Its not just another day today....

Woke up at 6.30AM....was at friends' place since yesterday evening. We had gone out for dinner to a place called Mast Kalandar, 80ft road, Koramangala yesterday night(http://local.google.co.in/?hl=en&q=mast+kalandar&near=Koramangala,+Bangalore,+Karnataka&fb=1&view=text&latlng=9976602554431058088). We weren't happy with the food at that place!

Started at 8AM today morning and headed straight to NIMHANS. It was not dificult to locate the Blood Bank there and I met the duty doctor and told him that I wanted to donate blood. He asked me if I was coming on behalf of any patient at the emergency....I said no, it was voluntarly. He asked me if I had breakfast....though I had decided to say 'yes', I ended up with a big 'NO'! He asked me to have breakfast and come. I went out and did not find any place to eat and settled with 2 tender coconuts and a mango drink. Turned up again in 15 mts and he was ready with a form for me to fill up (voluntary declaration). A nurse was ready to draw blood and asked me to check my weight. 68 kilos! - probably I had put on weight in the past 15 mts! and then she asked me if it was anything special today. I told her that it was my birthday today. She wished me and started drawing the blood. The instrument had some problem and it kept on beeping and was showing some wrong readings! She corrected it and within 10 mts, she had drawn 300 or 350ml of blood (plus 49 ml of some anti-clotting solution). I was thinking of papa during that time and wished I was there with him in K.R.Hospital, Mysore atleast once, seeing him donate blood (though we've got the photographs of him donating blood for 25th time). He always donated blood at a general hospital in Mysore and did not like to go to a private hospital. It seems his parents did not like him donating blood (feared something would happen to him), but he used to go on his birthday, October 2nd (or when in need), donate blood and go back to work. I was only when we saw a band-aid that we could make out that he had donated blood. He donated blood for 47 times but his target was 50 atleast which he could not achieve (owing to family pressure ofcourse!). But he was a person to approach for blood needs while at service and was very active in maintaining a list of blood donors.

I now realise the importance of donating blood if a person is fit and healthy. I've read somewhere that "body immediately starts working to restore the blood that was lost. Fluid stored in the tissues returns to the bloodstream and red blood cell production speeds up. A donor's blood volume is restored within a few hours!". So why shouldn't we donate blood and help people who are in need? I came to know that at NIMHANS, they send blood to other general hospitals also, apart from using it for their own patients (and that they do not charge patients for blood transfusion). I just hope I'll continue this practice regularly!

Train journey to Mysore...

coming soon.....

Meeting kids at Sri Chayadevi Anathashrama

Today was an important day to remember. It was papa's birthday and we did something which he always loved to do - spent time with the kids at Sri Chayadevi Anathashrama, Jayanagar, Mysore (http://scvthunsur.org/about.html). We were told that they have moved to a new place (courtesy Infosys Foundation) in Chikkaharadanahalli, Mysore. The new place is big (to house both old-aged people and kids) and kept pretty neat. We could only distribute sweets to the kids and the aged and see them off while the kids were getting ready for their lunch. Women looked more active than men. I wish I could spend time with them all regularly. I want to talk to them and cheer them up, I want to talk, play and teach songs to the kids. I want to go back to that place again, for it gives me happiness of a different kind. Hope I will be able to go there soon while we get them shoes (as usual) before their school starts.

For more info on this, watch another blog here:
http://manjuwrites.blogspot.com/2007/09/boys-girls-grandmas-and-grandpas-are.html