[sadhuji]

Yes, that day has once again surfaced and the media has done its noble duty by reminding one and all that the heart is the most important organ of the body – with the improvement in the age profile of Indians, it is a good sign that there are more over-60 persons who are engaged in gainful activities now than ever before because they have taken care of their hearts. It is an organ that is one-off and, replacements are not easy to find. Hence, the only alternative is to maintain it in proper condition.

In 2003, I was diagnosed as a patient with a problematic heart. It happened so suddenly that I did not realize the full implications till quite some time had passed. I had come home for lunch. Then, as was customary, I lit a cigarette to relax with it in front of the TV before driving back to the factory. But, after a couple of puffs, I felt giddy. I stubbed out the cigarette, and left for duty. When I parked the scooter in the shed, I felt an uneasy sensation creeping up on me. I ignored it, went to my office and attended a phone call from my boss – he wanted me with some statistics before meeting the General Manager. By the time I got everything ready, there was a rep from Lucknow who had come on official work. By this time, it was around three in the afternoon. I asked the Lucknow rep to wait for sometime while I went to visit the hospital and pop a pill to take care of the uneasiness. I felt it was due to indigestion. However, the Doctor on duty felt otherwise. He reached for my pulse, took my BP, then the ECG and gave me an injection. When I woke up, it was seven in the evening, I was in the ICCU and my wife and son with a couple of my colleagues were at my bedside – there was panic written on their faces.

The Doctors had diagnosed me as a Heart patient. To prove their diagnosis, they sent me for an angiography and thallium test.  By the time I recovered, there were restrictions imposed on my eating, drinking and smoking habits – no yellow of eggs, no mutton, no hard drinks, no fried stuff, no smoking. Then there were recommendations of regular exercises like walking. I followed their recommendations and, today, I am glad to put on record that, for the last three years, I have had no reason to complain. The half finished packet of cigarettes was in my drawer in the office for months – whenever I opened the drawer, the packet would stare back at me forlornly. I threw it in the waste paper basket on my day of superannuation.