Normally, I don’t write about my travels but this trip I took to Trivandrum just 2 weeks ago (I came back on the 18th) warrants a mention here.  I went to New Delhi (and Rajasthan) the same time around last year and I was glad to come back home. What affected me there was the pollution and traffic (in New Delhi) and the decrepit human conditions in the towns and villages around and in Rajasthan. At one point of my journey on a 15-hour train trip, I caught myself thinking ”if there is a justifiable reason as any, we humans deserve to go extinct for the shit that we [as humans] haved pulled in this country alone”. That was new for me… every time before I had gone abroad, I felt a strange sense of melancholy at the prospect of leaving (newly made friends, numerous and various recreational facilities… you know, purpose to life)  despite the fact that I was more than eager to meet family and friends. New Delhi seemed inviting compared to what I call the “assualt on the senses” this strange and putrid city was to me. I say this because of the smell (which constantly disgusted me), the visuals (I can handle run down buildings but not people spitting phlegm everywhere as if they were camels) and lets not forget the sounds (I really hated this one sound of a high frequency sonic shriek coming from some vehicles). To be fair, I also note the brighter side of Trivandrum. Well, it had less traffic, if that is any consolation to the unfortunate commuters travelling on buses filled to the brim. Oh yes, and the cost of living is so cheap. I can understand why some people choose to trade the relatively serene (not to mention sanitary) life in Malé for this.  

So why did I go knowing well what I had to expect? Medical necessity… namely Grade C Esophagitis which cost me INR 1,000.00 and a very peculiar experience to diagnose. Gastroduodunoenteroscopy. There I was lying on my side with my mouth wide open and an inch think fiber-optic cable shoved deep down into the confines of my throat and stomach, gagging and ‘trying’ to vomit up nothing but bile. I emphasize the word ‘try’ to stress on this so-called ’minimally invasive procedure’ being the singularly most unpleasant experience in my memory. Within the matter of seconds, all the pretentious sophistication that I had attained throughout my two decades of existence melted away and was replaced with this daunting sense of infantile vulnerability and feebleness. Normally, I could’ve outbrawned the nurse who was holding my hand down without any effort but right then, I couldn’t even so much as lift a finger in protest, even though I desperately wanted to pull it out. The gastroenterologist tried to be comforting ”thats a good boy, just a few more seconds, be still” but I was in no position to understand her. All I wanted was for the accursed cable to come out but all I could do was wordless beg them to take to retreat, which I did a plenty, all the while, tears streamed down my face uncontrollaby for some weird reason. After which seemed like an eternity, they finally retracted the cable and I staggered out into the hallway full of people, with bile on my hospital gown and into the adjoining toilet where I cleaned myself and regained the rest of my waking consciousness. In hindsight, I am now annoyed at the doctor for assuring me that they’ll take care of my gag reflux with some sort of sedative. Obviously, it didn’t work. Hmm.

The doctors in this city are of a totally different breed from what you get here and elsewhere. They all walk around with an air of arrogance around them and act as if they were the literal God’s gift to mankind. One insolent urologist I met, actually asked me if he had to “explain the anatomical functions of the human body” when I questioned him on how he came to his medical conclusion. I had to remind him that this was in fact his job and not everybody is a physician. Subsequently, he explained to me, although I noticed a bit of hesitation over my defiance. Afterwards, I called him an “asshole” (to his face) and promptly left to speak with a hospital administrator who assures me that they’ll take disciplinary action, which remains to be seen. I can only hope this observation isn’t applicable to the broad generalization of doctorial attitude and behaviour as I’ve always perceived healers to be caring individuals.

As an interesting self experiment (as in me being the guinea pig), I subjected myself to internet and television deprivation throughout the entirety of my stay. The results? Not much, only now I realize that I can in deed live without them for an extended period of time, a feat that I had previously thought impossible. As a bonus advantage I was able to catch up on my reading. English evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ latest book “The God Delusion” has successfully convinced me that all religion is err… “bullcrap” to put it effective contemporary slang, though I don’t share his belief (or lack of) God. Maybe I am just kidding myself, like he pointed out in the later chapters of his book, maybe we are all dillusional, but at least for me, personally, I take refuge in knowing that there is some guy up in heaven who’ll deal out justice, when there is absolutely none here. Athiests, I admire you for your brave disbelief.