RahMania – the Versatility of the Maestro – III

This is the 3rd installment of my tribute to Rahman’s versatility and we continue with the discussion on his romantic songs. I intend to include a few songs and end my list from the pre 2004 era (when Rahman was at his lows) today. Some might find today’s list of songs the weakest in the series but I was tempted to add them here because I believe that the greatness of an artist lies in the relativeness of his mediocrity – what was mediocre by Rahman’s scale, still made it to the charts against the best of other composers.

The pre 2004 era of Rahman’s music was characteristic of profound usage of the chorus ranting gibberish like “rolashasha” “shashasha”, etc. or occasionally combinations of the musical notes like “ga-re-re-sa”,”pa-ni-dha”, etc. to give an unusually melodious background rhythm. Many composers in bollywood inspired by Rahman’s work had experimented with the usage of this technique but none of them were as successful as Rahman – he was a master of this art. He knew how to use this chorus to enhance the quality of the music unlike the inspired who would rely on the chorus to carry most of the weight of the tune. I start today’s discussion with a song from a forgotten movie “Dil Hi Dil Mein” whose music was extremely popular. This song brilliantly rendered in the voice of Abhijit gradually “grows on you” (like mah people say it) – as is characteristic of most Rahman songs. Notice how the chorus sings gibberish like “sirayasha moriamo”, “orapisha reshasha pisha rolashapa “, etc. and how enchantingly Rahman uses the flute and the violin for the prelude and the interlude.

Ae Nazneen Suno Na – Dil Hi Dil Mein

The next on my list is a song from the national award winning movie  Zubeidaa. During the 90s, Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy were regulars in all Rahman albums unlike those in this decade where he has successfully experimented with various new singers with occasional appearance from his favorites. This is one of the compositions for a romantic ballad that he later used as a template for songs in Lagaan and Swades which had similar rural Indian setups with the usage of the Dhapli and flute gaining predominance in the song.

Dheeme Dheeme – Zubeidaa

Next is another song with deft vocals from Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy that starts as a very simple melody with little to charm, and grows into an addictive soft number. Rahman uses poignant vocals by Swarnalatha along with the background cadence - another reason why the melody grows on you slowly, but surely and the flute provides the added flavour to this song to enhance its tenacity factor.

Sunta Hai Mera Khuda – Pukaar

Rarely does Rahman make songs that are likeable from the word go although they may not have too much worth mentioning about them. Like “Yeh Rishta” from Meenaxi, this song has nothing extraordinary to mention about but it’s the inherent sweetness in this song and the refined vocals by Anuradha Paudwal and M.G. Shreekumar (an S.P. Balasubramanian sound-alike) with traces of Rahman’s flute charm that make this song from the movie Doli Saja Ke Rakhna one worth listening.

Kissa Hum Likhenge - Doli Saja ke rakhna

The next composition is a lesser heard song from the critically acclaimed movie – The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Elegantly rendered by Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan, this amazingly melodious song never made it to the big leagues (blame it on the marketing of the movie and its music).  The flute in the opening and the fast paced dholak and chimes in the composition give the song a definite rural north Indian feel. Along with the flute, violins also layer the track on various levels increasing the likeability of the track. Rahman used similar compositions in Lagaan and Swades (similar tempo and usage of dholak and chimes) but I believe this one is much better than those.

Maahive Maahive - Legend of Bhagat Singh

Once in a while great composers put all their trust on their singers and relax knowing that they can carry the weight of the song with minimal help. My next is one of those songs where Rahman let’s the lead singers take away all the credit and rightly so – when you know you can rely on the vocal greatness of stalwarts like Asha Bhonsle and Yesudas, why would you not? Although, his signature bass strings provide apt support for rhythm to the amazing duo and the combination of flute and sitar during the interlude make this an immensely melodious joy ride.

O Bhanvre - Daud

That will be all for today … will be back tomorrow with the final installment of my take on Rahman’s romantic songs from his marvelous post 2004 era.

RahMania - Versatility of the Maestro - II

Continuing my discussion on Rahman’s soft romantic songs in this second installment of my take on his versatility, I will initiate this page with one of my favorite Rahman soundtracks – Bombay. When it came to soft romantic numbers, Bombay had two that I could mention here – “Kehna Hi Kya’ and “Tu hi re”. Amongst the two, I think Kehna Hi Kya stands out more owing to the variation in the notes as compared to “Tu Hi Re” which is mostly on the higher side and slower. Both are equally melodious but to me “Kehna Hi Kya’ makes for a more interesting listen. How can you just use guitar (bass and acoustic) , chorus and claps in the background with minimal use of other instruments (tabla and harmonium) and still make it so wholesome? That’s the magic of Rahman for you. Notice also how he makes a “yours truly” appearance in the song and the ease with which he contrasts the high notes with Chitra’s vocals.

Kehna Hi Kya - Bombay

 This is one of the costliest song videos in bollywood and it is, by all means, worth a watch. As far as the song goes, this is where the word “versatility” takes its literal meaning for Rahman – in one song you hear him use minimal instruments and then in the other he uses a complete range of instruments creating an equally melodious tune with aplomb. Although, as is characteristic of Rahman’s style – one instrument sometimes gets extra weightage, the flute in this case and there is bountiful use of the bass guitar.


Ajooba – Jeans

Subhash Ghai’s Kisna might have bombed as a movie but its music charmed the audience and for the first time (and also the last) in bollywood music history Rahman teamed up with Ismail Durbar ( who I believe is the only composer who could have given Rahman a run for his money had he not forsaken composing and taken reality tv a little too seriously for a career – the music of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Kisna and Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya speak for themselves).Rahman had just composed this one song and 3 instrumentals for this movie while all the others were composed by Durbar but the magic of Rahman’s orchestra, Udit Narayan and Madhushree managed to propel this soothing melody to the top of the popularity charts.


Hum Hain Iss Pal - Kisna - the Warrior Poet

The next on my list would be a song from a movie called Meenaxi – a tale of 3 cities. This song beautifully rendered by Reena Bhardwaj has an inherent sweetness to it which makes it instantly likeable quite unlike most of Rahman’s tracks where it takes a few number of listens before you really start liking the song. So it’s the tenacity factor of Rehman that really puts him ahead of the race even though he seldom composes a catchy number – so you might not like his tunes instantly but when you do, they stay forever. This song has nothing extraordinary to mention about but it’s the sweetness that sticks around.

