26/11 - LEST WE FORGET

Ten brainwashed zealots from Pakistan stormed Mumbai exactly an year ago and the carnage and horror that followed was unprecedented. 60 hours, live on the screen- all our senses numbed. One year later today, many valiant martyrs are remembered for their courageous acts. This article will be a tribute to a relatively unknown gem, Shri Tukaram Gopal Ombale, the brave ASI who caught the lone surviving gunman, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab.

Ombale was a true hero in all sense of the word. On the night of Nov 26/27 2008, 20 policemen from the DB Marg police station had set up a "naka bandi" (barricade) on Girgaum Chowpatti. They had received the message that terrorists had just wrecked havoc in CST, and are on their way towards Marine Drive, driving a hijacked Skoda car. Of the policemen, just two had Self Loading Rifles (SLR) and the same two men had bullet-proof vests. The rest were just armed with a lathi (baton), and some of them were in plainclothes. What follows next is right out of a heroic bollywood movie script.

Tukaram Ombale was giving chase to the car on his motorbike after he saw the Skoda car whiz past him. At around 12:45 AM, the skoda car sped towards the barricades and screeched to a halt some 50 feet away. Ombale with his motorbike tried to block the car from the left. On the front of the car were the barricades. Suddenly the lights and wipers were turned on and the car tried to make a U-turn from the right, but instead hit the road divider. All the while, two terrorists were firing heavily from the car (nearly 100 spent shells were recovered from the site). The police responded and gunned down Ismail Khan who was driving the car. On the other side, the door opened and Ajmal Kasab came out as if to surrender. Tukaram Ombale rushed towards him when suddenly Kasab fired his Kalashnikov gun at Ombale. Various reports say that Ombale took 30 to 39 bullets from Kasab while trying to capture him alive. Like a true hero, he lunged at Kasab and snatched his AK-47 assault rifle, held on to it, and collapsed over Kasab which effectively cramped him for space. "When we saw that Ombale was not letting go of the terrorist's gun, we knew we could not let his sacrifice go in vain. He held on and we completed his unfinished task," says his colleague Sanjay Govilkar.

In a way, he acted as a shield thus protecting the other officers present there- what's more, he fell across Kasab, thus immobilizing him. These valuable moments were enough for the other police men to come forward and catch Kasab alive. Just with the help of lathis, Mumbai policemen have done which nobody else in the world have ever done: catch a hard-core Fidayeen terrorist alive. Intelligence agencies and security forces from all over the world (FBI, CIA, Mossad, MI6, Shin Bet, KGB etc.) descended down to India to understand the nuances of the tactics used by terrorists and the counter measures taken by India; but to actually have information - that is priceless. And that is made available to the world today by Tukaram Ombale.

His heroic deed resulted in clinching the crucial evidence against Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Pakistani establishment. The whole investigation proceeds largely from Kasab, and that is because he was caught alive. An avalanche of diplomatic, political and international pressures were heaped upon the Pakistani establishment, just because of Ombale. In keeping Kasab alive, we are able to know priceless information about the network of Jihadis, their training, logistics, idealogy, functioning, etc. which would be invaluable to prevent future strikes. The importance of Tukaram Ombale's martyrdom can never be overemphasized.

Reports have now emerged about his dedication to duty before 26/11. It is said that he once painstakingly worked with dedication to inform people of the dangers of jellyfish lurking in the beaches near Girgaum Chowpatty- to the extent that he researched on Jellyfish and came with lots of lemons the next day (he just studied till class IX). He learnt that squeezing lemon juice on Jellyfish wounds have a calming effect.

He stood a perfect example for "Do your duty, and don't reap for the rewards", as said in the Gita. Once he is said to have seen some policemen chase a thief. He set his pet dog on the crook, and the thief was nabbed by Ombale and his dog, by surprising him from the other end of the street. Though he nabbed him- he politely handed him over to the other pursuing officers and he went his way. Those officers were recognized and awarded for their "efforts". But Ombale never cared for these recognitions. He believed in his duty and he wanted to be an example for others. "If I am right, the others will be right too". Never late for duty, he never missed a day even if he was unable to work. Once during the Ganesh chaturthi celebrations, he went for work inspite of being very, very sick. "I had to be there, I had to... it was my duty", so he said. His daughter Vaishali also showed a great example to honour her father by refusing donations of about 3 lakh rupees collected by students after 26/11. She had previously too, refused such charities or gave it back to them. She says that her dad loved children and he would not approve of donations. Though the whole nation is grateful to him today, his family still feels the void left by him.

