Is there panacea to thwart ‘sudden heart attacks’?

Who is not afraid of sudden heart attacks especially after having heard of a recent event involving a friend or colleague? Would consulting a heart specialist mitigate such episodes?

It is natural to assume that the degree of narrowing is the most important predictor of a heart attack, but a study of close to 700 patients who underwent invasive coronary angiogram and advanced imaging showed that the degree of narrowing does not predict whether a heart attack will occur. Heart attacks can occur suddenly even in areas of mild narrowing due to blood clots forming in unhealthy arteries!

Following are a few Expert international guidelines to reduce the risks of heart attacks:

For patients with no symptoms, the recommendation is testing for risk factors such as high cholesterol and diabetes.

For patients with a low (less than 10 per cent) likelihood of heart disease (for example, non-anginal chest pain), some guidelines favour treadmill ECG testing.

For patients with a known history of heart disease (for example, previous heart attack), stress imaging is recommended for evaluating new symptoms. The Computed Tomography Angiogram (CTA) is one of these assessments that has recently garnered great interest. It is a non-invasive test using X-ray dye to look for narrowing in the heart arteries. For patients with an intermediate likelihood of heart disease, some guidelines favour using CTA, while others recommend exercise testing with imaging, especially if patients are able to exercise. Routine testing for heart disease with tests such as CTA is not recommended for asymptomatic individuals.

A normal test result can indicate a low risk, but not zero risk. A local review of over 10,000 asymptomatic individuals who took the treadmill ECG test showed that a normal test had an annual less than 0.1 per cent risk of developing a heart attack. In the study, patients with chest pain but a normal CTA result had a low but not zero risk of occurrence (0.9 per cent) over two years. Since low risk does not mean no risk, it is important to manage risk factors such as high cholesterol, smoking and lifestyle choices, rather than relying on testing alone to prevent heart attacks.

Heart attacks can occur suddenly even in areas of mild narrowing due to blood clots forming in unhealthy arteries. While tests cannot totally thwart episodes, you can certainly reduce the risk by being aware of symptoms such as exercise-induced chest discomfort, controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as other risk factors.

So the Damocles sword ‘Heart attack’ is here to stay! May be this imminent threat is the one that makes the mortals realise uncertainty of the human life, in spite of the understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, and obliges one to be philosophical!

Credits:

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/life-culture/choosing-the-right-test-for-heart-disease

Throttling voices of dissent – Democracy in peril?

With the ‘roadroller’ mandate, would the state, throttle voices of dissent?

Will Indians now get arrested and convicted for raising a voice? This is the question in the mind of a docile Indian, after news came in today from the Indian state of Gujarat that the Jamnagar Court had sentenced Indian Police Service officer Sanjiv Bhatt and co-accused to life imprisonment in a 1989 custodial death case. The custodial death case dates back to 1989 when he was posted as the Additional Superintendent of Police in the Jamnagar district. He had detained approximately 150 people during a communal riot and one of those arrested, Prabhudas Vaishnani, died in hospital after his release.

Is Bhatt only paying for being critical of the ruling BJP’s alleged role in deadly anti-Muslim riots in 2002? The former controversial police officer had alleged that Prime Minister Modi, who was at that time the chief minister of Gujarat, during the riots in the state, told officials that Hindus should be allowed to vent their anger against Muslims. More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence. But, Modi has always denied any wrongdoing, and was cleared by the court of law, too. Bhatt was suspended in 2011 on charges of remaining absent from duty without permission and misuse of official vehicles, and later sacked in August 2015.

In India, where debates about delayed court cases and delayed justice are common – why were other important cases not being dealt with such urgency? It’s really unfortunate that Sanjeev has been given life imprisonment for a custodial death 30 years ago and the one who should have got life imprisonment for killing six people is sitting in parliament. Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, now a law maker, is accused of participating in a 2008 communal attack that killed six people and injured more than 100 others. She spent nine years in detention over the charge and is still awaiting a trial for terrorism and criminal conspiracy after being granted bail on medical grounds in 2017.