Yeh Rishta - Meenaxi –a tale of 3 cities


In the late 90’s and the early years of this decade, it seemed like Rahman had become monotonous and was at the lowest of his musical career with too many albums not striking the right chords with the audience before there was a reprise in the later part of 2003 when the music of Rahman had changed – had become more unpredictable and way more better. But even during the period of low, he showed spikes of greatness with the Oscar nominated movie ‘Lagaan’ which had everything going for it and where Rahman’s music made rural India from pre-Independence era gel unusually well with contemporary music. Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Vasundhara Das’ vocals in sync with Rahman’s characteristic bass strings and the bizarre fusion of rural Indian and soft western music make this one absolutely unforgettable and likeable.

O Re Chhori – Lagaan

Another unforgettable album during his lows that shaped a huge upward spike in the graph was “Saathiya” – one of the albums that lists as a favorite of most bollymusic admirers while the title song from the movie is an anthem for many RahManiacs. Rahman’s romance with the bass guitar continues in this song while Sonu Nigam’s vocals, the chorus, the flute, the violin and the acoustic guitar ornament it even more making it one heck of a song – absolutely amazing!

Saathiya – Saathiya

Leaving it on a high note today – will continue tomorrow with a few more of Rahman’s soft romantic songs that I think are worth a mention.

RahMania – the Versatility of the Maestro – I

I intended to make this a sequel to my previous blog on Rahman’s Slumdog Millionaire awards because I couldn’t get enough time to work on putting together his best but then he has such a huge variety of beautiful compositions that I believe I won’t be able to put them on one blog ‘cos if I do, this will end up being my longest blog ever and you people reading it wont have the time or patience to make it through to the end of it.

The prolific Rahman’s biggest strength is his versatility – his ability to fathom the complete range of musical genres.  We can possibly categorize his best into 5 broad groups – the romantic musical, the rhythm oriented, the soft instrumental, the spiritual and then there are the others that traverse various groups. This is intended to be the first installment to my homage to Rahman’s musical magic and will focus on  his mellifluous romantic songs.

Rahman made his debut in music composition for mainstream movies with Roja (1992)and so it is only befitting that I start the discussion with the song that I like the most from this movie. Although the title song was more popular, the complexity of the orchestra makes this my personal favorite. Moreover, like with most of his songs, there is a lot of variance of scales and pitches in the same song making it interesting to listen to.

Yeh Haseen Vadiyan – Roja

Although I am not going chronologically, his 2^nd movie Thiruda Thiruda’s (1993)exceptional music forces me to put this lesser known song in the hindi belt next in my list. This hindi version from the dubbed movie Chor Chor (which never made it to the big leagues) brings in orchestra and choir to the forefront. When I had first heard the Tamil version of this song, even if I didn’t understand a word, the music spelt of happiness and glee and put me on 7^th Heaven. For some reason, the hindi version loses a bit of its magic because of the lyrics yet you can feel the sprinkle of magic.

Jhoom Jhoom Naache Hum – Chor Chor (Thiruda Thiruda)

My next one is also from a lesser known movie called Duniya Dilwalon Ki (1996) and is an even lesser heard song. It is beautifully rendered in the voice of Sonu Nigam and mostly just uses a piano in the background which makes it so very simple yet lovable.

Jaa Re Jaa – Duniya Dilwalon Ki

Rahman knows his instruments – all he needs is three of them – a drum or octapad, a piano or a synthesizer and a guitar and the music that he will craft will still be so complete that you won’t find anything lacking. Sometimes he tends to give one instrument a bit of extra leverage and manages to weave magic. Here’s another of my personal favorites from the movie Thaksak (1999) where the guitar takes away all the accolades and of course Roop Kumar Rathod’s amazing vocals compliments it equally.

Khamosh Raat - Thaksak

How could I talk about Rehman’s romantic numbers and not mention – “Ae Ajnabi” from Dil Se (1998)? Most people who have followed Udit Narayan’s songs will probably count this one as his best to date. Again, notice the weightage given to one instrument – the “Dhapli” for rhythms – making it so very prominent and giving the desired pace to the otherwise slow number. Mahalxmi Iyer’s background vocals also gel in nicely into the canvas.

Ae Ajnabi – Dil Se

Since we are still in the yesteryears, I think I should throw in another of his magical romantic numbers from the movie Sapnay (1997) beautifully rendered by Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam bringing back visuals of the romantic ballad under moonlit sky.

Chanda Re – Sapnay

…many more to go but too little time to spare; I will continue my take on Rahman’s beautiful romantic numbers in my next blog.

Notifying Bad news to Patients - An excerpt from Medscape

Abnormal laboratory results can be a cause of stress for patients, yet physicians routinely have staff members call to inform patients of what could be a potentially life-changing condition.
The disadvantages of this practice were brought home to an internist when his nurse telephoned him, crying hysterically, to say that her gynecologist's secretary had called to say that her Pap smear was irregular. Her gynecologist was unavailable to explain the findings, and the secretary could offer no information. The nurse was left to imagine the worst: cervical cancer.
The internist, in a posting on Medscape Physician Connect (MPC), a physician-only discussion board, questioned whether telephone notification of abnormal lab results -- particularly by staff members -- is ideal medical practice. In response, MPC contributors, speaking both as physicians and patients, voiced their preferences for how to deliver bad news.

Telephoning Troubles

"In an ideal world where time was not an issue, I would love to call every patient," says an obstetrician/gynecologist. "I let my nurse call, and she has been doing it long enough that she knows how to soothe folks. No one calls back in tears."
"We don't have the time to call personally about every abnormality and to answer numerous questions," comments an internist. "Really bad news requires a call from the physician and a prompt office follow-up." To minimize the patient's level of anxiety before the office visit, the internist suggests that "bad news can be given the least ominous interpretation while additional tests or consultations are being arranged."
However, a cheerful phone delivery from a staff member can backfire. "I and my wife have been frightened too many times by cheerful messages from aides," says a family medicine physician. And too casual a message can lull a patient into indifference. An ob/gyn reports that a patient whose recent biopsy indicated squamous cell carcinoma could have been diagnosed at a precancerous stage had she taken appropriate action a few years earlier. "The patient was told by her family physician's secretary that she had an abnormal Pap that was probably nothing, but that she needed to come in. Since it was probably nothing, she did nothing. You can either risk fear or complacency."
The telephone is frequently the preferred method of notification when the patient requires urgent follow-up. "I was taught never to give bad news over the phone," says an endocrinologist, "but I don't follow that when a patient's potassium is 6." In such a case, a telephone call to a patient prompted a life-saving trip to the emergency room. A rheumatologist agrees. "Sometimes to expedite things, phone use is the best way to go."
Yet, as a general practice, some physicians consider telephone notification to be impractical. An ob/gyn says that the frequent incidence of phone tag or calls made to patients at work or while driving, when it was inappropriate to talk to the patient, prompted her nurse to adopt a policy of written notification. "Now, all patients get notification of results -- if normal, a standard letter; if abnormal, a notice to call my nurse," says the ob/gyn. Other physicians point out that time spent in telephone consultation is not billable. "Patients with multiple questions are offered an appointment," says an internist. "I am not going to provide unreimbursed care that includes lengthy phone calls." An ob/gyn agrees. "If I am going to spend more than 2 minutes talking to a patient, the reality of reimbursement is that it must be a billable visit. The patient needs to come in."

