PARA-GAMES: It is thanks to Victor Vaz, the executive director of the National Para-Olympic Games that India has performed better than in the main Olympics.
By Rajan Narayan
AND a few stray thoughts for yet another Saturday. For a Saturday following the week when we learned being ill has become unaffordable, particularly for senior citizens. For a Saturday following the week when the long-delayed flagging of the Vande Bharat express train from Mumbai to Margao was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For a Saturday following the week when Goa performed very well in the Para-Olympics held in Berlin. For a Saturday following the week when we were surprised to realize that the Communist party still exists in Goa. For a Saturday following the week when Goa’s new image as a tourism destination is literally sinking in the mud.
AND a few stray thoughts on how illness has become unaffordable, particularly for senior citizens. In the last six months, I must have spent over Rs5 lakh on medical tests, hospitalization and treatment. It began with severe pain in the spinal cord. Particularly in the cervical (neck) region. Thanks to my friend Dr Audumbar Netalkar I underwent a three-hour-long detailed MIR, Dr Netalkar dictated a ten-page final report on the spot. Dr Netalkar’s reports raised the suspicion that I may have TB of the spine. Fully aware that I could not afford Manipal Hospital charges, he referred me to Dean of Goa Medical College & Hospital Dr SM Bandekar, who is also Head of Department of Orthopaedics.
Dr Bandekar ordered 70-odd examinations and CT scans of every part of my body in a marathon session. One of the CT scans revealed that there was a lump deep under the left armpit. Netalkar insisted on my doing the biopsy but I was reluctant as it was a surgical operation. I was finally convinced by a friend that a biopsy in the lymph nodes was essential to confirm whether I had TB. ‘
The National TB Authority is very fast at pulling the gun. They started treating me for the deadly spinal or skeletal TB even before the confirmation of the verdict in all the tests. Fortunately for me, all the clinical tests including the sputum test turned up negative. The biopsy and other tests were also negative. Naturally I stopped taking the horrid huge TB magenta tablets because their side effects of dizziness and vomiting were unbearable. Still, a week later after treatment with antibiotics I was discharged with an unconfirmed diagnosis of latent TB of the spine or Koch’s disease.
The reason I have not been able to understand is the suffering of frequent vertigo when I came home. This led to several falls including a rather serious one in the washroom. Though there were no obvious signs of TB the pain in my spine was worse. It felt like my spine had degenerated further. Plus, there was the increasing pressure to start TB medicine anew. The full course of TB medication takes nine months. It has very serious side effects.
Not convinced I had TB, I decided to take a second opinion and contacted an extremely busy Dr Sanat Bhatkar who is a clinical physician neurologist in the GMC. Dr Bhatkar has specialised in various parts of the spinal system. He was kind enough to give me an appointment the very next day though normally it takes two to six months to get an appointment.
Dr Bhatkar examined me for more than two hours and completely ruled out TB. He insisted that the left half of my cervical spine has started degenerating. This was linked to my lack of coordination and my inability to walk. My major crisis is that I can merely shuffle on my feet and I can’t walk. So I am using a walker though I am not reassured by it. Dr Bhatkar is confident that heavy antibiotics and physiotherapy will ease my pain. Excepting that physiotherapy would cost me Rs1,000 daily. My medicines add up to Rs1,000 and further diapers on 24×7 basis are some comfort. All of which comes to a minimum of Rs20,000 monthly. My online weekly edition of Goanobserver.in gets miserable advertising and I do not know how I will continue my treatments.
FINALLY VANDE BHARAT MOVES!
AND a few stray thoughts when the long-delayed flagging of the Vande Bharat express train from Mumbai to Margao was flagged out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Having run out of countries to visit Narendra Modi is back to flagging the Vande Bharat trains. Modi has just returned from a trip to the US where he claims that the local Indian community welcomed him with open hearts. The Vice President of USA is Kamala Harris is of Indian origin. Indeed she plans to contest in the next presidential election. There are reportedly one billion residents of Indian origin in the US.