Using official machinery, as the ‘Damocles sword’, to toe your line, is a time tested strategy by those in power! TDP MPs whose firms have been raided are likely to become saints after donning saffron outfits; Same is the case with TMC top brass who are Sharda tainted; Amma loyalists are having daggers behind their backs to toe the saffron line! Is it go-slow on ‘Vyapam’? Nothing is heard about it off late!

Democracy would indeed be in peril in the coming days if the top brass (with devotees as well) turn ‘insane’ with this monstrous power that is intoxicating!

Is ‘Climate Change’ change synonymous with ‘Calamity in Waiting’?

For ‘Doomsayers’, climate change is synonymous with ‘calamity in waiting’. But, It might also make Siberia habitable! Is there really any ‘Upside To Climate Change’? Yes, a research study predicts, ‘Agriculture in Siberia by 2080’, can you believe it? It is the same Siberia with remote winter gulags; To many who are familiar with its climate it is where ‘dissidents’ are (being?) sent to die. The prediction is based on the results of scientific study recently published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

In this study, researchers used climate scenarios set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including mild and extreme changes. They combined circulation models with projected climate scenarios, then worked out the January and July temperatures predicted for the Asian Russia region through to the 2080s. This allowed them to work out the habitability potential for humans over the coming decades. Findings showed that January temperatures under severe climate change could increase by over nine degrees Celsius, while July temperatures could go up by almost six degrees Celsius (frightening even to guess what would be the fate of the rest of the inhabited world with similar raise!) Under milder climate change, this could be 3.4 degrees and 1.9 degrees Celsius respectively.

This area which is around five million square miles, is a vast, empty landscape that—despite accounting for 77 percent of Russia’s land area—is occupied by just 27 percent of the population, with an average density of three people per kilometer squared (0.4 square miles.). Much of the land is presently made up of permafrost. Climate change could make a huge part of Russia’s frozen landscape habitable if global warming continues on its current trajectory. This is soil that, in some cases, has been frozen for thousands of years. Should global temperatures increase, this land could thaw making it more suitable for activities such as agriculture.

By examining how Siberia will respond to different warming scenarios, researchers from the Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Federal Research Center, and the U.S. National Institute of Aerospace, were able to determine how much more of the landscape would become suitable for human occupation. Under the extreme climate change, they estimate that permafrost coverage in the region could drop from 65 percent down to 40 percent by the 2080s, vastly expanding the land that could be occupied by humans. Even under mild climate change, they estimate a five-fold increase in the potential human capacity. This positive changes that may come under higher global warming could come with a list of negatives, such as increased natural hazards like droughts, thunderstorms and the problems that come with thawing permafrost, such as damage to infrastructure.

Climate change may not be bad for all, after all!

Credits:

1. https://www.science20.com/news_staff/upside_to_climate_change_it_might_make_siberia_habitable-238625

நாய் விற்ற காசு குறைக்குமா?

திராவிட தலைவர்கள், ‘ நாய் விற்ற காசு குறைக்காது’ என உறுதியாக நம்புபவர்களா?

இந்தி வெறுப்பு பணியை செவ்வனே நிறைவேற்ற, செந்தாமரை சபரீசனின் சன்ஷைன் மான்டிசேரி, சன்ஷைன் சீனியர் செகன்டரி பள்ளிகளில் இந்தி பாடங்களை தடைசெய்து, தமிழினதன்மானத்தை நிலைநிறுத்த ஏன் ஒரு முன் உதாரணமாக இருக்க கூடாது? ஸ்டாலினின் அதிகாரம் தன் மகளிடமே செல்லாத போது எந்த முகத்துடன் தமிழ் மக்களிடம் இந்திவெறுப்பை வெற்றிகரமாக எப்படி திணிக்க முடிந்தது? பேராசிரியர் அன்பழகனின் பேரன், ஜகத்ரக்‌ஷகன், துரைமுருகனின் மகன், மு.க.முத்துவின் மாப்பிள்ளை, போன்ற திமுகவின் மற்ற பிரமுகர்களும் இதற்கு விலக்கல்ல. தமிழை ‘உயிர் மூச்சாக’ கொண்டுள்ள இந்த ‘தலைவர்கள்’, ‘நாய் விற்ற காசு குறைக்காது’ என்பதை உறுதியாக நம்புபவர்கள்! மக்களை காலம் காலமாக ஏமாற்ற முடிந்த கலையில் விற்பன்னர்கள்!