Paying for the News

"My practice," says a neurologist, "is to schedule all patients for a follow-up visit in the office. If results are normal or unremarkable, the visit time gives us a chance to discuss other options of management. If test results are abnormal, I break the news to the patient and use the visit time to answer questions." An internist follows a similar procedure. "My standard practice is to have all patients come in 2 weeks later to discuss results."
Several physicians take issue with the practice of having patients schedule office visits to review normal results. "If I had every Pap smear patient come back in 2 weeks," says an ob/gyn, "I would have a lot of no-shows, a lot of pissed-off women, and a rapidly shrinking practice because the community would consider me gouging." A dermatologist remarks, "I personally would not be happy to drive an hour or pay a copay or take time off work to get a normal result; or be told that no news is good news; or have to wait 2 weeks to hear if I had a melanoma; or meet a dead-end with the medical assistant if I had a question."
The dermatologist's preferred notification method resembles that of other physicians. "My staff calls on the majority of things, but I write down exactly what they need to say. I call with some of the results, especially when I anticipate anxiety or if the case is complicated or serious. It is true that I am not paid for this, but patients appreciate it, and it is how I would want to be treated." He concedes that the best method of notification may vary, depending on the specialty and the particular practice.
Whatever notification method is used, physicians emphasize (1) the importance of reporting all test results to ensure that none go astray and (2) the coordination between primary care physician and specialist to guarantee that appropriate information is delivered to the patient with efficiency and compassion.

A Change of Mind Rather Than Method

"There is a right way and a wrong way to convey information regarding an abnormal Pap," says an internist. "I would never call anyone, even if they have cancer or a mass, and indicate that by phone, because it is too emotional for the patient. I don't want to cause anxiety." An ob/gyn agrees that it's important to convey "a sense of seriousness without panic." Consideration is crucial. "It is easy for those of us to forget the fear experienced by patients."

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/710891

Jai Ho ! - Rahmania once again

Jai Ho has again won laurels in "best original song written for film" category at the World Soundtrack Academy awards in Ghent, Belgium. A few days back every Indian was proud of the moment when the whole world praised A.R. Rahman’s compositions for “Slumdog Millionaire” and awarded him the coveted “Oscars”. The western audience had woken to Rahman's musical mysticism but if you ask any of us Indian music admirers, these compositions are far from being called his best. In fact if we compare them to his previous works, it won’t be wrong to say that these are quite mediocre.

Since around two decades we have heard masterpieces from the maestro – gems one greater than the other – makes it hard to choose which of them would be called his best. Those from the south may know of more and better compositions than us regular bollywood music listeners as there lies Rahman's roots and when it comes to movie production, the flourishing South Indian Film industry shells out more than twice as many as bollywood every year many of whose music is composed by Rahman.

Since I am more of the bollywood type, I will stick to a few of his hindi ones and especially those that have lesser vocals and more orchestra so that the comparison would be easier (so I am not going to speak about Roza, Rangeela, Saathiya or Dil Se nor will I touch upon his amazing Sufi renditions in Fiza, Jodha Akbar or Delhi 6). I know leaving out all these would be severe injustice to his art but what I intend to do here is just to give an idea of the magic of Rahman's music that the western audience is unaware of.

For starters,let's talk about Rahman's third hindi soundtrack - Bombay (1995). If you have heard its unforgettable theme, then you will probably never say that he has ever made a more mellifluous composition. You can literally see through the weave of the calmness of dawn amidst the loudness and gore of the infamous '92-'93 Bombay riots. The simplicity of the instrumentation is so soothing that I doubt you will, after listening to it, say that "Dreams on fire" or "Paper planes" were anywhere close to this. Contrast this with "Once upon a time in India" from Lagaan (2001)which blends the flavours of English and Indian music together in the most magical and engaging manner giving the listener visuals of an uprising.

Bombay - Theme


Lagaan - Once upon a time in India


The next on the list would be the amazing music and rhythm of "Chandralekha" from Chor Chor/Thiruda Thiruda (1993) and "Taal se Taal Mila" from Taal (1999) - Slumdog's "O Saaya" and "Jai Ho" got nothing on them - Shivamani's (Rahman's drummer) beats here are much more composite and engaging - especially the Taal song.

Chor Chor - Chandralekha


Taal - Taal Se Taal Mila



I believe I have to write a sequel to this blog because I don't think I can finish this today but I believe I might have still made my point

... to be continued in the next blog

The Eye of the Tiger

Atindranath Dutta, the cop kidnapped by Naxalites/Maoists in Midnapore, is back home and all our Indian news channels and magazines were raving about the negotiation tactics of the Bengal Government yesterday. And this was just an isolated incident in the tales of the Maoist insurgence in the eastern part of India – just an isolated victory for the government. In fact, it won’t be wrong to state that the Bengal Government got lucky this time because had Dutta been moved to a Maoist jail in some part in Jharkhand, Orissa or Chhattisgarh which is their safe haven, none of the negotiation tactics of the police would have worked. And to add to that if Dutta would not have had a clean reputation amongst the locals, Maoists would have done away with him the way they did with Francis, the abducted cop in Jharkhand, who was found beheaded on the Ranchi Jharkhand highway and this heinous act would have still gone favourable in the eyes of the locals.

But what everyone underplayed was the fact that Dutta was let out with a white cloth hanging from his neck with “Prisoner of War” written in large red letters. Yes, it’s no more just a game of hide and seek between the Police and the communist protesters – it has moved on to a much higher level in the last two decades – it spells plain and simple “WAR”. But if this war has brought the realization of hell for anyone then it is the locals of the community where these Maoists reside – the tribals, the poor farmers and all the others inhabiting these villages.

Why am I talking about this today you may ask? In the last one and half months, I have been travelling through these affected areas and yesterday was one of those days. West Bengal is a land of resources – so rich with raw materials that even the English could not help but salivate and began their rule and rampage as East India Company in this part. It saddens me to see this region, which still holds the resources and thus the prowess to give India’s economy its much needed momentum, lying in ruins – factories in dilapidated conditions, burnt houses, small villages and townships with red flags everywhere with hardly a soul to be seen and silence so deafening that the loud honking of cars and fireworks in the middle of the night in Kolkata seem like sweet music.

