Campaign 10:23 against homeopathy

At 10:23 am on Jan 30, 2010, more than 400 protestors across UK took overdoses of homeopathic medicines by publicly swallowing an entire bottle of medicines to prove that there is nothing in it and homeopathy is pseudo-science. The protagonists were incensed at the fact that the National Health Service in UK was planning to put more funds for homeo medicines and treatment at various hospitals. The program was organised by the Merseyside Skeptics Society which is a non-profit organisation which aims to develop and support the skeptical community on Merseyside, UK. They chose 10:23 because unusual times are more likely to stick in the mind, and as a reference to Avogadro's number, 6.022x10²³.

See the Youtube video of how the program was successfully performed at Edinburgh



The homeopaths promptly declared that "treatments are 'person specific' and based on taking a series of small doses, so it did not expect any reaction in the protesters unless one already had symptoms matched to their remedy". Homeopaths have a clever way of sidestepping awkward moments! It is amazing to see the stupidity of some patients who fall for this snake-oil treatment!

At this moment, it'd be opportune to have a brief look into homeopathy to see what it is. Most of the material is based on the info on 1023 campaign home page and a related New Scientist article dated 30-01-2010.

Homeopathy is based on three laws put forward by the inventor Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. The three laws are

1. The law of similars: It states that whatever causes the symptoms would also cure those symptoms. For example, caffeine which keeps you awake can be used as a cure for insomnia, streaming eyes due to hayfever can be treated with onion etc. It doesn't require any medical background to dismiss this rubbish.

2. The law of infinitesimals: According to this law, the potency of a remedy is improved by repeated dilutions with water. Diluting one unit of a homeo medicine with 99 units of water makes what they call a 'centesimal' or 1C. Taking one unit of this 1C medicine and mixing it with 99 units of water makes a 2C remedy which is nothing but 99.99% water. This process is repeated further and most remedies are commonly sold at 6C dilution in which the original medicine will be in the ratio of 0.0000000001%. This solution is then dripped on to sugar pills for ease of consumption. There are instances where the dilution goes up to 30C. However, after 12C, the concentration (or dilution?) crosses the Avogadro limit such that the resulting potion may not even contain a single molecule of the original remedy! At 30C, you have a better chance of winning the lottery five times in a row than finding a single molecule of the medicine in the potion.

3. The law of succussion: This law specifies that vigorous shaking and ritualistic tapping of the solution while preparing it increases the potency. Hahnemann made this 'discovery' while transporting the remedies on horse-drawn carriages over poor roads at that time. The shaking process is called succussion and it is believed that this process allows the water to retain the 'memory' or 'vibrations' of the original substance, long after it has been diluted away to nothing.

So, it is clear that the entire homeopathic edifice is based on these three absurd laws which have no scientific basis. Then, you will obviously find some ardent supporters of this treatment who are convinced of its efficacy and they are not freaks or fraudsters. How is it possible? We have here what the medical people call 'placebo effect'. Placebo is a neutral thing which does not affect the patient in any chemical way. This sets in motion a healing process effected by psychological belief that the patient is given the right medicine. Obviously, the inner brain has a good role in making us cured of the disease. In fact, placebos are used in the testing of new drugs in modern medicine. Two groups of patients will be given a placebo and the test medicine without disclosing which is which and the results are analysed to see if the test medicine performs markedly superior to the placebo. There are two types of diseases, one which is healed by medication and the other which is healed without any medicine. Homeopathy, with its placebo effect, is effective only in the second instance!

Often, people ask, "what is the problem in trying homeopathy, since it won't cause any side effects?". Of course, there are no harmful side effects other than the possibility of a crate full of homeo medicines accidentally falling on your head. There are no side effects, but there are no effects, either! It is a bit like justifying building a car without any wheels on the basis that you can still enjoy the comfy leather seats and play with the gear shift. Even with the pure water they use, there are some indirect side effects which may cause severe trauma for unsuspecting victims. Most homeopaths oppose vaccinations of any kind thus putting the lives of their trusting patients and relatives at risk. This irresponsible insanity is based on the three fraudulent homeo laws mentioned above.

