Sunday Snippets#3 The Doctor’s dilemma - excerpts from the book ‘The Second Chance’.

One day, a medical representative came to Shekhar’s clinic and gave him a dozen bottles each, of the three syrups that had been made by their company for common ailments like fever, cold and cough. He briefed him on all the positives of those medicines and made him an offer. He said, “Doctor, we have a tie-up with all the medical stores in this locality. Whenever you prescribe this medicine to any of your patients, we shall give you a 10% commission.”

Shekhar said quickly, “No … I don’t need any commission from you. I only prescribe those medicines, which help my patients to recover faster…”

“Agreed sir, but we are giving this commission out of our gratitude. Please accept it…”

Shekhar could not decide at the spur of the moment, whether it was ethically correct to accept such commission for prescribing a specific medicine. He decided to think about it later, and did not commit anything to the medical representative.

After a few days, a marketing representative of a pathological laboratory in Vasant Vihar approached him. In a professional manner, he explained about the various diagnostic facilities available in their laboratory and requested him to avail their services. Shekhar was happy to note about a wide range of testing facilities available under one roof near his clinic.

After a strategic pause during the discussions, the marketing representative said, “Doctor, we shall pay you a commission of 40% on all the tests recommended by you to your patients.”

Again, Shekhar was surprised at this offer. He said sheepishly, “No, I do not require any such commission … I recommend only those tests to my patients, which help me to diagnose their ailments better. That’s all …”

“Yes Doctor, we agree with you. However, this is our gratitude towards you, for directing your patients to our laboratory …”

Once again, Shekhar got lost in deep thoughts. He was not sure, about the ethical aspect of that deal. Like the previous offer, he decided to think about the new one too later.

In just a few months, many more medical representatives belonging to different pharmaceutical companies visited him and offered him certain percentage as commission. Similarly, many more marketing representatives of the pathological laboratories located in the immediate vicinity also visited him and offered different percentages as commission for recommending tests to their patients.

He soon noticed a world of difference in his attitude. After diagnosing a patient, whenever he held the pen against the prescription pad, he would be more inclined to prescribe those medicines, which offered him higher percentages as commission. Sometimes, he prescribed those tablets, which were not required by the patient, but offered him good percentage as commission. Of course, such tablets acted merely as vitamin supplements and had no side effects on the patients.

Earlier, whenever patients had some ailments, Shekhar would prescribe them the routine tests such as blood test, urine test, X-ray etc. He would ask them to do advanced tests, only when it was required for a more accurate diagnosis of some serious ailment. However, he realized that there too, his thinking was now biased towards recommending those tests, which fetched him more commission. His choice of diagnostic centers was also being influenced by the commission offered to him instead of their accuracy and reliability of reports.

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‘The Second Chance’ releases in June 2018.

Sunday Snippets #2 - The Second Chance

Sunday Snippets

First difficult lesson in journalism - excerpt from the book ‘The Second Chance’.

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As Vinod was heading for office, he saw some goons forcibly evicting some slum dwellers from a small barren plot. The slum dwellers were shouting themselves hoarse in desperation and were agitated against the forced and unlawful eviction drive. Until just a few days ago, if Vinod had happened to pass by such a scene, he would have simply ignored it and gone ahead with his work. However, now he was a journalist. He had a huge responsibility on his shoulders.

He quickly parked his scooter on the roadside and went closer to the area of action. None of the parties noticed him initially, as they were too busy in their vociferous altercations. However, when he started enquiring about the matter, he drew some stern looks from the leader of the goons. The leader looked at him with a pitiful expression and said acerbically, “O Hero, what is your problem? Mind your own business…”

Vinod’s heart missed a beat. However, he thought, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” and reiterated to himself that he was now a fearless journalist. He said, “This is my business. You cannot forcibly evict these people from here…”

The slum dwellers were confused and surprised to find a messiah in Vinod. No one knew him there.

The leader wondered whether Vinod had any political backing, to challenge them so fearlessly. Normally, a common man would stay away from such situations.