துணைவிகளும் மனைவிகளும் திருத்தலங்கள் தோறும் படியேறி, தங்களது வெற்றிக்காக இறைவழிபட்ட போது, சிறிதும் வெட்கமின்றி அதனை (மறைமுகமாக விரும்பி) ஆதரித்த கழகத் தலைவர்கள்தானே இவர்கள்?

ஒருபுறம் டாஸ்மாக் கடைகளை மூட போராட்டம்; மறு பக்கம் அந்த கடைகளில் விற்கும் மதுதயாரிக்கும் தொழிலில் கோடிகளில் கொழிப்பது T R பாலு, ஜகத்ரக்‌ஷகன் மற்றும் கழக தலைவர்களும் அவர்களின் பினாமிகளுமன்றோ? நாய் விற்ற காசு குறைக்காதல்லவா?

தொண்டர்கள், தலைவர்களை விடவும் கொள்கைப் பிடிப்புள்ளவர்களாக இருப்பார்கள் என்பதில் ஐயம் என்பது எள்ளளவும் இல்லை. ஆயினும், தன் சுயலாபத்திக்காக ‘தொண்டனை’ காவுகொடுக்கவும் தலைவன் தயங்கமாட்டான் என்பதில் இருவேறு கருத்தில்லை: ‘மனதில் உறுதி வேண்டும்’ திரைப் படத்தில் பாலசந்தர் தீட்டிய பாத்திரம் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறதா?

இந்தி எதிர்ப்பு கொள்கையை தொண்டனிடம் உருவேற்றும் திராவிடத்தலைவர்கள், கல்வி வியாபாரத்தில் இந்தியின் பேரைச் சொல்லி கொள்ளையடிப்பதை, ஏன் தமிழனுக்கு வெளிச்சம் போட்டு காட்டக்கூடாது? நாத்திக வாதமாகட்டும் மதுவிலக்காகட்டும், இந்த கொள்கை பிடிப்பில்லா வேடதாரிகளை கண் மூடித்தனமாக நம்பும் தொண்டர்கள் விழிக்கும் காலம் வெகு தொலைவிலில்லை!

Can Poets be Prophetic?

‘வங்கத்தில் ஓடி வரும் நீரின் மிகையால் மையத்து நாடுகளில் பயிர் செய்குவோம்’ Subramania Bharathi wrote this in early 1920’s, with a vision of bringing water from Ganges to Cauvery! I am not aware of this river link being conceptualised earlier! How prophetic he is! Later, The technocrat minister, K L Rao, laid out a blue print for grand river linkages of north and south in the mid 60’s, but did not take off due to political and financial quagmires. Everyone is sceptical now: be it, the farmers of the upper riparian states, who are prepared to weather the risks of massive floods from time than share with their brethren, to the ever ‘green’ environmentalists who never want to take the risk even with the promise of ushering ‘golden era’.

When Modi’s second term team took oath, the omission of representation from the parched southern most state, which outrightly rejected Modi, was glaringly visible. But, the Union minister Nitin Gadkari, with a proven track record on the laying of highways, renewed his assurance to bring water to Tamil Nadu, and promised to link Godavari-Krishna rivers so that Cauvery becomes copious.

 “My first job would be to link Godavari and Krishna and this (will) bring water to TamilNadu,” the Tamil Nadu BJP tweeted quoting the Central Minister. “This is what BJP is all about. Even though you reject #TNRejectsBJP, they will do their duty,” the tweet further said.

