Are Alternative Medicines... Medicine at All? A Personal Take

The recent spat between a legendary Indian chess grandmaster and a Twitter-famous hepatologist got me thinking: Are alternative medicine systems like Ayurveda, Homeopathy, or Unani really “medicine” in the scientific sense?

Now, I know this is a touchy subject. So instead of diving into cold stats and abstract arguments, let me share some real-life stories — including one that probably saved my life.

Story #1: The Dog Bite That Could’ve Gone Very Wrong

I was in high school when an unvaccinated stray dog bit me. Terrified and clueless, I bolted home, scrubbed the wound with antiseptic, and rushed to our family doctor.

He calmly gave me a tetanus shot, rang up my parents, and prescribed a series of anti-rabies injections — one each day for a week, all around the navel. Not pleasant, but hey, I'm still here, typing this blog post today. That medicine, backed by years of clinical trials and rigorous research, saved my life.

Honestly, it never crossed my mind to visit an Ayurvedic or Homeopathic clinic that day. And let's be real — who would? In emergencies, almost everyone instinctively turns to modern, allopathic medicine.

So, are alternative medicine practitioners even relevant in such life-threatening scenarios? Would anyone trust them with something like a dog bite? I wouldn't — and that was before I even understood the difference between "alternative" and "allopathic" medicine.

Story #2: But Wait — Is Allopathy the Only Answer?

Not always.

Let me take you back to another memory, around the same time. There was a 60-something woman in our neighborhood — a gentle, unmarried lady who had become increasingly fearful with age. She started believing her anxiety was caused by some kind of spiritual affliction.

Someone told her to visit a temple dedicated to Maa Durga. She invited me along for moral support. The priest conducted a ritual involving neem leaves. After some prayers, he gently tapped each devotee’s head with a blessed neem sprig.

I asked her afterward: “Why not see a doctor?”

She replied, “I’ve tried all the medicines. Nothing helped.”

Did the ritual cure her fear? I don’t know. But a few weeks later, she passed away — peacefully, in her sleep. Did the ritual help her find emotional peace? Perhaps. Who am I to say?

Story #3: Exam Panic and Prayers

Think back to your high school board exams — Class X or XII. Remember that mind-numbing anxiety that made even your favorite subject look like Greek? Did we go to a psychiatrist? Rarely. Most of us did what people across faiths have always done — we prayed. Because sometimes, comfort doesn’t come in a capsule. It comes from faith, ritual, or sheer belief.

The Saline Water Paradox

Recently, I visited a doctor for a common cold. Along with prescribing some tried-and-tested medication, he casually added, “Also, do some steam inhalation and gargle with warm salt water.”

It struck me — these home remedies have been around for centuries, long before “modern medicine” existed. Yet, here they are, still being recommended by certified doctors.

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So, What’s the Point?

Maybe alternative medicine isn’t about replacing modern science, but complementing it — spiritually, emotionally, or even symptomatically in some cases. But when lives are on the line? There’s no substitute for science-backed medicine.

That said, belief has power too. And sometimes, a neem leaf, a temple bell, or a whispered prayer can give us what no prescription ever can — hope.

"Education or Transaction?"

“Education has become a business these days,” sighed my friend over coffee. “Did you know that some private medical colleges are charging over ₹1 crore for a seat?”

That number jolted me. But the comment lingered longer than the shock. Has education really turned into a business?

I let the question marinate.

What fuels any business, after all? Demand. And who’s creating this demand in the education system?

Let’s rewind a bit. How many 17-year-olds truly know what kind of knowledge they want from college? Forget the students for a moment—how many parents or teachers take the time to genuinely observe a young mind, to understand what sparks their curiosity, or to guide them based on that?

Instead, the spotlight is on campus placements. The prestige of recruiters. The size of the salary package. But here's the uncomfortable question: does that pay package align with the student’s passions or curiosity? Or have we quietly taught them to chase a lifestyle instead of learning?

As a parent myself, I’ve attended numerous parent-teacher meetings. They’re all about marks, ranks, and academic targets. Never once has anyone asked: “Does your child enjoy sports?” “Do they light up at the sound of music?” “Are they happiest buried in books or creating something with their hands?” We say education is about shaping individuals, but are schools even giving kids the space to explore who they are?

Here’s the hard truth: when we create a demand for shallow outcomes, that’s what the system delivers. So before we blame colleges or call education a business, we need to ask—did we, somewhere along the way, become the customers of this very model?

If we want change, it begins with a new kind of demand. One that values curiosity over credentials, and exploration over exam scores. Only then can we reshape education into something that inspires rather than merely transacts.

