Dr. Sanjeev Trikha

Defeat is a word which does not find place in great men’s dictionary, but sometimes defeat becomes a delightful feat not only for the great men but for an ordinary person too. Although defeat, if it pushes one into self appraisal mode can be treated as a stepping stone yet one does not ask for more and more of such moments in life. There are times when one very naturally starts drawing immense pleasure and pride in getting defeated and vies for many more such moments. This may sound strange but getting defeated at the hands of children right from their infancy stage is experienced and relished by all. I remember and can still visualise how ecstatic my son used to feel when competing a race with him, I used to get deliberately defeated to pump him up and encourage him to regularly take milk in his diet. The milk time at night was also full of competitive spirit and kids were encouraged to finish their contents a head of their father and inflict defeat on him which they unfailingl...

  Since school days, I have been reading and listening to the stories of Saints who deserted their families and chose oblivion to find real meaning of life, as these were part of our aca demic curriculum. A ll through the stories narrated by the teacher, many queries used to pop up in my mind but I did not dare to raise my simple, innocent and virgin viewpoint with the fear in mind that the teacher might get annoyed and feel offended. The feeling that criticising the deeds and movements of spiritual gurus is a sin hovered over my mind and I kept all such feelings and suspicions buried deep in and confined to my mind hoping that with the attainment of age and maturity, I shall have all the answers.The young boy used to ask himself – Can’t we understand the real meaning of life while living with the family?, Is love or ‘ Moh’  and attachment with one’s family members considered to be an obstacle in the attainment of supreme pleasure?,   Is the pleasure derived in lov...

The reservation policies and quota norms which the leaders of yesteryears provided in our constitution were targeted at the upliftment of the underprivileged and downtrodden ones. But it is being painfully seen and experienced that the present breed of politicians has sinfully used such norms as tools of fulfilling their political desires and ambitions only. The essence of such policies and norms has totally been neglected and overlooked. The kind of political and social scenario getting developed in our country does not seem to project any positive hint, as the leaders of today know that in order to rise in the present political setup they have to appease the masses who seem to be interested only in their personal gains. The vested interests of leaders and individualistic approach of masses are making things worse and the nation continues to suffer. Our country bore the brunt of quota politics in 1991 but the persons at the helm of affairs seem not to have learnt any lesso...

It is a well known and frequently quoted saying that ‘After twenty years, even the dumping ground earns a valuable value’. The change is the name of the game and everything around us from the socio economic environment to the human psychology, the character, the needs and preferences of new generation are experiencing a significant change. Besides some of the major factors, certain minor and simple looking behavioral attitudes have also got amazingly affected. The thumb until now was considered to be the symbol of ‘good for nothing’. The word ‘Thenga’ or in crude Punjabi ‘Thuth’ perhaps got originated because of such properties of the thumb. To show thenga to someone means ‘nothing for you’.   The thumb is often related to the illiterate people as they are commonly called ‘Angootha tek’ . The thumb thus is a tool used by illiterate class. Perhaps it is because of this worthlessness of the thumb that it has not been considered worthy of any decoration. In people of my ag...

The litmus test of quality The whole world seems to be obsessed with the ‘quality’ syndrome. From kids to parents and even the grandparents, everybody wants top quality brands for their day to day needs. But the parameters of quality tend to differ with varied socio economic considerations. In a country like India these varied parameters figure dominantly as people of all together different tastes, cultures, religions, psychology dwell here. Their perception of quality thus changes with the change in their respective priorities, corresponding to the demographic characteristics possessed by them. I remember how some of my old friends who due to economic constraints could not afford costly liquor for their weekend parties, very smartly changed their perception of quality. I used to hear them saying and sharing the thought that the ‘desi daru’ (Country liquor) if blended with soda tastes like a scotch. Everyone of that group used to enthusiastically ratify and vouch such claim. I ...

The books on life of sex workers have always ignited a strong urge in me to know more about the psychological bent of mind of persons inhabiting those places.   Whenever the thought of visiting such place brewed in my mind, the social taboos, my profession and social status always dampened my desires and pushed them to one remote corner of my heart. But with the passage of time, this cornered desire got ignited and suitably fuelled too. The same social status which once restricted me to go there, advocated my stance. Amidst this dilemma I decided to visit a red light area in Delhi to know more about their compulsions, their psychology and attitude towards life.   When the darkness struck I headed towards the target area. The girls, who appeared to be in their early teens, were standing in the corridors.   I spotted a girl of the age of my daughter going upstairs with the client. The scene which might have been common there jolted me deep inside so severely that ...

The story must continue... The childhood memories are still fresh in my mind, when at bed time, we siblings eagerly waited for the story session immaculately hosted with precision by our grandmother. The stories of various animals, monsters, angels and many more self generated characters from the kit bag of our grandma were instant hits with us all. The instantly concocted stories which were deliberately dragged and lengthened to suit the mood and ambience of the small grandma’s room were no less than today’s serials and cartoon clips.     At   times   when we used to insist for more and more, she would usually dispose us off with the last story which was ‘ Ek Tha Raja Ek Thi Rani ,Dono Mar Gaye Khatam Kahani’ . This was, and perhaps still is the shortest story ever told by anybody.   We did not like these words then, as these words marked the end of the session which we waited for, throughout the day and was our all time favourite.   Even today,...

Regulate poll promises The entire country has recently witnessed, experienced and jostled with the rally syndrome during the series of election to various state assemblies. Elections 2019 are on cards and various political parties have already pulled their socks to try every trick in the trade to grab power. Every party seems to be desperately attempting to woo the voter with various promises, various magical wands to the problems confronting the society and the nation. Every hue is being tried to be exploited by the politicians from changing colours like a chameleon to the roars of lions to the gimmicks of monkeys, to the laborious and arduous hard work of donkeys, just to be in limelight and finally be settled in the eyes of voter. The money thus is being spent lavishly.   Would the money being spent by these political parties on rallies be accounted for when they submit their expenditure details to the Election Commission? I sincerely wish that complete ban on such rallie...

Test of tolerance We Indians miss no opportunity to boast off and ride high on being the largest Democracy of the world. Although it is debatable whether the brighter side of the Democracy is upfront or we are subjected to the negatives of the Democracy and its norms yet it is an upbeat feeling of pride that we dwell in a democratic set up. Debates, discussions and one’s right to express his or her feelings and emotions in this democratic set up sometimes take monstrous shape and magnitude leading to agitations and demonstrations which are hued in various political, religious and other sectarian factors. The entire country witnessed during the last couple of days, the think tank of the country from Parliament House to the media chat room to the open public platforms busying itself to prove one point or the other, cursing and downgrading others in the process of deciding whether we are a tolerant society or not. But all such discussions ended up in mere blame game where no point ...

Various scams and incidents of corruption which have marred the regimes of both the prime parties on the horizon of Indian political scene hint at the deteriorating moral values and character of the persons enjoying power centres. There is not an iota of doubt that the image of these parties have been soiled and stained due to these scams. It is feared that the talks and walks of these scams which have become quite frequent now irrespective of the parties and persons in power should not go to make the hapless masses of our country insulated towards such wrong doings. The sensitization of general public is of utmost importance which keeps the ray of hope ignited. The role of media and other whistle blowers cannot be overlooked and should suitably be applauded in bringing to light various malpractices getting perilously brewed in the system. It has often been experienced and talked about the immense authority and power enjoyed by these persons in saddle, who often try to use th...