To wind up, kudos to the Merseyside Skeptics who demonstrated the fallacy of this mode of treatment which gobbles up precious tax payer's money for unscientific treatment based on outdated rituals of the 18th century. It is high time that such a protest be planned in India as well.

Wayanad 2010

Ever since we completed the 4-day trip to Mysore and Kodagu during May-June 2009, visiting Wayanad, which is on the way, was high on our agenda. Even though the original plan had to be postponed by three weeks, it was with good spirits that we embarked on this trip exactly at 7 am on Friday, Jan 15, 2010 from home. A straight run on a 10-month old Innova was not that comfortable though. After a brief lunch at Koduvally, near Kozhikode we reached Thusharagiri waterfalls at 2.30 pm.

Thusharagiri

This waterfall is about 6 km from Adivaram, where the ghat section begins on the Kozhikode-Kalpetta stretch. Except for a small sign board on the main road, there are no indicators any where on the narrow, bumpy road full of pot holes. It is advisable to consult pedestrians at every cross road to avoid wasting of time driving back and forth. Thusharagiri waterfall is a small stream and quantity of water was very limited. There are three or four waterfalls, but to view all of them, trekking through the forest is required. DTPC (District Tourism Promotion Council) and Forest department has placed some guides on the spot, but the number of tourists was very few. There is an entry fee of Rs. 10 per adult and Rs. 5 per child. Unnecessary and laughable procedural hitches like recording your name and address at the ticket counter is to be seen here. Why the forest department wants to record the name and address of visitors if beyond the comprehension of any person with an average common sense. There is no verification, however. So, if you say “Osama Bin Laden”, there are chances that the ticketing clerk would faithfully record that too. A particularly helpful guide showed us a ‘Thanni’ tree with hollowed out trunk which was claimed to be 250 years old. Several people can enter the inside of the trunk. We left the site at 3.45 pm. The place failed to arouse any interest in us. We quickened the journey to Pookode lake and arrived there at 4.45 pm.

Pookode Lake

It is a natural fresh water lake, brimmed with evergreen mountains. There is an aquarium and a green house here. The lake has an area of 8.5 ha and the maximum water depth is 6.5 m. This natural lake is only about 1 km away from the main road to Kalpetta. Boating facilities are available here. Since the memories of the boating disaster at Thekkady in Oct 2009 was fresh in our minds, we noticed with relief that every passenger is required to wear life jackets here. Since we arrived when it was only 15 minutes to close, boating was out of the question. We just rested on the benches watching people slowly coming back ashore when the closing time slowly reached. There is a rescue boat positioned at the farthest side watching the riders. There is a crude, under-equipped children’s park on the premises and the facilities are pitiable. The park closes at 6 pm and boating closes one hour before. It opens at 9 am in the morning. There are no illumination facilities and that might be the reason why a few police constables force every body out of the compound at 6 pm. The timing should be increased by at least an hour and a good park with standard facilities would do the park a lot of good. The fresh water aquarium on the compound is very small and not worth even the Rs. 2 entry ticket. About 20 fishes are kept in about 10 containers. We went straight to Chandragiri Inn, where we stayed for the next two nights. The hotel has no restaurant, but Hotel Woodlands, which is nearby, is excellent and offers continental and Chinese dishes as well as local flavours. We retired for the night and started the next morning at 9 am to Edakkal caves which is renowned for the pre-historic art on the cave walls.

