Day 47, Sunday 1st January, 2012

As I write this entry, I think back to the year that just went by, and note the following high points:

1. Peoples' movements for change of government in many places all over the Middle East, some successful, and some not so. Similar movements for "change" also occurred in developed countries, esp. in Russia.
2. Killing of important dreaded terrorists, causing some moments of pause in the terror attacks, though this may prove to be the proverbial lull before the storm.
3. The hidden economic crisis sweeping Europe and the US of A, threatening and causing stock markets to nose-dive all through the second half of 2011.
4. The passing away of many Bollywood icons including musicians, actors and playwrights.
5. The huge tumult caused by evident corruption in high places, the rise and instant fall of Baba Ramdev, and the rise, rise and fall of India Against Corruption and its inspiration Shri Anna Hazare.
6. The complete decline of UPA II as a coherent coalition in Indian politics and the embarrassment caused by the fall from grace of MMS.
7. My going away from India to Saudi Arabia. (Well, this is not in the same league as the previous six points for the rest of the world or India, but it is the most important for me and my family!)
8. The imminent collapse of Indian Cricket. (As I write this, India has just begun its attempt to avoid complete humiliation at the hands of Australia in the second test match).
9.  ...

Couldn't think of more things, so am ending the list prematurely. However, let me say that I have made significant changes in my own mental state these past few months: apart from being about 50% compliant in Namaaz, I have also renewed many past contacts through Facebook, joined, interacted and contributed to some groups there and elsewhere, and, to some extent, mended my ways while dealing with family ... albeit in a positive way.

Sunday, the second working day of the week ... what an obvious contradiction if viewed through Western eyeglasses ... and likewise, the most logical thing to happen in an Islamic country. I was in the hospital through the morning and afternoon, and stayed mostly indoors in the evening, barring a short 30-minute brisk walk to the hospital and back. I made a brief outing to buy a few necessary provisions, but that is all. 

I have hoarded stuff in the refrigerator (and outside it as well) from all the cooking (which I did last Thursday/Friday), and buying on my visit to Ta'if. Thus, I have several chapatis, chicken curry, mixed vegetables, laban (curd), a pack of 10 Fried Fish fillets with potato chips from Al Baik, two chicken hamburgers from MacDonald's, a few bottles of soft drinks/juices, many sachets of sauces and ketchup,  some jams and preserves sachets, a strawberry croissant, half a loaf of whole wheat bread, cooked rice, some leftover dal, a small pack of curd, butter, cheese spread, etc. Outside the refrigerator, I have a large bar of Cadbury's Hazelnut chocolate, a small pack of biscuits, a half pack of butter popcorn, a small pack of 50 gm of Almonds, small pouches of candy, mixed dry fruit and mixed chick-pea and peanuts, at least a dozen sachets of Mamoul, and some other stuff.

Just wanted to list all these things on a whim :-)

Something about my readers

To propel the interest among my readers, I have decided to interpose this post. I have many readers, though all of them have not chosen to be counted among the public followers of the blog by clicking on the "Follow" button for reasons of their own. I appreciate from the bottom of my heart all of you who have chosen to read my posts at a time suitable to you. I cannot say for certainty who among you is the most ardent follower because I think most of you who read my blog read each entry with care. However, among those who publicly follow the blog and/or comment regularly, I must count the following:


Dr. Mahesh Chandra Gupta, a doctor by profession and now, a practising lawyer in New Delhi, is an old friend of mine who reads my blog with a practiced eye to detect any flaws and immediately warns me if I have been indiscreet. I thank you, sir, for your learned and objective viewing of my blog entries. I have almost always corrected the entry/entries after your pointed remarks.


Dr. Muhbeen Shaikh is a radiologist from Mumbai who works as a full-time ultrasonologist at Saifee Hospital. I have known him for over 24 years, and he is a dear friend, a helpful soul, a remarkable person and a humble guide on my path to be a devout Muslim. His comments have been very useful to a confused soul like me. Thank you, Muhbeen.


Dr. Ravi Pandit is my colleague from Seth G.S. Medical College. He came to this blog a little later than some of you who have been reading it since day 1, but his devotion to my blog is a thing to marvel at. I trust his opinions all the more, since, like Dr. Muhbeen, he has worked in Saudi Arabia before, and I look forward to his comments. Welcome, Dr. Ravi Pandit, to my blog.


Dr. Mustafa Bapai is a general practitioner from Mumbai. He and his wife (an obstetrician with whom I have worked for many years) are my well-wishers. They are worldly, and intelligent to boot. I have turned to both of them for friendship, guidance, and also work (;-)). Dr. Mustafa, thank you so much for your public following of this blog and for your appreciation of my writing and encouragement from time to time. That goes for Mrs. Bapai too. I know that Madam is not a public follower, but I am sure she reads my blogs as actively as you do, Dr. Mustafa. My regards to both of you.