The Modi baiting Dravidian social media has so far been successful in portraying Modi as anti-Tamil. Only actions on ground would prove otherwise. Would Gadkari keep up his promise? Would the strong DMK contingent in the parliament keep the vigil and ensure prosperity to Tamilnadu, instead of their usual ‘walkout’ strategy?

Politics apart, a statesman is one who foresees the problems and prophetic in handling them. Having put the bets on this team, we, the saner lot, can only hope that better days are ahead of us, if not in our lifetime, at least for the next generation.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

Veerappan, the Retired Chief Engineer of Tamil Nadu Public Works Department, is realistic in ‘watering’ down the euphoria of the Godavari-Cauvery river linking project proposed by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, as an ‘unworkable’ idea, given the prevailing situation not only across the country but around the globe. He says, “Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Maharashtra would never part with 200 tmc of water to Tamil Nadu at any point of time. Also, Since linking of rivers would affect biodiversity, there would strong opposition to this project from environmentalists and tribals, who would also be affected.”

Considering the mindset of people on this resource that is becoming increasingly scarce, that is reluctance to part with even kith and kin, pragmatic and not utopian solutions can only be dreamed let alone being seriously considered for implementation.

He advices to expedite the irrigation schemes within Tamil Nadu that would meet the water requirements. These include: Athikadavu-Avinashi project to fortify groundwater table (950 crore); diverting surplus (?) water from Mettur dam through Sarabanga-Thirumanimuthar-Ayyaru link canal; diverting Pandiyar river in Nilgiris district to Tamil Nadu limits, since this would provide three tmc of water to the State just at a cost of Rs 50 crore; diverting surplus water from Amaravathi river to Vattamalai Karai reservoir in Tiruppur district, diverting surplus water from Varathamanathi river to Nallathangal rivulet and building a check dam across Ayyaru in Kolli hills to get three tmc of water.

Irrespective of Whether the Godavari-Cauvery link is implemented or not, the schemes suggested by this specialist shall be seriously considered and taken up on war footing if found feasible to quench the thirst of parched Tamilnadu before it turns into a desert.

Water draining into the sea during excess rain fall shall be considered a heinous crime against the society by the future generations and those responsible for the mismanagement shall be brought before the law.

Let us only hope these new proposals are not thwarted by the ever zealous green ‘activists’ who stoke the emotions in the name of ‘dravidian pride‘.

Credits:

1. http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2019/may/30/godavari-cauvery-linking-not-feasible-pwd-ex-chief-engineer-1983570.html

Emotions or Reality – what sells in Democracy?

Yuval Noah Harari, in his recent best seller, ‘21 lessons in 21st century’ stresses that in the democratic polity, there is an overwhelming role of feelings over reality. Modi played this part extremely well pan india but failed to gauge the pulse in Tamil Nadu. What stands out is the Tamil Nadu results is the stark reality: AIADMK, PMK and the allies were also pulled down by the weight of their association with BJP. It appears without BJP, they would have got more votes!

Series of narration since his ascension, the Tamilians are led to believe that Modi is indifferent to their interests. His heart did not beat for anything Tamil because his party had no dividends to reap in this state. The viral memes and videos in circulation ridiculing and spreading hate against Modi were too obvious to miss.

It had been going on for around 3 years now and if one wants to fix a date/time, it could be the jallikattu agitation. The agitation really broke out big, and captured the imagination of not only those in TN, but entire India was transfixed. Though Modi guided OPS and provided a legal solution, nobody is willing to give the credit to him. What remained was the perception that Modi did not care, because he never spoke supporting the cause.

And then another spectacle, for nearly 100 days, at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, by farmers from TN. Tamilians associated themselves with this cause, even if it was weird at times. The grouse of the Tamil people was that the Prime Minister Narendara Modi did not even make one symbolic visit to the Jantar Mantar and promise to look into their demands. Whatever the  justification, all that it required for Modi, was a visit to the site and a handshake, and a promise to look into the issues. Respect is all, the Tamilians expected, they say. Modi missed a trick here too.

On NEET, Modi came to TN’s rescue with an ordinance, which was trashed by the apex court, for no fault of his. He could not undo it, even if he was willing. But Modi failed to express it in public. His silence cost him his stature.

