Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic: A paradigm shift in India's healthcare system

Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic, Zakir Nagar

Last week, when I took my roommate suffering from high fever to a Doctor in a nearby private clinic in Safdarjung Development Area, New Delhi, he charged Rs. 800 just to write paracetamol as prescription. She had to pay Rs.1500 for the blood test. The cost of the whole treatment of viral fever was around Rs. 3000. While, she can afford to pay this amount, there are many who try to avoid going to a doctor until things become very serious. Treatment of a single member suffering from a life threatening disease causes a big hole in family budget. In our country where the private hospitals/clinics are slammed for charging extremely high and the government hospitals for their lethargic service, the common man is left with no option. One can only pray to die without any ailment.

I heard about Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinics few days back and I was curious to visit there and check how this new healthcare initiative is working. Before I get into the details of the clinics that I visited, here is a quick analysis of the concept of Mohalla clinic:-

What is Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic?
Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic is a pilot project of Aam Aadmi Party to make primary healthcare more accessible to people. More than 100 Mohalla clinics are opened across the length and breadth of Delhi. The locations for the clinics are purposely chosen to cater the poor and downtrodden. Medication and tests are done free of cost. The timings of the clinics are between 9 am to 1 pm from Monday to Saturday. The project is based on PPP model which involves the PWD (Public Works Department), WISH (Wadhwani Initiative for Sustainable Healthcare) Foundation for technical assistance and other private players whose tenders get selected.

How does a Mohalla clinic work?
The staff in a Mohalla clinic includes a Doctor appointed by the CDMO (Chief District Medical Officer), an ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) , a pathologist and a multi-tasker. As the clinic opens, the patients seek token from the ANM on First Come First Serve basis. Then the Doctor calls them serially. The Doctors are required to record the patients' details in a register as well as in an app provided to them. The details include - picture, name, age, gender, address, mobile no. , symptoms, diagnosis, prescription, provisional diagnosis and reference. 

The picture below depicts the home page of the app where the facility to register a new patient, patient's history (follow up), attendance of the staff, inventory (medicine stock), patient's list of the day, lab record and account is provided. As soon as the doctor enters the medicine in the prescription field of the app, the medicine count in the inventory decreases. This maintains the medicine stock in the clinic. The Doctors are required to sync the day's patient list with the server at the end of the day i.e. 1 pm after tallying it with the entries made in the register. The procedure is mandatory as the doctors, pathologist and multi-tasker are paid according to the number of patients they serve.

What is the salary of the staff?
The Doctor is paid Rs. 30 per patient, the pathologist is paid Rs. 8 per patient, the multi tasker Rs. 2 per patient while the ANM is paid a fixed salary. She is supposed to reach the clinic by 8 am and leave by 2pm. There is one ANM over every 10,000 people and under her works five ASHA workers. 

What is the average number of patients visiting the clinic everyday?
An average of 100 patients visit each Mohalla clinic everyday including senior citizens, kids, teenagers and middle-aged people. The number was 20 initially then increased to 70 and now it has reached 100. The number is bound to double in coming months. 

What are the demographics of the patients?
The patients are largely poor labour class people from immediate neighbour of the clinics. As the clinics are located deep inside the congested lanes without any sign board anywhere except on the building where it exist, therefore, the people knowing about these clinics are utterly few. It is only the word of mouth which is increasing the number of patients day by day. Many patients who come from far flung areas are mostly relatives and friends of the people living around the clinic. 

What is the limit of a Mohalla clinic?
Mohalla clinic is aimed at providing primary healthcare. Therefore, there are many diseases which the clinics are not equipped to deal with like the facility of ultrasound, X-ray, Pregnancy test (in some clinics), etc. The patient in such cases are referred to polyclinics or nearby government hospitals.

I had no idea about the location of these Mohalla clinics. I searched it on the Internet but couldn't find any address. I asked my hostel's security guard and mess workers, but they were clueless. In fact, their reaction to this term was worth capturing. Then, I read a few articles written so far on Mohalla clinics and found the mention of the area of these clinics. With the exact address still not available, I decided to ask the locals once reaching that area.

