Our Health Service vs Our Respect for Life

            One of my friends  decided to stay single so that she can take care of her mother. My friend is in Government Service therefore she is a beneficiary of Central Government Health Service (CGHS), for which she is paying every month a sum of an amount. Since, her mother is dependent on her because she has no income of her own, therefore, as per the prevalent rules, her mother is also a beneficiary of  CGHS facility. 

        The CGHS has empaneled many private hospitals to facilitate the beneficiaries so that the burden on government hospitals can be reduced. The CGHS beneficiaries can access to these private hospitals with a prior permission of the Chief Medical Officer of the CGHS Dispensary which are now called Wellness Centres.  

          Her mother is in her late 70s and has developed a very weak immune system,  therefore she requires supplements frequently.  My friend took her mother to a Private Hospital which is empaneled by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the CGHS and she took a proper permission from the Chief Medical Officer of the Wellness Centre of the area she resides.😌

                The Private Hospital, after examining her mother, prescribed a Calcium which normally our CGHS wellness centers do not prescribe. These wellness centres prescribe only common medicines such as Shellcal or Gemcal. As the common Shellcal or Gemcal etc. had no effects on her mother. Now, her ordeal to get the medicine from the Wellness Centre, starts.😕😕

        When she approached the the CMO of Wellness Centre of her area, the CMO refused to issue the medicine prescribed by the private hospital which she had visited with the prior permission of the Chief Medical Officer. (This is a common practice, normally we don't get medicines prescribed by the Private hospitals, we are either issued the substitutes or we are asked to get the name changed of the medicine.) Some the medicines  were costly, therefore the Chief Medical Officer  suggested her to go the headquarters of  CGHS for recommendation.

            She sent her nephew to the headquarters as she had some important assignments at her office. But, this boy shuttled like a shuttle cock between various counters one after another without any result, whole day. He got so much frustrated because he had taken leave from his college.🥴🥴

       Later on, my friend  took the challenge to get the recommendation for the medicine. Again she was subjected to the mental as well as physical torture. She was also directed to contact the other counters. Somehow, she managed to get to reach the Head of Department.  The Head of Department told her that recommendation is very much in the domain of the Chief Medical Officer of the Wellness Centre. Why she had come here. My friend told him vehemently that it was the Chief Medical Officer who refused to issue the medicine and asked her to come to the Headquarters. 😞😖

       Initially, the Head of Department also refused to recommend the medicine. She then argued with the Head of Department and told him that she approached the empaneled private hospital with the prior approval of the Chief Medical Officer.🥵🥶

          After, 15 minutes of arguments with the Head of Department, she was recommended the prescribed medicine.

        This is the way our Health Services function.  If this is happening with the educated and privileged class then we can very well imagine the plight of uneducated and under privileged class.😠😡

      Sadly, there is no respect for life in our country.😓😥😢😰

Simla then and now Shimla

Few years back when I visited one of our offices in Shimla I saw a desk calendar published by Centre for Skill development & Engineering Consultancy, The Institution of Engineers (India).  

The calendar has pictures of Shimla taken earlier and pictures of same places, taken in 2017.  

This calendar is a treat to my eyes as the Old fascinates me.  

I asked my colleague whether he has another copy of the calendar, but to my amusement he handed over his calendar to me.

  Nice of him and many many thanks to him.

I thought of sharing these pictures on this page and also sharing the information about these places which was printed on the calendar.

The Christ Church on the Ridge

These are two pictures of the Christ Church.  The black and white picture was taken in 1857, the year in which it was opened.   The Christ Church, Shimla built in the Neo-Gothic style in 1857, to serve the Anglican British community, the the second oldest church in northern India.  The Church is situated at The Ridge.

This Church was designed by Colonel J. T. Boileau in 1844. It took 11 years to complete the church. The clock adorning Church was donated by Colonel Dumbleton in 1860.  The Porch was added in 1973.  Five fine stained glass windows represent the Christian virtue of Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Patience and Humility. 

