Bidhu, Ajoya and Ashok in Delhi on 16th Dec for dinner with Santosh

Photo credit Santosh

Satchi with his trademark smile yesterday-on the day of his wedding anniversary

Photo credit Satchi

Niyati and Krishna in Vizianagaram station

Bhubon's son Santosh Kumar's marriage in Manipur on 17th Nov

Photo credit T Bhubon Ch Singh

Mrs. & T Bhubochandra Singh getting their son married

Photo credit Bhubon's Facebook page

Bibhuti's Odia poem. ହାଏ ହାଏ ହାଏ ଯଉବନ

ହାଏ ହାଏ ହାଏ ଯଉବନ
ହଜିଗଲା କି ଅମୁଲ୍ୟ ଧନ
 କାଳିକାର କଥା ଶୁଣ -
ଲଗାଇ ଦି ପାଟି ଦାନ୍ତ
ଧଳା ବାଳ କଲପିତ
ମନ ଭାରି ପୁଲକିତ କହିଲି " ଗୋ କାନ୍ତା ,
ଆଜି ତ ପୁନେଇ ରାତି
ଛାତରେ ବସିଲେ ଟିକେ
Lକେମିତି ହୁଅନ୍ତା ?
ପାଖକୁ ଆସିଲେ କାନ୍ତା ହୋଇ ହନ୍ତ ଦନ୍ତ
ଭାରି ସ୍ନେହରେ ରଖିଲେ କପାଳରେ ହାତ
"ନା8 ଜ୍ବର ନାହିଁ"
ହୋଇଲେ ଆଶ୍ବସ୍ତ l
 "ପୁଅ ଟିକେ ତୋ ବାପର
 ଦେଖିଲୁ ପ୍ରେସର -
 କଥା ବାର୍ତା ଠିକ ନାହିଁ ".
 ହାଏରେ ଈଶ୍ବର !
କା ଆଗେ କହିବି କଥା
ଆପଣା ତ ପର l
 ଖୋଲି ଦିଇ ପାଟି ଦାନ୍ତ -
 ରହିଲି ମଉନ
 ହାଏ ହାଏ ହାଏ ଯଉବନ

Bibhuti Mahapatra with granddaughter

Photo credit Bibhuti M

Bhagaban and Upama holidaying in Bengaluru

Photo credit Bhagaban

Bibhuti on his birthday today

Photo credit Malini - Bibhuti's daughter-in-law

Nalini and Rashmikant with Mehul, Nikita and Archana and Mehul's son

Family photo credit Archana

Bidhu's award citation being read by Prof. Jatin Sah of Memorial Solan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York

Lifetime Achievement Award for Bidhu

Presented by JP Nadda, Health Minister, GOI at the Head and Neck Oncology Conference,  at Biennial International, Delhi

Photo credit Bidhu

Bibhuti Pradhan on Himalayan expedition

Photo credit Bibhuti

Bipin and Anurita in Barcelona

Bipin and Aurora in Barcelona

Bipin in his Indradhanush Apartment in Delhi

Photo credit Bipin

Bijaya Mohanty felicitated at Patna by ophthalmologists of East Zone.

Photo credit Bijaya

Basant Sahoo blessed with a granddaughter. His son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in the USA

Rabi with his wife Been and son Ashutosh during their recent world tour

Photo credit Rabi from Mumbai

Rabi and his wife Beena during their recent world tour

Photo credit Rabi Mumbaikar

Rabi with Veena and Ashutosh on way to Rome to attend a Conference by Ashutosh

Laxmikanta Mohapatra qualifies for MCh in Paediatric Surgery

Photoshop photograph of Laxmi courtesy Bibhuti Pradhan.

We are all around 65 years of age except for a couple of us like Srikant, Hemanta and Mihir and may be a few more who are a couple of years yonger. At this age Laxmi gets into superspecilisation and qualifies for it defying all that is associated with our age is no mean achievement. He went for posthraduation pretty late because of his family situation. After superannuating from his job with the Govt. of Odisha, he has been working in SOM Hospital and IMS for the last few years

This news was broken by Prasanna on 31st July and congratulatory notes from friends have followed.

Rabi being honored for his services by the local MLA & a MP who is an Orthopedic Surgeon himself

Photos credit Rabi from Mumbai

Mumbai Rabi attending a free health camp in Ullhas Nagar

Photo credit Rabi

Bhagaban at his workplace

Photo credit Bhagaban Dash

Rashmikant and Niyati

Yesterday evening in Baleswar

With Rashmikant attending a memorial meeting for a relation in Baleswar yesterday evening

Mumbai Rabi trying to catch up with some sleep in OT while his son is doing surgery.