Karapuzha Dam

On the way to Edakkal caves, a sign board was noticed announcing that Karapuzha dam is only 5 km away from the main road. Since there was time, we took the detour and arrived at the dam site soon. There are no guides, guards, ticket counters, nothing. This earthen dam can be reached by a 2 minute walk from the parking site. Reservoir was about half-full and the waterscape against the backdrop of partially submerged hillocks makes the spot picturesquely beautiful. There are no infrastructural facilities like shelters, benches, though. Since we went there at 9.30 in the morning, the sun was in full fury and walk to and fro was very difficult. Take umbrellas, if you plan to visit this site. Only the spill way was built with concrete and that seemed too far away in the intense morning heat. We returned about half way. A good garden, boating facilities and refreshment stalls would do this dam a lot of good. Sun-set here would be breath taking, surely even though we have not seen it. Half an hour was spent here and we hurried on to the caves.

Edakkal Caves

We reached there by 10.30 am. Be careful to avoid private parking lots on the way. The road is incredibly narrow and you should try to drive right to the entrance, otherwise you have to walk all the way from parking site. A hilly jeep-path connects the entrance to the rock shelter gate which is 900 m away. The climb is steep and you may either walk this distance, or a jeep service operated by DTPC is available for Rs. 70 for 6 persons to-and-fro. The rates are moderate, but the availability is miserably low. Can any one believe that only two jeeps ply in this route frequented by hundreds of tourists every day? You have to enroll your name with a caretaker who seemed to think that he should be employed in a very top official position. If you are lucky, you can have your seat in the jeep in one hour. The drive was astonishingly steep, littered with rubble and the drivers really mean business. Often, the ascent seemed to be 45 degrees. By the time you reach the top, you’d have thought that walking would have been better, especially if you sit in the front row. The ticket counter at the entrance to rock shelter was too crowded and the mob control is tough. The guard told that only about 150 people will be allowed inside at a time and access had to be blocked several times. A 30-minute wait enabled us to squeeze through the narrow rock which also serves as the entry point to the shelter. A very steep ascent of about 100 m takes you to the rock shelter which was formed by a boulder resting on two other rocks. The neolithic art inside the cave is said to be etched around 4000-1500 BC. A DTPC guide posted there explained the facts in a brief way. Though definitely helpful, he seemed to be a little high-handed in his treatment of the tourists. The descent is equally difficult as often the passage is to be traversed single-file. The sight seeing inside the cave is good only for 10 minutes. Since the authorities have banned the trekking to the summit of Ambukuthimala, we have to return after exiting the cave. The scenery is very good as you can see a large part of the valley from this vantage point. Return was also by jeep and this time, the waiting time was only 15 minutes. There are no decent restaurants anywhere here and we had to travel to Meenangadi on the way to Kalpetta, as the time was already 2 pm. Chaithram hotel, where we had our lunch proved to be a good restaurant with moderate prices and quality food. After lunch, we had to readjust our schedule to visit Soochippara waterfalls which was 25 km away, as it’d have been difficult to visit Banasura dam after this. Hence we drove straight to the dam.

Banasurasagar Dam

We reached this hydro-electric dam owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). The water is formed by impounding the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabini river and is pen-stocked to Kuttiyadi HEP. This is said to be the largest earthen dam in India and the second in Asia, with only the spill way built with concrete. It is 21 km away from Kalpetta. Here too, there is a jeep service from the entrance site to the top of the dam. But the walk is very short, about 250 m and it is advisable to walk this short distance instead of waiting for the single jeep. The number of tourists was very less and this made the trip enjoyable. Here too, infrastrucural facilities are sorely lacking. There are practically no benches, no flowers and the nature park is a travesty of the real thing! A walk through the entire length of the dam enjoying the artificial reservoir between hillocks is really pleasing. The only saving grace of this place is the speed boat ride at the extreme end of the dam. The 15 minute ride on the boat encircling 24 islands on the reservoir is exhilarating. Only one boat was in service when we arrived and some small repairs to it caused us some anxiety as the closing time of 5.30 pm was fast approaching. Luckily, the matter was sorted out by the operators and we made it through. Wearing life jackets is mandatory. The security guard, Mr Ashokan was very helpful and in fact, he found the lost hat of one of our children. We returned to the hotel soon after sun set and the riot of colours on the setting sky was stunning and provided ample opportunities for photographing. After a small shopping walk through the main road at Kalpetta and a hearty dinner at Woodlands, we retired for the day.

