HOW MUCH TO SLEEP?

Wrong Concept on Sleep:

                                                      There are different views about sleep. Some experts say it should be 6 hours others say 7 hours and some say 5 hours. Remember no two persons on this world are similar in health and disease. Some suffers from malaria repeatedly others suffer once and dies. Even different disease and heart attack behave differently on different persons. One may need more and some may need less sleep. If someone follows the PM of India routine, then he may die prematurely. A new born child sleeps for 18 to 20 hours a day but with increase in age the amount of sleeping hours come down. Pregnant and beautiful ladies sleep more but senior citizens need sleeping pills for sleep. Many old people sleep 3 hours in day time and would complain to the doctor about lack of sleep. Nap should be for 20 to 30 minutes, not more. There is no fixed amount of sleep for any individual, it varies. The major accidents in this world were due to deprivation of sleep. Sleep deprivation can kill a person but not too much of sleep.

                      Some students read fo18 hours a day but secure 46% where as another one reads for only 4 to 5 hours and secures 95%+ marks. The recent trend of students is to return home/ hostel at 11pm, after eating out with a girlfriend or boy friend and spending father’s hard earned? money, gossips & open internet till 2pm and then read up to 5am and sleep up to 11am.No doubt the students are securing 90 to 100% marks but we should not forget the question papers are objective and multiple choice type. Coming to sleep pattern of the modern generation, it’s really baffling. Parents think their sons or daughters are really reading hard at night but in majority of cases its mobile talks or pornographic films. For students the guide lines are written long back—concentration of pelican, bath like a crow and sleep like a dog. Morning hours are the best time for studies, not for sleep.

                                     The normal pattern of sleep for our tropical countries are totally different from other countries or places where the sun rises at 8 am and sets at 9pm and the outside temperature varies from 0 degree to – 30 degrees centigrade. We should not follow their sleeping pattern or their bathing style. There is a circadian rhythm of sleep for each human being. A sick person needs more sleep. At 10 to 10:30in the morning, many of us feel sleepy, its natural, that’s why there is a coffee break at that time. Some people doze throughout the working hours and say they sleep only few hours in a day, I call them liars. Many people sleep on the table after lunch period in office and starts working after 3pm.How many of us can remain awake and alert after taking Mahaprasad or a reception lunch at * hotels? Why a person feels sleepy after a heavy meal the reason is not exactly known but its nature’s law. Have you ever watched birds, cows and bulls in summer months, they all take a siesta. The efficiency of the officers and workers decreases after food unless it’s a working lunch—2 piece idly/slice bread, one apple and tea or coffee. That’s why a wicket falls just after lunch.

                                                                 In my opinion one should sleep as per his or her requirement not because some famous person or actress sleeps for 4 hours. It’s an individual choice which makes you fresh, relaxed, happy and healthy. An undisturbed sleep is a blessing of God. Don’t go to bed if you are not feeling sleepy.

PS: Remember these are all free advice but all of you must thank me for it. Gifts are welcome*. Do not make it a habit of taking sleeping pills, it makes you dull next day and ultimately your brain shrinks and becomes dependent on the tablets. Chances of theft are more because the thieves know it all. If you are 75+ do whatever you like. Remember alcohol does not help in sleep but gives you night mares. In case of doubt ask your family physician after depositing Rs500/- at his counter. A recently new speciality has been opened in big hospitals, called sleep specialist doctor.

Good Night.

Sanjoy Satpathy

*Conditions Apply.

ALCOHOL AND LADIES

 Female alcohol consumption in India is on the rise:

                                                                  The idea of women drinking is slowly gaining acceptance, due to more women entering in the organized workforce, gaining financial independence and interacting with their male counterparts in social and professional settings. It is expected that the women’s market in India will grow by 25 percent over the next five years, faster than expected. Because alcohol and cigarette advertising are banned in India, alcohol producers have to be creative, using their brands on water, soda and even music CDs. Many producers sponsor fashion shows, cricket matches and music festivals, while some have hired Bollywood stars for related promotions.

                                                  Vodka with soft drinks like sprite or 7up is very popular amongst the lady students and working ladies. The sweetness of these soft drinks masks the bitter taste of alcohol and makes it more palatable, but the alcohol gets absorbed quickly and ladies get drunk faster and fall prey to male hawks. Males prefer rum with Coke or Pepsi for quick kicks but those sophisticated person prefer scotch whiskey. India is now producing choicest whiskey for the international market. Indian females are ‘increasingly turning experimental.’   A senior doctor cross checked with his  lady patients who were mostly students from different educational institutes of Bhubaneswar, coming for pain abdomen and alcohol related problems, said “that boredom was the main reason they drink on weekends. The idea of senior roommates in hostel and work place was the instrumental behind taking alcohol. Their rising affluence, aspirations and exposure to different lifestyles appears to be driving this desire to have newer experiences and that includes experimenting with alcohol and drugs”.

Such changes have meant that the otherwise demure fair sex has now been able to keep up with life in 21st century India. The traditional kitchen setting has now paved way for corporate boardrooms. Coy dresses have been replaced by an audacious vogue sense. And milieu has been transcended beyond the family wall to keep lifestyles in accordance with modern society. Among many other things, an eye arresting trend amid all this cultural mutation is the surge in the drinking habits among Indian women. I checked with the alcohol shop counter to verify the facts. The middle aged shop owner said “Sir, earlier alcohol sale during day time was rare but in recent times it’s immaterial whether its day or night, sale has gone up by cent percent.  Now a day’s even woman purchases alcohol during day time, it’s now a big business.”