 Having started their activity in 1967 in a small corner in West Bengal – Naxalbari (and thus the name for the activists – Naxalites), they now operate in 182 districts in India in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. The epicentres of this conflict are West Bengal and Chhatisgarh. Once the messiahs for the poor, downtrodden and those suffering from the atrocities of the government officials – mostly corrupt police, the activities of the Maoists are now gradually bordering on Mafia techniques and terrorism with evident greed and corruption in their own leadership. Looting from those tribals and villagers that they claim to protect, violently killing innocent officials and using the women and children of the once loyal community as their shield (Lalgarh incident), the Maoists are gradually losing their support in their new avatar. The local community which once provided shelter to these Maoists now prefer to stay away from the trouble and gore.  The insurgents gradually realize this and before they are cornered from all angles, they are trying to cajole the community back to their side.

Dutta’s release was done with a condition to release the women from the community who had been imprisoned by the police for purported links with the Maoists and there was no demand to release their fellow Maoists. The heart of the affected community might have softened towards the Maoists for the release on either side – the fair cop and the innocent women but what about the innocent kid of the beheaded cop who was seen crying on television saying – “Main bhi police banoonga aur un sabko maroonga… mere Baba ko mara hai na?” (I’ll become a police officer when I grow up and will kill each of them … they killed my father) and many more cops seeking revenge of their beheaded brethren? The war continues between the two groups – the police and the Maoist – and those that both the groups claim to protect are the ones that continue to suffer.

The ‘heat is on’ in the land of the tiger – the Bengal tiger … the never ending war …

Face to face, out in the heat
Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry
One stacks the odds 'til the other takes to the street
For they kill with the skill to survive

It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight …

What Hurts the Most ...

Its almost 3 years now since it happened but it just wont stop wrenching my heart. Not a day, nor an hour of consciousness has passed without the thoughts of 'what could have been' crossing my mind. What could have been if I would have been there, what could have been if I had made that call, what could have been if I didn't argue, what could have been if... if only it could have been.

I was 9 years old when he had his first stroke. He was angry at one of his students and then all of a sudden it happened and he collapsed in Ma's hands. She was desperately calling his name but he wont answer. Its funny how they would call it 'stroke' what takes just a stroke of a moment to change how you perceive life. Every day since then I would fear losing my father. And then it happened again when I was 12. He was the best and the most doting father one could have and yet he had his quirks - not as a parent but as a person and that's when we would argue and I would stop talking to him knowing that my silence would hurt him more. Ma would be the peacemaker and would tell me how uncertain we are of his staying with us and how he was the best father we could ever have. I would then apologize even if I knew I was not wrong because I didn't want to lose him and then the argument would continue some other day.

Med school and then U.S., I have been away from home since 1996. The moment he learnt that I couldn't get admission in a med school closer to home, it saddened him more than it saddened me. We all knew him - he couldn't stay away from both of us ( my sister and I). He was the kind who would start looking for us all over the town if we staid away from home a few minutes more than how long we had said it would take us to go somewhere. If we staid away from home too long at some relatives place, he would have sleepless nights and land up there the very next day. During all those years away from home, the fear of losing him had taken different shape - he was in his 70s and logically I knew if he didn't take care of himself the day would come someday soon but I didn't want it to happen in my absence. And now being a doctor, I lived the delusion of hemi-Godliness that almost every doctor lives with. We think we have the power to change things - pull out our dear ones from the claws of the reaper. But little do we know or want to know that there are ways in which God shows his presence - ways that are sometimes so distasteful that after he has shown his act, we hate to believe his presence and prowess while he shows us who the supreme power is.

October 2006, I had come back home after completion of my Masters for a vacation from U.S.. He was happier and looked healthier than he ever was. But there was the cough and the swollen leg. Knowing his history, something told me he was developing CHF - the cardiologist concurred. Just when things were looking up with everything this came all of a sudden like a bolt from the blue. We couldn't tell him of the condition because we knew how stressed he would get but he was smarter than we thought. A MBBS degree doesn't really guarantee that you are smarter than your father - does it? But I and my sister thought we were and so were trying to put up an act of 'oh everything is so hunky dory'. But he knew it - he always did. It was the Diwali night of October 2006, when I was about to check in for my flight at Ahmedabad. He asked me to give him a hug saying - 'Who knows if we will ever meet again'. I could have passed it off on a very light note had I not known of the circumstances and something told me that he was aware of something. Ma could see through my smile and tell what was going on in my mind - don't know how mothers do that. 'Why would you say something like that? Do you want him to leave everything and come back to India? If you don't, then take care of your health and stop saying something like that to him',she told him with a nudge. I gave him a tight bear hug - deep inside I didn't want to leave him from my arms and neither did he.

I could see all the fireworks from above Ahmedabad while the flight was taking off. Any other day it would fill my heart with glee to see such a beautiful scene - nothing like I had experienced before but that day was different. I knew something had gone wrong - something needs to be changed soon. As soon as I landed in my lab in U.S., I told my supervisor that I would be leaving soon and that I want to go back home to India. Not many were happy with that decision. People who cared would call me up or call for dinner or a ride and discuss it over and try to coax me to stay back but I knew where my priorities were. The day that I had been fearing all those years was looming so close to me. I knew I had to go back. I was applying for positions of all kind in India and yet I was being choosy on whether it would fit my skill set and qualification. Things were getting delayed and I was getting restless.

I used to talk with Ma and Bapi ( that's what my sister and I called him - a name concocted by my sister when she started mouthing words) through online messenger services every weekend and sometimes even more frequently. Ma had been telling that Bapi has developed Urinary tract infection and has decreased his diet. I would plead, coax and get mad at him for not having enough food. It went on for weeks and then one Sunday during a chat I said something that I knew had hurt him - I said, 'Your not eating is a slow poison for your heart, you might as well take poison and finish this off fast if this is what you plan to do'. I was mad at him for his attitude but I realized I might have said something that I shouldn't have. I hadn't spoken with him that day after that incident but I knew that I will be speaking with him on Wednesday so I had planned to apologize and try to make him have some food.

Wednesday was a long day at lab and by the end of it all I realized I had missed the opportunity of chatting with Bapi Ma. I thought I will give a call the next day but when Thursday came - my sick Indian mind thought why use up a card when I will be chatting on Saturday anyway. Why was that $5 so important for me that day? I don't know. I had made calls on unusual days and surprised them before. I never thought of the money spent at that time because I never was the kind who would put money over a relationship but it was just some sick thought that crossed my mind that day, the reason of whose appearance I could never decipher ... never after that day.