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Munirka 

The first Mohalla clinic I visited was in Munirka. I reached Munirka Bus stop and asked a vegetable vendor about Mohalla clinic. Even he was also not aware about the term. Then, I elaborated stating the name of Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal and free medicines. He directed me to a narrow lane beside him. It was dark due to converging buildings on either sides of the road, leaving little space for illumination. Although, it was luckily dry due to the sunny weather that day. I was consulting from every passer-by so that I could find at least one person who knew the place. I found a woman who was a regular visitor of the Mohalla clinic and knew it by name. She accompanied me till the gate of the Mohalla clinic. Meanwhile, I discussed about the clinic with her. She was satisfied with the medication. There was a big board on the clinic's roof bearing pictures of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendra Jain. Well, looking at the board, one might wonder whether it is a clinic or a party office. I opened the filmed glass door and to my surprise there was no place to walk to the doctor. I somehow managed to reach there. The room was well furnished and air conditioned (probably the reason why I was not feeling suffocated in the crowd). The Doctor, Shoebul Haque and his team were cooperative. An average of 100 patients visit the clinic everyday and about 20 blood tests are done. I talked to a few patients there--

Dhupcharan, 22, who migrated from Madhya Pradesh two years back, works at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. He lives in Vasant Vihar Jhuggi with his family. Last week, he discovered difficulty in breathing, high fever and tight stool. He got himself checked in Swastic Clinic, a private clinic which recommended a blood test which cost him Rs. 470/-. He bought the prescribed medicines for three days at Rs. 236/-. Today, he has come to consult the doctor at the Munirka Mohalla clinic with the hope to get the same expensive medicines prescribed by the private hospital free of cost. He was given a paracetamol, ORS satchet and a medicine along with a cough syrup. He was not satisfied with the given medicines as they are different from the one prescribed by the private clinic. Dhupcharan came walking to the clinic along with his father Lakhan, 45.

Shweta, 26, a resident of Munirka migrated from Bihar 10 years back. She is now married and has three kids of age five, four and two. Five days back, she came to the Munirka Mohalla clinic to get herself and her eldest kid treated for fever. The medicine had resulted in pain, itching and allergy on their hands. Today, the doctor at the clinic has asked her to get the urine test done and show the reports next day.

Mohani, 67, lives in RK Puram. She is facing persistent stomach ache since last few days. The doctor at the Mohalla clinic has referred her to a government hospital to get ultrasound test done as the clinic lacks the facility. She is afraid of what will happen next. 

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, west Patel Nagar, Patparganj

While I was standing in the queue like other patients, a middle-aged woman suddenly  came pushing everyone to get inside the doctor's room. The patients standing in the queue started shouting at her for breaking the line. She responded that she was standing there but went back to her home because she had forgotten the files. A heated argument started between the people waiting in the queue and her as it is not allowed to break the queue. The deadlock ended after Dr. Ranjana Saxena, the in-charge of this Mohalla clinic intervened to allow her to get in.

Sharmila Begum, 45, a resident of Vinod Nagar, suffering from Hypo thyroid, was standing in the queue since last 45 minutes for her turn to get the blood test done. She complains about the long duration that a patient has to wait, with an empty stomach, just to get the blood test done. She recommends a separate line for blood tests.

Well, the kids of this generation are blessed to have seen the healthcare facility at their doorstop so early. Sunny,12, lives nearby. He got hurt two days back while playing in the school. Today, he has come to the clinic to know if the wound is healing or not.

Sunita, 26, missed her periods last month, she is afraid of being pregnant. She doesn't want another kid. She came to the clinic with her sister-in-law and a three years old son. But the doctor has referred her to ASHA workers as the pregnancy test and contraception facility is not available at this clinic. Sunita did not understand what the doctors told her and the two ladies walked out with a bad impression of the clinic. 

Parvati, 45, a domestic help in Vinod Nagar colony recently slipped while working which resulted in minor fracture in her legs. The Doctors asked her to get the X-ray done from Lal Bahadur Shastri hospital a few days back. The poor woman went to the hospital alone in a rickshaw which charged Rs 80/- one side. She came to show the reports to the doctor here. The Doctor prescribed her medicines and pain relief gel. Parvati is not able to earn since last week and wants to get back to her work as soon as possible. She feels X-ray machine should be set up in the clinic.

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Dallupura

Against my expectations, Dallupura village has got one Government hospital in Vasundhara, one dispensary and two Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinics. The area has got no roads but two Mohalla clinics. The area seems to be politically active as I saw boards bearing the photos of the members of AAP and BSP all around. Big SUVs with the BSP  stickers passed through those narrow dingy lanes twice while I was walking to reach the clinic. The Mohalla clinic is pretty spacious and the doctor is responsive. The owner of the house where the Mohalla clinic is rented, Virender Singh, works as a multi-tasker in the clinic. The clinic mostly works till 3 pm. The average number of patients visiting the clinic are 100. The patients are largely satisfied with the doctors and their medication.

Khushboo, 10, studies in 5th standard in Nagar Nigam School in Dallupura. She had visited the clinic twice before with her parents. Today, she has come alone to get herself checked for the stomach ache bothering her since the last few days.  

Ram Das, 52, a farmer had lived in Dallupura village for 20 years. Three years back he shifted to Kanpur. There, he was diagnosed for diabetes and could not afford the treatment there. So, he came back to Dallupura upon hearing from his relatives about the Mohalla clinic. 

