HOMEMAKERS OR HOUSEMAIDS ?

The proposal of the Union Minister for Women and Child Development for a law which would make it mandatory for husbands to deposit a certain percentage of their monthly income as wages to the wives for the household chores performed by the wives is bizarre and preposterous. There are, no doubt, drawbacks in many families. Yet the Indian family is still the most reliable social security institution, and the husband – wife relationship has been considered sacred for many millennia in Indian society. A wife is considered Grihalakshmi or Goddess of the household. Manu, the law giver, said: “Where a woman is honoured, there reside the gods”. An Indian wife would not accept household duties as chores to be paid. Such a view is sheer insult to wifehood and her integrity.

The Minister Ms.Krishna Tirath is of the opinion that mandatory monthly payment to wives is intended for socio – economic empowerment of women. Female literacy; higher education, skill development and employment opportunities for women; protection of women from rape and domestic violence; and increased participation of women in legislatures are some of the measures that the Minister and her government should undertake in all seriousness and sincerity for empowering Indian woman. The Minister adds that “working in homes is economic activity and it will give us a truer reflection of what the GDP of our country is”. A strange explanation from a Minister ; no country on earth has attempted such a misadventure.

It would be disastrous to monetize marriage and commoditize husband -wife relationship. Sudha Ramalingam, lawyer and social activist, comments: “ Relationships are not commodities that can be measured in money’s worth”. Psychiatrist Vijay Nagaswami warns that “adding monitory value to the relationship” between husband and wife “would ruin the family fabric”.

If ever the Minister’s proposal is translated into a law, the husband – wife relationship would become employer – employee relationship in the families. Many labour laws will extend to the families. Or else, new laws will have to be made. In that event unionism among wives and collective bargaining cannot be ruled out. Wages, incentives and bonus could be contentious issues. The Minister informed that a mechanism would be devised to quantify and calculate the value of work which the wives do for their families. India will need an unimaginable Orwellian bureaucracy to implement the law.The Minister’s idea is a grave threat to Indian families.

DEMENTIA : A SERIOUS GLOBAL HEALTH CONCERN

One in 14 people over the age of 65 is affected by dementia, and as the population ages, this number is likely to increase. Every four seconds, a new case of dementia is added somewhere in the world.The World Health Organisation, in its report ‘Dementia – a public health priority’, estimates that India had 3.7 million people with dementia in 2011 and the numbers are set to double in 20 years.There are nearly 35.6 million people living with dementia world wide. This number is expected to double by 2030 (65.7 million) and more than triple by 2050 (115.4 million). There are 7.7 million new cases of dementia each year. In developing countries like India and China where incidence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension is high, dementia cases could go up considerably because of vascular problems according to experts.

Dementia is a “serious loss of global cognitive ability in previously unimpaired person” (Wikipedia). Its early meaning was “madness” from the latin root ‘de’ means ‘without’ and ‘ment’ means ‘mind’. Dementia is not a single disease; it is a set of “signs and symptoms in which affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language and problem solving”. Dementia may be static or progressive. The symptoms may be reversible or irreversible.Dementia is not a disease caused by ageing, but ageing is a risk factor. Therefore,   more older people are seen among the dementia patients and as longevity increases their proportion will also increase. Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type (SDAT) or Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. It is a progressive disorder and it has no cure as of now. The treatment available currently only alleviates some symptoms for a limited period, but does not deal with the underlying causes of the disease.Dementia is still not properly appreciated and hence dementia research remains highly under- funded.

Dementia is less ‘visible’ than many other illnesses because the majority of the people affected are over 65, and in many cases, says Dr Pat Kehoe of UK, there are few outward manifestations of the disease, especially in the early stages, which make it easier to ignore. Often ageing is cited as a common explanation for memory loss and behavioural changes. There is substantial evidence to suggest that Alzheimer’s disease starts to develop during middle age, so that by the time the symptoms show, perhaps as much as 20 years later ,‘several rooms are ablaze,’ to use Kehoe’s analogy of the dementia brain as a house on fire. As the disease progresses, the chemistry and structure of the brain change, leading to the death of brain cells. Dementia is caused by a multiplicity of factors including age, genetic inheritance, environment, lifestyle and overall general health.

 Dementia is a stressful experience for patients and their families, but specialists say that technology can make life easier and safer.Dr. E. S. Krishnamoorthy,Chennai – based neuro psychiatrist , observes: More and more people are moving into nuclear families. The elderly living alone will require constant support. In Europe, there are facilities that make the life of dementia patients simple.”  Most people in India have mobiles and, therefore such facilities can be cost-effective. India lacks national guidelines for the management of dementia. Consequently, facilities for diagnosis , treatment and rehabilitation are woefully inadequate. Early diagnosis or golden period intervention can help better management of dementia patients and lower the stress of the care givers. Care giving of dementia patients takes a heavy toll on the physical and mental health of the care givers, whose work schedule is 36-hour day.” We need professional care givers. If we don’t create the necessary human resources, hospitals will soon be burdened and the cost of treatment will go up, “ says Dr.Krishnamoorthy .

