"Ye Phone humse lele Thakur" !!

My husband works as a resident in the psychiatry department of a well known hospital in the city.
Psychiatric patients are those who have a certain mental illness or trouble being in tune with the realities of life. There are a myriad of mental illnesses and it's often disturbing to see fellow beings who look and appear quite capable being incapacitated by altered functioning of their minds.

Since I happen to be a doctor myself and my interest too lies in psychiatry, I take special interest in the kind of patients he gets to see. Their history, the problem, how they behave, how they act and react, the treatment and so on. I find each and every patient suffering from mental ailment extremely unique and special at the same time.
It feels like, beneath their disturbed mental faculty exists a hidden potential. They are peculiar and unusual.

About a month back, he came back from the hospital looking pretty worn out and upset as well. It can be quite draining to work with psychiatric patients but he is able to pull it off pretty well and does a decent job of not personalizing the behaviour and irrationality of his patients and bring them home.

So, I asked him, both out of curiosity and concern as to how his day was in the hospital today.

He faintly smiled and said, there is this extremely interesting case of Delusion that I am seeing since a week. He seems to be suffering from this strange delusion and I have not been able to help him, my husband added with a sigh.

Now, Let me first explain to you what exactly a Delusion is. Delusion in simple terms is actually a 'false, unshakable belief about someone or something'. It can be about anything. Like a person may have delusion that he is God or someone may have delusion that he is being followed by someone and will be killed soon, when in reality nothing like that is happening. Delusion is very often seen in many patients with mental disturbance and it might take a lot of effort to bring them to come to terms with reality.
Since they are false beliefs, they can be as strange as they can be quirky.

So, this patient named Gabbar Singh was suffering from a very weird delusional disorder.
He told my husband, Doctor saab, There is this person who comes to me every now and then and keeps telling me to dispose/sell off all the electronic gadgets I have or I see around me.
He tells me that I am sent here to save the environment by getting rid of all the E-waste around.

Doctor saab, I have collected as many as 10 phones, 50 laptops, another 30 kindles, so many old gadgets in my house but there is no one to buy them.

If I don't sell them soon, he will kill me.Please save me. Please keep this phone and every time I come to see you I will give you a phone as your consultation fee.

As my husband was narrating me the story of Gabbar Singh, I could understand the poor man's helplessness in-spite of his situation appearing rather funny.

Gabbar Singh used to come to the hospital daily and strike a coversation with whom so ever he met first. "Bhai phone khareed lo, Nokia 3310 sirf Hazaar rupay mein" (Brother, buy this phone, Nokia 3310, for Rs 1000 only)

Source :  here

At the Billing counter he would say, "Sir Ji, aaj iss Laptop ko lelo aur parcha dedo. Nahin? To Kindle? Acha Iphone 6 lelo na" (Sir, Barter this laptop for OPD slip for laptop, Kindle or even Iphone 6)

Everyone from the nurses to doctors, from ward boys to even the in-patients knew him well by now. Everyone had been lured by Gabbar Singh for trading his gadgets once or many times.

To my husband, he would narrate his problem, to which he patiently listened and then if he felt relieved, Gabbar would say "Doctor saab, aapko to mein laptop, tablet purane Nokia 1100 ke bhav mei de denga, lelo na" (Doctor, I would trade the laptop and tablet to you on the price of old Nokia 1100, please buy)

Gabbar Singh's problem seemed to be growing day by day, as was the amount of E-waste he had collected in his house as well as in his pockets but there seemed to be no solution or medicine for his problem.

A view of Gabbar Singh's house. Source here

Me and my husband both had become equally involved in his situation. It was a challenge for us and we were desperately looking for a way to crack this puzzling delusion.

One of those days, while I was reading an article on the net, this site caught my site.
'Cashify- sell used phones/laptops/gadgets in 60 seconds'.

'Cashify, Gabbar Singh' I shouted in excitement!

Gabbar Singh could finally get rid of his delusion. He could sell all his phones and other gadgets,  that too for solid, hard cash. He need not fear of being killed because he could not save the Earth from E-waste anymore.

Gabbar Singh needed not medicine or therapy or hospitalization, he just needed this app called Cashify.

As I gave this idea to my husband, he seemed skeptical at first but when the next day, he told Gabbar Singh about it all, the guy began running gaily in the hospital.

10 days Later:

Gabbar Singh came to the hospital again today. He had apparently earned half a crore rupees through cashify!