His valiant efforts did not go unnoticed. He was awarded the Ashok Chakra by the Indian government, the highest civilian/military award for valour, courage and sacrifice in peacetime. CNN IBN also awarded him with the "Indian of the year" award in the category of "extraordinary service to the nation". His is a tale of sacrifice and duty, he has left behind a legacy which is worthy of emulation- an example to follow.

With people like Tukaram Ombale, the whole nation is illuminated. We bow to you, sir.

Picture copyright: Rediff.com; notw.co.uk

TWENTY YEARS & COUNTING

Every once a while, a great soul will emerge and sweep humanity off its feet, so Hindus believe. It was a balmy November morning in Karachi twenty years ago (1989), that a great soul had come to light. Chandu Borde, the then manager of the Indian cricket team had handed the India test cap to a little shy boy, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Borde recalls being awoken at night by the noise of Tendulkar tapping the ball in his hotel room, practicing his strokes. A precocious young talent, he was just waiting to explode. When this was happening in Pakistan, Berlin wall divided Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) and German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany), USSR was not yet split into Russia and 14 other different nations, and many college going kids of today were not born!

In his first test series, in spite of being hit in the nose by the speedster Waqar Younis, the young teen showed tremendous character to continue playing with a blood soaked face and shirt. I still remember watching this series as a little boy, seeing those grainy feed from Doordarshan- my earliest recollection of watching cricket. From that series, I remembered nothing later on but a few hazy pictures and one name- Sachin Tendulkar. It is no wonder that it was his majesty who inspired me (and millions others subsequently), not just in cricket or sports, but in various aspects of life in general. And very soon, Tendulkar-mania swept across the nation.

He was everywhere. He cemented his place in the Indian team, and very soon it just became routine that he scores lots of runs all the time. Occasional rare failures are catastrophic for the average Indian fan. For most audience, it didn't matter if India won or lost: as long as Sachin hit a fifty or a hundred, they're very happy. People didn't come to watch a match; they came to watch Tendulkar unfold his effulgence. Special pujas and other services were made to ensure that he plays well. It is said that when Tendulkar comes out to bat, the TV viewing population of India exceeds the population of Europe. Note that it is only to watch Sachin, not for team India. This bizzare phenomenon was observed over the past twenty years- people switch off their TVs and go about their work, or leave the stadium once Tendulkar gets out. In an effect, Tendulkar had created a monster. He was guilty of dazzling the masses with his presence which transcended national, linguistic, racial, and cultural loyalties. Revered all over the world, it is sheer madness in India when he is out in the open. He sometimes goes out on drives at 4:00 AM to avoid the public, or in disguise. In spite of all this attention, he has carried himself exceeding well. Success has never gotten to his head, and he remaines devoted to his trade, firm as ever.

There were a few things which only he can achieve: He was probably the only person to do an advertisement on shaving razors (Gillette) when he himself was not ready to shave! He will be the only cricketer to move the great mass of humanity that is India, in unison. At 36, he has lapped every award there is, and is just within striking distance of rightfully deserving the Bharat Ratna.

It has been two decades since we first saw the little master, and even after twenty years people still associate him with the innocent looking teenaged kid. And that image is impossible to disassociate from him- he is still a 36 year old baby, and gets all the fond attention from every grown-up, aged 3 and above.

His wax statue at Madame Tussauds, accolades from Don Bradman himself, the unprecedented love and fan following in India and elsewhere, two decades of being en epitome of all good values to emulate... to detail his life and the effect on others is a ginormous undertaking. With such an impact on the masses, it is impossible not to associate him with the divine. Many of Sachin's supporters refer to him just as "god". As cricinfo puts it, "...Tendulkar remains, by a distance, the most worshipped cricketer in the world".

We wish Sachin Tendulkar all the very best to continue the magic show for ever.

