Critical Insurance Policy

In today’s age and time it is critical to have medical insurance alongwith critical insurance rider before we plan our investments, vacations andcommit to EMIs. A few weeks ago my friend’s colleague was diagnosed with braintumor. He went to bed fine, but woke up with a splitting headache and swollenface the next morning. Doctor visits and subsequent tests revealed that he had a gold ball size tumor in his head. Such is life, the darkest of the hour comesat the brightest of the times.

Imagine you have a young family with 2 school going children, awhopping home loan and monthly EMI with a floating interest rate, a running carloan, credit card loan from last year’s overseas vacation with family, and everincreasing inflation. And when you just began to pay up the borrowed capital, terrorstrikes in the form of illness. How would your poor wife manage the situationif you were bed ridden for six months and the income from work stops?

Friends may come forward to help, but to expect them to help whenmajority of them are neck deep in home EMIs is being too ambitious. Relativeswon’t help and even if they do they would want you to draw up a guarantee or anagreement for repayment. The saddest part is that, Indian employers and the socalled MNCs will not pay if you go on a medical leave. They will pay you forthe vacation days you have accumulated and will unsympathetically turn theirbacks when it comes to help. So, humans what does life leave you with?

Illness doesn’t come with old age and time. Disease and desireshave conquered the population while they are still young. Today, we haveyounger people who are first time home owners as we have younger patients withstroke, multiple sclerosis, heart attack and other cardiac issues.

That brings us to the most critical part of this blog, how doesone meet the expenses at home and medical expenses from the illness at a timewhen work will not offer you a few extra pay checks? And the answer is CRITICAL INSURANCE POLICY.

The critical insurance policy pays a lump sum if you get diagnosedwith any of the listed illnesses (Cardiac arrest, stroke, paralysis, multiplesclerosis, kidney failure, cancer) and a few other surgeries. Sometimes it canbe purchased along with the medical insurance and many at times it can bebrought separately. A friend or family can be a good insurance, but none canbeat the critical insurance policy.

We don’t know when our bodies can give away and when things canfall apart. I am a living example of congenital heart issue and I could havebeen a bit more relaxed if I had a critical insurance rider. But don’t we alllearn our lessons?

Today medical care is becoming unaffordable and hospitals andillnesses can gobble up your 5 Lakh rupee policy in a week. If you have notthought about a critical insurance policy, here is a good starting point: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/how-to-choose-the-best-critical-illness-insurance-plan/1/188491.html

 I haveprovided links to policy for your reading, comparison and research.

 HDFCERGO - 1800 2 700 700

BajajAlliance - 1800-233-3355

HDFCCritical Care - 1800 2 700 700

ICICICrisis Cover Plan - 1860 266 7766

RelianceCritical Illness - 1800 3002 8282

Some providers like Reliance offer family floaters, and some like Bajaj Alliance offer special policies targeting women (Breast, Cervical cancer, etc.) Based on my comparison and research, I find HDFC Critical Care tocover major illnesses of the day and age. Also check to see what kinds ofailments run in your family before you make a decision. Except Reliance, noneof the other providers give you “No claim bonus”. “Only HDFC Critical carecovers Brain tumor. You can call the toll-free number with your questions orpurchase the policy online.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy future!

Salute the British Airways Pilot aboard flight BA 036

 

From airplanes overshooting the runway, (the recent one was at Bali, Indonesia, where the Lion Air flight overshot the runway and landed in the ocean with 100+ passengers), flying closely to each other on the air to landing without clearance from the ATC (the Air India flight at Mumbai) questions the skill, discipline of the pilots and safety in our skies.

With increasing air traffic and human movements it is not a rarity any more to read about air plane accidents. Be it a pilot or a passenger one must be prepared for such incidents and not just be an unprepared optimist. And despite preparedness there are always surprises for prepared passengers, skilled pilots, and family and friends back home.
 

When I boarded the BA 036 flight from Chennai to London on April 12, I murmured a small prayer to Hanuman, the monkey god, for an incident free flight. And whenever we came across turbulence and the seat belts fasten sign came on I repeated the prayer a few times on behalf of my fellow passengers (even those in premier economy and business class), and crew members.

Shrouded in a cloud of mystery

Forty minutes before landing, the captain came on the PA system informed about the descent, weather at destination, Expected time of arrival (eta) and asked us to finish our moving around business within the next 20 mins. The announcement didn't bring me any cheer and the Weather at London wasn't brisk and bright. It was overcast, breezy and 10 deg c. And for a transiting passenger, getting the connection flight and catching up on sleep was higher up in the priority list compared to local weather.

I looked out of the window to survey the city its traffic, planning and green cover but the thick cloud cover created a mysterious impression of London. May be the sky was mourning the passing away of Britain's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher? To kill time, I turned on the in-flight map service and kept tracking the movement, altitude, temperature and adjusting to the change in pressure and clearing up the air blocks my ears.