Mr. Yusuf Suleman, I do not know you so well, but you are among the first to "Follow" my blog. I request you to please comment on my entries and allow me to know you better. Thank you for your keen interest.


Mr. Rudra is a dear internet friend of mine who follows me on this blog publicly. We are a mutual admiration society, you can say, because I follow his photo posts on Picasa on the Web. We have never met in person, but his comments and directions are very encouraging for me. Rudra, I commend you publicly for your zeal and interest in my life. I pray that I get the chance to meet you and your children sometime in future.


Okay, so those are the "public" followers. 


There have been a few others who have also written public comments here and there, and I request you to bear with me if I forget some of you. I will add you all once I refresh my blog entries and run through them at a later date. These include Dr. Ashfaq Ubharay, a dear friend who is a homeopath in Mumbai, Salim Dadla, a businessman and a childhood friend and Qasim Sakriwala, a Mumbai-based businessman and an old friend who has been most appreciative of my writing.


I also get appreciation on Facebook where I update my posts. These include "likes" and "facebook comments"  from several friends, many of them being just internet buddies whom I have not yet had the privilege of meeting. They include my family (Nishrin, my better half, Inas and Hannah, my daughters, Kaizar and Murtuza, my brothers (and their wives Gulnar and Sakina), and Nuriyah, my niece), regular friends like Dr. Suresh Shah, Dr. Salil Choksi, Dr. Shree Patwardhan (all Pediatricians from Mumbai), GS Medical College colleagues like Chand Nair, Sudhir Rao, Pradeep Bhosale (and others), relatives like Rashida Kapadia, Zohra Kapadia,  Shabbir Attarwala, Saleh Bookwala, Sara Rassiwala, Durriya Nabijee (and others) and many other friends like Rashida Dhorajiwala, Rashida Bhiwandiwala, Fozia Abbas, Sai, Ravi Menon, Nitin Sharma (and others), school friends like Khushal Haria, Farhad Khursetjee, (and others), and so many more whom I cannot name here for I don't know who you/they are.


Finally, I have some international persons who also follow my blog. I know them to be genuine people and they are all friends from another wonderful community that I am a part of, viz. www.writing.com, a site for writers. I am proud to acknowledge the following readers: Giselle d' Octobre, Holly Jahangiri, Melissa Williams, and others. 


To all the others who are anonymous readers of the blog, and to all the aforementioned readers, I bow in gratitude and say: a huge THANK YOU. I really mean it. And today, I wish you all a happy, peaceful and prosperous 2012. May your tribe increase. May you continue to follow my journey in Saudi Arabia and be ready to guide and help me if I stumble or need your help.


I am,


Yours humbly,


Taher Kagalwala (drtaher-in-arabia, writing as drtaher-of-arabia).


P.S. If you want to be counted here, do drop a comment in the form below or email to drtaher@gmail.com. Thanks.

Day 46, Saturday, 31st December 2011

Thank you, dear readers, for continuing to read my blog as you have been doing for a month and a half. For those who arrived late, do check out the earlier entries as there are many vignettes of information, thoughts and entertaining details of my arrival, stay and endurance in this country. 


Most of you will be reading this on the New Year's day, so may I wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2012! I had a stroke of luck yesterday. My ENT colleague, an Egyptian doctor by the name of Dr. Aala had to go to Ta'if for a dental consultation, and I jumped at the chance to go to Ta'if after the clinic hours. We left the hospital 1/2 an hour earlier in his Mercedes 300SE, and reached Ta'if by 5.40 p.m. opposite Ta'if's Heart Mall (Panda). I dropped off here and he proceeded to another part of the city to see the dentist. The few hours that I spent in the mall were refreshing; I had my first ever ice cream in Saudi Arabia (a vanilla softy) along with a few other small things like a strawberry slush, some candy and so on. Also took a home order of Al Baik's fish fillets and 2 chicken burgers from the McDonald's outlet. 


From Panda, I bought soup sachets, a box of mixed ginger garlic paste, a bag of frozen shrimps and some other odds and ends. I also roamed around the mall, waiting for Dr. Aala to return from the doctor's visit. The sight of crowds and lights and the hearing of the various sounds and noise in the mall perversely but surely entertained me  as I successfully made a New Year's Eve celebration out of a boring existence in Al Muweh.


I returned with Dr. Aala at around half past eleven. A great day indeed. Dr. Aala turned out to be a stable but fast driver (his average driving speed is about 120 kmph). During the return journey, he stopped at a place called SASCO to have a dinner consisting of fried chicken, french fries and a bottle of water with cheese and tomato ketchup to go with it. After the dinner, I must have fallen asleep, and I woke up when we were just reaching Al Muweh.


All in all, a nice day indeed.