BB Singh, 58, owns a multi purpose shop adjacent to the Dallupura Mohalla clinic. He is pursuing vitamin D3 deficiency treatment from the clinic. He is happy with his treatment and finds no fault there.

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Harijan basti, Dallupura 

The patients of the area complained against Dr. Sunita Wardhan, stating that her behaviour is discriminatory with them. She checks the patients from a significant distance  without touching them even if it is required sometimes. When I went to check the clinic, everything described about the doctor was true. I had to literally ask her to move a little towards the patient so that I could capture them in one frame. 

Vimla Devi, 50, housewife, lives in front of the Mohalla clinic since last 35 years. She complains about the arrogant and discriminatory behaviour of the doctor. She said, " Yeh doctor ekdum haraman hai, hum logo ko dur se dekhti hai, haath bhi nahi lagati. Hum toh yahan ab nahi jaate." (The doctor is bad. She checks us from a distance, doesn't even touch us.  We have stopped going to this clinic now.)

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Sanyog Vihar 

The ANM of the clinic who is temporarily placed few days back in replacement complains against the extra work the ANMs are required to do at these Mohalla clinics. They are required to reach the clinic at 8 am, complete the vaccination task, fill in enteries in the app/registers and leave around 3 pm. There is one ANM appointed over 10,000 people and five ASHA workers work under her. They are paid a fixed salary by the government. Well, all ANMs I met in the Mohalla clinics don't share a similar opinion. Others don't find their job a burden. The Doctor at the clinic, Dipa Arora, told me about how the people complained  against her to the MLA for asking Aadhar card from the patients which was one of the required field to be filled in the app. She added that most of the patients don't have mobile number. So, on the basis of their mother's name, it becomes very difficult to follow up a patient.

The Doctor also told me about Neelam Tyagi, 32, a resident of Jain colony who joined the clinic two months back to assist them free of cost. She helps in labelling the blood samples, dispatching the medicines from almirah and distributing reports to the patients. She is a housewife and has two kids, one in class 8th and other in class 11th. Despite having no experience in this field, she works efficiently. With the desire to work for people, she manages her family and social work at the clinic.

Shiv Nath, 85, owns a cycle repairing shop in the area which his sons run now. He has visited the clinic for the second time. Prior to the opening of the Mohalla clinic, he used to go to the Deen Dayal government hospital in Sector 10/12. He says, " Yeh bahut acha hai, thoda aur bada clinic hota toh majja hi aa jata." (The clinic is very good. Had it been more spacious, it would have been great).

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Ajay Park 

Dr. G.R. Arora, the in-charge of this clinic made several recommendations for improving the working of the Mohalla clinics. Only a single almirah is allocated for storing the stock of medicines in the clinic. This forces them to keep the medicines on the floor where they get mixed with other medicines and leads to the error of handing over the wrong medicine to the patients. Dr. Arora adds that the examination table can't be put to use as it has neither got a screen nor a ladder to get on. The PWD is supposed to provide these facilities but he hasn't received them yet. Many patients with the complaint regarding their ears come to him but he then refers them to poly clinics and hospital due to unavailibility of wax drops. Anti-diarrheal and anti-vertigo medicines are also not supplied in the clinic. The Doctor pointed towards the lack of coordination between the Mohalla clinics and the hospitals where he refers his patients. The hospitals don't pay due attention to the referred patients. 

Savitri, 70, a resident of Deepak Vihar and wife of a retired Army personnel, comes to the clinic regularly for the treatment of her arthritis problem. She is contented with the treatment which is providing her relief. 

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Gali no. 5, Gopal Nagar, Najafgarh 

The clinic neither has any sign board outside its building nor in the adjoining lanes. Dr. Priya, 36, is one of the youngest doctor of the Mohalla clinics and this is the reason why she is hounded by the local MLAs every now and then on influential patients complaint for not treating them first or for any other trivial reason. 
A new Medicine Vending Machine (MVM) is recently installed at the clinic, yet not operational. The MVM is installed at 10 Mohalla clinics so far but operational at only two places. The machine will enable automatic dispatch of the medicines after reading the bar code available on the prescription slip. 

Chameli, 83, has been living in the area since her marriage. She never expected that a clinic will be opened right in front of her house. For all these years, she had to travel a long distance to reach the government hospital. She has a deep sense of belongingness with the clinic and fights with anyone who tries to bully the doctors or patients there. When I went there to enquire about the work done by the doctors, I had to literally convince her that I am not here to close the clinic. 