Add the killing of 13 innocents in Thoothukudi in the wake of Sterlite agitation. Modi was perceived to be cold and uncaring, since he did not sympathise with the victims, even while he tweeted his sympathies.

His failure to visit TN in the aftermath of Gaja cyclone, despite his sanctioning a huge financial aid, was perceived as disdain and indifference to Tamilians. 

The perception that BJP had no stake in TN and therefore Modi did not care hardened. And DMK and its allies brilliantly built on this ‘perception and fanned the flames to keep the issue alive as anti Modi narrative‘. Modi (read all the North Indians) is ‘anti Tamil’ sells now.

Modi-Shah duo, while being successful in getting the overwhelming majority by stoking emotions across the country, same ‘emotions’ resoundingly thwarted TsuNamo in Tamilnadu.

Credits:

1. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/280519/boon-or-bane-how-modi-lost-the-plot-in-tn.html

It reveals more than what it ‘Covers Up’

Recently, a Somali-American model, Halima Aden, made history by becoming the first woman clad in a hijab and burkini to appear in a ‘swimsuit issue’ of a magazine. ‘Aden’ is being hailed as Muslim heroine portraying the ability of Muslim women to do just about everything while adhering to the precept of being “covered up”.

Is ‘covering up’ an act of modesty? if modesty is the goal, the aim should not be to detract attention and merge with the multitudes. But the choice of hijab itself is contrary to it, as its wearer would attract far more attention while surrounded by women who do not cover their hair!

Did the tradition of veiling begin with modesty? Scarves and veils of different colors and shapes were customary in countless cultures long before Islam came into being in the seventh century in the Arabian Peninsula. The veil itself, however, predated Islam and was practiced by women of several religions, including Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism. It also was largely linked to class position: Wealthy women could afford to veil their bodies completely, whereas poor women who had to work [in the field] either modified their veils or did not wear them at all. So it is a sign of ‘superior class‘.

While there is a need for women to be modest, the area women must cover ranges from “the bosom” to the whole body except the face and hands, primarily to avoid the provoking the sexual desires from the ‘prying eyes‘ of ‘unfair sex‘. The same logic is applicable to the burkini as it covers up just everything except the face. But the difference would be, this attire worn on the beach is likely to attract more attention than a nondescript swimsuit. In this sense, the burkini is pointless in the enactment of modesty!

Then why should such a practice be not only in vogue but is increasingly being practiced? One may come to the conclusion that, the isolation and discrimination against Muslims especially in Western countries might have ‘provoked’ this act of covering up as a sign of establishing a ‘Muslim identity’ be it ‘hijab, niqab, Chandra or burqa’. But, of late, in several countries, this has led to political controversies and proposals for a legal ban due to its terror implications: for example, currently there are 14 nations that have banned the ‘burqa’!

For example, A Muslim Educational Society in Kozhikode has issued a circular prohibiting female students from wearing veils in its institutions across the country, The group runs 35 colleges and 72 schools, and has around one lakh students on its rolls. The circular quotes a Kerala High Court order from December 2018, which dismissed a plea filed by two female students of Christ Nagar Senior Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram, seeking to wear headscarves and full-sleeve shirts. The High Court, upholding the school’s refusal to grant permission for such clothing, said in its order that collective interest must supersede individual interest.

Thus the issue of what ‘covering up means’ has opened up public debate including those among the Muslim community.

Credits:

1. https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/180519/do-burkinis-offer-modesty-or-draw-more-attention.html

2. https://scroll.in/latest/922085/keralas-muslim-educational-society-bans-women-from-wearing-veils-on-its-campuses-in-india

Dynocracy – The New Indian System of Governance

The raise of Mayawati, Karunanidhi, Mulayam, Lallu and many more (the list is indeed very long) runs almost on the same lines. Not only these corrupt politicians used their shrewd wisdom to craft their castle, with divisive of caste based politics, brick by brick over the years by hoaxing the downtrodden. Having built their political empire, they also amassed himalayan wealth to sustain this power, usurping public money! Even at their twilight of life, they are squirmy not to loose their loot; and are propping up their wards to occupy the thrown once they their mortal remains.