A girl who was in her final semester of her graduation from a prestigious university was asked about her alcohol consumption habits. She promptly replied: “Yeah I have. Who hasn’t? I am 20 years old; I can judge what is right for me and what is not.”It is part of corporate culture nowadays; you do not want to be labeled as a spoil sport just because you shunned a glass of wine with your colleagues during post working hours.”

Should a woman’s desires be chained to the shackles of ethos? Or should the society allow her to make her own choices; no matter if it is related to alcohol consumption? Maybe it’s high time that the moral police and cultural moderators take a back seat and let women decide what is best for them and what is not. Maybe then we can call ourselves an open and integrated society in its truest sense. Time would tell if they are in right direction by following the western culture.
Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy
Joint Director, SAIL.

Milkman's Dilemma

A Dilemma of a Milkman:

                                                                               K.M a surgeon by profession was on his way for a morning walk in sector 17, Rourkela. It was the month of December and the winter was palpable, smoggy and cold. Our surgeon was wearing a monkey cap, a full sleeve sweater and a jewel thief cap, difficult to recognize. K.M was passing near a ‘khatal’ very close to a small police outpost on the turning .It was a temporary buffalo shed. Doctor too used to get his special makhan milk from that out let.Mostly North Indians had gathered to collect the fresh milk with the foam overflowing the bucket. After the foam settled down the amount would get reduced by few milliliters, but no one complained, because it was fresh and unadulterated, worth the trouble of getting up early.  There was no Omfed culture at Rourkela during those days.                                                  

                                                                             “Ramua--Tera to bahut bada ho geyare, operation kuyun nehi karta hey?”(Your hydrocele has grown quite big, why are you not getting it operated?)Asked another milkman Laxman, who had just brought his huge buffalo and a stuffed calf.

The bulge was very much visible between his legs covered with the blue lungi, when he used to measure the milk and then pour in to the respective containers of  his customers.

“Sochta hun yesal hi saal ko cut dega” replied Ramua. (Thinking of removing that bloody thing this year)

“Lekin kahna keraga?” (But where you want to get it operated?)Laxman was curious to know because he too had a small hydroceal.

                                                                                   “Dekh, Sarkari hospital mein septic hojata hey.Private mein chota hydrocele tarbhuj jeysa ho jata hey.”(People say-In Govt Hos it gets septic, and private hospital a small hydrocele becomes a pumpkin size after operation) replied Ramua while pouring more milk to a Punjabi lady.K.M was watching all the morning drama with keen interest. He himself was a good dramatist and had a very good sense of humour.

“Are IGH mein karo lo.” Suggested Laxman. (Get it operated at IGH)

                                                                    “IGH, ka daktor to magistrate jeisa hey, neche nehi dekhta.Bolta hey agle sal date milega” (IGH doctors are like magistrate, never look at us. The operation date available was next winter)

                                                                 K.M thought to himself, this milkman had described three hospital’s reputation in one go. He was still smiling as he made a U turn for his home ward journey. Doctor narrated the ‘milkman’ story to few of his close friends the very day evening at IG club.

Sanjoy Kumar Satpathy

PS: I thank my friend Kiran Mishra for the story.

MASS APPEAL

The other day a friend of mine told me that a worthless hindi  film  earned few crores in few days.My answer was " a country where cow dung and 2nd hand slippers are a big business, there any thing is a good business provided you know how & where to market it."

GREEDY BRAHMIN

Dr.Soroj Mishra

Greedy Brahmin:

 A carpenter had a small workshop on the eastern side of a village near Annadapur. A greedy Brahmin Kailas would pass through that road while going to take bath in the village Pond. Why Brahmins were always described in the history books and stories as poor and greedy one never knows, now too they remain greedy(like me) to get something free like present day Odisha’s common men.

Kailas one day told the carpenter Harihara to make a pidha for him. Pidha is a wooden stool used by Brahmin while performing puja and common men while taking their meals. Carpenter knew that he will not get money for that tool from Kailas babu. Every alternate day our Brahmin would remind Harihara about the Pidha. He would give the same answer “trying to get a good piece of wood for you, sir”. But you must hurry up commented our Brahmin. After a month or so, one day Harihara was not there in his workshop. Kailas babu met him and asked where he had been to, all these days.

“Was in search of a piece of sandal wood for your Pidha, sir” was the reply from Harihara. Actually he had gone out to town for some other work. After a month Kailas lost patience and rebuked the carpenter. With apology Harihara said “sir, it’s very difficult to get sandal wood, you please bring a piece for me and the next day your Pidha will be delivered in your house”.

That was the last time Kailas would ask about that Pidha, he changed his route to the pond.

(This story is written by Sanjoy as narrated by his friend Soroj Mishra while going to Dibrugarh on a malaria project some 15 years back. Health Director Dr B.S.Dash, Soroj Mishra, Sanjib Mohanty and Sanjoy were the participants. Out of these four two are RIP, Director Das& Soroj Mishra .Today 28.9.16 is Soroj Mishra’s death anniversary.)