And 20 mins before landing, the seats belt sign came back on and the cabin crew came around to ensure all window shades were up, seats were upright, seat belts fastened and all bags and belongings stored in the over head bin. May be the ATC (air traffic controller) gave us the clearance to land?

Rumble in the belly

The flight was making a fast and steady descent and I confirmed that when heard a rumble from the belly of the aircraft, the tires opened up for landing, and the cloud cover was still keeping London shrouded in mystery (like the Queen who wears gloves and is afraid to revel her beauty or imperfections). And finally the nose of the aircraft was ready to touch down and I could see buildings and air bridges outside my window. But before we realized the engines roared once again loudly, the cloudy scene returned outside the window and the aircraft made an emergency take off. Just when everybody including the pilots and my friend tracking the flight was traveling on, the aircraft soared up the sky again. Not sure how many of my fellow passengers realized that before the pilot announced the lack of clearance from ATC. I asked myself if it was another violation trying to land without the ATC clearance or was something skillfully averted.

We circled the cloudy skies of London for another 10 mins before we finally touched down. As we taxied on the runway, one of the pilots came on the PA system and shared the reason behind abandoning our earlier landing. He said they were trained and prepared for eventualities and this is second nature to them. What was behind the roaring engines and another aerial tour of the mysterious London and second nature to the pilots?

5m from meeting our fate

The aircraft was hardly 5 m from the ground and The ATC noticed a puddle aviation fuel on the runway dumped by the earlier aircraft. They immediately asked the pilots of to get back on air. Once he shared the incident I expected the passengers to give the pilots a standing ovation, but the aircraft turned noisy and conversations laced with both surprise and relief. Without wasting time, I took a piece of paper and wrote a thank you message for the pilots and the guys at the ATC tower. If the ATC staff had not averted and if the pilots lacked skill we could have skidded off the runway or our aircraft could have caught fire from the dumped aviation fuel on the runway. Thanks Hanuman!

 

While media reports and sensationalizes mishap stories, I felt this was an opportunity to celebrate and applaud their skills and also continue say your prayers next time you board the aircraft. Some last minute prayers and split second decisions tests skills of some pilots and extend our fate lines. And that morning 200 of us were 5m away from igniting our fate.

The Urban(e) Feeling

Every weekday morning my mobile alarm goes at 5 am and with a half-open eye I finger the mobile to silence the alarm. Even a 5 minute delay getting out of the bed can mean a lot when living in an urban city where all people move along the same direction to work. You can even call it the direction towards achieving their goal or ambition. The very thought of missing the train at 8.45 am, reaching the deserted share-auto stands at 9.00 am and waiting forever outside the elevator to get up eight floors at 9.15 am gets me out of the bed. But then there are somedays’ where I use the back-up alarm and give myself a 15min grace period with my pillows and blanket. And today was one such morning.

 

After reclaiming my oral hygiene, I pick up the milk packets outside the house and come back to the living room with the hot cup of coffee in ten minutes. And this how my weekday routine begins. The only 5 minutes of my morning that I don’t compromise or economize is my coffee time, but I still multi-task. With coffee tumbler in one hand and iPad on the other, I quickly check my mailboxes (personal and work) to mentally make a list of things to accomplish for the day. Anything outside the list, be it a wedding reception or a hospital visit or catching up with a friend is parked for the weekend, until or otherwise it screams emergency.

I reach the gym within the next 20 minutes and I make eye contact and exchange pleasantries, but rarely strike a conversation with fellow healthy souls. And when I do, my brain rings an alarm and reminds me of the huge Masai Mara migration outside Tidel Park at Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai. Not sure if I should call this focus, dedication or indifference, but this is how my urban life is and runs by the second hand and not the minute hand.

The request

I got back from the gym routine this morning, my grandfather who had come down from the village to spend a week with us, was waiting near the gate. Before I closed the gate behind me, he asked me to bring out the car and drive him to the nearest salon. I looked at him for a few seconds and asked if he had an appointment only with an intention to postpone his shaving plan to the evening. At the village, the barber would visit his home at my grandfather’s convenience and give him personalized attention, but in the city we visit the salon when the barber is free.

The guilt

I had invited my grandparents from the village to spend a week with me and I wanted to show my care and respect, but not delegate and dismiss it. This was not on my morning to-do list and if I had known this earlier, I would have cancelled my gym routine and happily taken him to the salon. But then how do I handle unplanned requests with a smiling face? Should I outsource or delegate?

Understanding my long pause, my grandfather volunteered to take an auto ride to the nearest salon and get a shave.

For more than 30+ years, my grandfather went out in the hot sun, watered and fertilized the mango trees, ensured they were plucked in-time and packed fresh consignments week after week for us. Today, I don’t have 15 mins to spare for him.

