Life is a Gift

Note: I received this as a forwarded email and wanted to share it with everyone.

There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at him the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him. 

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.' 

This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life is a Gift ... Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.

Today before you complain about life - Think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you are alive and still around ...

Darwin's famous reply to prince Charles's Reith lecture

Your Royal Highness,

Your Reith lecture saddened me. I have deep sympathy for your aims, and admiration for your sincerity. But your hostility to science will not serve those aims; and your embracing of an ill-assorted jumble of mutually contradictory alternatives will lose you the respect that I think you deserve. I forget who it was who remarked: "Of course we must be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out."

Let's look at some of the alternative philosophies which you seem to prefer over scientific reason. First, intuition, the heart's wisdom "rustling like a breeze through the leaves". Unfortunately, it depends whose intuition you choose. Where aims (if not methods) are concerned, your own intuitions coincide with mine. I wholeheartedly share your aim of long-term stewardship of our planet, with its diverse and complex biosphere.

But what about the instinctive wisdom in Saddam Hussein's black heart? What price the Wagnerian wind that rustled Hitler's twisted leaves? The Yorkshire Ripper heard religious voices in his head urging him to kill. How do we decide which intuitive inner voices to heed?

This, it is important to say, is not a dilemma that science can solve. My own passionate concern for world stewardship is as emotional as yours. But where I allow feelings to influence my aims, when it comes to deciding the best method of achieving them I'd rather think than feel. And thinking, here, means scientific thinking. No more effective method exists. If it did, science would incorporate it.

Next, Sir, I think you may have an exaggerated idea of the natural ness of "traditional" or "organic" agriculture. Agriculture has always been unnatural. Our species began to depart from our natural hunter-gatherer lifestyle as recently as 10,000 years ago - too short to measure on the evolutionary timescale.

Wheat, be it ever so wholemeal and stoneground, is not a natural food for Homo sapiens. Nor is milk, except for children. Almost every morsel of our food is genetically modified - admittedly by artificial selection not artificial mutation, but the end result is the same. A wheat grain is a genetically modified grass seed, just as a pekinese is a genetically modified wolf. Playing God? We've been playing God for centuries!

The large, anonymous crowds in which we now teem began with the agricultural revolution, and without agriculture we could survive in only a tiny fraction of our current numbers. Our high population is an agricultural (and technological and medical) artifact. It is far more unnatural than the population-limiting methods condemned as unnatural by the Pope. Like it or not, we are stuck with agriculture, and agriculture - all agriculture - is unnatural. We sold that pass 10,000 years ago.

Does that mean there's nothing to choose between different kinds of agriculture when it comes to sustainable planetary welfare? Certainly not. Some are much more damaging than others, but it's no use appealing to "nature", or to "instinct" in order to decide which ones. You have to study the evidence, soberly and reasonably - scientifically. Slashing and burning (incidentally, no agricultural system is closer to being "traditional" ) destroys our ancient forests. Overgrazing (again, widely practised by "traditional" cultures) causes soil erosion and turns fertile pasture into desert. Moving to our own modern tribe, monoculture, fed by powdered fertilisers and poisons, is bad for the future; indiscriminate use of antibiotics to promote livestock growth is worse.

Incidentally, one worrying aspect of the hysterical opposition to the possible risks from GM crops is that it diverts attention from definite dangers which are already well understood but largely ignored. The evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria is something that a Darwinian might have foreseen from the day antibiotics were discovered. Unfortunately the warning voices have been rather quiet, and now they are drowned by the baying cacophony: "GM GM GM GM GM GM!"

Moreover if, as I expect, the dire prophecies of GM doom fail to materialise, the feeling of let-down may spill over into complacency about real risks. Has it occurred to you that our present GM brouhaha may be a terrible case of crying wolf?

Even if agriculture could be natural, and even if we could develop some sort of instinctive rapport with the ways of nature, would nature be a good role model? Here, we must think carefully. There really is a sense in which ecosystems are balanced and harmonious, with some of their constituent species becoming mutually dependent. This is one reason the corporate thuggery that is destroying the rainforests is so criminal.