He came closer to Vinod and asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Vinod. I am a journalist of Republic Times. I shall report this news in our newspaper, if you do not stop this illegal eviction drive right now.”

The leader laughed hysterically, mocking Vinod and signaled his men to continue their work. Then he said in a cold voice to Vinod, “Look Mr. Vinod, do whatever you want. We shall continue our work. Remember that we are Seth Dharam Veer’s men. Now, if you choose to stay here for some more time, I cannot guarantee your safety. So, stop playing with fire. Think wisely, act smart and disappear from here.”

He smiled viciously. Vinod was now scared stiff. He realized he was skating on thin ice. He involuntarily stepped back and then moved away from the scene to his parked scooter. However, from a distance, he took some pictures from his camera, just to have some evidence. He noticed that his heartbeat had raised a bit during this entire episode.

The moment he reached office, he went to Kothari’s cabin and told him excitedly, “Sir, I have a sensational piece of news. Some goons are forcibly evicting some hapless slum dwellers in Gandhinagar. I intervened and tried to stop them, but they threatened me with consequences…”

“Wonderful, Vinod. I am proud of you. This would be a good scoop for us to report.”

“Yes sir, I suggest that we call the police immediately, and with proper protection, let us mobilize the residents around that area, to stop this unlawful eviction.”

“Yes”, Kothari said thoughtfully. “By the way, do you have any idea, on whose behest those goons were acting?”

“Yes, sir. He was very arrogant when he told me that he was working for Seth Dharam Veer…”

There was a sudden change in Kothari’s expressions. He asked cautiously, “Did you reveal your identity in front of them?”

“Yes sir, as responsible journalists, we should not be afraid of anyone. I told them that I am a journalist working for Republic Times."

Now the concern was palpable on Kothari’s face through his uncomfortable expressions. Vinod noticed it and asked, “Why sir, any problem?”

Kothari explained in an irritated tone, “We receive our highest revenue on advertisements from Seth Dharam Veer’s companies. He is our important client. We cannot publish any matter, which can harm him in any manner.”

Vinod was struck dumb to see that Kothari was defending Seth Dharam Veer, only because he was an important client of Republic Times! “So, where are the ethics of journalism? What moral rights does Republic Times have to say boldly ‘Truth Shall Prevail” in its tag line?

Words failed him. At that time, the phone on Kothari’s desk rang. Vinod could see traces of fear on his face, as he picked up the receiver.

“Hello? Kothari here. Good morning?”

Those were the only words spoken by Kothari during that two-minute telephonic conversation. For the rest of the time, he was only murmuring words like “Yes, sir”, “Agreed” etc.

After replacing the receiver, Kothari wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and gulped down one full glass of water from his table.

He looked at Vinod worriedly. His voice sank to a husky whisper when he told Vinod, “You have landed us in deep trouble…”

Vinod could sense the trouble. However, his mind was still not accepting his fault.

Kothari collected his thoughts and spoke in a calm tone, “Look Vinod, please delete the photos you have taken in your camera today. Moreover, you are not going to write any report on that incident. Is it clear?”

“Yes sir.”

“You may go now…” Kothari was never so curt in his behaviour with Vinod.

Vinod left the cabin in a dejected mood. He had learnt the first lesson in journalism the hard way.

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‘The Second Chance’ releases in May 2018.

#Sunday Snippets - #The Second Chance

Sunday Snippets

Following is an excerpt from the opening scene of the book ‘The Second Chance’.

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The community hall in Vasant Kunj’s Radhe Sham Colony was abuzz with excited voices. It was an extra special occasion for the residents of Radhe Sham Colony. Three of their children had appeared for the tenth grade exams that year and all three of them had passed in the first division with good marks. The three families decided to collectively host a party to celebrate their children’s unflinching efforts. The stars of the party were of course the three diligent children– Arvind Malhotra, Vinod Gupta and Shekhar Bhatia. They almost felt like celebrities at an award ceremony.