Thermodynamics of Gold: Understanding Hidden Costs in Jewellery

Gold prices are soaring—again! Headlines scream predictions of gold touching $4000 per ounce (that’s around ₹12,000 per gram!). But is this just a spike, or is gold destined to rise forever like the entropy of the universe? Let’s break it down.

A Shiny Analogy: Steel vs Gold

Imagine this: you spot a sleek, stainless steel hanging shelf for your kitchen. It’s shiny, sturdy, and costs ₹5000 for 10 kg—₹500 per kg. You buy it, love it, and use it for three years. But now, you're done with it. Maybe it’s lost its shine, or you just need more space.

You return to the shop. Steel prices have gone up to ₹550 per kg. That means your 10 kg shelf should be worth ₹5500, right? You eye a new, bigger 20 kg shelf priced at ₹11,000. Simple math: trade in the old shelf, pay the ₹5500 difference, and you’re good.

Well… not so fast.

The shopkeeper isn’t offering ₹5500. You’d be lucky if he gives you half of what you paid! Why? Two reasons:

1. Stainless ≠ Timeless – That shiny finish dulls over time.
   
   

2. Style is fleeting – Your old shelf design may no longer be in demand.
   
   

To reuse the steel, the shopkeeper must either find a buyer who wants exactly that shelf, or melt it down and reshape it—a costly process unless done on a massive scale.

Now Enter Gold: The Timeless Metal

Gold, however, plays by different rules. Don’t like your old jewellery design? Want to upgrade to something heavier or trendier? Walk into a jewellery shop and they’ll melt your old gold and reshape it into whatever you want. Simple. Efficient.

Why? Because:

• Gold doesn’t lose its shine or value easily.
  
  

• It’s much easier to recycle and reuse—even on a small scale.
  
  

• Jewellers are equipped to remold gold quickly without major industrial processes.
  
  

From a thermodynamics point of view, gold is beautifully reversible—ornaments can become bars, and bars can become new ornaments, without much loss in value.

So, Why Is Gold So Expensive?

Gold prices are driven, like any commodity, by demand and supply. But gold is special. It's seen as a universal currency. No matter where you are on the planet, gold retains its value. That makes it a favorite—not just for families or collectors, but for big investors too.

The “Safe Haven” Factor

When times get tough—wars, pandemics, economic uncertainty—fund houses and large investors rush toward gold. Why? Because when businesses become risky, gold remains safe. It's the equivalent of curling up with a warm blanket during a thunderstorm.

So the more chaos in the world, the more demand for gold—and up goes the price.

But Will It Ever Come Down?

Now that’s a tricky one.

Even if global peace returns and markets stabilize, gold prices might not crash. Why? Because the price you paid for gold includes more than just the raw material.

Take jewellery for example—you’re not just paying for the gold itself, but also for making charges, design fees, and taxes. These are non-refundable and represent irreversible costs, much like energy lost in an irreversible thermodynamic process. Once paid, they cannot be recovered. So, when you return the gold, the merchant only values the pure gold content, not the craftsmanship or other add-ons. Even if the market price dips or rises, you’ll never fully recover what you originally paid—because part of that value has already been "dissipated" into the system, never to return.

Final Thoughts: Is Gold Still Worth It?

Absolutely. Despite the charges and market quirks, gold remains one of the few materials that you can sell almost anywhere in the world and still fetch close to its current market price.

Whether it hits ₹12,000 per gram or not, gold will always glitter—for those who know how to value it right.

So, the next time you buy or sell gold, think beyond the glitter. Consider the irreversible costs, the thermodynamic parallels, and the real value you retain.

But what do you think?

• Do you see gold as a smart investment or just a cultural tradition?

• Have you ever tried selling old jewellery—were you surprised by how little you got back?

• Should jewellers make making charges more transparent, or even refundable?

• And finally, can understanding concepts like irreversibility help us make better financial decisions?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Think simple Mr. Google, says Yahoo!

Few years ago, my brother explained me how to think simple with a real example which, at that time, I thought was a joke.  The example was about how NASA, the US of A's space organization, came up with a million dollar pen which writes even in zero gravity, when the Russian astronauts used pencil to solve the writing-in-space problem.

I thought it was a joke until I heard about it in the 3 idiots movie. But then, Indian films are not subjected to peer reviewing process like scientific journals, and so what ever they say need not be true! Nevertheless, the idea of think simple is well communicated with this example.

But nothing can teach us the way our personal experiences does! 

