Indian Jib Jab

Well, yesterday I mentioned in passing to my Doctor, while discussing the state of the annual physical, that I was off to India for a three month sabbatical. He promptly summoned the nurse for tetanus and Hep A jabs, ouch! The left arm is still sore this morning and have time activated the Hep A follow-up for my return. Apparently I have to talk to him about anti-malarial tablets nearer the time. Hmmm, doctors are so practical sometimes.

The Lonely Planet guide and a huge map are proving to be very useful resources, as are friends who have made the trip in the past, although I'm not too sure stories about Bombay Belly and Delhi Tummy are appealing right now!

The enormity of the task ahead is both exciting and daunting at the same time. I hadn't realised until reading the Lonely Planet quite how HUGE the country really is, oh my and I thought 3 months to cruise around would be plenty of time to do a loop all the way round!

The good thing is that my many Indian friends are proving to be warm, encouraging and enthusiastic about the experience, so I'm not going to lack for help and advice along the way.

I'm going to start the adventure from Colombo in Sri Lanka, courtesy of my kind friends Phil and Bea, then explore the South and Tamil Nadu. Bangalore is the Silicon Valley of India so that makes sense to look at given my interest in Science and Technology. Perhaps I might head off North on the train after that and see how the country changes with different regions.

My next tasks are getting hold of the Indian Rail timetable, planning a route and finding out about visa requirements. Either way, I shall vote in the US Election in November and then disappear; by the time I return the new President should be in place and hopefully the USA will turn in a new more positive direction for the future.

Meanwhile, I need to think about a simple camera and do some more research...

Improving oral cancer education in India

Amongst all the sad news about the extremist bombings in Bangalore and Gujarat today was some good news about what students from USC in California will be doing this summer to help improve education about the risks of oral cancer from chewing Gutka.

Gutka is a mixture of concentrated tobacco and flavourings, developed by tobacco companies. Unfortunately, it is also more addictive than cigarettes, and a market developed almost overnight for the product. While it may be used in every level of society, chewing gutka is particularly common in poorer people.

The main risk factor for development of oral cancer is tobacco. The American Cancer Society described it as thus:

"About 9 out of 10 people with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers use tobacco, and the risk of developing these cancers is related to how much and how long they smoked or chewed."

The USC Stevens Institute for Innovation has partnered with the Deshpande Foundation, a prominent philanthropic foundation focused on innovation and international development, to help student innovators develop scalable ideas for improving the quality of life in specific regions of India. One of their projects is improving awareness of the risks of oral cancer from chewing Gutka.

It is projects in the sub-continent like these that often go unnoticed while the main news channels focus on the violence as more newsworthy items for their readers. Good for CNN for following the students progress with this worthwhile program. You can read more about it here - bookmark it and follow the students progress.

The Roosevelt Island cable car on a soggy day in July

With days like this you realise it's time for a change!

Putting the 4 hr work week into practice

It's just over 20 years since I left college in Liverpool, full of fresh enthusiasm and the joys of life. Years of flogging yourself for long hours in the corporate world takes it out of you, for what? Life as a consultant, while nice to work for yourself, can be more enjoyable but just as long hours and the cash flow infinitely more erratic.

And then one day, pop! An epiphany, if you will. Why wait for retirement? Why get depressed and fed up with the 3 long months in the winter between Thanksgiving and February when the Pharma industry goes quiet as one year's budget is closed out and another opens up?

Tired and jaded by the relentless rhythms of a working treadmill, I made a decision that was to change my life, hopefully for the better.

Why not set a 3 month goal to sort the house out and rent it for a year? Then take 3 months off and travel somewhere, preferably with the following criteria:

1) Warm pleasant climate
2) Preferably speak some English but another is the native tongue
3) Safe for a lone female to travel
4) Has a cuisine I like
5) Easy access on public transport
6) Geographical variety

Using these as a starting point, I rapidly ruled out the Americas, Africa and Europe. That left the Indian sub-continent, South East Asia and Australasia.

Image via WikipediaI plumped for India.

It's an exotic place that has always appealed to me and besides, curry is my favourite food and it's an up and coming powerhouse.

Over the next 6 months I'll report on progress to make the dream happen and my travels, as a sort of modern Passage to India.

All comments, ideas, suggestions and critiques will be welcomed along the way.

Adios! There is much to be done!