We Indians, born and brought up in ‘Manu’ philosophy of life, accept this phenomenon as nothing but natural. we justify the transfer of power by these ‘leaders’ to their descendants of their own family. Classic example is the way Nehru’s dynasty was propped up: Nehru-Indira-Rajiv-Sonia-Rahul. Since there is no resistance to this form of politics many more are waiting in the queue: Deva Gowda, KCR, CBN, Pawar to name a few.

Is the society putting the clock back from a true democracy to the age old dynasty centred transfer of power? Then why not rename and change the Indian constitution to this new Indian system as ‘Dynocracy’.

Is there a solution? Yes..

Political parties should include in their by-law, like in communist parties, BJP etc., where a person can’t continue as president for two consecutive terms. The cult of life-time party presidency should be dispensed with. After all democracy starts with the party, right? A step beyond that, like In US, where no president can continue for more than two terms, we can enact similar condition for the post of prime minister: Such built in safety controls would unlock the slavery mindset, ‘without him/her what would happen’? This would go a long way in avoiding ‘dynocracy‘!

Right now, in India True democracy is gasping for breath! Long live democracy?

Organic mania and Farmers’ dilemma

When the news broke that PepsiCo was suing small farmers in India for growing a potato variety that is used in its Lay’s chips, popular sympathies immediately went, of course, to the farmers. National and international pressure swiftly mounted, and in short order a humbled PepsiCo backtracked, announcing its withdrawal of the lawsuit. What should not be a source of pride, however, is the fact that so many small farmers are, like the ones targeted by PepsiCo, reliant, directly or indirectly, on proprietary seeds.

In the current Indian law regulating intellectual property rights in seeds, permits farmers not only to save and resow (multiply) seeds, but also to sell them to other farmers, no matter what the original source of the seeds is. This broad permission (called farmers’ privilege) is considered indispensable for so-called seed sovereignty, Despite the shift away from seed replacement to the right to save seeds, the emphasis remains on proprietary seeds that have narrow, uniform and non-variable genetic builds.

The green revolution in India in the sixty’s focussed on high input (irrigation-fertiliser-pesticide) high yield agriculture apart from research on hybrid seeds. The dividends were palpable as the indian agrarian economy shed its ‘Import’ tag. With the stress on the high yield farming, Indian farmers moved out of traditional farming with home grown seeds that are adept to the local conditions. Many of the crop failures are traced to the poor resistance of the ‘proprietary’ seeds. Even the ill health of the present generation is purportedly believed to be due to the ‘inorganic’ farming with fertilisers and pesticides. Should we go back to our old ways? It is true that the ‘Life has come a full circle’.

The recent spurt in awareness in ‘organic farming’ takes the sheen out of the high cost farming with ‘proprietary’ high yield hybrid seeds. There is a universal consensus for the use of genetically distinctive seeds adapted to local conditions than adapting the local conditions to use genetically standardised seeds. But the traditional farming can’t compete with its lower yield and its lower income even with its high nutritional value, hastening the downward spiralling of the already stressed farm business.

Can India shift now from high-yield to a high-value one, where the values include striving to minimise environmental harm while maximising nutritional gains, at the expense of ‘farmers’ welfare? This ‘organic farming‘ is steadily catching up the imagination of the ‘health cautious‘ minority population who are willing to foot even the high price tag! But could this be sustained? If a biodiversity-rich nation like India can not show the way for sustainable ‘organic farming‘ to the rest of the world, who else will?

Would this call for a rethinking of our agricultural policy? Should organic farming be ‘subsidised‘ for minimising the future expenses on ‘health of the society‘’? Could the productivity be sustained, without the use of chemicals, to feed the growing population? Moot questions to the environmentalists and agriculture scientists!

Credits:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a-wake-up-call-on-proprietary-seeds/article27072442.ece