Jana Kahan Hai....by Dr Pendyala Pradeep ...My tribute to Bappi Lahiri

The interview

After joining MD Microbiology at Andhra Medical College in 1981 I was on the lookout for some excitement and adventure in my life being young and positive about life. My elder sister Dr Kamala Reddy was working at Primary Health Centre, Kanithi, a small village 11 kms from Visakhapatnam after passing MBBS from Andhra Medical College and her husband Dr G Gurumurthy Reddy was working at Gajuwaka, Vizag as a medical practitioner. I used to help them in their work occasionally after passing MBBS. My sister Vijaya advised me to join army as a medical officer to experience something better. She told me if I remain in Andhra, I would become either a medical practitioner and get confined to the four walls of my clinic all through my life or else, I may be selected in the state service commission and would be posted to small unknown places of the state where I would be working with minimal infra structure all through my life. I made up my mind to join army medical corps after quitting my Post Graduation in MD Microbiology midway for a better life of adventure and more satisfaction. As luck would have it, I was selected in the written test after I scored well in MCQ...but real hurdle was the main interview after clearing the clinics at Army hospital, Delhi. I was asked what was my first choice ...army, navy or air force. Having lived in Visakhapatnam and having seen a bit of Eastern Naval Command, I replied...Navy. My next question was...name the ranks of the Commissioned Officers in Indian Navy in descending/ascending order...I could not reply...I could have attempted had it been army ranks. My next question was ... explain Falkland War and whether I heard anything about exocet missiles...my reply was unsatisfactory. I felt, I was not going to be selected despite my good performance in clinic and written test and also being fit medically. My last question was...what would I do if I get immense wealth ( needless to say, the Psychologist in the interviewing panel posed this question to me )....my reply was... I would visit all the countries of this world....they asked ....which country would be my first choice..my reply was US...immediate next question was...which place in US...my reply was Walt Disney World...well, my final question was...would you like to visit Pakistan...my prompt reply was...Certainly Not...I was selected...!!
Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.

Chatur...??

Let me share with you some of secrets to become Chatur....No, I am not saying anything about Chatur Bania...just few words to become smart .. Chatur .... Able, tactful, adroit, deft, astute, judicious and crafty...in shortest period. Please don't reveal too much of your personal information to people you don't know much ... ( exactly what i am doing right now )...Choose your words and timing carefully. ...Right time, right place, right people equals success...but interestingly, there is no wrong time to do the right thing. Always start with a positive comment before giving a negative comment although we know, negative feedback isn't always bad and positive feedback isn't always good. And yes, think before you speak or you write anything.Skill comes from being able to sense accurately what another person is feeling at that moment and yes, reading between the lines makes your job much easier ...before you enact diplomacy and tact there's no harm to guess what level of tact and diplomacy other person has....If you can sense correctly what is really going on in the minds of others...You have become a Chatur...Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.

Who was the Best PM

Who was the best Prime Minister of India till date...?? Nehru made too many mistakes, but also set the course for India to become a stable, multi-ethnic democracy. Indira Gandhi possessed the steeliest characteristics of any Indian prime minister although a bit manipulative individual who was responsible for suspension of democracy by imposition of Emergency between 1975-77. India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 is considered one of its finest moments in the history of India. Vajpayee's rule was excellent since he began the process that changed the assumptions of many of India’s foreign policy and domestic goals between 1998-2004. Atal Bihari Vajpayee pursued Indian foreign and defense policy robustly. Although many call him anti-Muslim but Narendra Modi is the best Prime Minister India ever had. Even critics cannot deny his intentions for India's development, and he has proved his mettle repeatedly and proved all his critics wrong. He is the champion of development and modern India. There hasn't been any Prime Minister in the history of India who has worked so hard and so sincerely as Modi...Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.

Jeevan ke har modh par mil jayenge hamsafar Sung by Col Pendyala Pradeep...

Bollywood music Old Vs New

Many people argue that the old songs of Bollywood were much better than the present songs of Bollywood. I have sung 900 songs on YouTube ranging from 1945 to 2017 hit songs...frankly, I feel that the present songs are much better than the old songs and much more difficult and challenging to sing compared to the old numbers....please don't include Honey Singh type of songs when I say modern and contemporary songs. The present songs of Bollywood definitely don't have the powerful lyrics and composition of the past but they have much better tunes and melody. Present songs don't exclusively cater to Hindi classical music ....old songs were inspired by Indian ragas whereas the present Bollywood songs are mostly inspired by the western songs. Let us not forget that there was not much of competition earlier...either it was a Mukesh or a Rafi or a Kishore, of course, we had Talat and Manna dey and Hemant Kumar. I may not agree if you say that romantic and good songs are no more made in Bollywood now...some of the present songs are much more romantic than the yesteryear although it may not have that evergreen element. Yes, the lyrics and composition may not be as good but the melody and digital sound is much more enjoyable and soothing ... present songs have fantastic tunes and amazing sound effects which was lacking in the old songs. Earlier, Lata -Asha sisters dominated the film industry for decades...now we have hundreds of female singers and dime a dozen male singers...the competition is unimaginable now which we never saw or heard in the olden ( golden ?? ) era...Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.

Bengali Culture...

Although I am an Andhraite, I consider myself half Bengali ( please don't confuse it with half Girlfriend and half Boyfriend ). Being in Army for 33 long years I lived in almost every corner of India and my childhood was spent in Bihar, Bengal and Orissa since my father was working for FCI with a transferable job. As a child, I studied at Calcutta and Durgapur. Frankly, I consider, culture of West Bengal to be one of the richest cultures in India. Well, let me explain, the culture of West Bengal is an Indian Culture which has its roots in the Bengali literature, music, fine arts, drama and cinema. I strongly believe in the famous saying What Bengal thinks today, Rest of the India will think tomorrow. Bengalis have deep affinity towards art, craft and music and they mainly believe in socialism. Needless to say, great social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Vidyasagar and great saint Ram Krishna Param Hans and Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore had their roots in Bengal. Bengali literature is considered as one of the richest in the world. Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Dinabandhu Mitra, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Sharat Chandra and Ishwar Chandra Bandyopadhyaya are some of the names I can recall in Bengali literature. Being a music lover, I must say, the music of West Bengal compliments and adorns its culture. There is a lot of variety within Bengali music, from Bangla classic to Banga folk and even rock. Bengali people are considered to be great foodies ... Hilsa, Bhekti, Magur, Rui and Prawns ( Chingri maach ) are some common verieties of fish cooked on a regular basis. They love to have machcher jhol on a daily basis and of course, Mishti Dohee. Needless to say, Bengali sweets are very famous which I need not mention. Bengalis love reading books and various newspapers... Statesman, Anandabazar Patrika, Aajkaal, Bartaman are very popular in the state. Cricket is played in every gali ( street ) and para ( locality) without break...their love for Football and cricket is just amazing...and they love travelling a lot....next time, you meet a stranger in your town...it could be a Bengali...Col Pendyala Pradeep, Anaesthesiologist.