Rich and Poor: It seems there are rich and poor people in Bhuj district. The rich are having NRI (non-resident Indians) relatives in the west. The poor are lambardi or muslims.

Image 1: Women standing in front of piles of clothes  Enlarged vesion of this Picture is available here

In one eyewitness incident, the rabari tried to pick up the piles of donated clothes very gingerly, one patel (upper caste) shooed them off shouting obscenities (you bloody rabari). Ironically nobody wants to wear the urban clothes, which is totally different from the traditional dresses.(see image 1)

Communal harmony: It seems there is a sort of communal harmony that developed suddenly among people living in the open in Ahemedabad.Last week almost everybody in Ahemedabad were sleeping in the open due to quake scare and the rich, poor, dalit and muslim mixed with all and shared duties like routine watch etc..The coolies (porters) in Ahemedabad station (predominantly muslims) donated daily 50 rupees and were serving fresh poori bhaji to all Bhuj returnees in the station platform round the clock.How long will it last , I wonder ?

Image 2:  Enlarged vesion of this Picture is available here

NGOs: The word NGO got a very good respectability from everyone.Almost everyone from grocers to head of department of surgery, is going ga-ga about NGO's and their great work in Bhuj. One NGO "share" of UTV owners ( Ronnie screwalla), sponsored the Sion Hospital doctors. See image 2.

Image 3:Field Experiences: Innovative Way to Sterilise Instruments  Enlarged vesion of this Picture is available here

Government Doctors: Well, government doctors did great work as usual (the unsung heroes always), note innovative way to sterilise instruments (image 3). Not only their one day salary was cut and taxation surcharge put , all physically worked enthusiastically and plan to do so on a continual basis (the next batch from Sion go on saturday). Cases are being operated with great skill by orthopaedic surgeons to all at Sion and implants are given free by the corporation. The Bombay municipal doctors always had great responsibility without authority and high public expectations naturally. Just one example: Eventhough 80% of health care is with the private doctors, the municipal doctors have to control malaria and TB, the private guys not only shirk from the social responsilility but load the vast popoualce (80%), which come to them, with irrational drugs for Malaria and TB and dont inform them about free and good tratment for the same in municipal dispensaries.How demotivating it must be for sincere government doctors.

District Hospitla in Bhuj: In Bhuj the government policy to let the district hospitals rot for lack of motivation, money and manpower, and encouragement of privatisation of health, is alarming. Today one patient came to Sion Hospital all the way from Rajkot district hospital, where after the initial enthusiasm which the local private doctors showed in occupying the defunt governmental hospitals is over with , they going away to their private practice.