6) MY ENCOUNTER WITH PATHOGENS

(Facts Stranger than Fiction --Revealed)

I, Dr. Shiva Aithal, in search of a few pathogenic microbes and with a purpose of inviting one or two yesterday traveled inside my own body and started investigating. I began my journey from my mouth up to intestine; I could go no further and came back, as I went. My intentions were also to know their reactions on us humans calling them as “pathogens”.  When I was going down the throat, to my surprise I found myself immediately surrounded by millions of bacteria and all ‘yucky’ and slimy. I could not make up weather they were rapidly multiplying or rapidly dying, but it was a sea of bacteria nevertheless. They were curious why I came. To my amazement I found that there were in a ratio of 10 bacteria to 1 human cell. 

When I tried to ask something they dragged me to their “Chief” bacteria which looked like an old dying senior member in the crowd. The “Chief bacterium” was casual and my presence had no effect on him. It took me a great deal to grab his attention and put up an interview with him. The chief of the bacterial community said he had no time and as he was in his death phase will die soon. I grabbed an interview without paying attention. The excerpts of the interview are given below.

Me: “So Chief how many of YOU are there in my body, I see so many of you, can you give me the exact number and yes how many of you are pathogenic?

(The chief was clearly irritated by the last part of my question)

Chief Bacteria: What do you mean by how many are pathogenic?? It is relative term. How easily you forget what our Godfather had said “Never underestimate the power of microbes”. Whatever you call us by different names do you really know that we are more than 100 trillion – and more than two kilos of “ONLY US” inside your body? We are your “micro-biomes” and we behave as another organ in your body.

Me: Why get so angry chief? Do you not consider yourself a pathogen? I guess you are one because you have a ‘capsule’ surrounding you!

Chief Bacteria: Hey! So what you shameless creature – did you not create knives, guns, bombs and nuclear weapons to kill and burn your own people? Can you forget Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Who is a “Pathogen” You or Me? (He resembled a powerful orator) We don’t kill our own community like that only. Even when we do it is a highly mutually understood balance of energy, when we die, we become source of energy to our own community and many a times for you too. When will you realize that, Oh!! You will never understand because you never know how to LISTEN to us! How many of you die for your own brothers and sisters-MAN-come on tell me-give examples!! You never do that! You betray your own community, we never do that Sir!! Yes NEVER – MIND IT!! I don’t have time for your “nonsense” and I have not time for you either I have to die with glory. And about my “capsule” and its relation with being a “pathogen” My Dear Boy!!! (it was EERIE feeling-a bacterium calling me like that) a knife in the hand of a thief takes away life but in the hands of a surgeon saves many. Think on that!!! If you have the intellect.

(Saying this chief called another bacterium, which was passing by and told him to answer the rest of my questions. I saw the old chief dying and just getting dissolved and vanishing in to the sea of vigorous metabolism. But what a glorious speech before death I thought. In my world this speech would have become immortal. The new bacterium looked somewhat younger, a bit matured, and more thoughtful; I probed further, as I asked the bacteria in front of me – still deep in my thoughts)

Me: Hello-Buddy may I know your name?

It replied in Bond Style.

Bacterium: I am Influenzae! H. influenzae

Me: Oh-Hi! You seemed to be bit relaxed. You look like a pathogen too. What do you cause to us? (On this it laughed sarcastically).

H. influenza: Ha! Ha! Ha! You humans and your terminologies. OK in your language I am an opportunistic pathogen; like my younger brother E. coli. that is, I live in you without causing disease, but can cause you problems only when you allow viral infections, if you develop reduced immune function or get chronically inflamed tissues from allergies. What I want to say is that if you create an opportunity then in your language I am a pathogen.

Me: Oh I see. You want to play the blame game? Why blame us and our “system” when you too are an integral part of us? Can’t you ever help us rather than causing disease always?

H. influenza: Dear Doctor-Please be mindful when you are giving suggestions. What do you think - is it us who cause disease? No never! Go and ask your ancestors if possible. We are associated with you right from your evolution days.

(I clearly knew my next question will make him angry, but I was confident because no one from my world was watching me and anyway strangely when you go inside your own body the “EGO” does not function.)

Me: Now what has YOUR ‘Pathogenicity’ to do with OUR ancestors?

H. influenza: Oh! How ignorant you are? How good were those days when we struggled together for existence? We helped out each other in difficult times. No pollution, clean water and air, cleaner nature, no medicines and no pharmacy. They knew us better and controlled us nicely with their “immune system” which was not only their “main factory” but a friendly one too.  It was their property; it never harmed us so we never meant any loss to them. Go and if possible ask them - Did they ever suffer like your present generation? They were more sensible and friendly with us.

