Dr H N BAJAJ - A POLYMATH

Mrs. M had never known a day’s illness. She was 62, exercised regularly, and was energetically pursuing her tailoring business; her order book was fully saturated for the next three months. She did not smoke, was largely vegetarian, and indulged in a glass of red wine at a social gathering; what she could not understand was the reason for the pain in her back.  That pain had appeared mysteriously, and thinking back, she recalled coughing when she was stooped over her bathroom sink, brushing her teeth. It was just a niggle, but it seemed to worsen over the next month and had become worse. It was the pain that led her to the spine specialist.  Her doctor listened to her problem, and other than a tender spot in her back, noted that she was developing a stooped back. He ordered an MRI Scan, a DEXA test,  and a blood test. She was anxious about so many tests, but the pain was troublesome, and she felt that she should go along with her doctor’s advice.  The doctor had pres...

  Many plants are poisonous, and this is an encounter with one of them. I came across a bunch of  attractive plants with reddish and green leaves with small red flowers. They were each a foot  high and were seemingly wild plants. Enquiries from the locals were totally without any result. All  said it was a wild plant, and of no great use. It looked very nice, and I had no hesitation in  transplanting them into a row in my small garden. They produced small, round, and green fruit,  which I left alone. The as yet unidentified plant needed very little maintenance, other than  periodic watering. It continued to grow and is now about 3 feet high and akin to a bush. A clue  about the nature of the plant was that the birds left its fruit untouched.    A friend who is a retired professor of botany promptly identified it as the castor plant, known as  Ricinus communis. The castor beans or seeds that it produces are the source of castor oil. ...

  It was hot and on the roads, and other than an intrepid traveller, the roads were largely empty. The cattle that were commonly seen were absent, and dogs seemed to have completely vanished. Not surprisingly, as we were traveling on NH 48, which connects Delhi to Jaipur, and it was the middle of the afternoon. We reached our destination, and being restless, a short walk brought me to a lovely cactus garden, which appeared to be thriving.   I decided I would return the next morning, when it would be cooler.   Overnight, that cactus garden allowed two of its resident plants to bloom. They were simply fabulous. I sat on a rock, taking in the sight of the blooming species, called  Echinopsis, which was stunning in its red topi. Its neighbour was also an Echinopsis, but with more flowers, and my hosts informed me that it was called the Easter Lily cactus. There were other cacti and plants, which were known to me, and you could say they were old friends. The Bunny Ears ca...

 Book stores are vanishing. Undoubtedly, online sellers, with their vast inventories, discounts, and fast delivery, offer tremendous convenience to book lovers. Physical copies of books have faced a brutal battering from E-books and digital reading. The standalone bookshop in India has been in terminal decline since the early 2000s, due to this double whammy. Going to a bookstore, browsing through physical copies has been replaced by recommendations of a breed called influencers, and search engines.  Even so, a few hardy bookstores demonstrate commendable resilience and continue to spew defiance. How so? They, too, confront high rents, changing consumer habits, and diminishing profits.  Book stores are cultural destinations, donning a new identity. They host author signings, hold zine fairs, conduct writing workshops, and many are part cafe. Many have transitioned from merely selling books to purveyors of more aesthetic events. This change cannot be replicated online....