On the other hand, we must beware of a very common misunderstanding of Darwinism. Tennyson was writing before Darwin but he got it right. Nature really is red in tooth and claw. Much as we might like to believe otherwise, natural selection, working within each species, does not favour long-term stewardship. It favors short-term gain. Loggers, whalers, and other profiteers who squander the future for present greed, are only doing what all wild creatures have done for three billion years.

No wonder T.H. Huxley, Darwin's bulldog, founded his ethics on a repudiation of Darwinism. Not a repudiation of Darwinism as science, of course, for you cannot repudiate truth. But the very fact that Darwinism is true makes it even more important for us to fight against the naturally selfish and exploitative tendencies of nature. We can do it. Probably no other species of animal or plant can. We can do it because our brains (admittedly given to us by natural selection for reasons of short-term Darwinian gain) are big enough to see into the future and plot long-term consequences. Natural selection is like a robot that can only climb uphill, even if this leaves it stuck on top of a measly hillock. There is no mechanism for going downhill, for crossing the valley to the lower slopes of the high mountain on the other side. There is no natural foresight, no mechanism for warning that present selfish gains are leading to species extinction - and indeed, 99 per cent of all species that have ever lived are extinct.

The human brain, probably uniquely in the whole of evolutionary history, can see across the valley and can plot a course away from extinction and towards distant uplands. Long-term planning - and hence the very possibility of stewardship - is something utterly new on the planet, even alien. It exists only in human brains. The future is a new invention in evolution. It is precious. And fragile. We must use all our scientific artifice to protect it.

It may sound paradoxical, but if we want to sustain the planet into the future, the first thing we must do is stop taking advice from nature. Nature is a short-term Darwinian profiteer. Darwin himself said it: "What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horridly cruel works of nature."

Of course that's bleak, but there's no law saying the truth has to be cheerful; no point shooting the messenger - science - and no sense in preferring an alternative world view just because it feels more comfortable. In any case, science isn't all bleak. Nor, by the way, is science an arrogant know-all. Any scientist worthy of the name will warm to your quotation from Socrates: "Wisdom is knowing that you don't know." What else drives us to find out?

What saddens me most, Sir, is how much you will be missing if you turn your back on science. I have tried to write about the poetic wonder of science myself, but may I take the liberty of presenting you with a book by another author? It is The Demon-Haunted World by the lamented Carl Sagan. I'd call your attention especially to the subtitle: Science as a Candle in the Dark.

A Note on Tea

TEA originated in China several thousand years ago. There are two basic kinds of tea -- black and green -- containing more than 300 known compounds. The difference between the black and green tea is generated during the manufacturing process. Oolong tea is semi-fermented but is
closer to black tea than green.

Black Tea
Black tea undergoes a fermentation step whereby enzymes, present in the tea flush, convert certain components present (for example, proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, and polyphenols) into compounds that are responsible for the characteristic aroma and flavor of black tea. India
and Sri Lanka are the major producers of black tea.

Green Tea
Green tea manufacturing eliminates the fermentation process, but still inactivates the enzymes present. The initial step is subjecting the flush to either the Japanese process of steaming, or the Chinese process of dry heating. Both countries are the world's major producers of green tea.

Green tea has, for some inexplicable reason, attained "health food" status, even though it has some decidedly "unhealthy" properties. Green tea contains triterpene saponins, which have the ability to dissolve erythrocytes (a red blood cell), even when highly diluted. Green tea also has a high fluroide content (130-160mg/kg), as well as potassium and aluminum ions. Both black and green teas contain caffeine. Iced tea can contain as much as 70 mg. of caffeine per cup, and even decaffeinated is not totally free of caffeine. Caffeine was first discovered in tea in 1827 and named theine. Later, when it proved to be chemically identical to caffeine, the name was dropped, leaving caffeine as the name of similar compounds.

Both types of tea contain large amounts of catechin tannins (10-25%), with those in green tea being higher than in black. Fermentation (black) partially changes catechins into oligomeric quinones with tannin characteristics. Tannins are known to decrease the digestibility of proteins. A cup of tea contains lesser amounts of caffeine than coffee, but the tannin content is much higher. Although tannins have both anticancer and carcinogenic properties, what activates one over the other is thought to lie within an individual's own chemistry makeup.