My brother's daughter turned two today and we celebrated it with cake cutting and all. I do not remember how I celebrated my second birthday, because cake cutting was not a normal thing  in our family those days. Nor was taking photographs. I believe my parents would have celebrated my birthday by taking me to a nearest temple and worship the deity by performing special puja. 

But with the advent of technology, and with change in life style, today I can capture the precious moments with my digital camera, and can show it to her when she grows up. And that I did. I took snaps of the Happy Birthday chart decorated with balloons, the cake cutting, blowing candles by kid's parents, happy birthday wishes from relatives, and the fun time we all had on the occasion which brought some of us together after long time.

After transferring all the pics to my laptop, I thought of various options to share them with those who attended the birthday party. Since I had already used my picasa quota of 1GB, I opted to send the pics as attachments using my gmail id, which was made possible due to their ever expanding storage capacity. But the 25MB limit made me to split the whole folder into 13 parts, with 6 photos ~ 25MB each.

After sending about ten mails, I faced an issue. Google thought I am spamming since I sent about ten mails, each with attachments of about 25 MB, in a very short span! I was not able to share the remaining pics as I kept getting "Unusual activity detected, and so your mail id is suspended for 24 hours".

Though I am a die hard fan of Google, I do have a Yahoo account. I decided to send the remaining pics from my Yahoo account  instead. While I was sending the 13th part (3rd part by Yahoo! mail), Yahoo detected an unusual activity!

But unlike Google, Yahoo did not suspend my account with immediate effect. Instead, they used a simple word verification technique to make sure that I am a real person and not a bot spamming their users with my mails! This is such a brilliant idea, since there is a way to verify that I am a real user, and so I can continue to use my mail account! Whereas, suspension will only end up in not allowing me to send or receive most important mails for the next 24 hours!

Vazhndhu Kaattuvom

"Ennamo Aedho" song from the recent Tamil flick "Ko" is in the top list since the movie was released a couple of weeks ago. The success formula of this romantic song is its captivating tune spiced up with hitherto unheard Tamil words such as "kuviyamilla", which makes it linger longer than usual in one's mind.

In order to avoid getting trapped in to infinite loop of listening, I decided to divert my mind through random browsing, when I chanced upon "Vazhndhu Kaattuvom", a Government of Tamilnadu's initiative with help from World bank, to eradicate poverty and uplift rural people's life.

Interested readers can get more information about the project from their official website. While browsing through the site, one thing gained my attention - the link to some audio songs, propagating various schemes, set in folk tunes which the government believes is the right channel to reach them.

The songs are recorded in mp3 format and are available for free download from here. The details of the music composer and the lyricist are not known, while the names of singers are listed in the website. But for Anuradha (Sriram), I have not heard other voices ever!

The folk tunes mesmerises the listeners from first-time-listening onwards, no wonder why it is rooted with our tradition. In particular, I loved the "Uthamare" song, which is about child labour. The singer of this song M.R.Divya has a beautiful voice and excellent articulation.

"Vazhndhu Kaattuvom" is one of the successful project with Govt. of Tamilnadu initiative to uplift rural population. To see its success, one need not even go to a village if they are not comfortable with. Vedanthangal, the haven for birds, is one of the village where this project is implemented.


PS: I remember seeing the "Vazhndhu Kaatuvom" board at the bird sanctuary when I went there last November. However, I could not find an official link proving the same.

Cricket - a strategy based game

I always knew that Cricket is a team game. But it was only while I was watching Pakistan innings against India yesterday in Mohali that I realized its a game of strategy too.

While the whole of India was cheering happily for every dot ball Misbah made, I was awed by his strategy and execution of it. In a slow pitch that offered so much turn in the middle overs, Dhoni gambled with Nehra for Ashwin! That leaves only one class spinner, Harbhajan Singh, to bowl with not-so-consistent-but-currently-in-form spinner Yuvraj at the other end. Together, they finished their quota of 20 overs while the batting power play for Pakistan was yet to be taken.

All Pakistan, especially Misbah, needed to do at that stage was to stick to the crease and save their wickets. Its not going to be difficult to go after fast bowlers, for whom the pitch has nothing to offer, during the batting powerplay.

Unfortunately, even the team Pakistan (minus Misbah) did not understand this strategy, and so everybody went for a big hit, which brought more wickets to India, than runs for Pakistan.

In all, I really feel for Misbah. He reminds me of Rahul Dravid of India in many aspects. When it comes to class cricket, one's character must precede his age. In yesterday's game, I was hoping that one partnership with Misbah can make Pakistan to create history by beating India in the world cup for first time.  But now, for that to happen, I have to wait for four more years!