After my prolonged silence, he came back asking for lower denomination currency for the auto ride and shave. Without hesitation, I opened my wallet and shared all the change with him, along with that went euphoria and sense of achievement from the morning workout.

 

An hour later, my grandfather trudged back into the house, but with a beaming a big smile (minus the thick beard) and I was at the breakfast table with my head down, burdened by shame and guilt. He called for my grandmother and asked her if she had packed my lunch box with mangoes he had brought from the farm.

I felt uneasy and the commute to work felt longer than usual today morning, not because of the mad traffic, but from guilt and lack of time for loved ones. Later that morning, after I finished clearing my emails and after drawing up the check-list of activities for the day, I called up my grandfather to let him know that I plan to take him out in the evening to discuss our plans for his 81^st birthday. He spoke to me with the same warmth from before, I choked for a second and I realized how unconditional love doesn’t come with SLAs and doesn’t make a fuss about a simple “Yes or No” or “inability”.

From California to Chennai to Canberra, every one of us run the urban rut and focus and on meeting our SLAs at work and end up feeling guilty and helpless when it comes to loved ones. So, welcome to the urbane life where loved ones small favors they ask get pushed for the weekend, while work, helplessness and guilt gets right-of-way.

Indian Style @ Brussles (Part 2)

Let me start with a question,so what is the best way to begin a vacation? Is it by visiting touristy places and tasting local cuisine? Is it to let outyour locked-up cravings out and being yourself? Or is it spending time withyour friend ?

At RueNeuve - Isn’t vacation all about enjoying the simple pleasures of life?

He cautioned me about RueNeuve, the retail district of Brussels, but I convinced him that my craving was reservedfor crepes, waffles and chocolates – isn’t that what Belgium is famous for? Infacthe caught me incessantly and salaciously starring at every mobile waffle cartand confirmed my craving wasn’t fake. Those waffles had generous spread of Nutella(like sun-screen), covered with sliced bananas and strawberries and garnishedwith hot chocolate

sauce. Even a saint would salivate looking at that.

But besides mouth watering crepes,waffles and chocolates, there is something strong lurking inside me. We were onRue Neuve and right outside Pull & Bear, his favorite clothing brand. Sincewe had so much in common, I was completely convinced that his choice would makeme happy and I blindly followed him around like a puppy on leash. He said hepicked up his entire wardrobe on Sale for a throw away price. Ever been to theThanksgiving Day sale at Macys? That is how I ran into the store after seeingthe “Solden” board outside. His words were tempting and the Solden board passedon the control to the puppy on Rue Neuve and the poor friend was running behindthe leash.

I reminded myself of the vow Ihad taken at the start of the New Year “No Retail Therapy”, specificallyclothes shopping in 2013 and I only completed 30 days. Now I was headedstraight to markdown stuff, looked at shorts, tees, shirts, jeans and shoes.The long wait time to get to the trial room didn’t deter me from taking a dozenof clothes to try and it was all € 8 items that were making me even more powerfuland happy.

Colors were bright, thematerial was suitable for Chennai Summer and I didn’t even botherseeking his approval or opinion, and the only time I needed his help was whenthe cashier at the billing counter asked for another credit card since minewouldn’t go through. I was not embarrassed and I shamelessly accepted when heoffered to swipe his card and he didn’t talk about repayment – it was all unsaid andunderstood. This is truly another Indian style – we don’t wait for our friendsto ask for help and we always do that extra mile and that is part of thefriendship.

A smalldetour: Last August I visited my friend Bala who lives on the West Coast of USand we traveled to LA, Vegas, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, San Francisco and at the end of the trip he wouldn’t split the expenses. When I asked him why, he replied that I had come all the way from India to be with him and that friendship is never about money! Now do you get to learn the Indian style and why I celebrate my friends?

So come back next week to readabout Temple of Beer (not our Tasmac), Grand Palace, Manekken Pis, and moreshopping.

Indian style @ Brussels (Part 1)

In addition to visa for travel, foreign currency to spend, hotelto stay, maps to get around, you still need more on the list to make your tripfeel secure and complete – a friend in the land you plan to travel. I had no plans to travel to Brussels,but that changed when a long time friend messaged me on Gtalk and invited me tovisit him for the weekend. And I was confused if the Schengen visa was enoughfor me to travel into Brussels. Within minutes, he checked on the visa and evenbooked my ticket on Thalys from Gard du Nord, Paris to Brussels therebypostponing my planned trip to Versailles. And the excitement ended and so manythoughts crossed my mind when I didn’t find him at Brussels - Gare Nu Midi.