I staid online all day on my messenger on Saturday the 2nd of March, 2007. 'It's Holi tomorrow, I will make that call tomorrow anyway to wish Ma Bapi a Happy Holi but I will wait for them to come online today', I thought. The day passed and evening came - no one came online. I was on the net wishing some of my friends a Happy Holi - it was Holi in India already. Must have been around 6'o clock in the evening and I got a call from my sister - I was elated and a bit surprised too. What is she doing up this early? Was she up early and studying? She must have called to wish me - these were the thoughts that went through my mind. The moment I said hello I heard her say "Chandan" and then she started crying. My heart started sinking and then she dropped the bomb - "Take a flight and come back soon. Bapi's gone". Gone? Where to? was what I thought. Dumb as it may sound I did not want to believe that she meant "No more" as she used an expression in Oriya which could mean both.I said I will do that and called Ma immediately. She did not pick the phone, Sudeep did. I knew Sudeep, one of my closest friends from med school, was Ma and Bapi's point of contact for all healthcare needs in my and my sister's absence but what was he doing with Ma's phone? Why did he pick up the phone? I didn't want to talk to him - I wanted to talk to Ma and he understood. He gave it to Ma and she started with - "Dont worry about me. I am alright. You be strong and try to come as early as possible." I could feel the floor slipping underneath me. All I could blurt out was - "How did this happen? Why was I not told?" But all they could say was - "We did not know this would happen". There it was - the fear that I was living with all those years was right there in front of my face looking at me with a smirk.

The infection topped with the lack of diet caused an electrolyte imbalance which in turn possibly caused an arrhythmia and a cardiac death. Had it not been for the doctor's negligence by not treating an electrolyte imbalance case as an emergency ( a rule of thumb), he probably would have survived it like he had from all those strokes. But I wasn't there to tell anyone that. I wasn't there to give him one more hug - just one more. I wasn't there to say I am sorry for one last time - I shouldn't have said those words - I swear I didn't mean it. He was right when he always said when we quarreled,"You will remember what you say to me and cry when I am there no more". Yes, boys don't cry but I am because I miss him really bad and what hurts the most is that I will always be left thinking if I could turn back time and hug him and say sorry just one more time and he could wipe those tears rolling down my cheeks ...

Wilson's Disease - Interesting case study from Medscape

Young Girl With Clumsiness, Dystonia, and Speech Difficulty

Figure 1.

A 17-year-old girl with multiple complaints is brought to the outpatient clinic by her parents. Her parents have noticed that she has developed slowly progressive clumsiness over the past 6 months. She now displays dystonic movement of all of her limbs. Additionally, her speech and ability to walk have been deteriorating over several months. She was also recently noted to have excessive salivation. There is no history of fever, headache, focal weakness, visual changes, bladder dysfunction, convulsions or trauma. She has had no recent travel and there is no history of animal bites or known toxic exposures.

The patient has a past history of jaundice that occurred 1 year ago. The jaundice persisted for 4 months and then resolved spontaneously. A medical workup at that time did not reveal a clear etiology for the jaundice, and no evidence of liver failure, such as hematemesis, diarrhea, pruritus, abdominal distention, or altered mental status, was noted. The patient is otherwise healthy, with no chronic medical conditions, and the family history is unremarkable. She is the third child of a nonconsanguineous marriage. Her birth history is unremarkable and she has met the normal developmental milestones. She denies the use of any medications, alcohol, or recreational drugs.

On physical examination, she appears mildly jaundiced but is otherwise well-appearing and in no distress. Her mucous membranes are moist. The ophthalmic examination shows icteric sclera, normal pupillary reactions to light, normal visual acuity and fields, and normal optic fundi. Dark, brown-colored rings are noted around the periphery of the iris and are visible on naked eye examination; this is confirmed with a slit-lamp examination. A neurologic examination reveals slow mentation, slurred speech, ataxic gait, diffuse muscle rigidity, and a fine resting tremor. The findings are symmetric and her reflexes are brisk bilaterally, with flexor plantar responses. The liver, palpated at 3 finger-breadths below the costal margin, is enlarged, firm, and nontender. The spleen is not palpable and shifting dullness is not present. There is no parotid enlargement, palmar erythema, gynecomastia, or spider nevi. The chest and cardiovascular examinations are unremarkable.

A complete blood cell count (CBC) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are both within normal limits. A hepatic panel reveals a total bilirubin of 3.6 mg/dL (61.56 µmol/L), an alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of 99 U/L, an alkaline phosphatase of 284 U/L, an albumin of 4.4 g/dL (44 g/L), and a prothrombin time of 18 seconds. Markers for hepatitis B and C are negative

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain is performed (see Figure 1; image is not of the actual patient, but is representative of the findings).

Discussion

The unusual dark, brownish rings around the periphery of the irises of this patient are known as Kayser-Fleischer (KF) rings. This finding, in conjunction with the noted hepatic dysfunction and the hypodense regions in the basal ganglia (ie, caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus) on the MRI scan of the brain raised suspicion for a diagnosis of Wilson disease. The serum copper concentration was elevated at 187 μg/dL (29.4 µmoI/L; normal range, 70-150 µg/dL) and the patient was noted to have a low ceruloplasmin level of 12 mg/dL (120 mg/L; normal range, 15-60 mg/dL). A 24-hour urine copper without penicillamine challenge was also markedly elevated at 1708 µg/24 hours (27.3 µmol/24 hours; normal range, 3-35 µg/24 hours). The diagnosis of Wilson disease was established in the patient.

Wilson disease is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism with a prevalence of about 1 in 30,000 people. The normal estimated total body copper content is 50-100 mg, with an average daily intake of 1-2 mg. It is absorbed in the intestines and transported into hepatocytes, where it is incorporated into copper-containing enzymes, including ceruloplasmin. Excess copper may be rendered nontoxic by forming complexes with apo-metallothionein to produce copper-metallothionein, or it may be excreted into bile. Wilson disease is characterized by a decreased biliary copper excretion and a defective incorporation of copper into ceruloplasmin. In 1993, the Wilson disease gene ATP7B was cloned. This gene, localized to chromosome arm 13q, codes for a membrane-bound, P-type copper-transporting ATPase expressed primarily in the liver. ATP7B protein has both a perinuclear location, where it is involved in delivering copper to apoceruloplasmin, and a plasma membrane location, where it is responsible for the efflux of copper from the hepatocyte. As a result of mutations in its function, progressive copper accumulation occurs. The excess copper is initially bound to metallothionein; however, the binding capacity of metallothionein is eventually exceeded. The excess copper acts as a promoter of free radical formation and causes oxidation of lipids and proteins and hepatocyte dysfunction. Eventually, as liver copper levels increase, it is released into the circulation and deposited in other organs, such as the liver, brain, kidneys, and corneas.

