Thatched House

You must have experienced being assigned to do tasks and your name being put into committees without your consent. When making a program, many times we do not approach people before printing their names in the program. When organizing an event, we do not request people first before assigning them as in-charge of this or that. And when you see your name being printed and distributed, you feel ‘socially obligated’ to carry out the assignment. This is the way things work. If we ask people beforehand, they may refuse, so we first print their names.     If you feel socially obligated and carry out the work well, chances are that you will be assigned more and more in the days and years to come. We ought to do our best whatever assignment we are given to do. But when such assignments become unlimited and uncontrolled, things can go wrong. We see people hopping from one meeting to the other. One can be so occupied with attending meetings, organizing programs and events, involvi...

 This newspaper carried a news article last month saying that Nagaland State figures among the highest per capita health expenditure by the government. That was surprising when one considers the amount of resources which are actually available for service delivery. Therefore, it is important to do some analysis so that we can arrive at some sense of the prevailing reality of the health budget. For the financial year 2015-16, there was slashing of the union health budget by 15%. The Lancet reported that as many as 15 national health programs were put under the National Health Mission umbrella during the year without allocation of even a rupee. The main reason for the cut was said be the rising fiscal deficit. Another justification given was that the States were allocated more shares in central taxes (from 32% to 42%). It was expected that the State will use its discretion and invest this money on healthcare. The ball for increasing health budget was thrown into the State’s cour...

November 14 is World Diabetes Day and this year, the focus is on ‘healthy eating as a key factor in the fight against diabetes and a cornerstone of global health and sustainable development’. Healthy eating helps to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus, the more common form of diabetes. In those who already have diabetes, healthy eating is important for keeping blood sugar under control and prevention of complications. Diabetes is a serious disease condition where the body cannot produce insulin or cannot use the insulin which is produced. Insulin is a hormone which regulates blood sugar. So, when this ‘regulator’ doesn’t work as it should, the excess sugar accumulated in the body over time leads to serious damage of the body, especially the blood vessels and nerves. One of the main factors which lead to this condition is unhealthy diet, besides lack of physical activity, tobacco use, etc. By ‘unhealthy diet’ here we mainly think of the calorie-rich, fatty, fast foods which are chea...

The shock value of a cancer diagnosis is decreasing with improvement in technology and treatment modalities. The diagnosis of a cancer case was similar to receiving a ‘death warrant’ which incited fear and despair in the patient and relatives. Bollywood movies have used it to induce similar feelings in the viewers. We have come a long way from that. Many cancers have become potentially curable. But the good news of progress made in cancer detection and treatment is tempered by the bad news that the burden of cancer is on the rise. It is estimated that cancers in India may increase five-fold by 2025. The economic burden of cancer is also growing. The average cost of treatment of cancer in a government set-up is about half the annual income of an average Indian. And cancer centres with adequate facilities are far from adequate. So, cancer care is out of reach for millions of Indians.    North East India is a hot bed of cancer incidence. As per the Population Based Can...

The paradox of the voice against corruption in Nagaland is that those who speak out against corruption are also the practitioners of corruption. If people shout against corruption from the rooftops, those who practice corruption would willingly join the chorus on the rooftops. A corrupt person can deliver a wonderful sermon on the evils of corruption if given a chance on a Sunday morning. The funny thing is that he/she won’t shy away from preaching if given a chance. Hypocrisy has become a normal behavior and we don’t seem to have any problem changing colors as the situation demands. Tax collectors and prostitutes had a better chance of entering heaven than the holy, holy Pharisees. Those who are corrupt but at least do not act holy are at a better chance than many of us who act holy, holy. Those who drink alcohol, chew tobacco, beat their wives, play cards, and roam late in the evenings doing all sorts of evil deeds during hornbill festival may be closer to finding a soluti...

Donation is not the same as taxation but it can drain you as much if you are in Nagaland. There are too many contributions, pledge cards and donation drives for this jubilee celebration and that church building project, this sports meet and that get-together. In the month of August 2015, there were some guys who came for donation in aid of a charitable centre. They handed me a calendar and asked me to donate whatever amount I wished to pay. I thought that these guys were early. But when I looked closely at the number, it was not calendar of 2016 but of the current year. Who sells calendar in August when the year is crossed the halfway mark? They left with their ears full without receiving a paisa. I can’t understand that some unions and associations would sell calendars where they have written, ‘in aid of fund raise’. What kind of aid is it to raise fund for the sake of fund raise? If it is for fund raise, it is not an aid. I remember some years back when a family member had t...