 

The Indian style welcome

I walked up and down the platform twice, I came down to the gateto see if he was waiting for me and I even re-read his email multiple times to make sure I was waiting where asked me to. I even asked the ticket examiner it if was Gare Du Midi. It was not a planned trip and I hadn’t done any reading and I completely relied onhim to take me around Brussels. And I imagined giving him a big hugon the platform, we hadn’t met in 7 years and he had so many things in commonfrom music to food to experiences. But he was not there :-(

And when he finally arrived 15 mins later, I was welcomed to half-a-dozen apologies and it was truly an Indian-style welcome to Brussels. Another 10 mins delay I would have goneon my own to find a place to stay and explore the city.

 

The Indian style welcome also comes with the Indian stylehospitality, which means multiple cups of strong piping hot milk coffee, Pongaland Sambar for breakfast and Paruppu usili (ground lentil, steamed and panfried) and Avial (mixed vegetable in coconut gravy spiced with green chillies)for lunch. There is more to Indian hospitality (athithi devo bhava - God comes onlyafter guest) and you need to wait till the last to understand what we really meanby athithi devo bhava.

 

Wait for a few more daysto read about my trip to Brussels and see it all in pictures.

Parallels in life, art, society and culture

Fathers, retired uncles and grandfathers exchanges notes, conversations and often drawing parallels in time while walking the bridge between the past and present. Mothers and grandmothers' catch the waft emanating from a neighbors’ kitchen and sometimes (to be read as always) over hear conversations to draw parallels. And when I travel, I always like to keep my senses on vigil to record parallels in societies, in mythologies, faith, lifestyle, culture and share them with friends and family.

Be it at home or while in travel, we always look for parallels for validation, inspiration and sometimes to fuel gossip and cynicism. On this trip to Paris, France I decided to take time out and tour the Louvre Museum in the company of my Parisian friend Jose, who also turns out to be a history buff, a socialist, a sociologist and an antique collector too. Did I say I had a curator for a friend?

The Musée du Louvre: Is one of the world's largest museums, and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district). Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet). With more than 8 million visitors each year, the Louvre is the world's most visited museum.

The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. The size of the collection increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed the Musée Napoléon. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and gifts since the Third Republic.

It is not possible to tour this museum in one trip or one day. The collection in the museum is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.

We entered through Portes des Lions entrance and covered Northern European Sculpture(17-19^th century), Italian Sculptures (16-19th century) and Roman antiques on the ground floor. We then climbed flights of stairs to catch Italian Paintings from 13-18^th century, capturing the mysterious smile of Monalisa. Since the museum was open till 9.45pm on Fridays, we were able to cover two floors. The advantage of going with a Parisian like Jose is innumerable. I got to travel back in time to visualize and appreciate every piece of art curate in the backdrop of culture, society and lifestyle.

 

While at the museum, I spotted a few pieces of art that fitted right into our mythology. And when I shared the image of Krishna with Jose he concurred with the parallel. Can't you can see a close resemblance between the two pictures below: crossed legs, slender body and flute to the right side?

 

Jose confirmed that the child in the sculpture is indeed strangling the bird and the choking expression confirms beyond doubt. In Srimad Bagavadham we've heard Krishna killing Bakasura.

 

Many of the sculptures represented real life: some didn't sport six pack, some were effete and some were naked (don't know if it was poverty or fashion or perversion).  On the flight back home I spotted a few scenes on the aircraft that emulated the art that I saw at the museum.

 

 

 

 

While the Capitalist society terms emulation as plagiarism, the artistic society terms it as inspiration. So, the only question for us to ask now, does art emulates life or life emulates art? Hope I will be able to find many such emulation of art and life on my next trip to Louvre and share it with you. Until then look our for parallels and share it friends and family.

For more pictures visit: https://picasaweb.google.com/108289564546757100555/Louvre#

A Viral Approach to Classical Music

 

Here is Shankar Tucker speaking onTedx platform www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckKvIVYnSr8 about his journey into the world of Indian Classical music. Many of you are aware of him, for those of you who are not aware you can read about him on Wikipedia or visit his Website.

 

In the video, Shankar compares India gurukul system with western way of teaching. While comparing and contrasting, he says how Western Music requires you to constantly look at piece of paper, while Indian music is not that way. While west is moving towards east, but east seems to have already moved West. Carnatic music has gone the mobile app way and our musicians from stealthily staring at their notebooks are now constantly stare at their notebooks.

 

Look at the Manodharmam (imagination) he showcases in the first 4 mins of the video, he has no paper in front of him and efortlessly plays with every note. This shows his understanding of the contours and hues of the raga and his deep involvement. I am sure this young man will soon perform at the Music Academy.

 

Mylapore,Srirangam, etc. these days is filled with "White" son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws and that seems like the next craze for the Mami's. I am sure the mamis’ will call this collaboration or (conjugal)bandhi or (con)(jugaad)bandhi. Hopefully, Shankar Tucker will find ways to escape from these Mamis', who’ve always entrapped fellow listeners.  :-)