He looked healthy and sensible. After getting my husband, he told him "Doctor saab, Cashify ne to jaan bacha li meri". (Doctor, Cashify has saved my life)

Gabbar Singh is now actively engaged in disposing off E-waste and selling all he can on Cashify. He also urges others not to keep unused phones, gadgets in the house. Instead sell them on https://www.cashify.in and get instant cash.

you can watch him here too :

Patient Gabbar selling his old phone on cashify in 60 seconds

Include the coupon code CLEANCASH in your post and you will get an additional Rs.250 on the sale of your gadgets.

My husband came back home and guess what? He is taking me for an electronics shopping spree tomorrow but only after we have sold off the old ones at Cashify! 

Delhi -A diary entry

"Koochey nahin dilli ke, auraaq-e-musawwir hain
Jo shakl nazar aayi, tasveer nazar aayi"
 
(These are not Delhi by-lanes, these are artist’s canvas
Every sight I see looks like a painting)

  
From being a muse to poets like Mir Taqi Mir, to a landmark witnessing the downfall and development between eons, Delhi has rightfully been considered the heart of India. 

If one dives back into the history of Delhi, it becomes impossible not to be inspired and awe-struck by how impeccably Delhi has grown from the ruins to a world class city. 

Having lived in Delhi all my life, I will always stay biased towards this city. Be it the pink winter days with mist all around or deserted lanes during the scorching summer heat. 

What sets Delhi apart is the interesting amalgamation of culture, heritage and a modern way of life.

Each day in Delhi, one gets to experience something unique and memorable. It's overwhelming that this city has so much to offer to every single inhabitant or visitor. 
The very thought of this makes me a proud Delhiite. 
Yesterday, while scribbling in my diary of my everyday musings (yes, I do believe in diary entry and other 'old-school' stuff), I happened to pen down about how Delhi has added value to my life. It seemed insignificant till now, but it was only when I divulged deep into my everyday schedule and happenings throughout the day, did I realize that even in its monotony, this city was offering me so much. 

A privileged life. A super life. 

Want to know how? 
Take a sneak peak into my diary's yesterday entry:

5:30AM: I stir from my slumber to the tune of my favourite melody - Sixth symphony
At about 6, I am ready for the morning walk. 
Talking about development, Delhi is one the greenest metros of the country with about 19% of green area cover.
DDA has been turning the waste lands into green areas, giving it the title of "city of gardens".

Clean Delhi, Green Delhi. Source here

It is truly a delight to see such lush green areas all around as I stroll through the well-known Lodi Garden located in the heart of the city. The serene surroundings and chirping of birds amidst the locales which reminds one of the historical background of Delhi, is a perfect way to start the eventful day.

I come back to my home at about 7:30 and after a shower and breakfast, I am ready to leave for my workplace.

Travelling in Delhi has become so much easier and cheaper since the arrival of Delhi Metro.
Delhi metro has a world class infrastructure. with about 164 stations, it spreads to not just within the city but also Noida and Ghaziabad and Gurugram.

As I am peacefully travelling in the air-conditioned Delhi metro, away from the traffic and pollution, I receive a call from one of my friend. Even in the underground metro, her voice is crystal clear, thanks to Vodafone's seamless connectivity. Vodafone is the choice of 1.2 crore customers in Delhi and NCR, which is almost half the population of Delhi. Vodafone receives 1 customer appreciation every 30 seconds and rightly so. 

Metro - Delhi's Lifeline. Source here

It's about 9:30 when I reach the hospital. I am a doctor by profession. This brings me to the excellent progress Delhi has been making in terms of healthcare.
We have a hospital like AIIMS , which is the apex hospital in the country both in terms of proving medical treatment and education. There are also increasing number of high-end private hospitals like Fortis, Apollo, Max which not only provide a good treatment and healthcare facilities but also promote medical tourism in the country.

With the recent advent of about 110 Mohalla clinics, Delhi's healthcare system seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. It claims to have treated about 8 lakh patients in just over 5 months. 

Mohalla Clinic in Delhi. Source here

Evening: At about 6PM, I am ready to leave the hospital and indulge in a little shopping. Delhi has a world-class infrastructure. With malls coming up in every corner of the city including Noida and Gurgaon. I decide to visit the DLF mall of India in Noida to keep an eye on latest trends and also because it's a hub to so many international brands. 
To my delight, I get access to free wi-fi there. Vodafone is digitally connecting Delhi & NCR with Free Wi-Fi Zones: There are more than 120 such hotspots across Delhi & NCR such as DLF Mall of India, Fortis Hospital, Delhi Haat, Khan Market, Airport, etc.