Wilson disease may present with a variety of clinical conditions. The most common are liver disease and neuropsychiatric disturbances. None of the clinical signs is individually typical or diagnostic of the condition. One of the most characteristic features of Wilson disease is that no 2 patients, even within a family, are ever quite alike. Most patients with Wilson disease, however, have some degree of liver disease, regardless of the clinical presentation or presymptomatic status. The most common age of hepatic manifestation is between 8 and 18 years. Cirrhosis may be present in children below the age of 5 years, however, and it may not be detected until advanced chronic liver disease is revealed in their fifties or sixties, without neurological symptoms and without KF rings. Associated liver disease may mimic all forms of common liver conditions, including asymptomatic transaminasemia, acute or chronic hepatitis, fulminant hepatic failure, and cirrhosis. Acute Wilsonian hepatitis is indistinguishable from other forms of acute (viral or toxic) liver diseases. The disease may rapidly deteriorate and resemble fulminant hepatic failure. Rapid diagnosis may be very difficult. One puzzling feature of fulminant Wilson disease is the greater incidence seen in females (female-to-male ratio, 3-4:1).

KF rings are formed by the deposition of copper in the Descemet membrane in the limbus of the cornea. The color may range from greenish-gold to brown, and the rings form bilaterally, initially appearing at the superior pole of the cornea, then the inferior pole and, ultimately, circumferentially. Rings may be readily visible to the naked eye or with an ophthalmoscope set at +40. If the ring is not detected by clinical inspection, the cornea should be examined under a slit lamp by an experienced ophthalmologist. KF rings are observed in up to 90% of individuals with symptomatic Wilson disease, in 95% of patients with neurologic symptoms of Wilson disease, in 50-60% of patients without neurologic symptoms, and in only 10% of asymptomatic siblings. Although KF rings are a useful diagnostic sign, they are no longer considered pathognomonic of Wilson disease. They may also be observed in patients with carotenemia arcus senilis, chronic active hepatitis, chronic cholestasis, chronic jaundice, cryptogenic cirrhosis, intraocular foreign body of <85% copper, multiple myeloma, primary biliary cirrhosis, and trypanosomiasis.

 

Neurologic symptoms usually develop in patients who are in their mid-teenage years or twenties. The hallmark of neurologic Wilson disease is a progressive movement disorder characterized by dysarthria, dysphagia, apraxia, drooling of saliva, and a tremor-rigidity syndrome ('juvenile Parkinsonism'). The initial symptoms may be very subtle, such as a mild asymmetric tremor, which occurs in approximately half of individuals with Wilson disease. Late manifestations include dystonia, spasticity, grand mal seizures, rigidity, and flexion contractures. About one-third of patients present with psychiatric abnormalities, such as reduced performance in school or at work, depression, labile mood, impulsiveness, disinhibition, sexual exhibitionism, self-injurious behavior, and frank psychosis. The reported percentage of patients with psychiatric symptoms as the presenting clinical feature is 10-20%.

 

Skeletal involvement, such as osteoporosis, osteomalacia, chondrocalcinosis, osteoarthritis, and joint hypermobility, is commonly seen in cases of Wilson disease, with more than half of patients exhibiting osteopenia on conventional radiographs. Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia is a recognized complication of the disease, but it is rare (10-15% of cases). Patients may present like those with Fanconi syndrome or with urolithiasis. Skin pigmentation and a bluish discoloration at the base of the fingernails (azure lunulae) are recognized in patients with Wilson disease. Cardiac manifestations, such as rhythm abnormalities and increased autonomic tone, have also been described in Wilson disease. Some female patients have repeated spontaneous abortions, and most become amenorrheic prior to diagnosis.

The diagnosis of neurologic Wilson disease is usually made on the basis of clinical findings and laboratory abnormalities. No additional tests are required if KF rings are present and/or serum ceruloplasmin levels are low. There are a few well-documented cases, however, of neurologic Wilson disease without KF rings. Clinical neurologic examination is more sensitive than any other method for the detection of neurologic abnormalities.

The diagnosis is more complex in patients presenting with liver diseases. Serum ceruloplasmin may be in the low-to-normal range in up to 45% of patients with hepatic Wilson disease; however, falsely low levels may also be found in a patient with autoimmune hepatitis or with a number of protein deficiency states, including nephrotic syndrome, malabsorption, protein-losing enteropathy, and malnutrition. Ceruloplasmin is an acute-phase reactant and may be increased in response to inflammation, pregnancy, estrogen use, or infection; therefore, in patients with liver disease, a normal ceruloplasmin level cannot exclude Wilson disease nor is a low level sufficient to make a diagnosis of Wilson disease. Urinary copper excretion is increased in patients with Wilson disease; however, its usefulness in clinical practice is limited. The estimation of urinary copper excretion may be misleading as a result of incorrect collection of the 24-h urinary volume or possible copper contamination. In presymptomatic patients, urinary copper excretion may be normal, but increases after a D-penicillamine challenge.

Liver biopsy findings are generally nonspecific and are not helpful for the diagnosis of Wilson disease; however, the exclusion of other etiologies may be necessary and require a liver biopsy. The detection of focal copper stores by the rhodanine stain is a pathognomonic sign of Wilson disease, but it is only present in a minority (about 10%) of patients. The hepatic copper content is increased in 82% of patients with Wilson disease and usually exceeds 250 µg/g dry weight.

Computed tomography (CT) scanning of the brain may show well-defined, slitlike, low-attenuation foci involving the basal ganglia (particularly, the putamen) as well as regions of low attenuation in the basal ganglia, thalamus, or dentate nucleus. MRI scanning of the brain appears to be more sensitive than CT scanning for detecting early lesions of Wilson disease. MRI appearances include atrophy and signal change in the grey matter (typically symmetric) and white matter (often asymmetric). The most common area to see abnormal signal on MRI is the putamen, followed by the caudate, thalamus, midbrain, cerebral white matter, pons and cerebellum. Typically, the abnormal signal is hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Occasionally, abnormal hypointense signal on T2-weighted images is seen. These MRI abnormalities sometimes lead to the "face of the giant panda" sign, reflecting hyperintensity in the midbrain tegmentum with relative sparing of the red nuclei (eyes), part of the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra (ears), and the hypointensity of the superior colliculus (mouth). Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning reveals a significantly reduced regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose consumption.

Once a diagnosis of Wilson disease is made in an index patient, an evaluation of his or her family is mandatory. The likelihood of finding a homozygote among the patient’s siblings is 25%, and it is 0.5% among the patient’s children. Testing of second-degree relatives is only useful if the gene is found in 1 of the immediate members of the relative's family. No single test is able to identify affected siblings or heterozygote carriers of the Wilson disease gene with sufficient certainty. Today, mutation analysis is the only reliable tool for screening the family of an index case with known mutations; otherwise, haplotype analysis can be used. A number of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers that closely flank the gene allow the Wilson disease gene to be traced in a family. For such an analysis, at least 1 first-degree relative and the index patient are required.