The coloured picture of Church taken in 2017, shows mushrooming of concrete jungle in the backdrop of the Christ Church.

The Oldest Post Office in Northern India

The following picture is of Post Office in Shimla.  This is the oldest post office in Northern India, Shimla.  General Post Office (GPO) was constructed in 1882 on the site of a tailor's shop known as the Conny Cottage and this building of Post Office was also known as Conny Cottage.  It was purchased from a person named Mr. Peterson.  The building of the Shimla GPO is a timber framed structure which is an eclectic mix of part-Alpine, part-Gothic and the part-Tudor styles.

The first Post Master of this post office was Mr. F. Dalton and Mr. L. Piggot was the last Post Master of British Era who retired in December, 1946.

In 1992, the Shimla GPO was declared as one of the six heritage Post Office building in India.

The design of the post office changed with the passage of time and as per the needs, which can be seen in the following pictures

The Lakkar Bazaar

The Lakkar Bazaar is a market place extending toward the north-eastern side beyond the Ridge. It is famous for wooden toys made by a small group of Sikh carpenters who settled there a century ago from Hoshiarpur a district in Punjab.  

It has a wide range of artefacts, pashmina shawls, woollens and handicrafts to offer to its visitors.  The old building of the Regal Cinema, located here was once called the Theater of Prince of Wales.  The famous Roller Skating Rink is located in this building.

This Lakkar Bazaar reminds me of my first visit to this British Era Summer Capital in December, 1987.  One can find beautiful pieces of utensils, jewellery  boxes and the famous key rings, wall hangings made of wood.

The famous painting of Sohni Mahiwal, the legendary lovers of Punjab, which was initially painted by Sir Sobha Singh, is replicated on these small pieces of wood.

Shimla in 1884 and .......🔻

.......Shimla in 2017. Trees have gone. Small houses now replaced with concrete buildings.  The Christ Church standing as witness

Shabbily erected Concrete jungle over the hills🔰😢

Horse Carriage or Rickshaws loaded Ridge in Shimla in 1903......

A view of Mount Jakhoo in 1903.

Jakhoo Hill is 2.5 km east from the Ridge and at a height of 2455 meter above sea level.  An anciet Lor Hanuman temple is there and every year a big festival is held on Dussehra.  In Hindu Mythology, the flat summit of Jakhoo Hill Shimla was caused by Lord Hanuman's sudden arrival while hunting for Sanjivani Booti to revive Lakshman.

I remember in my Hindi syllabus in Primary classes I read a chapter on Jakhoo.  In that chapter, there was a story of monkeys living and conversing with humans in their sign language.  Both understanding each other.  I forgot the chapter now but few images of the chapter are stored in my memories.

Monkeys  and other animals are living side by side with the human population but now the humans have forgotten the language with which they can converse with these creatures.

Humans have even forgotten the medium of conversation amongst themselves😒

In 2010, a giant 108 feet high idol of Hanuman was unveiled at Jakhoo, overlooking the entire city.

Annadale -  a suburb of Shimla and an army area.👇👇

There are different version in naming this area as Annadale.  One is that when British came to Shimla for its selection as Summer Capital of India, they saw this place and found it similar to Annadale valley in Dumfriesshire or County of Dumfries in Scotland, thus decided to name it Annadale.

And the second version is, when Captain Charles Pratt Kennedy visited Shimla after he was given the charge of selecting a place for summer capital of India, he was so mesmerized with its  natural beauty that he named it after his lady love Anna.  Interesting

Presently this place is being utilized as a helipad and for army exercise, parades and sports etc.

Visiting Annadale is entirely a different experience. It is so serene and peaceful that once one visits here, he forgets the hustle and bustle of cities.  This portion is one of the most beautiful places of Shimla. But here also, trees are falling and concrete jungle is coming up. 👇👇

👇👇 The Barnes Court in 1882

         Barnes Court, now commonly known as Raj Bhawan or Governor's house derives its name from Sir Edward Barnes, British Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army (1831-1833).  This Tudor style heritage building is an architectural marvel spread over an area of 9,647 sqmt.  The building is witness to several historical events including inking of the Shimla agreement between the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Pakistan counterpart Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972.  It was here that the neews of the great Uprising of 1857 was given to General Anson.