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic,  Shiv Vihar

The clinic is visited by the patients from the nearby Phool ki Jhuggi where the temporary labour resides.  Before the Mohalla clinic was opened in the area, the patients used to visit the Chawla dispensary. The Doctor complains that some patients misuse their right by forcing them to carry out tests which are not required to be done. They create chaos in case of denial of the tests. 
HIV counselling is given at the clinic and a patient regularly visits for the same.

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Qutub Vihar

This clinic has got an unique set up, the clinic and Aam Aadmi Party office being in the same plot. Dr. Swati Agarwal mentions about the hindrance she and her staff faces due to the unnatural situation of the clinic. The senior citizens, if not seen first, hounds her by the name of the MLA, Gulab Singh. Mostly, the residents of the area takes the medicines from the quacks (Gollachap) and then come for rectifying them. The biggest trouble she faces is the tab handed over to her to fill in the details of the patient, which she finds time consuming. The multi-tasker also was not

given adequate training before handing over the job of filling the data in the app. There is always discrepancy in the number of patients in the app and in the register which leads to confusion. Although the Pregnancy test facility is not available at the clinic, family counselling is done here. She complains that medicine for vomiting (syp. Domperidone) and loose motions (Syp. Metrogyl) were never provided which is a common problem with the patients. She faces no problem in the follow up of the patients but only the last four visits of the patients are made available. Although the past visits can be downloaded from the server on request. She said that they face security issues when the patients get out of control at times when their reference to the MLA is not entertained and also the area is situated near to the fields which makes it difficult for them to walk alone.

Aam Aadmi Mohalla clinic, Gali no. 6, Zakir Nagar, Joga Bai extension

Yet another area where people are not aware of the name 'Mohalla clinic': the auto dropped me outside the congested lanes where it couldn't enter. Well, it was easy to find Gali no. 6. But it really got difficult to find the clinic. There were multiple short lanes emerging after every ten steps. Every person I asked was giving me a new direction. I was tired of walking and asking the same question from every passer-by. After I asked a small shop owner about the clinic near the Nooh Masjid, he showed me the way from where I was coming. This made me angry and I told him that I am coming right from that place and hadn't seen any clinic there. I also told him not to advice any direction if he wasn't aware of it. He replied, "Madam, main wahan ilaah karane jata hun, jhooth nahi bol raha. (Madam, I go there for my treatment and I am not lying). I apologised him for being rude and asked him about the working of the clinic. He said, "the medicines are effective and the doctor is good."

As I entered the clinic, I found less rush than other clinics I had visited. I sat among the patients waiting for their turn. The lady near me asked me to take a token from inside,  I asked her about the clinic. She gave me a good review. I talked to few more and gathered that the patients, especially women, are not happy with the ANM, Ms. Madhu and the pathologist, Ms. Sushma Bahuguna whom they find rude and discriminatory. Even the tokens that were given to the patients that day were not serially arranged but the patients were called serially, creating confusion and discontent among the patients. Pregnancy test and contraception facilities are not available in this clinic and the women strongly feel that it should be availed soon. When required, the patients are referred to Batla house dispensary where Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Allopathic treatments are provided. On talking to the pathologist, I gathered the area is prone to dengue due to high number of mosquitoes. She said even the clinic is not free of mosquitoes and added that the clinic is not cleaned on a daily basis and the dustbins of the lab are not emptied every day. 

Saira Bano, 47, came to the clinic with her mother-in-law, Akhtari, 75, from Joga Bai area near Isla Masjid. She had visited the clinic six to seven times before and today came to take medicine for her mother-in-law's fever and consult her kid's report and medication from a private hospital. 

Nisar Khan, 69, and Moh. Jammal, 52, residents of Zakir Nagar have come to the Mohalla clinic today for the first time after their neighbours recommended them. Prior to the opening of this clinic, they used to go to Batla house and Safdarjung hospital, pretty far from their residence. 

Taranum,19, has brought her mother Shabnam, 45, to the clinic to get her blood test done. She complains that she came to the clinic twice for the same but was denied. Now, when her mother's situation has worsened, she is allowed for the test.

Aam Aadmi Polyclinic, kanti Nagar

 

The polyclinic looks no less than a hospital. It had Dermatology OPD, ECG Room, Minor OT, Gynae, peadiaric OPD, Breast cancer screening room, ICTC Counselling among many others. While there is no indoor facility, the clinic is equipped to handle diverse ailments. Many teenagers were seen among the patients. On asking them, I gathered that they were seeking skin treatment there.

Anamika Sharma, 19 and Pooja Mathur, 20, both second year student of Political Hons. from the nearby college live in Yamuna Vihar. They come regularly to the polyclinic for treatment of pimples. The medicine given here is effective. Their college mate from Kanti Nagar recommended the treatment from this clinic.