Both also contain xanthine alkaloids (theobromine, theophylline, dimethylxanthine, xanthine, and adenine). Xanthine is a precursor to uric acid -- also found in many organ meats -- which causes kidney stones and gout. Closely related to caffeine, theobromine has diuretic properties, is an arterial dilator, and is a central nervous system stimulant. It is widely consumed, not only in tea, but in coffee, cola, and chocolate. It is also highly toxic to dogs. The USDA recently added values from research conducted by the Agricultural Research Service (1994-96 and 1998) indicating levels of caffeine and theobromine consumed by children through nine years of age. The average intake was 13.9 mg., with most being consumed in carbonated drinks and tea, with chocolate running a close second. The giving of green tea to infants and children is popular with mothers anxious to see that their children attain higher standards of health. The average intake of theobromine levels in these same children were reported to be 42.5 mg. or 23.8 mg./1000kcal. Theophylline targets the heart, bronchia, and kidneys, and is the most common medication used
for asthma and COPD patients.

Precautions for green tea users are noted in the Herbal PDR. Those who have a weakened cardiovascular system, renal diseases, thyroid hyperfunction, elevated susceptibility to spasms or certain psychic disorders (for example, panic or anxiety), or who are pregnant or nursing should avoid its use. Long term usage produces the same symptoms as other caffeinated drinks do: restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness, heart palpitations, vertigo, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and headaches. The resorption of alkaline medications can be delayed because of chemical bonding with the tannins. An overdose is considered to be greater than 300 mg. caffeine or five cups of tea, which can lead to symptoms such as restlessness, tremors, and an elevated reflex excitability. The first signs of poisoning are vomiting and abdominal spasms.

Green tea may also interfere with the absorption of atropine, if taken orally. Large quantities may also increase the activity of Warfarin (Coumadin), which is a blood thinner. In addition, tannin-containing foods have been known to affect the absorption of Codeine and Cardec medications.

Kohinoor Diamond: The stone, The controversy, The legend

The stone
Prince Albert (Prince Consort) and Sebastian Garrard stated that the Koh-i-noor was badly cut, it is rose-not-brilliant-cut. It was decided to seek the advice of practical and experienced diamond cutters. A small steam engine was set up at Garrard's shop, while two gentlemen, Messrs Coster, Mr. Voorzanger and Mr. Fedder, travelled to London to undertake the re-cutting of the diamond. The Koh-i-noor was embedded in lead, two weeks later, after examining the stone. Mitchell thought that it had lost nearly all its yellow colour and become much whiter. The re-cutting took 38 days and cost £8000 ($40,000). The final result was an oval brilliant diamond weighing 108.93 metric carats, which meant a loss of weight of just under 43 per cent. Its was now in stellar brilliant-cut, possessing the regular 33 facets, including the table, while the pavilion has eight more facets than the regular 25 bringing the total number of facets to 66. 

In 1853, it was mounted on a magnificent tiara for the Queen, which contained more than two thousand diamonds. Five years later, Queen Victoria ordered a new regal circlet for the diamond. In 1911, Garrards made a new crown that Queen Mary wore for the coronation - it contained diamonds, among them the Koh-i-noor. In 1937, this was transferred to the crown made for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, based on Queen Victoria's regal circlet and is set in a Maltese Cross at the front of the crown. 

The controversy
The 20th century saw a war of words over Koh-i-noor and its rightful ownership. In 1947, the government of India asked for the return of the diamond. Also, the Congress Ministry which ruled Orissa staked claim to the stone, saying it belonged to the Lord Jagannath. Ranjit Singh's treasurer mentioned that it was the property of their estate. Pakistan's claim to the diamond was disputed by India. Shortly thereafter, a major newspaper in Teheran stated that the gem should to be returned to Iran. 

Sir Olaf has pointed out that the Koh-i-noor had been in Mogul possession in Delhi for 213 years, in Afghan possession in Kandahar and Kabul for 66 years and in British possession for 127 years. Historically, it maybe difficult to pass judgement on the validity of the various claims, but on the other hand, from a gemological aspect, as a paper report said, the Indian claim is the most valid because it was in that country that it was mined. 

