Santhosh's ramblings

65 year old male who came to OPD couple of days back was found to anemic and hypertensive and an evaluation revealed that he had an ESRD – (End Stage Renal Disease – Chronic Renal Failure.) He had just recovered from a Cerebro-vascular accident couple of months back. He was from a lower middle class socio-economic back ground. As we started preparing the family for Renal replacement therapy (Dialysis/Transplantation) Vs Palliative care, to our surprise the relatives seemed to be - too keen and proactive for a transplant! Within 24 hours they had found a donor and was asking to be referred for further management. Such a response seemed too good to be true and so I called the younger brother over to talk. And the story came out. The patient has been married for more than 30 to 40 years but had no children. 2 years back, with the aim of having a child he (? with consent of the first wife) took a second wife. This wife is only 14 years old! (One is never sure about age in these co...

Rounds at ICU. 4 patients being cared for following suicidal attempt with organophos ingestion. 2 young men, one girl and another woman. All impulsive decisions reacting to petty issues at home. One wonders - are these petty issues enough to push one into choices and decisions to take their own life. Or are there underlying deeper issues which has been simmering and the current event was an oil poured into the smouldering fire? And then it bursts out. These are not occasional events but in this part of the 'shining India' it is quite common. 600 such patients each year in this one hospital! At least one of them had taken money from a lender at 4/100 per month, making it 48% interest. And I heard this from other patients too, a net work of local financing systems which are owned and run by powerful mafia pushing the unsuspecting poor into abject poverty, in these 'good days' of India. And the next bed was a lady delivered at a local hospital, 9 hours prior to being ...

As one travels among the various people groups and ethnic groups and live and interacts with them, one is amazed by the things we see. One is the diversity of the ethnic groups, and communities. Homo sapiens that we are, are not one uniform color creed or tribe, but multiple groups with so much of diversity and color. And each individual unique in his or her own way. And we need to celebrate this. Celebrate the diversity the uniqueness we see around. As individuals we are unique, as communities we are diverse, but all carrying the common “Imago Dei”. And these diverse communities, especially the South Asian and South East Asian communities, have a creativity that is amazing. The colors, patterns, food, music, art forms, dance, innovation for daily living, and a long list of creative ways of doing things for daily living and for celebrations. The creativity of the creator as an innate part of our lives! The other thing one observes is the high social capital among many of these...

The question which then comes into the mind of any one who is expected to lead, if he or she is to be the Vision casting person, motivating and building people, through effective communication, but the timing is not really in our control, what is really a leader’s role in fulfilling the vision? Does he or she see the role as a positional one or a functional one? If it is functional one – what is the function? Is it to direct or to serve? Is it to do things yourself or to get things done through others? Is it to make people work or to build people so that they will take ownership? Is it to walk ahead and show the way or to come behind and support and motivate to move ahead? Is it to teach and train or to hand hold and support? Is it to get the task done or getting people who can get the task done? In one sense it is combination of many things. The Master’s model is interesting. He came in after 30 years of preparation for a 3 and half year role. (Leading self) He starts of...

Paul’s treatise on body is a phenomenal way of communicating the oneness we should have within “The Body”. The themes he addresses are varied and challenging. The diversity in the body is a fact we need to live with or rather celebrate. The self-acceptance of our position in the body, whatever perception we may have of the same, is something all of us need to learn to live daily with. And even if we do not feel part of, we still are part! The diversity which brings wholeness is something which we are expected to celebrate. The sovereignty of God in allowing this diversity for a greater purpose should never be forgotten. And the fact that there might be different parts, but there is only one body and we do not have a life without being part of the body is yet another sobering fact. This should lead us to accepting every part as significant and important. Seemingly weak part are more indispensable and seemingly less honorable needs special care! Something which we should always remember!...

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/loving-difficult-people

Once the vision is clear, and the people are being worked with and the communication strategy is clear, then it is just a matter of time! But this is the paradox, because time does not move the way we think it should move and timing is many a times different from the way we anticipate things to fall into place. And finding time to lead is yet another challenge. Let us look at time first – One issue is, if we need to lead we need to have time! If you are a management professional or trained in Western Educational system (Many in India are part of this!)  – you will decide - X% for leading, Y% for managing, Z% for training A% for personal etc. and try to keep time lines. It never works for most of whom I have come across (including me). There will need to be time for the urgent and critical, the important and strategic, the short term and the long term. There will be many things which will need immediate responses and some which will need reflective responses which will take tim...