A 5-kg cake had been especially ordered from ‘New Cake Palace’ to mark the special occasion. The children’s favourite teacher, Ram Prasad Sharma was also present.

The topic of discussion drifted on the future career of these three friends. Vinod’s grandfather, Shivaram Gupta asked the three children about their career aspirations. 

Shivaram advised, “Dear children, remember one thing. Choose a career path that will make you happy. Identify your passion. Confucius rightly said, ‘Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life!’ If you select a career that you are passionate about, you will enjoy life. However, if you make a mistake and select a career path that does not interest you, you will suffer throughout your life. This is your life…live it well!”

At that point, Arvind’s father, Akash Malhotra spoke in a tone that was indicative of worldly wisdom gained with years of experience. “Children, have you thought about it yet? We don’t want to push you towards anything today itself. All we want to do is to set the thought process rolling in your minds, so that you don’t end up with an eleventh hour decision. So please speak out what interests you have. We would like to hear from you about your dreams and ambitions.”

The pressure further increased on the children, when they were asked to speak out their mind. The tension was palpable on their innocent faces.

Finally, Vinod cleared his throat and started speaking with unflagging enthusiasm. “I want to become a journalist. I believe that journalism is the fourth pillar of democracy. The first three pillars are the legislative, which makes the law, the executive, which implements the law and the judiciary, which protects the law. Journalism aims to ensure that these three pillars function efficiently, by working as a watchdog on them. After the movie stars, cricketers and politicians, the journalists are the most popular category of people in our country. They influence the opinions of millions of fellow citizens with effective presentation of their viewpoints on important and sensitive topics of national interest. I wish to be an influencer…

Arvind said in a firm voice, “I want to be a lawyer. I want to be instrumental in giving justice to the common masses. I am impressed with the manner in which eminent lawyers put forward their clever arguments in courtrooms, in order to explore the finer and hidden elements of truth. Apart from God, who operates from heaven, the courtrooms are the only place, where justice is meted out to the people’s pleas. It is a very powerful position and I want to use that power for the benefit of the society. I want to be powerful…”

Shekhar said in a very balanced voice, “I want to become a doctor. A doctor is nonetheless God in human form. Doctors save the lives of people. They treat you when you are sick. Without good health, one cannot reach far in his life, and the doctors facilitate you in leading a healthy life. They are the most blessed people in this world. I want to experience the magic of healing people and see the feelings of genuine gratitude in their eyes. I want to be a savior…”

At that point, Ram Prasad Sharma stood up and congratulated the boys for having decided their goals in life. He said, “For any teacher, the biggest happiness comes from seeing his students stretching their wings and savouring the sweet taste of success. Being a facilitator and guiding a child to realize his potential is a teacher’s greatest joy! Seeing a child turn from a young student to a mature adult making positive contribution to the world is a feeling that only a teacher or a parent can truly understand. Today, I can blissfully say that I am riding the crest of a wave as my three students have not only made wise career choices but also elicited their desire to walk in the light of creative altruism. So step out into this glorious world and inspire and catalyze others to be good!”

Ram Prasad Sharma’s positive emotional overwhelm left the gathering speechless. The deep look of contentment was writ large on his face.

He continued with his string of stellar advice, “My dear students, on this momentous occasion, I would like to offer one important piece of advice to you. Always remember one thing in life - On your path of professional advancement, occasionally you might be tempted to digress from your originally intended path. Pangs of greed might start gnawing at you. And unfortunately, greed is a powerful motivator. However, in such situations, let your conscience be your guide. Please remain undaunted in your approach. Do not compromise your ethics and moral values at any cost. Always ask yourselves, whether you truly deserve the money earned by you. A good character is one’s most valuable asset, which no one can purchase at any cost. You have to toil and work hard for it and it is the foundation for success in life. You are still very young to understand the gravity of my statements, but at some appropriate time, you will know the importance of what I am saying now. Best of luck…!”

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‘The Second Chance’ releases in May 2018.