The legend 
Legend goes that Sun God gave this gem to his disciple Satrajit, but his younger brother Persain snatched it from him. A lion in the forest killed Persain and Jamavant took this gem from the body of Persain and delivered it to Lord Krishna, who restored it to Satrajit. Later, this jewel again came back into the hands of Lord Krishna as dowry when Satrajit gave the hand of his daughter Satyabhama in marriage to him. Lord Krishna gave it back to the Sun God .The Koh-i-noor came into the hands of numerous rulers till it was possessed by Porus, the king of Punjab, who retained the diamond after a peace treaty in 325 BC when Alexander left India. 

Chandragupta Maurya (325-297 B.C.) became the next possessor and passed it on to his grandson Ashoka who ruled from 273-233 B.C. Later it slipped into the hands of Raja Samprati of Ujjain (Ashoka's grandson). This jewel remained in the custody of Ujjain and the Parmar dynasty of Malwa. When Ala-ud-din Khilji (1296-1316A.D.) defeated Rai Ladhar Deo, the ruler of Malwa in 1306 AD, he acquired the diamond. From this stage up to the time of Mughal Emperor Babur, the history of this precious stone is lost once more. Koh-i-noor comes to light again in year 1526.

Humayun is said to have given the stone to the Shah of Persia for giving him refuge after he lost to Sher Shah. From 1544 to 1547, the Koh-i-noor remained in the possession of Shah Tehmasp of Iran. The Shah sent the Koh-i-noor along with other precious gifts to Burhan Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar (Deccan) for the rulers of the Deccan - Ahmednagar, Golkunda and Bijapur regarded the King of Persia as their religious head. This stone remained in the possession of the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmednagar and the Qutb Shah dynasty of Golkunda in the Deccan for a period of 109 years. How it came back to the Mughals is another gap in history. 

After Aurangzeb, this diamond remained consigned into the coffers of the Mughal treasury from 1707 to 1739 A.D. Muhammad Shah Rangila (1719-1748) used to carry this wonder diamond with him in his turban. Nadir Shah got hold of Koh-i-noor when he ransacked Delhi in the 1700s and it went to his successors, landing in the hands of the Afghan ruler Shah Shuja who handed it to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1813.

The Koh-i-Noor left the shores of India on April 6, 1850, and on reaching London on July 2, 1850, it was handed over to the Board of Directors of the East India Company. Sir J.W. Logg, the Deputy Chairman of the East India Company, presented it to Queen Victoria. The queen recorded in her journal: "The jewels are truly magnificent. They had also belonged to Ranjit Singh and had been found in the treasury of Lahore.... I am very happy that the British Crown will possess these jewels for I shall certainly make them Crown Jewels".

Many still await the many treasures which were "stolen" by the British Raj, and no one knows how long the wait will be. But today, if you happen to visit London, please make a stopover at Tower of London and look at the Crown Jewels for the Queen and the Koh-i-noor placed in her crown up front inside a Maltese cross.

Koh-i-noor Diamond, a Mountain of Light

The anniversary of Koh-i-noor reaching the shores of England draws near again. A brilliant diamond, the 'Koh-i-noor's trail is littered by misery, unhappiness and war.

There was a period when Indian diamonds were very famous the world over. These included the Koh-i-noor, Orlov, the Great Moghul, Darya-i-noor, Indore pears, Shah and Arcots. These were all part of the treasure houses of the great emperors of India. Today, they are all in the hands of outsiders.

The legendary Koh-i-noor has been in the eye of the storm ever since it left the hands of its original owners - a diamond which was never bought or sold, but changed many hands. Koh-i-noor has left a trail that speaks of greed, power, murder, mayhem and unhappiness.

According to all references, Koh-i-noor was never that great to look at in its early days. It was just another diamond that was dull, non-sparkling and a little yellow in appearance.

Many legends say that the Koh-i-noor was mined in India, and at least 4,000 years old. It received a mention in the 1300s, when it was named in the Baburnama. One account states that Babur got his hands on the diamond in Gujarat; another says he got it in the Deccan. But when Babur came to Agra in May 1526, the ruler Vikramaditya most likely gave him the great diamond. There is also evidence that his son Humayun carried a large diamond that his father had handed back to him at Agra and was known as Babur's diamond for the next 200 years.