Veerwati, 25, wife of a tailor has come to seek treatment of her two months old kid from Seelampur in a mini bus. The kid first had some problem in stomach for which he was referred to Karkardooma hospital. Now, the hair of the kid are falling in bulk everyday. She met Dr. Anwer Aslam, pediatric, who sent her to the Dermatology section from where she was referred to the Chacha Nehru hospital. She was clueless about what was happening. I went to the Doctor and asked what happened to the child. He informed me that the child is suffering from 'Alopecil Areata' which they are not capable of handling.

Sanju, 40, who migrated 10 years back from Bihar tells about how these clinics are of no use to her. Her son Vikas, 17, a tailor in Kanti Nagar used to have extreme stomach ache few months back. When she brought her to the polyclinic for treatment, he was referred to Hedgewar for ultrasound. When she got those reports, the doctors referred her to GB Pant hospital from where she was again referred to Arban hospital. Till date, her son has got no relief from stomach ache and the poor fellow is wandering from one hospital to other.

To sum up, Mohalla clinics are a big hit. The people at the clinic were mostly happy and satisfied. Even after instigating them, nobody spoke against this facility. Probably, this is the first government project which is benefiting the common man of the city. All the clinics are set up in backward areas catering to poor labour class section of the society. In fact, at some clinics, people from slums are availing this health care service. Many patients at these clinics were first timers who came on recommendation of their neighbours. Few even travelled from a different city to Delhi where their relatives live to seek the treatment from the Mohalla clinic. The increasing rush is creating chaos among patients and decreasing the doctor to patient time. Patients feel that there should be two separate queues, one for regular patients and other for those who visit with an empty stomach for their blood test. The app is highly rebuked both by the doctors as well as the patients. The Doctor's time and attention is diverted in filling the entries in the app rather than examining the patients in three to five minutes' duration allotted to each patient. The clinics lacks few medicines catering to some common problems of the patient like diarrhea, vomiting, loose motions and ear issues.
 
Well, one need to understand the limitations of Mohalla clinics and the fact that they are tier one in primary healthcare. The basic aim of the clinic is to serve smaller health issues of a common man. 
 
It is interesting to watch the people getting more health conscious in a sense that they make sure their Blood pressure and sugar test is done twice in a week. The kids are at the top who come to the clinic alone in case of any trouble they face -- be it getting a first aid on the wound, stomach ache, fever or acne problem. Pregnancy test and contraception are mostly not available at the clinics and the patients are referred to the ASHA workers. No publicity is done for the Mohalla clinics. In fact at some clinics, no board is placed for the people to identify the clinic. Even the board has only Mr. Kejriwal's and Satyendra Jain's picture which confuses the place with the party's office. 
 
The clinics are working well and with some improvements, the Mohalla clinics will be more efficient. There is no doubt that these clinics have brought about a sea change in the delivery of government health care service to a common man. The day is not far when people from other states of the country will begin demanding such facility in their states too.

Why this hostility?

Photo credit: blog.islamawareness.net

Hindu and Muslim are two buzzwords in our society whose echoes can be heard equally in the houses of both the communities. Both wish to remain in segregation. Some households don't promote any interaction between the two while others are neither hostile nor friendly. With very few exceptions, it is not very casual to carry out relationship with a Muslim friend than you may with a friend of any other religion.

My first encounter with this division happened when I was eight years old. We had a business of semi-precious stones for which we had employed stone cutters who used to work under a shed, on our terrace. After my school, it was my daily routine to go to the terrace and gaze at their work. The manner in which work is done on a stone cutting machine has the potential to attract any child. I used to stand there for long and look at them performing their work. Soon, I started interacting with them. Beginning from the names, our colloquy used to hover around my friends and what I was taught in the school. After few days of amusing chatter, I gathered that they knew 'Urdu' and it was written in a peculiar yet engrossing style. With a desire to learn it, I asked them to teach me. Then, everyday after my school, they used to teach me how to write Urdu and that used to be recreation for me.

One day, when I got down from the terrace after the Urdu session, my mother asked me what takes me so long everyday on the terrace? I told her about learning Urdu, expecting that it will make her happy but she looked annoyed. In fact, she asked me not to go up and talk to the workers. Her tone did not permit me to argue even once and I had to abruptly terminate the interaction. Few days later, I remember, my father took me to the terrace to commune with the workers but the same old feeling of running towards the terrace freely and learning Urdu was lost somewhere.