Thirunelli temple

Early morning, we vacated the hotel and left to Thirunelli at 7.15 am. Something should be said here about Chandragiri Inn where we stayed. The rates are moderate since you get a ‘luxury’ double room for Rs. 750 per day. But the term ‘luxury’ is observed more in its irony than anything else. There is no hot water supply. When the reception was contacted, they claimed that it is available from 5 – 7 am in the morning, but that remained an empty promise. On the second day, we were lucky to get hot water from 6.20 to 6.35 am, and that too, quite unexpectedly. What luxury do they have in mind, if they can’t even provide hot water round the clock, or at least during the time they specify? In January, it is quite cold in the morning and the bathing was a torture. Since the hotel is located on the side of the main road, frequent traffic at night would ensure a sleepless night. To top it all, the intercom telephones in all the three rooms we occupied was out of order on both days! We had call the reception using our cell phones, dialling the full number with STD code. So, if you plan to stay at Chandragiri, be sure to remember the code for Kalpetta (04936). Our advise is to avoid this hotel. Mentally determined never to return to this hell of a hotel, we drove to Mananthavady and had tea there. This is a quiet little town where monkeys come out on the main road and snatch fruits and vegetables away from wayside vendors. It is amusing to watch them being chased away by the irate shop keepers. The temple is 31 km from here and the route goes through Tholpetty wild reserve. Wild animals like peacocks, antelopes and elephants can be seen on the way side. The road is full of pot holes, but the wild safari is heartening. The parking space near the temple is very congested. There is a fee of Rs. 25 for using camera on the temple premises and it is not allowed inside the inner sanctorum. Non-Hindus are not permitted inside. The stone aquaduct which conveys water to the temple from nearby Brahmagiri hills is quite old but still serves the purpose. A short walk to Papanasini completes the trip. We quickly moved to Kuruva island as the time was running short. No proper records of the exact dates of establishment of the temple exist, though it is claimed that Thirunelli was once an important town and pilgrim centre in the middle of inaccessible jungled valley surrounded on four sides by mountains. There also exists documentary proof that Thirunelli which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu at the time of Chola king Bhaskara Ravi Varma I (962–1019 CE) was an important town and pilgrim centre in south India.

Kuruva Island

We reached Kuruva by 11.30 am. This 950 acres of evergreen forest on the tributaries of east flowing river Kabani, is uninhabited. It is 17 km east of Mananthavady. There is a ferry which moves people to the island. The width of the river is only about 100 m and it is quite shallow. If you are athletic, you can ford the river at a nearby point, otherwise, there is no option but to wait in queue for at least one hour for the two plastic rafts which accommodate only about 8 passengers per trip. Rs. 10 for the crossing and Rs. 10 for entry is quite high. As usual, cameras are charged at Rs. 25. How a place can claim to be tourist friendly and at the same time charging for the camera is beyond my comprehension. Nowadays, all mobile phones come equipped with cameras, but they are not covered in this antediluvian rule and hence free. The contrast is evident when we remember that cameras are free even at Taj Mahal in Agra! The island proved to be a disappointment. Apart from a walk through the forested island formed in the river, there are nothing to interest us. In half an hour, we exited but had to wait again for one hour for the 3 minute boat ride. Restaurants are limited, but home food preparation is in full swing in the neighbourhood. We left Kuruva for our last destination at 2 pm.