Free Wi-Fi by Vodaphone at DLF Mall of India, Noida and other places. Source here

After the shopping spree, I head towards my home. On my way, I see these green bus shelters. On enquiry, I come to know that Vodafone created the first Air-Purifying bus shelter in the city so that people could breathe non-polluted air while waiting for a bus. Last year air pollution in Delhi had reached a new height, that’s when this initiative was undertaken. Thereafter, Vodafone created the first Wi-Fi bus shelter in Gurgaon to take another step towards digitizing Delhi & NCR. The Free wi-fi can be used for 20 minutes irrespective of whether they are Vodafone customers or not.

Air Purifying bus shelter. Source here

That sounds like such a noble initiative, only in Delhi!

As I reach home, I remember it's Diwali time and my cousins are arriving today to spend the Diwali holidays with us. Time to head to the airport. 
Well, Delhi's Indra Gandhi International airport is the best in the country. It is the busiest airport in the country and also the 21st most busy in the world. 
Intricately designed and with a great service, my cousins reach all happy and amazed. 

Delhi Airport. Source here

On our way home, as we plan our Diwali holidays and celebrations, one of my cousin tells me about another great initiative by Vodafone. This year, Vodafone Delhi is urging people to celebrate a Green Diwali. These Super crackers are filled with eco-friendly plant seeds. All one needs to do is plant it and let the plant bloom.

We reach home and after a round of night snacks with coffee, it's time to head to bed. 
As I write this page in my diary, I am super excited about the super Delhi life with my cousins. 

We will be visiting the monuments and marvelling at the rich cultural heritage, some mall hopping and lots of shopping. There is no dearth of options and places to see when it comes to Delhi.

Tempted to join me in this super Delhi life? Come experience the city with all it's developments and initiatives.

 https://www.vodafone.in/home-delhi

Self proclaimed Messiahs, A letter for you!

Dear trumpet blowers of liberation,

Please ignore us. The wails against veil, laments for liberation, fetishism with feminism and jeremiads of moral judgements. It's high time you realised, none of it, is any of your business.

Have all global issues ceased to exist? Poverty, health problems, financial crisis, Global warming and climatic changes. Why are they not pertinent enough for your attention?

Why this obsession with oppression? 

What makes you feel we are in need of your salvation? 

Necessitating a protection which holds and passes all judgements on the presence or lack of a piece of cloth.

Some monsters in India decide to rape one of us and every argument boils down to what the victim wore. (Much respect to Khap Panchayat by the way, they at least blamed chowmein and fast foods for such crimes)

A country like Saudi Arabia obligates Hijab on all it's females as a means of 'protection'.

France decides to leap ahead in this 'race of protection and freedom' and banned Burkini recently. The Mayor justifying it as a 'measure to ensure protection from terrorist attacks and ensure hygiene on the beaches'. 

And yesterday, ISIS decided to ban burqa. Islamic state deems Hijab as a security problem in Iraq. Read Here

How very supreme of you all! 

All problems and solutions are, according to you, concealed in this little cloth piece. A mighty magical wand? 

Lecherous men, increasing crime rates, lack of education, intolerance, are obviously by-products of the menace caused by women and their illustrious 'clothes'. Isn't it? 

If only your reason gifted mind could 'discriminate' let alone identify us beyond our outward appearances.

We are bone and flesh too. I understand, it's hard to digest that a clan you glorified as 'distressed damsels' since time immemorial can be anyone more except a dumb-mute puppet of your propagandas but frankly my dear morons, we too are in possession of a sensible mind. 

Do us a favour, will you? Shun your illusions and idee fixe and make peace with the above stated fact. 

For once, let us just take our own decisions and decide what we want to wear. How we want to conduct ourselves. Our choices.

Burkini or swimsuit. Hijab or hair. Skirt or sweatshirt is for my body and that needs neither your safeguarding nor concerns. It was/is/will be never your property. No matter if it's France or Iran.

Stop hiding your libido behind pseudo-intellectual concerns of liberation. We have known you long enough and know this, we loath such care more than your carnality.

If only you would have burdened your soul with a little self control, banning or baring would have been less fascinating to you.

And did I hear you say, 'but we intend no harm?' If you can't support your daughter's decision to study further. Your sister's male friends. Your wife's difference of opinions and your working mothers, then better shut up your false cries of freedom, protection or liberation. 

The very sight of you now seems destructive to our independence.

Your mighty egos have suffocated our bosoms and souls long enough. As if patriarchy was not enough already.  Please spare us the horror of sabotaging our basic rights of freedom.

If the popular belief that you are inhabitants of Mars and we are from Venus is true, then how desperately I desire that now has the time come, we go our separate ways. Life on Earth is more about morality rather than humanity, all thanks to you! 

That would be freedom. Liberation. Honour. Justice. Redemption.

Sincerely,

confined by your existence

We, Women.