Loving care ensuring the patient’s dignity, and engaging them in activities like puzzles, games, memory-lane and story- telling are necessary in the management of dementia patients. Day care centres with adequate facilities near residential areas are extremely useful. A serious health issue like dementia which costs the national economy heavily is to be taken seriously.

September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day.On this day let us pay tribute to Dr.Alzheimer for explaining the nature of this dreadful disorder.

TEACHERS !!!! LEARN FIRST , THEN TEACH

Students rejoiced, while teachers were upset. Occasion : publication of the results of the Tamilnadu Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). The results are not  unexpected.  Only 2,448 teachers could pass out of 6,76,763, who appeared for the TET in july 2012. What has been well-known is now confirmed with hard data. The present system of education does not necessitate up gradation of knowledge and skills by the teachers.

It is an irony that security of job is an incentive for indifference to teaching by a large proportion of teachers in government schools as teaching is considered a soft job in the protected (government) sector. “Talkative Teacher Shifted”: headline of New Indian Express of August 30. A teacher at the government school at Pudukovil in Tamilnadu was transferred to another school because the students and parents complained to the authorities that she was always speaking over the mobile during class hours without bothering to teach. Is this a punishment ? what happens to the students in the new school? God Only Knows. This teacher is not an exception. She represents a large number of mobile addicts.

The RTE Act mandates that teachers handling standards 1 to 8 at present and candidates aspiring to become teachers in future should pass the TET in order to improve the quality of education. Primary school education is the foundation of higher levels of learning, and it should be solid. Hence teachers at this level should be well qualified. Teacher training now lacks quality and rigor. Continuous teacher education programmes need to be a regular feature to ensure education of high quality. Teacher evaluation by students annually can be an effective tool of performance improvement; this can be done confidentially by the teachers themselves. The noble mission of teaching demands commitment from the teachers.

A TRIBUTE TO MY TEACHERS

Teaching and medical practice are the noblest of all professions: One shapes lives and the other saves lives

Ayyappan Nair Sir was my first teacher. Even after 70 years his ever- smiling face and the interesting way of teaching are vivid in my memory.

In high school, I was scoring single digit marks in mathematics. Then came a new mathematics teacher: Sivaraman Nair Sir; I was in the 9th standard. A fascinating teacher, he demystified mathematics learning:  (1) 0 to 9 reveal endless combinations of magic and beauty, so love numbers; (2) relax and problem-solving becomes easy; (3) understand the problem; (4) proceed step by step. My scores in mathematics since then were between 90 and 100.When I started teaching MA students, I could enable them to appreciate and understand Research Methodology, which is considered a hard subject, thanks to the methods of Sivaraman Nair Sir.

English grammar was a nightmare in our school days. Ramaswami Iyer Sir, a retired teacher from government service, joined our school while I was in the 8th standard. He told on the first day itself to practise: "I do, you do , we do, they do, he does , she does and it does". Master these and you master a part of grammar said Iyer Sir. One of his learning games was "I know that you know that we know that they know that he knows that she knows that it knows". Each student had to repeat these with varying speed. It was great fun and Iyer Sir made learning English grammar and composition sweet and simple.

Years later, Dr.Palan (Malaysia- based management consultant and trainer) in his book "Learning is Fun" complimented me and our teacher late Dr.M.T.Paul for making learning a fun , while Palan was a student. It is a great tribute from a former student which I accept with humility. In turn, I pay my tributes to my revered teachers.

POLITICAL PSYCHOPATHS

A psychopath is a person who is insensitive to the pain and sufferings of others. Serial crimes are often committed by "Psychopaths". They derive joy from their criminal acts and have no remorse in their action.

The people of Karnataka  is hit by a severe drought, the worst in decades. The highly conscientious MLAs of the state thought that a 15-day study tour abroad would help find an answer to the state's problems. The first batch of 14 MLAs  went to South America with their families. They felt that they should first enjoy , may be to prepare their minds to internalise serious issues. Thus the study tour became a paid vacation for the MLAs at the cost of the public exchequer from the tax payers' money. Arnab Goswamy, Editor-in-Chief of Times Now, has been in the forefront of a relentless campaign against the callous and remorseless pleasure hunt of the elected representatives belonging to all political parties. The national outrage against their despicable tour forced the CM to react by recalling the MLAs and cancelling future " study tours" of this nature. The Karnataka state's action is a challenge to our democracy and the criminal justice system in the country.