an itinerant observer

Dear Karachi, Ptooey ! Did you know that’s an onomatopoeia? A written sound, in other words. Or more precisely, per the Merriam-Webster dictionary :   Definition of  onomatopoeia T he naming of a thing or action by a vocal  imitation  of the sound associated with it (as  buzz, hiss ). Ptooey! That’s the commonest written version of the sound that is presumably made when you spit. Why presumably, you ask. Well because the esteemed composers of the dictionary obviously did not travel to our city prior to drafting that onomatopoeia.      Paan -splattered flowerbed outside the ER where author works Why do I say that? Simple. Have you ever spat on a wall here? You don’t have to. You don’t need to. Simply look around and you will observe several fellow Karachi- wallas spitting away as if participating in a well-orchestrated symphony. And not just on walls, but also on footpaths, roads, grounds, gardens, flowerbeds, schools, col...

That the protagonist of today’s narrative happens to be dad doesn't really surprise me. You see he’s been quite unwell recently. He’s elderly - almost eighty, I believe, if you go by the date of birth on his passport. “My date of birth is inaccurate on that passport”, dad told me several years ago, which basically meant he didn’t know his exact birth year. Neither did others around him. “In those times, exact dates of birth were imprecisely documented”, the others said. Regardless of his actual age, and semantics aside, dad is whom you would call ‘geriatric’ - very elderly, in simple English.  “But he’s been unwell before, so what’s different now”, you ask. Well, dad is losing his grip on reality faster than I had anticipated. Several years of slowly progressive dementia most likely has created an individual unable to recall day-to-day routine. Long-term memory seems to be intact as I’ve gauged that periodically. But it’s short term memory that is questionabl...

I heard about the second floor (T2F) in Karachi before hearing about the person behind it. Prior to relocation to Karachi, my birthplace and the city where I came of age, T2F was described to me as the reason why Karachi was still cooler than Lahore. I recalled the 80s and 90s during my school and medical college years, when there weren’t any spaces like the T2F, where one could go and immerse oneself in thinking, for oneself and for those around you.  After resettling in Karachi, I had the opportunity to visit a few sessions at T2F. It was delightful. The talks and discussions were scintillating, photographic or other exhibits impressive, and the café an oasis. But none of that even came close to the person who ran the show, Sabeen Mahmud. Every time I would see her there, I found her exuding vitality and uber enthusiasm for any cause célèbre that she hosted. She was witty and introspective, an intriguing combination - a real charmer, as they say.   Interesti...

We do not claim to be experts on Narrative Medicine ‘criteria’ - particularly where the reflective aspect of the writing is concerned. However, based on our experience of reading and writing reflectively, we provide the following 15 key suggestions for effectively written medical narratives. Keen observation  is very important. Medicine is fast paced so taking time to reflect on every day happenings can make way for some very interesting narratives.   Have a central ‘message’  that needs to come across without sounding didactic / academic, lecturing, holier than thou, etc. Think of this as a subtle point you’ll be making to the reader by the manner in which you narrate the happenings.   Honesty is important  because it is difficult to pretend when you are writing. Sure you can but when you write about real things it shows.   Be creative and purposeful  in writing. Is the purpose to advocate for the p...

I will never forget the day when I learned the meaning of stress in the Emergency Department (ED). There was a massive multi-vehicle road traffic accident and many patients were brought in, pulling away most of the ED doctors and nurses on call, leaving the rest of the ED at my disposal. I was focusing on a procedure to save a man with a life-threateningly low blood pressure, when a nurse approached me with an electro-cardiogram of a new patient. Even at a distance, I could see he was suffering from a massive heart attack. And if anything worse couldn’t have happened, there was an overhead page for another trauma patient. I felt my blood pressure rise and I said to myself, “I can’t do this anymore!” What makes ED physicians not only stay calm, but function at the height of their game in face of an emergency? Some people may be a natural at this. But for those who are not, including myself, I have learned that we can rise to the challenge, eventually surprising ourselves. In or...

'Grow strong my comrade- that you may stand   Unshaken when I fall; that I may know   The shattered fragments of my song will come   At last to finer melody in you;   That I may tell my heart that you begin   Where passing I leave off and fathom more .'                                                             Will Durant Dr. MM Khan He was born in Mombassa, Kenya where my great grandfather was serving with the British army during the First World War. He then moved to a small town near Patna in Bihar. From those humble beginnings he rose to be offered a position in the US space agency NASA (which he could not take up for various reasons). His life's stor...