(I was obviously defensive and asked rather over confidently).

Me: And now what have we done?

H. influenza: You present people- eating junk food, you push your immune system to its limit, by doing things that weaken it more such as eating junk foods/sugar, stress, lack of water and sleep, years of body abuse and unhealthy lifestyle, you will get sick, you invite and provide us the “opportunity” to grow. We are just doing our natural job, with your permission. You will eventually reap what you sow.

(I was beginning to lose my confidence as I thoughtfully asked my next question.)

Me: OK! OK! I agree? But why the rage, why the anger? When you cause epidemic? You spare no one?

(I was taken by surprise when he unexpectedly reprimanded me for this question)

H. influenza: You idiots you will never understand us - Will you? It is you who call it as endemics, pandemics whatever! We just go on an immunization spree once in a while to help you out from our possible mutations. All those fools without an efficient own immune power succumb. Tell me clearly do we have a role in your immune system-NO boss never. It is only you who make it weaker.

Me: Never ever thought like that! But why will you ever wish to help us humans out?

H. influenza: It was a tryst with destiny. We promised your ancestral man, that we will protect you from any of our ‘natural mutations’ which is a natural part of our evolution process. But now it seems that you have broken that trust and YOU create environments by your “bad habits” in which we are mutating more rapidly than ever. It is so sad that it is neither in your control or ours. (He was now getting irritated) OK let me go, I am in my “log-phase”, I cannot waste my precious time like this I have a lot to “Synthesize” and “Finish” before I die. Growing up with only “Talking” and no work seems to be your “Tendency” not ours. Time is short for me. Will you ever understand these words??? Huh?

Before I could say anything he just dashed off and became invisible to me. I went further down and entered my Stomach, I felt the burnt. Stinging sensation grabbed my feet. I realized it was my Stomach’s acid. Today I drank less water than regular. How unforgivable my body is for me, I thought, every day I drink 6 liters of water for this very purpose and even then, one day I forget and no excuses. I resolved that I will never forget to consume the required quantity of H2O from here on. 

With great difficulty I crossed the Stomach as I could only see enzymes oozing out from my own cells and food getting broken down. It was hell of a workshop. Only few bacteria were present and all tried to behave like “big-shots” and unheedingly doing their work, each one looked after one “molecule” only and acted like Incharge of that molecule. They simply did not rest till it was converted to ATP. I thought the acidic environment has made these stomach bacteria workaholic. As I moved further, with great difficulty, I found myself pitying their acrimonious behavior. Still I could not grab a “Pathogen” when suddenly a number of bright yellow colored balls fell on my head, they just kept rolling and falling in a sequence and I got “a bad bump” on my head. In a fit of anger, I grabbed one by my hand and was about to throw away when it shouted.

Ball like Structure: Oye! Oye! Oye! Boss-I am cocci- Staphylocci. Don’t you respect other than yourself type of “life-forms”. Keep me down and mind you be gentle.

One more I thought. I carefully (rather fearfully) kept it down slowly.

Me: What are you up to Mr. Staph? Showing your pathogenic powers here? (One more Pathogen I thought and prayed out of fear it not be the dangerous methicillin resistant species MRSA).

Staph: What do you think? I am as good as you want me to be! Lucky you! I know what you are thinking-Don’t worry I’m not what you think. I’m just your normal staph and not the resistant one. And it’s you who bought me here.

Me: ME and how’s that? Could you please explain??

Staph: Crazy fellow you ate “Paani-puri” with your friends and transported me here. (suddenly I heard echoing dual voice and saw that infront of my eyes the staph I was talking to was just doubling in planes and I was talking to four Staphylococci as it continued….) I was happy in that food-stuff with that pani-puri wallah. But you like that “Junk” so much that you could never stop after eating a few. So here I am having a tough time fighting with your antibodies, who are hell bent to kill me? What will you do if your enemy attacks you, will you sacrifice yourself or counter attack in defense??? Answer me! And you call me a ‘pathogen’ (it kept on doubling and strangely were not separating from each other and I was getting confused to whom I was really talking to).

Me: You mean to say you are my food borne infection, then why have I not got symptoms like vomiting or fever?? (I was really wondering)

Staph: Gracious goodness!! What a gratitude MAN? Do good and cast it in the river! Eh? All the time I have been “Controlling myself” for your sake, my progeny and parent are getting killed-for your sake and you question my credentials. Wait till dawn – Doctor – you better start writing a sick application to your boss from here itself??

