The 3 month average, HbA1C, was around 10 for years! (Even for diabetics it should be under 7)

Dr Madhav Ghate, practising Psychiatrist, Pune writes on:

Why Tennis is so much more than a game!

I have been playing tennis for more than 55 years. Played it at the school, college, university level and even up to national and international levels. I have also played many other games like Cricket, Table tennis, water polo, Athletics and so on. But gradually Tennis became my first passion. So much so that my wife used to say that it’s your first wife. Now after seventy years of life, looking back, I have realized that Tennis