Nine months back, when I came to Delhi for my Post graduation, on the first day of the class, I noticed a girl in a spaghetti top and long skirt who was sitting on the first bench. The colour of the spaghetti and skirt was a total mismatch and I guess that was the reason, why I took a note of her. During the class, she looked back with a broad smile on her face at least 10 times. I think it is a fact that when you continuously look at a person, he/she just gets to know about it. After the class was over, she came to my seat and the conversation began. We acquainted that we were living in the same hostel. She was engaging but it was too early for me to conclude her as a close friend. The next step that happens in any friendship happened here also, that is, friend request on Facebook. In the evening, when I checked my facebook account, I saw her friend request. Her name on facebook was unique, 'Alina Alina' the request read. After that, I started calling her 'Alina Alina.'

The next day, we sat together in the class and I asked her why her name is 'Alina Alina' on facebook and not simply, Alina. She said that facebook did not accept her surname and that's why she had no option other than to reiterate her first name. It was quite unusual and  surprising reason, so I asked her surname. She said, "I am Alina Zulfiqar, a Muslim." I asked her, Is it really so that facebook didn't accept her surname or is that a way to hide her identity as a Muslim. She said that when people ask her name, she tells them only Alina as it sounds like a Christian name and many believes that she is a Christian, not a Muslim.

The other day, while I was watching TV in the common room of the hostel, she came there and offered me some home made stuff to eat but I refused. There was no discriminatory intention behind the act but when she said that I refused eating her stuff like others do because she is a Muslim, I realized that actually some sort of unconscious discrimination against Muslims is hidden inside me. That same moment, I took the hand made cookies from her and ate them. Our bond got strengthened after that. We used to stay together - in class and after class. She used to teach me how to write my name in Urdu and take my opinion for shortlisting her long list of possible bridegrooms. We had common interests and watching 'Zindagi' channel was one among them. Zindagi always attracted me because of the passionate use of Urdu in its serials. The pride that the Pakistani actors take while delivering the dialouges in Urdu is something that I miss in the Hindi channels. There was nothing to hide in our relationship. As journalists, we used to discuss the Muslim rituals like Polygamy, marriage with the cousins, restrictions on women, beef ban, etc and her stand on these issues was the same as mine.

Mostly, it used to happen that her phone remained in my hands and mine in hers. Once, while her phone was with me, I was going through her contact list. Their addressing of the father, mother and other relatives is different from ours. I saw contacts like 'Abbu ji Clinic', 'Aapa', 'Baaji', and many more in her list. Most of the names had Pakistan as suffix in them, one among them read 'Anam Pakistan'. I could not resist and asked her about it. She said that most of her relatives live in Pakistan as they were not able to come to India during Partition. She added, she didn't want to marry a boy which her family is persuading, as then she will have to shift to Pakistan. There is a lot of restrictions on women there and she likes to live here in India, she said. In the end, she said not everyone living in Pakistan is a terrorist and I was really ashamed of asking this from her. I mean, at the first place, why she needs to justify her connections in Pakistan to anyone. She was not offended and that left a huge impact on my heart.

She is the most craziest and happiest girl I have ever come across. Among all the Muslim girls I have seen or was exposed to, she is totally different. Her family has allowed her to pursue education in Delhi. She is the first girl of her family who has step out of the hometown, Bijnor. In her family, there are three sisters who are younger to her and she has the responsibility to set a good example for them. So, she tries to stay away from any kind of bad habit and at the same time enjoys every moment of her life. She relishes the home made stuff I take for her. Her feeling for everyone is utterly genuine. She is a great cook and often cooks omelette for me. I was a vegetarian but could not resist the delicious omelette made by her for too long. For me, she is a very special friend and I respect her a lot. Because of her, I was able to break the stereotype inside me that some where discriminated against Muslims. She has changed my perception of looking at people through the lens of religion.

Islam is a religion just like many others in the world. If its rituals are completely opposite to ours, then it does not, at all, mean that we should be hostile towards it. One must respect the differences instead of criticizing and judging them.

Review - Zindagi Gulzar Hai

Zindagi Gulzar Hai, a Pakistani serial based on Urdu novel written by Umera Ahmed, is a blend of social issues like gender dicrimination, male chauvinism, class difference and feminism all taken up boldly.

The story is central to two characters, Zaroon (Fawad Khan) and Kashaf (Sanam Saeed), who studies in the same college. Zaroon is a rich brat, popular among the girls of the college. Kashaf is a daughter of a single middle-class mother whose husband remarries in search of a son as she has given birth to three daughters. Kashaf is a confident and composed girl who also happens to be the University topper. Adhered to her values, she even denies to sit with Zaroon on the front seat of the car even if that was the last option left with her to go home at night. Kashaf is dominated by her negative perception about the rich class. Going to a university where the kids of the affluent  comes and observing their lifestyle, she complains to God why he has been so kind to the rich and all the hardships are allocated to the poor. Being sent to the University amid poor financial situation at home with the idea to be successful in life, Kashaf concentrates only on her studies. For Zaroon, life is a piece of cake. Born and brought up in luxuries, he fails to understand the financial crisis and restrictions in middle-class life of Kashaf. Being a flirt, Zaroon even tries to flirt with Kashaf but she does not pay any attention. 