As it expressed its anger, it grew in clusters more rapidly and I could not make its words. It seemed as if it growled and howled and just moved away further like a bunch of growing grapes. I thought I angered the food borne Staph. and was beginning to think ‘why the hell I ate that road-side stuff’. I was beginning to worry about my health. What if it started to produce toxins, I decided to leave it alone and hurried away from there. 

I was about to move further when I saw some bacteria suspiciously hiding behind the mucous, I just tried to peek in when I realized that there were many deep down, shocked just as I was about to retreat, a good bent curved rod attracted my sight. It was so hell “bent” and doing something, which raised my curiosity as I moved closer to it. As I approached nearer I could see them in thousands all furiously working and not noticing me. I had never read about them in my B.Sc. or M.Sc. I wondered why our syllabus was so un-informative. I tried to communicate with one of them, and enquired (after my Staph. Encounter I was automatically beginning to get more polite)

Me: “Hello! Sir may I know who are you in my body and what are you doing???”

Curved Rod:  I am Pylori - Helicobacter pylori, move aside let some air pass in, previously you people used to call me Campylobacter pyloridis. Ah!! A good question what am I doing here?? But if I keep answering your silly questions I will die without glory – get lost ask someone else.

Saying this he suddenly took one molecule of Urea (I never knew that my stomach had so many molecules of urea) and spit some fluid on it and suddenly converted that urea molecule to ammonia. Oh I remembered it had “spit” urease enzyme and converted it to ammonia – which made the acidic molecule to alkaline and it survived. This was the vigorous work which all similar curved bacteria were doing. I still wondered from where it came and why is it doing all these. But somehow I felt better to see my acidity getting lowered down. These guys were regulating my stomach acidity.

Me: Ahem! Sir! Can I ask you (I asked hesitantly) are you pathogenic??

H. pylori: Look Boss! First of all, please move aside let some air pass in and secondly move away from me – we are not only Pathogens but also the first formally recognized bacterial carcinogen and one of the most successful human pathogens, as over half of the world's population is colonized with us. Unless treated, we remain with you for your life, and why the hell don’t you move aside and let some air come through.

I realized that it was microoerophillic and so kept demanding for air. I recently read that mounting evidence suggests that H. pylori though undoubtedly a ‘Pathogen’ have an important role in protecting from some diseases and regulating stomach acidity. All were vigorously working, due to which they looked like the “Hunchback of Notre-Dame”. Some were so bent that they almost became coccoidal. Most of them held hand in hand while working, they did seem to like getting separated. Like this collectively they appeared like a transparent film, Ah! What a ‘biofilm’ I thought.

Me: Err! Sir can you tell me even being Pathogenic why I don’t get to feel your presence?

Actually I meant to say “Infections” but then I tried to be humble while questioning but I had used the term “Pathogen” confidently because it had not only proclaimed itself as one but also called itself a “Bacterial carcinogen” a new terminology which I had to Google after going back. To my surprise it was not angry being called a ‘pathogen’ as it replied.

H. pylori: See my dear HOST! Many of our types are fighting it out in your digestive tract, and the winners can determine your risk for a range of health problems. Your belly is a very popular place. We as many as 100 trillion microbes call it our home. One good thing for you is that many of them are beneficial for you because they process hard-to-digest foods, produce nutrients, and as we're now learning to guard you against disease. We as a community synthesize vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin K and b and one biotin, ferment complex indigestible carbohydrates inside your body. Even outside in the nature, when you throw us out of your body, we decompose and recycle dead insects, animals and organisms. And please why don’t you take a deep breath boss! I need some air and now please move on, I have a hell lot of work to finish off.

Saying this he held the hand of his co-workers and all combined to form a big ‘biofilm’ and got back to their work. I decided to leave them alone. At least they accepted that they were pathogens and more than that, and Boy! Were they not humble in that? I dared not trigger ‘antagonism’ in them which will affect no one else but only me.

As I advanced further my curiosity reached newer levels and I was wondering what lay in store of my GUT, I had already started to get that eerie "feeling!!!".

……..Can be Continued by Readers

5) ARGUING WITH "SILENCE"

I solemnly declare that following are my true experiences which I am putting forth without malice and exaggeration. On the contrary, I am indebted to each and every individual, who has behaved the following mentioned ways. Their names have been deliberately kept anonymous on their requests, as they are modest enough for limelight.