Kappad Beach

We tried the less frequented Kuttiyadi churam to travel to Kozhikode. You have to deviate from Mananthavady – Kalpetta road from Tharuvana. There are 11 hair pin bends on the ghat section, as compared to only nine on the Thamarassery churam. Kappad beach is 103 km away from Kuruva island via Thottilpalam, Kuttiyadi, Perambra and Koyilandi. We reached the beach by 5.45 pm and had a nice time watching the sun set. This famous beach, also known as Kappakadavu locally, near Kozhikode is where the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama landed on May 20, 1498, thus paving the way for a whole lot of European powers to come and colonise India for the next 450 years. The monument proclaiming Gama’s arrival is nondescript and hard to locate without specifically looking for it. There was a fairly large crowd and we left for home at 7.10 pm and reached by 1.30 am, thus ending the memorable three-day trip.

Visiting times at various places

1. Thusharagiri waterfalls: 9.30 – 17.00
2. Pookode lake: 9.00 – 17.00
3. Banasurasagar dam: 9.00 – 17.30
4. Edakkal caves: 9.00 – 17.00
5. Kuruva island: 9.00 – 16.30

Beginning of the end

High Court of Kerala upheld an order by the Government of Kerala reserving a percentage of seats in colleges for the poor among upper castes. The court observed that the order, being a policy decision is out of the purview of judicial review. But the odd thing was that the bench consisting of Mr. Bennur Math, Chief Justice and Mr. Basheer observed that the backward castes have gained a lot of economic and social privilege as a result of six decades of communal reservation and it is about time to stop this. Also, the honourable judges advised the backward castes to compete against the upper castes, instead of looking forward to reservation. Shocking judgment indeed, which exceeded the terms of reference! Communal reservation was not under scrutiny in this case, and the Court ventured to express its opinion which is not based on any data. Some questions naturally comes up.

1. What was the data upon which the court made the observation that backward castes have improved their economic lot? How can the economic condition be measured?

2. Similarly, how can we say that their representation in jobs is adequate? Is there any study report?

3. Is there any data on the representation of the economically poor among upper castes in jobs and educational institutions?

4. What is the sanctity of economic reservation, when the financial status of a person can change overnight, especially if he finds a job in the middle east?

The answer would obviously be vague for all these questions.

At this point, it'd be worth while to check the veracity of some of the comments. Let's take the results of Kerala Engineering Entrance Examinations 2009 furnished by the Government of Kerala on its website (http://www.cee-kerala.org/engmed09.htm). The following table lists the community-wise representation for the first 500 and 5000 ranks.

	First 500 ranks		First 5000 ranks
	Number	%	Number	%
Muslim	66	13.2	832	16.6
Ezhava	42	8.4	715	14.3
Other Backward Hindu	11	2.2	320	6.4
Latin Catholic	6	1.2	58	1.2
Other Backward Christian	1	0.2	5	0.1
Kudumbi	1	0.2	6	0.1
Scheduled Castes	0	0	27	0.5
Scheduled Tribes	0	0	1	0.0
Anglo Indian	0	0	11	0.2
OEC	1	0.2	26	0.5
Forward Communities	372	74.4	2999	60.0

The table is self-explanatory. Ezhavas, who are 23% of the population have been able to get only 8.4% of the top 500 ranks whereas the forward communities which is about 25% of the population has been able to bag 74.4% of the ranks. Of course, these students studied hard and are highly meritorious. Every Keralite should be proud of them without reserve. However, this has amplified the condition that the backward communities still have not reached a position of compete with the upper castes.

So, the message is already clear. The courts have started the end game to put an end to communal reservations once and for all. Social organizations need to sit up and take note of this act of judicial adventurism.

Das is 70!

Yesudas turns 70 tomorrow. Every year brings to the mind of every Malayalee the inexorable passage of time which may eventually make this melodious voice falter. My dabbles with agnosticism and atheism are the only things which hinder me from terming his voice ‘divine’. No wonder, the society of Kerala considers any criticism of Yesudas’ voice and style something akin to blasphemy!

