मेरे दीपक -- प्रियतम का पथ आलोिकत कर!

                                                                       मेरे दीपक

मधुर मधुर मेरे दीपक जल!
युग युग प्रतिदन प्रतिक्षण प्रतिपल;
प्रियतम का पथ आलोिकत कर!

सौरभ फैला प्रतिपल धूप बन;
मृदल मोमु-सा घुल रे मृद तनु;
दे प्रकाश का सिन्धु अपरिमित,
तेरे जीवन का अणु गल-गल!
पुलक-पुलक मेरे दीपक जल!

सारे शीतल कोमल नूतन,
माँग रहे तुझको ज्वाला-कण;
विश्वशलभ सिर धुन कहता
"मैं हाय न जल पाया तुझमें मिल"!
सिहर-सिहर मेरे दीपक जल!

जलते नभ में देख असंख्यक;
स्नेहहीन नित कितने दीपक;
जलमय सागर का उर जलता;
विद्युत ले घिरता है बादल!
विहन्स-विहन्स मेरे दीपक जल!

द्रुम के अंग हरित कोमलतम,
ज्वाला को करते हृदयंगम;
वसुधा के जड़ अंतर में भी,
बन्दी नहीं है तापों की हलचल!
बिखर-बिखर मेरे दीपक जल!

मेरे निश्वासों से द्रुततर,
सुभग न तू बुझने का भय कर;
मैं अंचल की ओट किये हूँ,
अपनी मृद पलकों से चंचल!
सहज-सहज मेरे दीपक जल!

सीमा ही लघुता का बन्धन है,
अनािद तू मत घड़िय़ाँ गिन;
मैं दृग के अक्षय कोशों से -
तुझमें भरती हूँ आँसूू-जल!
सजल-सजल मेरे दीपक जल!

तम असीम तेरा प्रकाश चिर;
खेलेंगे नव खेल निरन्तर;
तम के अणु-अणु में विद्युत सा -
अमिट चित्र अंकित करता चल!
सरल-सरल मेरे दीपक जल!

तू जल जल होता जितना क्षय;
वह समीप आता छलनामय;
मधुर मिलन में मिट जाना तू -
उसकी उज्जवल स्मित में घुल-मिल!
मदिर-मदिर मेरे दीपक जल!

प्रियतम का पथ आलोिकत कर!

The Fight Against Cancer -- Where are we?

"Not Beyond Us". The 2015 edition of the World Cancer Day gave us this encouraging and meaningful tagline. The events conducted on 4 February took a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continuum of cancer, and that they are within our reach. The focus for the current year will revolve around the following 4 factors.

• Choosing healthy lives
• Delivering early detection
• Achieving treatment for all
• Maximizing quality of life

What is Cancer?

A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer, more than 100. Carcinoma is a cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is a cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue, such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. Also called malignancy.

Origins of Cancer

Our understanding of the origins of cancer has changed dramatically over the past three decades, due in large part to the revolution in molecular biology that has altered the face of all biomedical research. Powerful experimental tools have been thrust into the hands of cancer biologists. These tools, including newly devised and implemented technologies that permit the interrogation of entire genomes, have made it possible to uncover and dissect the complex molecular machinery operating inside the single cell, normal and malignant, to understand its operations, and to pinpoint the defects that cause cancer cells to proliferate abnormally.

All cancers begin in cells, the body's basic unit of life. To understand cancer, it's helpful to know what happens when normal cells become cancer cells. The body is made up of many types of cells. These cells grow and divide in a controlled way to produce more cells as they are needed to keep the body healthy. When cells become old or damaged, they die and are replaced with new cells.

However, sometimes this orderly process goes wrong. The genetic material (DNA) of a cell can become damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. When this happens, cells do not die when they should and new cells form when the body does not need them. The extra cells may form a mass of tissue called a tumor.

Courtesy :- American National Cancer Institute

Not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be benign or malignant.

• Benign tumors aren't cancerous. They can often be removed, and, in most cases, they do not come back. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.
• Malignant tumors are cancerous. Cells in these tumors can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis.

Some cancers do not form tumors. For example, leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.

Where are we today?

It is for sure a long road before each and every battle against Cancer can be won. But more and more progressive research is helping patients across world to have better chances of getting rid of this menace. The Charged Particle therapy is fast growing in terms of popularity. 

Standard radiation treatments, which have already been around for decades, send X-rays straight through the tumor and out the other side of the body, damaging healthy tissue both coming and going. But protons and ions—atoms stripped of electrons—slow when they hit the body and come to a stop, depositing most of their destructive energy at their stopping point. If you tune a beam of protons or ions so they stop inside a tumor, you can deliver the maximum dose of radiation while sparing healthy tissue and minimizing side effects. This makes it ideal for treating children, whose developing bodies are particularly sensitive to radiation damage, and for cancers very close to vital tissues such as the optic nerves or spinal cord.