A few days back I was in the middle of a “Street Quarrel” involving me and my buddies alongwith. It is best that I do not detail the reasons, because if anyone is interested in it, I recommend them to visit my street and spend a few hours at my hotel counter. Their curiosities will never remain unrewarded. Street quarreling is the original and the most captivating sector of my modern town. Every people and each group and individual of the society were, are, and will be fascinated by the techniques of mastering it. It has been passed on from generation to generation with new skills, practices, procedures and performances. The people here firmly believe that such type of Communication skills and powers needs to grow and they have always put their best efforts to keep it continually to growing; the functions of getting instantly angry, instant verbal skills, mob gathering and innovative profanity is improving as the demands of society increase so to fulfill the thirst and urge for development continues in this competent world. No wonder films and afternoon tele-serials are a part of the edification and slang learning universities for my town people. Most of the vocabulary jargon's are improved by occasional business visits around the neighboring states.

You may be a saint throughout your life, but in my town you are a part of the almighty’s plan to find yourself in the middle of such drama at least once in your lifetime, where you lose your sainthood for the day. So as I was saying I found myself playing a character in one such drama a few days back. But as I had “been here and seen everything” I simply kept smiling at the whole incidence, which irritated my buddy, who was the instant chosen hero of the drama. He kept scolding me later on for keeping mum and smiling like an idiot throughout the scene, which otherwise would have been a super-duper hit spectacle. Somehow I have been simply enjoying such actions throughout my childhood. Now recently I discovered that I enjoy it more if I am in it and if I choose to keep my mouth zipped. I think the credit for such perseverance and patience which I get in such situations comes specially by growing up watching my dad who with his diligence, had failed the best of the “street-smart” intelligence, with his single and simple weapon of “silence”. Ironically I have been told that as a kid I was the one who had his mercury continuously boiling and kept the kitchen utensils flying all around with my temper. God forbid, I would have done a PhD in this area, if not my dad hadn’t set a living example.

I had observed all my life that silence is such a powerful armament in such situations that our confronting hero doesn’t dare to touch you till you keep mum. In my town, this particular tactic is out of curriculum and is genuinely considered as weakness and cowardly. Because it’s not that anybody wants to loose such “heroic and epic battles” but it’s all about the character which will later on persist. That character which will be the most talked about event for the day, week, month or the year, depending upon the intensity of his heroism. Hopefully by the grace of God - nothing lasts more than a year, everything in our market comes with an “expiry date”. Pity! that I still consider “Silence” as the best option even if the preeminent of the intellectuals have a opinion otherwise.  

So after things cooled down my friend asked again with much annoyance, those questions which are decidedly common in such situations like “How the hell could you keep quite??” “Did you not hear, what he was saying???” “How dare he challenge me and my past generations???” “I will show him more than what he wants to see of me???” etc, etc, etc. Those 10-15 minutes could be compiled into an absurd- street library. What wondered me always in such situations are – Aren’t these the kids born to some parents who right now sitting home harbor high ambitions towards this man, who right now is a foul mouthed kid barking on the road? Who may be the teacher of these highly reactive, responsive and energetic youths, what will he do if he is here?? What will I do if these are my kids or students?? Could not this energy and the 'urge to win over at any cost' be diverted to something creative and productive? But then in my town idiots like me can only raise questions in some small gatherings and get called themselves great and revolutionary. Nothing official or practical about it.

Once in such gathering a wealthy stinking rich “Seth” had asked me “Tell me sir, all you Lecturers, you are so highly educated, intelligent and then why are you not rich?” Amassing wealth throughout his life from past few generations had made the “education gene” in him highly recessive. I honestly replied “Tell me O Seth, you are so successful in business, rich and wealthy, but why are you not intelligent?” He avoids my presence till date.

Growing up in a town filled with such “intelligent morons” it was no surprise why my dad retained me in University education business till no any further such activity was possible in this country. Against my fathers will and due to lack of skilled or unskilled labour I had rejoined the hoteling after completing my PhD in Microbiology, a subject which had analogy to hoteling (await for this in the next blog). As an unpaid servant of the hotel and a peanut salary at my college, life was beautiful. Because when you are not paid, then you are 'unbound' and you dictate terms. 

Coming to our core point of keeping 'silent' in that street fight, when my buddy bombarded me with such questions my reaction towards him was the same, which, my dad had taught all his life and  I had did earlier on the street. I just kept quiet and smiled, because I only knew “Why” I did like that and 'that' reason I share with you all via this blog. I got that “Degree” of calmness by watching “Gems” at my hotel counter. Their behavior, their attitude and their doings, their approach are extreme examples and teachings in life to whom I am highly indebted to and could follow a two page write up under the title "Acknowledgements"declaring in person each and everyone, whom I can never forget in this life.