The great asset of Malayalam started his career 48 years ago, in 1962, with a philosophical quartet of Sree Narayana Guru in the film, ‘Kalpadukal’. He has won 7 national awards and 23 state awards for the best singer. Other states have also honoured themselves by presenting him several distinctions. The inclination towards music runs hereditary in his family, as it has produced three generations of singers, including Augustine Joseph, his father and Vijay, his son whose voice shows great promise of things to come.

Das’ songs and voice has entrenched themselves deep in to the Malayalee mind. For the sizeable Keralite diaspora, he is the symbol of what they have missed. There are at least three generations now, who have heard (and entertained by) Das’ voice more than their own parents! Not an hour goes by, even now, without one of his songs playing in any of the stations of radio or TV in Kerala. The aged and the young alike love his songs. I distinctly remember etching the message “Das is 50!” on the college desk 20 years before when we were in the graduation class. Das keeps the charm even now! Students now in that class might still be writing similar messages on this 70^th birth day! At that time too, his meridian splendour had eclipsed lesser mortals in the music arena. People encourage other singers for a while, just like one takes a quick taste of pickle after savouring a lot of ‘Payasam’! We note with delight and hope that the voice remains impeccable even in the latest movie, ‘Pazhassi Raja’.

Unnecessary it may seem, but Yesudas had his unfair share of contoversies in the past. Demanding royalty for repeating his songs was one of them. Even though legally viable, the argument was not politically correct in a country where copyright laws are observed more in their breach. The ensued debate causes a slur on the popularity, but as the sun is unaffected by sun spots on the disk, the juggernaut moves on. Discouraging newcomers to music was an accusation prevalent in the late 70s and early 80s. We may safely dismiss this proposition as unfounded on fact, because there was nobody who could even remotely compare himself with this great man.

In this fast paced world where everything changes at break neck speed, Yesudas reigns supreme in the Malayalee psyche. So it was for the last 48 years, and so it will be, for many more years to come! We shudder from looking forward to a time when this sweetest voice would be silent. We absolutely don’t want to think about it. Instead, we hope that this colossus will keep his head high among the clouds so that the whole world can see and admire him. No singer has become such an inseparable part of the society’s collective memory as Yesudas.

So, happy birth day to Das and wishes for a bright career which will continue for several more decades!

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa, world's tallest free standing structure was inaugurated at Dubai on Jan 4, 2010. This engineering marvel has put mankind a step closer to the heavens. Being a mixed use building, the 160 floors of it are given to business, residences and hotels. Eliciting comparisons to the Tower of Babel in the Bible, the design and construction was truly an international affair. The design was by American and European experts, construction by Samsung Korea, most of the workforce from South Asia and of course, the money by the Arabs. Probably the designers had this in mind, when the residential lobby of Burj Khalifa was given the artwork of 196 bronze and brass alloy cymbals representing the 196 countries of the world. The visitors in this lobby will be able to hear a distinct timbre as the cymbals, plated with 18-carat gold, are struck by dripping water, intended to mimic the sound of water falling on leaves. This building can hold 25,000 people at a time.

The superlatives for this building are numerous. The cost is Rs. 6928 crores (at Rs. 46.19 a USD). The cost of residential space is Rs. 1,61,000 per square feet. There are 160 floors, one of which is the world's highest mosque on the 158th floor. The elevators operates at a lightning speed of 64 kmph. The triple-lobed foot print of the structure was inspired by the flower Hymenocallis.

A musical fountain called Dubai Fountain is located on the outside having a length of 275 m which can shoot water up to 150 m, accompanied by music. The fountain itself cost Rs. 1,000 crores by the above exchange rate.

This structure has returned the location of Earth's tallest man-made structure to the middle east after 700 years, when the Lincoln Cathedral in England overtook the Great Pyramid of Giza in 1311.

The building however, was definitely not labour friendly, as the average wage of a labourer was a measly Rs. 6,000 per month!