Zaroon and Kashaf during college days

In the college days, they didn't share good times to the extent that both indulge in a heated argument when Kashaf accidentally hears Zaroon's comment on middle-class girls which he thinks pretend to be untouchables but on finding rich guys, gets after them and Kashaf is no different from them. The incident spoils the negligible friendship between the two and hurts Kashaf deeply. Zaroon gets engaged to his childhood friend, Asmaara, under family pressure but soon realizes that his notion of ideal women is not the one who is unconditionally liberal but someone like Kashaf who is confident, independent yet follows certain norms because being unconditionally liberal is not a measure of how modern a women is. Asmaara could not continue with Zaroon calling him a male chauvinist and calls off the relationship.

Kashaf and Zaroon meet after years as officers serving the government. Finding out that Kashaf has not changed in terms of her values and has achieved success with her hard work, Zaroon could not resist falling for her. While, Kashaf's perception about Zaroon remains the same as that of a flirt and the one who is disrespectful towards women. His proposal comes as a shock to her. But his continuous attempts revealing his feelings to win her heart forces Kashaf to accept his proposal.

Wedding day

The marriage is built upon the class difference where Zaroon's mother believe that kashaf's family background doesn't match their status but agrees because of his son's desire to marry her. Kashaf, after marriage make sure that she doesn't remain totally depend on her husband's money. Being a working women, she tries to do as much work as possible of his husband and family on her own despite of servants available. Once, Zaroon's mother points out that he should keep a check on the money that he gives to Kashaf as she might pass it on to her family and accidentally Kashaf hears that. She doesn't reply or behave arrogantly with her out of respect but asks Zaroon to not give her money as she earns enough for herself. When Zaroon's mother gets to know that she has heard what she said and even after that her behaviour hasn't changed with her, she realizes her mistake and accepts Kashaf with love. Looking at how Kashaf manages to take care of Zaroon despite of her busy schedule, she realizes how much she has neglected her family under the excuse of her career.  

Kashaf's father on seeing how his ex-wife has educated and settled all her daughters, asks her to keep his son with her so that he can become more responsible towards his studies which fills her with a proud feeling for her daughters. 

When Kashaf gets Pregnant, she is afraid of giving birth to a girl even when she knows that Zaroon is not like her father who left her mother because she could not give birth to a son. But when she gives birth to girl twins and see how much Zaroon loves them, she transforms her stereotype that had captured her mind as all this has happened with her. From a complaining girl, she becomes more thankful to God for his blessings in her life and realizes that God gives difficult as well as good time in everyone's life.  

Zaroon with his daughters

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO30_dqtj9s 

That yellow dress

Like many other girls of her age, Rani, a 5 year old girl was now conscious of her appearance. She would select what to wear on her own. One day, Rani's father went out on an office tour and bought her a surprise gift. Rani's eyes were filled with joy when she unwrapped the gift, it was a yellow skirt-top. Without wasting a second, she tried on the dress and showed it to everyone. Her father and every other family member praised her calling her the most beautiful princess in the world. Rani was very happy about it.

The other day, it was her friend's birthday and she decided to wear the yellow dress for the party. Again, her friends praised her for the dress, making her very happy. Few days later, Rani went to a wedding with her parents in the same yellow dress. Once again, her relatives appreciated her along with the dress making her more happier. This continued in many other functions. The next month, it was Rani's birthday and once again she decided to wear the yellow dress. This time Rani's mother was not in the favor of her wearing that dress. But Rani did not listen to her and wore it. 

Many days later, it was again an invitation for a party. Rani was looking for her dress but could not find it in the wardrobe. She went running to her mother to enquire about it. Her mother asked to go to the laundry shop nearby their house to find her dress. She went there and was completely shocked to see the laundryman's daughter in her beautiful yellow dress. Rani was shattered. She came to her house and very angrily asked her mother why she did that. Her mother replied that people will make fun of her if she were to wear the same dress everywhere. She then showed her a new dress to wear for the party. She could not understand the meaning but she soon forgot about that yellow dress and grew up asking for a new dress on every occasion.

This short narrative of Rani's life is one among many such events where  innocent feelings are crushed under the prejudice of the society without one being aware of it. One must question the behavior as to what is the driving force behind the act and not blindly follow what is served.