According to the recent AASLD practice guidelines on Wilson disease, initial treatment for symptomatic patients should include a chelating agent (penicillamine or trientine). Treatment of presymptomatic patients and maintenance therapy of successfully treated symptomatic patients can be accomplished with the chelating agents penicillamine or trientine or, alternatively, with zinc. Liver transplantation, which corrects the underlying hepatic defect in Wilson disease, is reserved for severe or resistant cases. Penicillamine is still the "gold standard" for therapy; the compound reduces copper bound to protein and thereby decreases the affinity of the protein for copper. Reduction of copper facilitates its binding to the drug. The copper mobilized by penicillamine is then excreted in the urine. Most symptomatic patients, whether hepatic, neurologic, or psychiatric, respond within months of starting treatment. Among neurologic patients, a significant number may experience an initial worsening of symptoms before they get better. Trientine is a copper chelator, acting primarily by enhancing urinary copper excretion. Trientine is approved for the treatment of Wilson disease and is as effective as penicillamine, with far fewer side-effects. Zinc interferes with the intestinal absorption of copper and increases the fecal excretion of copper. The experience with other drugs, such as ammonium tetrathiomolybdate, is very limited, but it appears to be useful for the initial treatment of patients with neurologic symptoms. Antioxidants, mainly vitamin E, may also have a role as adjunctive treatment, but no rigorous studies have been conducted.

Patients should avoid foods with a high copper content, such as liver, broccoli, legumes, chocolate, nuts, mushrooms, and shellfish (particularly lobster). Drinking water from atypical sources (eg, well water) should be tested for copper concentration and replaced with purified water if greater than 0.2 parts per million of copper are found. Also, patients must avoid most alcohol consumption and potentially hepatotoxic drug therapy.

The patient in this case was started on penicillamine 500 mg 3 times daily (500 mg tid), along with dietary restriction of copper-containing foods. She is being followed in the neurology outpatient clinic and has shown considerable improvement in the last 6 months.

Image courtesy of: T.J. Kim, I.O. Kim, W.S. Kim, et al. MR Imaging of the Brain in Wilson Disease of Childhood: Findings Before and After Treatment with Clinical Correlation. American Journal of Neuroradiology. Vol. 27, issue 6, 1373-1378, 2008, © American Society of Neuroradiology.

Embed Facebook videos on your webpage or blog

You come across a cool video on Facebook but do not have an embed code to embed it in your webpage, or blog because there is no such option in Facebook. But there's always a way how you can do things if you put your mind to it . So here’s the secret how you can share interesting Facebook videos with people.



1. When  you are on the video page on facebook, look at the address bar and you will find the url as http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v= XXXXXX.

*I have used XXXXX to denote some number mentioned on the page.

2. Copy that number.

3. Replace  the ‘ZZZZZ’ and 'XXX' portions below with it:


I really wanted to put it in a copyable format but my blog would just take it as html so I had to use an image for the example instead

4. Now use the above as embed code in html mode in your webpage ( in blogs go to your post and click edit html)

5. Now you are all set to play the video .... Enjoy!!!

Hiding Orkut advertisements

I found this interesting article on http://www.darkorkut.com/  and thought I will share it with you all who indulge as much in the world of scrapping as I do. Have you noticed the ads that orkut has placed in the recent days? Aren't they annoying and ugly? Well, here's how you can get rid of those -

If you are worried about the way Orkut displays advertisement on it’s pages, here is the tutorial to block, hide or remove ads completely from Orkut pages. Earlier Orkut was showing ads below friend’s column, but now it moved the advertisement column above friend’s column and showing it on the top right bar. Well, since Orkut is free to everyone, advertisements are the only way left to run Orkut. Google is investing handsome amount of revenue to run Orkut and showing ads is just a small way to recover a part of that investment. But honestly, the ad placement making Orkut look ugly and unprofessional. Let’s know how to get rid of it.


Here is the screeenshot advertisements on Orkut pages :

It replaced the ‘my friends’ place and looks pretty loud. But you can easily hide these ads from appearing on your profile pages. To hide advertisements from Orkut profile pages, follow the below steps :
1. You need to have Firefox. Get it.
2. Install a firefox addon called AdBlock Plus.
3. Restart firefox and login to Orkut.
4. You won’t see those ads from now on.
5. You are done.
AdBlock Plus will hide all ads from Orkut pages and you will see Orkut pages like this :

AdBlock plus plugin  hides those ads, but you can still see the column saying “Advertisement”. Now if you want to block and remove advertisement completely from orkut pages including that column, follow below steps.
1. Get Firefox and GreaseMonkey script.
2. Install Orkut Ad Block script on your computer.
3. You are done.
You will see Orkut pages without any ads like the below screenshot :

That’s it. Now you have made Orkut advertisement free, enjoy spending time with your Orkut friends rather than viewing Google ads everytime you login to your profile. Remember that the greasemonkey script removes Orkut advertisements only while AdBlock plus will hide ads from all sites.
AdBlock Plus trick was published by OrkutDiary while GreaseMonkey script was posted on OrkutPlus.

Obama's a Nobel laureate? Really?

I woke up this morning to a news that was as much shocking as it was hilarious - Barack Obama gets Nobel Prize. The immediate reaction was - What the hell? I mean ...even I have done more things for global peace than Obama has ... I planted a tree, stopped two kids from throwing a stone at a stray dog and wrote this article. That's much better than what Obama has done till date - empty promises. I am sure every single person that ever reads this article would have done more than that.If empty promises buy Nobel Prizes then every Indian politician should get one - they are better at that than Obama is. Funny that they never get noticed by the Peace prize committee.

But then again nobel peace prizes have always had their share of controversies and a big one at that. The other day when I heard of the news of the Indian born nobel prize winner for Chemistry, it brought a smile on my face. More often than not, those winners are always deserving of the award.So what is it about Nobel Peace Prizes? Why are the recipients always (well almost) not worthy of them - except for the likes of Martin Luthar King Jr.,Dalai Lama or Desmund Tutu. I am no fan of Mahatma Gandhi ( I have my reasons) but I too believe he deserved the Nobel Prize for the enlightment that his persona brought in to many lives and the path and guidance that his preachings of non violence have shown to many great world leaders including Martin Luthar King Jr. There's nothing racist about it when Pope John Paul II didn't get one either. Infact,take the example of Yaseer Arafat for one - violence was synonymous with his name yet he was awarded a Nobel Prize. Mandela too wasnt exactly a follower of Non violence yet he got one. Was that to humor the man or the award? If it was a humor than Obama well deserves it at this point. But there are better deserving candidates there too - Osama Bin Laden and Taliban. Infact, for those saying that the award was given to Obama to make him live upto the expectations, I say give it to Osama and let's wait for the Taliban to live it upto it.