From the Literature available about this Barnes Court, it is not know from any of the official records that which Lieutenant  Governor of the Punjab, first lived  in “ Barnes Court”, yet the list of Commanders- in – Chief indicates that it was occupied by Sir Edward Barnes in  1832. After a break, from 1849 to 1864, it was again the residence of  various British Commanders-in- Chief, General Napier, General Gomm, General Anson, General Campbell and General Rose. 

The Barnes Court in 2017👇👇
                                   

The Shimla Mall in 1890 👆👆

Mall Road once regarded as Fine Street of London, is social lifeline and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shimla.  The traffic less road is located over a stretch of 5 Kms.  The main shopping hub is about 1.5 kms and have restaurants, bars, cyber cafes, banks, hotels, clubs besides General Post Office, Municipal Corporation and office of Fire Services.

The Mall Road was constructed during British Colonial Rule under supervision of Lord Lytton, it is located a level below the ridge.

Earlier, it feels good to roam on the Mall Road but now it is so much crowded that one can not move without rubbing shoulders with others.

The Shimla Mall in 2017👇👇

The Oakover -  
Oakover, is one of the earlier houses built in Shimla. This is the Official Residence of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister.  a historic building, was once a residence of the rich and powerful Maharaja of Patiala.  Earlier, Patiala was a princely state till 1947.  There is an interesting story that why the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala was banned to visit Shimla during the Colonial Raj after which he built a bunglow at Chail in Himachal Pradesh.  And from this bunglow he can overlook this summer capital  as it was at a higher location.

Overcast heavily with oak trees all around, this sprawling mansion has two gates.  The stretch of road alongside the mansion between Chota Shimla and Shimla was once upon a time referred as the 'Khyber Pass'  

The bifurcation near the eastern gate leads to the Raj Bhawan on one side and Civil Secretariat on the other. 

The Oakover in 1903🔻

The Oakover in 2017🔰🔰

The Kalka Shimla Railway -

The Kalka - Shimla Railway was started in 1903 to connect Shimla with the rest of the India rail system. Initially it was proposed to build 2 ft narrow guage track which was increased to 2 ft 6in (762 mm) later on.

The Chief Engineer of the project was H. S. Herrington.  The construction was started by privately funded Delhi-Ambala-Kalka Railway Company.  Later on when it became difficult for the company to manage it, the government purchased it on 1 January 1906 for 17,107,748 rupees.

At the time of construction, 107 tunnels and 864 bridges were built. Now it has has 20 beautiful stations, 103 tunnels, 912 curves, 969 bridges. The train has an average speed of 25 - 30 km per hour.  

Bridge No. 541 is the Highest Arch Gallary Bridge.

This toy train starts from Kalka, a foothill in the Shivalik Range and runs through Taksal, Gumman, Koti, Sonwara, Dharampur, Kumarhatti, Barog, Solan, Salogra, Kandaghat, Kanoh, Kathleeghat, Shoghi, Taradevi, Jatogh, Summerhills before it completes its journey at Shimla.

There are five toy trains on this route and these are:-
1️⃣  Kalka - Shimla Passenger which starts at 3.30 and reaches          Shimla at 8.55
2️⃣  Shivalik Deluxe Express which starts at 5.45 and reaches           Shimla at 10.35
3️⃣  Kalka - Shimla NG Express which starts at 6.20 and                   reaches Shimla at 11.35 
4️⃣  Him Darshan Express which starts at 7.00 and reaches                Shimla at 12.55
5️⃣   Himalyan Queen which starts at 12.10 and reaches                       Shimla at 17.30

This Railway was declared a heritage by the Himachal Pradesh Government in 2007 and in 2008 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site

A feel pride that I have travelled in this train twice. During Monsoon season, travelling in this train is a wonderful experience. 