Picture copyright: www.cyberspirits.net

COPING WITH FLU

Its all around you. When somebody sneezed near you, you no longer say "Bless You". You'd scream, "Stay away from me!" and move away from the place. You can run but you cannot hide. Much of this paranoia is because of the dreaded novel influenza A (H1N1) or more commonly known as Swine Flu which is now spread all over the world, and regarded as a pandemic.

When the disease first broke out in the spring of 2009, thousands of pigs were slaughtered all over the world to "prevent" the disease outbreak. Swine flu, as it was initially named, made people to link the flu to pigs which resulted in the massacre. Then the medical experts and other governing agencies became more careful and adopted the term A (H1N1) influenza, just to protect the pigs. The human toll of this flu strain is really phenomenal. Nearly 7800 people have died in little over 6 months. Its flu season in many countries, and you find the whole place infested with sick people. Masks were frantically used by every person out in the open, and it can reach insane heights, like this picture I got by email (Although I believe it is a fake one). In spite of preventive measures for flu and cold being recommended by doctors and other health professionals, they still spread. Keeping up with the flu season, this article is with a view to dispel some myths about flu and catching a cold, in general.

Myth: Bathing in cold water causes pneumonia/flu (or) eating ice, ice cold water causes pneumonia.

Fact: Catching a cold in the rain, in ice, by getting under the cold water etc. are all old wives' tales. The "cold" in the cold water/ice etc. should not be confused with catching a cold, which is caused by a virus. However, if you stay out in the cold for too long, your body's immune system may become weakened, and the virus causing the cold/flu will attack it. That being said, the body's immune system can be weakened by a variety of factors, not just ice/cold water/cool air. Even in the peak of summer at a hot country, you can catch a flu. It is also to be noted that the Rhino virus (which causes common cold) morphs continuously and every time we get a cold it is because of a new strain of virus which our body's immune system has not seen. And the whole process of our "suffering" is part of our body's natural immune system to fight the virus, so that the next time it comes to our body we will be immune to it. So, catching a cold by playing in the cold water, or ice is a big fat lie.

Myth: Washing hands regularly prevents flu/cold.

Fact: Washing them regularly is a recommended method to keep the viruses at bay, but they are not foolproof. In a recent study at the University of Maryland, it was found that alcohol based hand sanitizers worked far better than any other hand cleaners. Yet, they don't prevent flu- they just aid in minimizing the chances of getting yourself affected.

Myth: There are medicines for common cold

Fact: There isn't any medicine which you can pop into your mouth and voila- the disease is cured. As far as cold is concerned, all medicines can do is to alleviate the symptoms of cold. If you are coughing and sneezing a lot- it will probably reduce it a bit. The symptoms of cold (cough, sneeze, fever, etc.) are all body's way of fighting the virus and strengthening the immune system. The medicines aid to reduce the bodily suffering a bit, but are not a cure. If you can remember those Ads, they only promise "temporary relief", and not complete cure- there cannot be a medicine to prevent or to cure cold because the virus is constantly evolving. Like my granny said, "It takes a week to cure cold with medicines, and it takes 7 days to cure cold without medicines".

Myth: If you have swine flu, you have a high chance of dying soon

Fact: People with high obesity, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, very small children or people with weak immune system, or pregnant people are generally at risk contracting diseases. If they contract swine flu (or any other infection or disease), they will be at risk and are more likely to die. Though swine flu has taken the lives of thousands, you have to put it in perspective with other diseases like malaria, normal flu, typhoid etc. and the number of people dead from other diseases are much more than swine flu.

Myth: Flu shots prevent flu and cold permanently

Fact: Flu shots makes your body immune against only a certain particular strain(s) of virus causing flu. Usually, flu shots are administered at the beginning of the flu season (Nov-April), or beginning of summer. Only those strains which are actively present at that time are being protected against. Flu vaccine is only for a particular season because different flu strains can circulate each season. Once you're given a flu shot, the virus strain which is prevalent at that time won't affect you. However, strains evolve continuously and after sometime a new strain could affect you (for which you are not immunized). Therefore flu shots are given every "flu season".

Here's a useful tip to minimize the spreading of flu. When sneezing, don't cover your face with your hands- rather sneeze into the sleeve of your hand (near the elbow). This way, your hands are less infected and hence lesser are the chances for you to spread germs.

And I will be your slave for life if you can keep your eyes open and sneeze! Achhoooooo..... "Gesundheit".

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