Then again, the nobel peace prize committee has often tended to lick the derriere ( just being nice in my usage of language) of United States Presidents/ presidential candidates/ ex-Presidents - be it Roosevelt, Jimmy carter, Al Gore or the more recent addition to the list - Mr. Obama. I guess they do that in hope for some personal favors - more power to Obama for that!

Deciphering Banking Jargons (ACH vs Wire Transfer)

If you are staying away from India and are sending money home, you probably already know this or are too confused and haven't figured who to ask or you are the kind who don't really care as long as the money is transferred.But this information is not just for those earning members staying away from India but also applies for those in India if you are into Online banking and make online purchases of any sort, pay bills or transfer money to another account. Five and half years in U.S. and it was only in the fourth year that I really understood the difference between the two - speaks a lot about how cerebral I am.

Anyway here's a few more my knowhow on this topic for all those who really took out their time to read this - Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is the generic term that is used for both wire transfer and ACH transfer. Both are electronic . 

ACH is automated clearing house ( Didn't make much sense to me when I heard it first too) -  electronic transfers that go through the Automated Clearing House system which is a transfer that takes several business days. Its usually free, but some banks charge a nominal fee. This is used mostly when people get direct deposit into their checking/savings account from their employer when they get paid. There is no fee to receive direct deposit.

Wire Transfer on the other hand is a bank to bank transfer using the Federal Reserve System. Wire transfers go directly through the Federal Reserve instead of an ACH third party, and they can post within 24 hours.Both the sending bank and receiving bank will charge fees for this service. Wire transfers are usually the preference for people wanting to transfer significant amounts of funds very quickly and can't wait the 2-4 business days an ACH/standard EFT will take. But the price is usually quite substantial (most US banks charge between $20 and $50 for the service and that's just for domestic accounts, international fees will be higher). 

Deciphering Banking Jargons

I am not a banker and most banking terminologies fly over my head but keeping up with my own and official finances requires me to understand certain of them. Gradually through usage and after hours of research I understood a few things that I feel like sharing with others so everyone doesn’t have to go through those hours of confusion that I went through.

The first thing that I will deal with is something that is related to cheques. When we make online payments or transfer of money, there are some numbers that are required for one bank to recognize the other. Most of them are present on your cheque. Here is a lowdown on chequebook and some banking jargon:

(Please click to zoom)

Cheque Number: The first six digits on your cheque are your cheque number. We all know that – don’t we?

MICR: There are 2 types of cheque books - MICR and Non-MICR.MICR is the cheque book containing MICR code, which makes it possible to process electronic clearance.

The first time I heard MICR I felt I was a retarded bum since the people from the bank were confident enough to show me that it was something I was supposed to know. Anyway after an awkward moment of self depreciation, I was told that it meant Magnetic ink character recognition – Ha! Like that made any difference. Why don’t I just dig a hole and let them kick me on my derriere into it? So, I let it go that time and decided to do some research and get myself prepared to speak with them.

So here’s what it is - MICR comprises of the nine digits that are present on your cheque after the cheque number. It’s like a pin/zip code or numerical address for your bank. Of those 9 digits, the first three digits specify the city in which you have a bank account (City code), the next three digits of MICR specify your bank in that particular city (Bank code), the last three digits of MICR help locating the specific branch of the specific bank (Branch code).

The nine-digit code is called MICR because it is printed with magnetic ink, which is usually made of iron oxide. Magnetic ink is used so that numbers are readable even if it is stamped over.

A/c with RBI: This is something I learnt thanks to an article by Teena Jain on Mint Lounge. The third numerical block represents your account (A/c) number maintained by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The number helps in cheque processing when it goes to RBI for clearance. This number doesn’t come in common use as no one really asks for it but it feels good to know what it is.

Transaction code: The last two digits at the bottom of the cheque again is something that is only for banking official conversation. It helps them decode whether the cheque is current A/c, saving A/c, at par, multicity, intra-city cheque. It helps in processing an intra-city cheque as a local one with a faster turnaround time.

RTGS code: This is something that your employer might require if they are transferring money directly to your account. This too is present on a MICR cheque. It is the same as IFS code mentioned on the cheque. RTGS is an application used by RBI and this application uses the IFS code for identification of banks.

IFSC stands for Indian Financial System Code. It’s a code used for all sort of electronic money transfer purpose. The code gives a specific identification figure to the branches of the banks and hence eliminates any chaos as its a unique for every branch, be it in the same or different city.

The code consists of 11 Characters - First 4 characters represent the entity (e.g., UTIB for Axis Bank or ABNA for ABN Amro bank), the fifth position has been defaulted with a '0' (Zero) for future use; and the Last 6 character denotes the branch identity.

Before you shoot that question about at par and multicity, I have my answer guns loaded:

Cheques are mainly of three types:

a) Ordinary cheques are paid at the local branches of the Bank where it has been deposited.

b) At Par cheques are paid at any branches of the bank, wherever it may be deposited.

c) Banker's cheques are issued in lieu of Demand Drafts on the other banks only and issued in favour of Government generally.

Multi City Cheques are special series cheques issued by the banks customer to their clients. The cheques will be payable at par, like local cheques, in the Multi City Cheque centres of the Bank. There would be a notation on top of the cheque as "MULTI-CITY CHEQUE". Similarly, the bottom of the cheque may contain the statement "Payable at par at identified branches at centers listed except the centre of issue". Intra city denotes within the same city.

The next thing that was puzzling for me in my initial days of banking was the difference between an Ordinary and an A/C Payee Cheque

So, here’s what it is - Cheques can also be classified as Ordinary and Crossed.

a) Ordinary/ Bearer’s cheque can be paid by the bank to whosoever mentioned on the cheque. The risk that sticks to this type of cheque is that anyone can pose as the drawer if they bear the cheque and sign with the name mentioned since this process does not require a presence of bank account and the payment by the bank is in cash. This is also used as a tax evading mechanism by a few.

b) Crossed cheques are paid only to the particular person/company mentioned on the cheque and it is paid through bank account only. No cash will be paid directly to the customer.

Crossings are of many types:
• Simple Crossing : Two parallel lines are drawn on the left corner of the cheque. It indicates that the amount to be paid through Bank account only

• Account Payee: Two parallel lines are drawn on the left corner of the cheque and the words 'Account payee only' written between the lines. It indicates the payment to the particular person only through bank account.

• & Co: Two parallel lines are drawn on the left corner of the cheque and the words '& Co' written between the lines. It is the indication for the payment to anyone of the group persons in the bank account