There are still so many unresolved questions surrounding the precious stone. Many believe that the Koh-i-noor was also the Great Mogul and that Babur's diamond was separate; others say the Koh-i-noor and Babur's diamond were one and same, while the rest identified it with both Babur's diamond and the Great Mogul. Information gathered over the years shows that in fact, three diamonds existed: - the Great Mogul – was the Orlov, weighing 189.62 metric carats, in Kremlin; and Babur's diamond – was the Darya-i-noor, weight 175 gm and 195 metric carats, the Iranian Crown Jewels; and the Koh-i-noor re-cut, Crown Jewels, England.

When the peacock throne was handed over to Nadir Shah, the hiding place of this diamond was given away. A member of Mohammad Shah's harem gave away the hiding place of Koh-i-noor. It is said that the Shah kept it hidden in his turban. So, Nadir Shah devised a plan - he ordered a grand feast to coincide with the restoration of Mohammed Shah to his throne. During the feast Nadir Shah suddenly proposed an exchange of turbans, a sign of brotherly ties and eternal friendship. Mohammed Shah was hardly likely to resist. After the exchange, Nadir Shah entered his private apartment only at night, where he unfolded the turban and found the diamond concealed within. When he set his eyes on it, he exclaimed "Koh-i-noor", meaning "Mountain of Light".

The next sixty years of its history are the most violent and bloodstained. The final owner was Maharaja Duleep Singh, son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in the backdrop of the two Sikh Wars leading to the annexation of the Punjab by the British. The hoisting of British flag was on March 29th, 1849 Lahore where Punjab was formally proclaimed a part of the British Empire in India. One of the terms of the Treaty of Lahore was:- "The gem called the Koh-i-noor which was taken from Shah Shuja-ul-Mulk by Maharajah Ranjit Singh shall be surrendered by the Maharajah of Lahore to the Queen of England."

Dr Sir John Login was entrusted with two charges: to take the Koh-i-noor out of the Toshakhana (the jewel house), and also the guardsmanship of the young Duleep Singh. It was formally handed over to the Punjab government of Sir Henry Lawrence (1806-1857), his younger brother John Lawrence (afterwards Lord Lawrence, the man who in February of 1859 would break ground on the future Lahore railroad station), and C.C. Mausel.

The Koh-i-noor sailed from Bombay in H.M.S. Medea. It was put in an iron box and kept in a dispatch box and deposited in the Government Treasury. For security reasons, this piece of news was suppressed, even among officers of the Treasury - and withheld from Commander Lockyer, the ship's captain. HMS Medea's voyage turned out to be a perilous one - cholera broke out on board in Mauritius and the local people demanded its departure. They asked their governor to open fire and destroy the vessel if it did not respond. After leaving Mauritius, a severe gale hit the vessel that lasted for about twelve hours. They reached Plymouth, England, where the passengers and the mail were unloaded, but not the Koh-i-noor, which was forwarded to Portsmouth.

From there, the two officers took the diamond to the East India House, handing it over to the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the company.
Today, diamonds are mined in over 25 countries around the world, on every continent but Antarctica. Most wholesale diamond activity is centered in Europe and New York. Although most diamonds are of the traditional, clear type, diamonds of every color are found naturally. Colored diamonds are the same structurally as normal diamonds, but contain trace amounts of other minerals which give them their special cover.

Death of a King; The terrible legacy of the man who failed the world

Saudi religious authorities have destroyed hundreds of historic structures in the name of religion in Mecca and Medina, and former UN officials have condemned the bulldozing of Ottoman buildings in Bosnia by a Saudi aid agency backed by the Fahd government which claimed they were "idolatrous". ...

Robert Fisk on The terrible legacy of the old man to be buried this afternoon in a desert graveyard of no memorials. Read more in the article published on 02 August 2005 by The Independent.

Heart Surgery for $1 and a Quarter!

Heart surgery for Rs 5 a month

Twenty-year-old Prasanna, a farmer from Tumkur district of Karnataka, would have normally wasted away after he was stricken with a heart disease. However, a model health insurance scheme has provided a ray of hope to thousands like him, besides setting a splendid example of government-private partnership.