Yoga caught in the 'wave'

Rolling through the pictures of the yoga day to complete the assignment given by her strict teacher who wanted nothing but an interesting original story, Prachi's  eyes glued to two pictures which pushed her into a deep pool of thoughts. The first picture was that of fat cops and bureaucrats performing yoga as a part of the record breaking event. For her, that picture was representing the fat obese Indian population which can do anything from pin making to rocket science except for adopting healthy practices. Every 'concerned' Indian always plans to follow a healthy diet and exercise  regularly. He even starts it but could not carry it for more than two days. Considering our unhealthy lifestyle, one gets amazed by such a show off. Lets not talk about the whole country for now. Will those 35000 people who helped our country to make a world record practice yoga all their life? Or even a year?Then what purpose has that day served?

The second picture was that of our honorable Prime Minister who looked extremely happy, satisfied and proud during the event. Prachi could easily make out what must be going in his mind. He must be wondering that today the whole world is watching India, the country which gave yoga to the world is so enthusiastically celebrating the first International yoga day which was the idea of its PM who is so considerate about the country's tradition. Such a large number of countrymen have gathered to take part in the event  which symbolizes India's rich cultural heritage. India has set an example for the world to follow which is our 'soft power'. Apart from what all is credited to India's profile, my profile is also incremented with this record. The world , all Indians and my lovely media will always remember me by this celebration. Its good that I used to practice yoga because of which I was able to perform today. Every single picture on the Internet, newspaper and other modes of communication will surpass through me. That's a real achievement and what I call Modi's magic. 

The two angles of the event are clearly visible. It is not something new or the first time that we are deceived. We have seen it so many times that doesn't bother us anymore . It will be humorous to reveal about how many people of those 35000 people went by their own will and not without any compulsion. Apart from capturing world's attention to India, what has our PM done to enforce yoga in our society or has he left it on us by just performing yoga for a day with thousands of people to motivate us. What will the newly appointed yoga minister and his ministry do? Do we need a separate ministry for yoga? What will be its power? When will these questions be answered? Or the event has got over now and yoga fever is out of our minds? There was a world yoga day already in place but on Modi's insistence now we have 'International Yoga Day'. God! What an idea. 

Today about two billion people of the world are doing some form of yoga, and it should grow more especially in India where lies its origin. But the sad part is that nothing can be done peacefully here. May be that is the charm of the Indian democracy but the problem is that the opposition is meant only to degrade the work conducted by the government. They fail to work for the countrymen which just happened in the case of yoga day also. They spoke against yoga in terms of Hinduism and Islam but did not counter argued for the need of compulsory yoga training to all people instead of such drama.

In the end, yoga day was another such publicity stunt which our PM has carried out since he came to power. But what is to be scrutinized is the public memory which will analyse these stunts in the next general elections.

Truck is not a synonym of accident

Photo credit: Getty images

If I were asked a day back what was the first thing that comes to my mind when someone said 'truck', I would have replied reckless driving, accidents and drug addicts. But now I have reached to a mature conclusion.

Typical life of a truck driver involves a minimum of two-day journey in which he has to drive for at least 18 hours a day that too all alone because MNREGA has taken away the conductor who used to assist him. It is so risky for him to travel alone with the items worth lakhs and crores on the highways which are susceptible to attack by mafias and robbers. In some cases, when he stops for food and rest at dhabas, he is robbed of diesel and even murdered for the items loaded in the truck. He therefore, cannot rest properly and sometimes while driving fall asleep leading to accidents which ends his own life.  Most of the drivers drive old models of truck which lacks hydraulic mechanism and requires extra effort. This makes him tired and leads to extensive body pain which makes it difficult for him to sleep so he takes alcohol to induce sleep. A truck at high speed cannot change direction or apply brakes suddenly which leads to accidents and the blame comes on the truck driver.

Truck transportation faces other challenges too. Dating back to history, transportation in India was mainly carried out through railways maintained by the Britishers. They never let road transportation to prosper fearing competition and made rigid laws which are still in effect. Constitutionally, transportation comes under state list which means each state has the authority to make rules governing transportation as per their wish. All states in India levy different amount of value added tax on petroleum products which increases transportation cost and creates uneven market which is bad for consumers. Highways provide easy access to liquor and drugs to the drivers which aggravates road safety issue. Supreme Court passed a rule that such shops should be kept away from highways but it is not yet enforced. Police deployed on the state borders illicitly demand money from drivers to pass through the border and operates a mafia involving even the top officials. Transportation sector is unorganised which enhances the problems for drivers. In cases of serious injuries, he cannot claim money from the owners. There is no limit on the duration of his work and the right to form association is also denied. 

Conditions of this sector are changing with better roads and  new modernised models of trucks. But a lot more needs to be done like electronic mechanism for toll tax, GPS facility for tracking trucks, national register for drivers and inclusion of petroleum in the GST.

Ending with a hope that this piece has made you realise the challenges before the truck drivers and brought about a change in your perception.