Plus, the IT industry is dominated by Indians. So are the heads of top technology multinationals like Sunder Pichai who is the top executive officer of multinational giant Google. Several members of the administration of President Joe Bidden are of Indian origin. The impression conveyed by the Indian media on the seemingly successful visit of Narendara Modi to the USA is in sharp contrast to the coverage of the local American press.
Leading local media including the New York Times and the Washington Post have focused more on the increasing polarization going on in India under the Modi government. Forget about front-page write-ups there is no mention of Modi’s visit in most of the leading newspapers. It is only Facebook which is paid for that is promoting Modi. A Facebook post shows the sharp contrast in the coverage of Modi in the American press.
DOING GOOD IN PARA-OLYMPICS
AND a few stray thoughts on when Goa performed very well in the Para-Olympics held in Berlin. Goa may have scored a debt in international sporting events at least after Liberation. This is shocking because before Liberation the Indian Olympics team had half-a-dozen Goans. Similarly, the Indian football team was also dominated by Goans. Even in the field of athletics and field and track events, Goans performed very well. This is timely because the Goans who made it to the Olympics was trained and worked in Mumbai for leading Indian clubs.
Post-Liberation there has been virtually no training for sports persons. Till recently Goa did not even have a single track on which the races are run. A lot of facilities are being put together in a hurry as Goa is now committed to hosting the National Games come October. The only sports where Goans seem to be doing well are water sports and gymnastics like karate, etc.
The major exception is the Para-Olympics. These are the Olympics for the handicapped. Various categories of the handicapped including the blind, deaf and even those with knee transplants are eligible for these competitive games. All this is primarily thanks to the hard work and dedication of Victor Vaz in Goa. India has done very well in the recent Para-Olympics in Berlin. It was Victor Vaz, now the executive director in Para-Olympics, who nurtured and encourage the Para-Olympics team. Geetanjali Narvekar and her parents openly declare that they owe the gold medal in sprinting to Victor Vaz.
COMMUNIST PARTY EXISTS!
AND a few stray thoughts when we were surprised to realize that the Communist party still exist in Goa. After a long time, I saw a news report showing Cristopher Fonseca, the CPM leader, addressing a press conference. Otherwise Goa has no tradition of the left. The lone ranger was Cristopher Fonseca who built up many of the unions. Quite besides the unions, Goa has no tradition of the liberal communist party. The only claim to fame by Goan activists is that they belong to the left because they managed to get former chief minister of Goa, Sashikala Kakodkar, to give a rebate in fees for students. It was during Sashikala’s time that private buses were first permitted in Goa. The fatle fude (front & back) memes are entirely Sashikala’s contribution to Goa.
Unlike Mumbai and indeed all the major metropolitan cities there is no left movement in Goa. Any agitations that have taken place like the Goa Bachao Abhiyan or the Konkani language movement did not involve the left party. Cristopher does not seem to have a second line of leadership. Admittedly unions have closed down in most parts of the country. But the left continues to flourish in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. We honestly hope that some young Goan will revive the left movement in Goa.
SINKING TOURISM DESTINATION!
AND a last stray thought on Goa new image as a tourism destination which is literally sinking below the mark. In its passion to promote indigenous culture the Tourism department has decided to celebrate every Goan festival be it Hindu or Catholic. For the first time, the government of Goa organized a major event for San Joao on June 24, 2023. Since Atanasio Babush Monserrate has to compete with the chief minister, he also organized a major San Joao event in Santa Cruz. Dr Pramod Sawant has also commercialized the float parade at Siolim which is being converted into another carnival.
We can understand and appreciate the BJP’s determination to focus on local events. But surely the chikal kalo is not a festival to be promoted amongst tourists? The chikal kalo is primarily a mud fight and unless you are a great fan it can be quite disgusting. But perhaps the mud on the face is a true reflection of Goa tourism during BJP times.