It is good that the number of coaches have been increased in this train.  This Arch Gallery Bridge now looks very beautiful the way it is being maintained.

The Viceregal Lodge -

The Viceregal Lodge as impressive as its name was a summer residence of Viceroys during Colonial Rule of British. Later on, in 1947 it became The Rashtrapati Niwas (Residence of President of India) for summers as the Presidents of Independent India also followed the British tradition which ended in 1960. 

It stands on the Observatory Hill which is the second highest point in Shimla.  This Lodge was designed by British architect Henry Irwin and built in Jacobethan stle during the regime of Lord Dufferin.  Its construction started in 1880 and was completed in 1888.  

Lord Dufferin occupied the Lodge on July 23, 1888. In 1960s the builidng was handed over to the Institute of Advane Studies.  It houses some of the most ancient articles and rare photographs going back to the times of the British rule in India

This Lodge is a witness of two major conferences which were held in 1945 and 1946 under its roof.

Even today it stands impressively but sad to see that trees and other plants have vanished with the passage of time😢🤔

After seeing these pictures it can be assessed that how we have changed.  The sense of dressing has changed drastically keeping the pace with the vanishing natural resources as well as human values. We have outgrown in number thrown every thing in margin, on this planet which I feel is not a development.

During one of our visits to Shimla, my sister purchased the black and white pictures of Shimla for her drawing room.

All these pictures are available at Himachal Studio, The Mall Shimla (Pictures of Past) and Studio 7, The Mall Shimla (Pictures of Present)

Titbits

I saw this tiny bird sitting in her nest so calmly and confidently that all of sudden a thought traveled in my mind "Do we ever find such satisfaction while sitting in our abodes. We are always busy planning for bigger homes and accumulation of so many things in our house."  

She built this house only for hatching of her eggs and upbringing of her kids. Once they are grown up they all abandon this nest.  

Next time she as well as her kids will built another nest and the process goes on........👇👇👇

The leave their techniques of living as a legacy for their kids but we love to leave legacy in material for our kids, homes, finances etc. etc....

Another tiny nest I found at Mount Abu. 

 This bird has stitched her nest with the leaves of this plant so intricately and beautifully. 

 For us it appears a very fragile but for her eggs and her family it is the strongest one

I saw this comb in Majuli and it appears to me very artistic and beautiful. This comb is the house of a wasp which is found in Assam.  I heard that this wasp built its house with the powder of wood and clay and its sting is similar to the sting of a Scorpion. Whatever, but I liked these 

 Here in the picture, two wasps are busy in giving final touches to their abode.  After they raise their family, this comb will be discarded by the all and in next season, a comb will fabricated once again by these wasps as well as by the next generation and that too on their own.  One such discarded comb is seen here in the picture. 

This picture of cat and her kitten was clicked in Shillong. 

 The kitten is secured with her mother therefore she is lost in her own world whereas mother is keeping a watchful eye on me.

This site of calf taking his feed is not so familiar in Delhi.  

Mother, thy name is patience specially when it comes to feeding her children.

This squirrel feeding herself on the leftovers by the humans. 

 I admire the way she is holding her food 

This sea gull feeding herself on the Kurkure which was thrown by the travellers who cross the Arabian Sea in Ferry.

 These sea gulls are so used to these that they fly with the ferry and catch these pieces of snacks in the mid air with precision

Parrot - Top of the world👇👇

This little bird is sitting on the bud of  this flower, sometimes 

I wonder that how do they manage the balance on their tiny legs.

 The picture of the lights below was clicked with a Nokia Mobile of-course, this mobile is not the smart one.

The picture of this light and its reflections gives a view of a headless insect.

A mannequin is sitting in place of the shopkeeper in a shop in Haridwar.

I had actually crossed this shop then
 I noticed  that a girl is sitting on the shop.

When I returned to shop and peeped inside it,
 I found this cute shopkeeper.