India's Position

There are no charged-particles based Cancer treatment facilities in India. As per a Boston Consulting Group study, 70-80% of cancer patients are diagnosed late when treatment is less efficient and 60% of them do not have access to quality cancer treatment. Out of 300+ cancer centres in India, 40% are not adequately equipped with advanced cancer care equipment. This study further suggests India will need at least 600 additional cancer care centres to meet the requirements by 2020.

A report quotes Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital as saying that annually, nearly 5 lakh people die of cancer in India. As per WHO Report 2005, this number is only expected to rise to 7 lakh by 2015. Globocan 2008 report shows that in India, cancers of lung and mouth in men and cervix and breast in women are the biggest killers.

Ignorance among public, delayed diagnosis and lack of adequate medical facilities has given cancer the dubious distinction of being a ‘killer disease’. However, fact remains that if cancer is detected in its early stages, it can be treated and individual can lead a healthy life. 

Government has been urged to bring Cancer under the ambit of "notifiable diseases" so that more adequate and cheaper care can be afforded to all and sundry. Chemotherapy remains the most used Cancer treatment strategy in India. Some scientists, at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, are trying to use Neem for the prevention of growth of tumor cell in mice. Let us hope this research can benefit humans in sometime to come.

Till then, keep spreading the awareness about Cancer.

Our beloved Cartoonist -- Rest In Peace

Following the daily "You said it" cartoon series in Times of India was a passion for many upright, educated, urban English newspaper readers in India. Readers of Times of India would first read the cartoon strip before reading even the headlines. He was consistently dear to his readers via a perfect blend of sharp wit, stinging satire and nuanced portrayal of India's public life. It all started in 1951 and continued till he got paralyzed due to a stroke in 2003. It took "The Common Man" and his concerns to a platform where none can simply choose to ignore him.

He was born as Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Laxman on 24 October, 1921 in Mysore. The youngest of six brothers, Laxman had as his older brother, the legendary R.K. Narayan, the creator of Malgudi. He married writer Kamala and has a son, Srinivas. He was awarded Padma Bhushna in 1973 and Padma Vibushana came in 2005. The Ramon Magsaysay award was conferred on him in 1984. He passed away on the 26 January, 2015. Laxman was being treated for a urinary tract infection and kidney failure, doctors told The Hindu newspaper, and had been put on a ventilator. He was reported to have suffered several strokes since 2010. He wrote an autobiography titled The Tunnel of Time in 1988.

A colossal loss indeed. His Common Man was the true tale of an ordinary Indian citizen in its time. Take a look at this particular cartoon published in 1969.

He told the world in the most simple manner possible that if you wanted to find highly deprived human being, who survives on thin air, look no further than India. Most of his similar iconic cartoons from 1960s and 1970s will be relevant if reproduced today. His Common Man never spoke. Silently watching the events, the Common Man represented the silent majority of India who had no voice.

His liking for the politicians was equally deep. Take a look at this cartoon which mocked the Emergency.

Mr. Laxman said, "What politics is all about today. Blah-blah-blah. The day that stops and the quality of our leaders improve, I will have to retire and go away.". He often said politicians appeared to be to behaving as if they were perpetually modelling for the cartoonist. He was acutely aware of the lax political accountability in the country and thoroughly enjoyed puncturing the politician’s ego, exposing double standards.

If there was ever anything that Mr. Laxman wanted to do, it was sketching. He started doing that as early as when he was 11. He was rejected by the famous J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai. The same institute felicitated him much later after he had earned a name. He took the opportunity to thank the then Dean for rejecting him so that he turned into a full-time cartoonist. His eagerness to delve into details and make his cartoons meaningful was exemplary. He never resorted to pettiness and vulgarity to achieve his goal. For instance, unlike many in his trade, he never sketched anyone as an animal. But his genius lay in the ability to find the right metaphor, the apt imagery to convey a sentiment. In 1981, when Y.B. Chavan rejoined the Indira Gandhi faction of the Congress, Laxman sketched his homecoming by showing him entering through the dog flap, instead of the main door.

The Crow was his "most intelligent bird". He used to draw several sketches of crows in his free time. Crows make an appearance in many of his cartoons. All TV illustrations for Malgudi Days were sketched by him. In many of these, the synergy between the Man and the Nature were portrayed by crows and Swami.  

His last cartoon was for ISRO congratulating them for the successful Mars Mission.

People invariably connected with the Common Man, and Laxman’s work represented the bewilderment of the poor, contrasting it with the corruption of the ruling classes. His work will always bring a smile or draw a laugh and make you realise the grim irony and unchanging nature of the world we live in.