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FILLERS: Surinder Sareen Letter home BMJ 2006; 332: 955 [Full text]

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To cry or laugh

Girish Vaidya   (21 April 2006)

Dear Son,

A Joglekar   (25 April 2006)

To cry or laugh 21 April 2006
Girish Vaidya, Consultant Sheffield Send response to journal: Re: To cry or laugh	Didn't know whether I should cry for the sad state that you have been put in or laugh to acknowledge that your sense of humour has not left you. Its truly a sorry state of affairs when, having spent years in training, you are forced to live worse than the poorest of the poor. Best of luck. Girish Competing interests: None declared
Dear Son, 25 April 2006
A Joglekar, SpR 17 Paddington Green, London W2 1LG Send response to journal: Re: Dear Son,	Thank you for your letter sent through the BMJ Filler Titled Letter home (BMJ 2006; 332: 955). I must admit you have left me very confused. Your predicament is obvious. But I wonder if your letter was written in a sad & depressed state. If so I worry you may be at risk? But I suspect that anger leading to sarcasm may be the cause. Better still, you were using a mature defence mechanism i.e. Humour to overcome your perturbed mind. Having said, BMJ publishing your letter is equally perplexing. Did they naively think your plight expressed through this letter could change your circumstances? Unfortunately, to me it seemed like the case of 99 out 100 BBC documentaries on the developing world, which show only scaphoid abdomens and naked bodies. I would be lying if I say I was not offended. But every cloud has silver lining and when one door shuts another certainly opens. I am aware the training opportunity and the pay is better in UK. I also appreciate you would have found it tough to survive in the Health Industry in India, after all you were never trained to survive the prevailing practices. But still you need to remember that I have come a long way. My current GDP is $3.678 trillion, fourth in the world. I am knocking on the doors of the Security Council and will be a part of it in the near future. All this is impressive given that historian Angus Maddison revealed that colonial rule reduced my share of the world income from 22.6% in 1700, comparable to a low of 3.8% in 1952. I will hence urge you and your brothers and sisters to not despair. Bright young people who are determined to succeed and have a vision is all I ask for. I hope there is no confusion about where you will want to be in fifty years time. Yours truly, Mother India Competing interests: None declared