Brilliant Idea 

An Air India flight  sitting atop Qutub Minar.  

This is the actual design of a shop in the Connaught Place which has now been changed by all the shops with steel and glass.  ⤵

Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi.  

One of the most beautiful buildings in Delhi

I found this Building in Mumbai, very unique. I saw it from Bandra Kurla Sea Link then I asked my driver to take me to that building.  There was no body who could tell me about the building. 

If you ask any mumbaikar about any thing they have only one reply that he don't know.

Anyhow, I clicked few pictures. 🔻

 

We can found many shapes and faces in trees, stones. 
 This one I found in Jim Corbett.
It is a face of an elephant or Ganesha, depends on ones choice.
  I showed it to our guide even he was amazed to see and he told me that he had never noticed it. 
I suggested him to add this spot in his itinerary

 I hope, it still exists. 

Thankfully, it is in the restricted area otherwise some intelligent person could have build a temple here. ⥥

This Heart of a tree I found during my morning walks in
 Rabindra Nagar near Khan Market ⤵

This horse I found in Botanical Garden of Kolkata ⇩

An old man laughing or singing.  

On way to Lehe, somewhere between Kaylong and Pang

 in Lahaul Spiti➞⏬

This is a pillar in North Block.  It is really amazing to see this shape as if somebody has emphatically painted this figure which actually is not a painted one.

Actually the dust has settled in such a way on this pillar that it emerged as figure.

This figure resembles the Oscar Trophy🔻

What a piece of Art nature has created.

This plant was in my balcony and I just like these leaves as if both are trying to reach out to each other and want to feel each other 🔻

It was somewhere between Rohtang Pass and Manali on my way to Leh

A legend. 🔻🔻

A reminder of British Era.  It is fixed in some museum in Shimla and it has a crown on top of it.  These boxes played a significant role in our lives.  

Today's Facebook and WhatsApp generation will never understand the importance of these boxes. 

 For this generation, it is completely unimaginable that in those days it took four to five days to receive a letter from a relative or friend which was the only way of communication.

Those were the amazing days. 💔

Hands of my father's aunt.

  She was 92 years when I clicked this picture⥥

She was under treatment at Max Hospital for the cancer

 her body had developed at such a ripe age

First couldn't notice that  a moth is sitting on these fruits. 

 It chose the fruits which matched her complexion😊

A dog is resting in front of a poster outside Duke showroom. 

 I shared his picture with a friend and he thought that a couple sitting besides this dog.🔰🔰

Nature has created so beautiful patterns which leaves me quite awestruck.

This is a sun flower after it shed all her petals

Here is another Living Legend- A Biscope.  How many pictures we have seen on this, in our childhood, I do not remember. Here the advertisement of State Bank of India (SBI) calling the Bank a "Living Legend". It is correct, SBI chose a perfect platform.  

The term Living Legend is the perfect term which goes well with both.

These seats and tables for kids in one of the markets of Thailand.  A brilliant idea.

A Ghat at Dakshineshwar Temple in Kolkata, West Bengal.  Multi purpose ghat, People are washing and bathing and at the same time people are drinking the same water because for them it is sacred.  People were carrying this water in their bottles and canister.  

Two such are placed here in left side in the picture.

I was standing there and watching all this happening and yes I was thinking of the quality of this water and also of hygiene and wondering whether I am a fool that who does not understand the difference between faith and hygiene or these people are blinded with the faith that they cannot understand the difference. 😔

A boy sitting with his boat, in Meghalaya. 

 I forgot the name of this river and the place. 

 This place is at the border of India and Bangladesh and also a meeting place for Bangladeshis settled in India,  with their relatives in their homeland.

He was waiting for us to climb up to his boat so that he can earn few rupees. 

 Since it was already getting dark and we had to go back to Shillong therefore did not take a ride in his boat.

However, he was happy that I have clicked his photo.😇

Sun signing off for the day at Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur

Pictures click with NO SMART NOKIA PHONE🔻

My One plus Five gives good results ⏫ and 🔻