Photos credit Rabi Mohapatra

With Dr. Bijoy Barik who was our batchmate in Cuttack who paid us a surprise visit with his wife Dr. Pushpalata Das known well to Niyati from MKCGMC days

Prafulla Bhaina and Titi with Sama, Eldo and the latter's baby

Photo credit Prafulla

Prafulla Bhaina doing laparoscopic appendicectomy and demonstrating to final year students of HMCH, Rourkela

With Santosh in German Club

Prafulla Bhaina and Santosh in German Club

Baishnab and his son

Probably one the most handsome sons of our batchmates - almost like Ajit's children.
Photo credit Baishnab

Baishnab and his wife in their Kochi residence

Yesterday was Baishnab's birthday.

Tons of good wishes.

Photo credit Baishnab

Grieving the loss of a pet is not binary but a spectrum

 Bidhu K Mohanti

For nearly two months now, a friend of mine, who lives in Hertfordshire county between London and Cambridge, is in profound grief after the loss of his pet dog named Raja. During a few short visits, I had strolled with both of them in the greens of the English countryside. My friend is a psychiatrist and a painter. He sent a small note to a few of his close friends with a painting of Raja, “His name was quite apt, as he really lived like a king. He was probably the only dog in the village, who roamed in public places without a lead. We were so fortunate to have him for 11 years, three months and eleven days. After a brief illness, while playing with the ball in the park he suddenly collapsed and died.  Our life is now left with a void and the house feels utterly empty.  For he was more than a child to us; unlike the children, he never grew up!”

[Portrait painting of Raja who died at Hertfordshire, UK on 21 April 2016]

This brought back the memories of two family tragedies which struck within one week, twenty years back. Father was a police officer and we always had dogs and other pets in the house. In our house at Chauliaganj, Cuttack we had an open courtyard and a well and my father always opposed the idea of closing these immovable assets for sake of modernising the layout. One afternoon, my father died while shaving his face. His body was taken out of the house and cremated. Three days later, unnoticed by the grieving family members, father’s pet dog Roamy climbed the stairs, jumped down into the courtyard quietly and was found dead.

The above two junctures bring out our non-human relationships. The biological concepts of human to pet relationship get strengthened by the oft quoted sentences, “man’s best friend”, and “pet is family”. In their shared space within a house, pets influence the day’s routine, fostering uniquely separate bonds with members in the family. A recent survey in USA showed that nearly three in five Americans have at least one pet in the household, with ownership highest among the younger generations of Millennials and Gen-X. The earliest known evidence of a domesticated dog is a jawbone found in a cave in Iraq and dated to about 12,000 years ago.Mahaprasthanika Parva of the Mahabharata, epic Indian mythology, describes the dog who accompanied Yudhisthir to the gate of Heaven. It was probably a pariah dog. National Geographic states that over the centuries, different domestic dog breeds have been nurtured depending upon the geography, climate and social environment. All these are members of the same species—Canis familiaris.  Although they have domestic temperaments, these dogs are related to wolves, foxes, and jackals.

People who have pets narrate the benefits to having a companion animal. The considerable emotional stakes of sharing the space and privacy appear to be intrinsically rewarding. One young man, with two small kids and both as working parents, said about his pet dog, “he is a big stress buster for the four of us”. Here, his pet is the common denominator that helps the four to connect. Scientific and psychosocial studies reveal proven impacts on physical and mental wellbeing of pet owners irrespective of the age group. However it is common knowledge that people do not own pets to enhance their health, they simply look to fill the house with warmth and joy. Advancing an appreciative understanding of human-animal relationship, medical and veterinary researchers delineate improved social connection, higher physical activity, and longevity in life for pet owners.

The grief in the loss of a parent, child, and spouse makes us cry, talk and carry out solemn offerings. In our grieving process, we get sympathy and condolences. Whereas to face the feelings and emotions in the death of a pet quite often become an individual’s lonely burden. Others may not understand the depth of sadness and a sense of void. The pet owner will go through a bereavement which can remain unnoticed. This grief is not exactly binary and can be a spectrum to recollect the bond, gestures, playfulness and moments of success and failure she/he shared with the lost pet. “Me and you and dog named Boo; travellin’ and livin’ off land....” words from a song of Lobo.      

Writer: Bidhu K. Mohanti is an oncologist. He was a Professor at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, AIIMS, Delhi; and presently works at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, India.

Email: drbkmohanti@gmail.com