Prasanna underwent an open heart surgery for Rs 60 ($1.25), the annual premium for the Yeshasvini health scheme launched in the cooperative sector in 2003. This quiet health revolution reaching out to the have-nots has resulted in medical treatment to more than 85,000 farmers in the last two years. As many as 25,000 farmers have undergone various kinds of operations, including those of the heart, brain, stomach, eyes and the gall bladder, during this period.

Starting from the 800-bedded super-speciality Narayana Hrudalaya Hospital on the outskirts of Bangalore, it now reaches out to farmers through 170 hospitals across the state.

The scheme came into being ironically at a function where its originator — the Hrudalaya hospital founder and heart surgeon, Dr Devi Shetty — was invited to endorse a milk product. Dr Shetty, a foreign trained cardiologist who went on to become Mother Teresa's personal cardiac surgeon and then an unabashed advocate for providing modern health care to the poor, asked his hosts the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) to support a path-breaking idea. What he had to offer to the KMC's Managing Director was this: "I will extend health benefits to all your two million employees for just Rs 5 a month"

Fortunately, for the farmers and Karnataka, the then Chief Minister S M Krishna was also at the function. When this scheme was suggested to him by the KMF Managing Director, he asked his government to fine-tune it. So was born the Yeshasvini (meaning Victor) health programme with KMF members as its first beneficiaries. The scheme was extended to other cooperatives and now covers around 17 lakh farmers in the state.

The government jacked up the premium to Rs 7.50 a month for each member by contributing the extra Rs 2.50 from its own coffers. The manner in which the Yeshasvini scheme took off is also unique. The insurance fee was collected upfront for a year so that initial needs for funds could be minimised. The state government, on its part, made its infrastructure of post offices available to collect the Rs 5 premium, and issue a "Yeshasvini member card".

The initial task of getting hospitals to participate and selling the idea to the cooperatives was conducted by the Trust, but the daily operations were later handled by a third party, which also coordinated payments to hospitals.

Speaking about the scheme, Dr Shetty says out of the 85,000 who had received treatment under the scheme in the last two years, 25,000 had been operated upon. Besides recognising 170 hospitals, the Yeshasvini Trust also recognises four heart hospitals in the state for heart operations.

The scheme covers nearly 1,700 different types of operations which include operations of the stomach, gall bladder, eyes, brain and uterus. The members also get free outpatient consultation in all Yeshasvini recognised hospitals, besides getting discounts on outpatient investigations.

Dr Shetty says the scheme can be easily replicated elsewhere with the Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu governments in dialogue with the Trust to include cooperatives in their states in this programme.

"All it needs is 10 lakh members who have come together for some other reason other than healthcare like a cooperative society or a grameen bank. A monthly premium of Rs 10 to Rs 15 should be collected for the whole year and deposited in the account of the charitable trust responsible for implementation of the scheme. Lastly, recognised hospitals should offer comprehensive packages for the operation so that patients are not charged extra in case of complications".

Dr Shetty says Narayana Hrudalaya is ready to carry out the entire process of launching the scheme free of cost using its expertise and infrastructure in case any state government or organisation desires so. Trained at the Guy's College in Britain, Dr Shetty left a promising career to come back to Calcutta to work on pioneering low-cost heart surgery.

This led to the establishment of the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata in the nineties and the foundation of Narayana Hrudalaya in 2000 in Bangalore. He has not stopped at building world-class institutions which are aimed at providing quality health care to the underprivileged. He has instituted telemedicine to provide cardiac care free of cost to the poor by roping in ISRO.

Narayana Hrudalaya is also in the process of being declared a deemed university for postgraduate medical degrees and is on the road to becoming a health city, the dream goal of Dr Shetty.

How did he go about it?

"I realised that the bulk of the money of hospitals is earned from heart treatment and that needed to be reduced. We at Narayana Hrudalaya have done just that. We have gone in for large-scale operations and are currently performing 23 surgeries everyday. In Calcutta we are performing around eight surgeries everyday. This has reduced costs to Rs 65,000 for a bypass surgery", he said.

by Jangveer Singh