BEST IRRITATING MOMENTS CREATED BY A CUSTOMER-WHICH GIVES YOU AN EXCLUSIVE OPTION OF “REMAINING SILENT”

1. The customer (henceforth called as ‘HE’) never ceases from constantly inquiring rates of the same item which he purchases daily. He always starts with enquiry for a Kilo and ends up purchasing 50grams.
2. With experience this can be tolerated by any hotelier, but before purchasing his routine item he is ritualistic to enquire the prices of each and every other item on the display shelves.
3. If you think it’s nothing, wait it’s not ended yet.  Before buying that 50gram he must “test and taste” (thus waste) another 25grams, which if he doesn’t, he fears that he will be disqualified, by his wife back home as unskilled moron who has no QC skills and who just blindly picks up 'things' what are handed to him.
4. Then he asks for a plastic carry bag. He plainly rejects paper-bags, for it could not be hung on his motorcycle. A carrier-box attachment to a motorcycle in my town is considered a passe, something antediluvian. The bike is purely meant for 'style' and not for 'purpose'. No matter how hard you try to educate him about environment and pollution (you try because the matter comes from college teachings and he is a routine) he gives examples of how other reputed and rich shops are freely giving away, without hassles.
5. Then he coolly asks for one more carry bag (because he is a routine) to take vegetables home. Vegetable sellers of my town are more “eco-friendly” than shopkeepers and hoteliers.
6. When he comes to fulfill his culinary delights, no sooner than he lands on the “table” he bangs, scorns, thumps for an immediate service.
7. He eats to his hearts contents and “burps” directly in a right angle at you on the counter while paying bills. This is the only moment I wish my hotel was somewhere in Arabia, where belching appears to be done as a mark of appreciation or joy.
8. He has the birth right to go to any market without change in his pocket and always harbors 100’s or 500’s and now-a-days 1000's notes, which he takes out like masterly weapon even will his peanut bills.
9. In his dictionary “Service” is provided by none other than "Servants", and the owner is the biggest (read lowliest) of the servant in that ground.
10. He believes that the hotelier grows rich day after day only with his bills. This estimate truly coming for him, from the fact that he always sees the hotelier ‘Seth’ sitting on the counter under a fan, doing nothing.
11. For this esteemed customer a small additional charge of even Rs.1/- towards any item (may be a hike or extra charges), is the end of the world for him, and instantaneously the hotelier becomes a looter, no less than a dacoit and what not.
12. For him the taste of his favorite dish is always “Not like that it used to be before”. Least he knows that a man’s “taste buds” keep variating throughout the year and also keep changing with age.
13. He will have a small last piece of his dish (like Idli or Wada) and all of a sudden he will throw away his spoons and boisterously demand extra cup of Sāmbhar, when supplied (which usually is done free of charge), he will use only one spoonful and waste  the rest.
14. When meagerly charged for that cup – read point 11.
15. He believes that he is always billed extra and therefore he meticulously checks, enquires, inquires, investigates and verifies every item he savored. And once in a while when mistakes do occur due to our illiterate (but not so dumb) waiters, he raises his voice like a police inspector. Only to be recollected by our waiter, an item he forgot that he had consumed.
16. If served with tea, it’s his birth right to ask for a sample “Chivda” mixture, a newspaper and a matchstick for lighting his cigarette or beedi. No wonder my Dad and my Uncle, to much surprise of everyone in our family and friends, ran an “Udupi Hotel” which did not serve tea or coffee for more than 25 years. The legacy continues till date.
    
17. Only in an Udupi hotel he gathers the courage to eat, belch and declare while cleaning his teeth with our toothpick that, he has forgot to bring money and will pay later. His tone being such that the hotelier, for no particularly describable reason, feels guilty for his escape of memory. When you oblige he demands for fennel seeds (bade saunf), which you forward to him with pleasure.
18. If it’s your worst day, he will complain about the fennel seeds lacking taste.
19. He then tests your memory, by appearing again one day (somewhere in the future) thinking you have completely forgotten him, because he genuinely does. Least he realizes how good an actor you are who acts like nothing ever happened.
20. For some reasons of his own he will demand Idli and Upma at 9:00 PM, just because it is an Udupi hotel. Now 50 years down the lane three generations of hoteling and we, simply say ‘not available, your highness’, and have not dared to mention that these dishes are best served as breakfast.
21. He is a chatterbox when he arrives with his friends or family to eat Dosas and Uttapams. Due to occasional absence of mind sometimes he forgets his continuity of the process called as “eating” and ceiling fans are doing their duties above head, which instantly cools the paper thin south Indian delicacy. Then his senses suddenly come alive and he declares that “we are serving stale food” and “I can bet this is yesterday’s Dosa”. Remaining silent at higher levels is the only option.
22. With advent of technology he is a faithful husband, who calls his wife at our counter from his mobile device and truthfully mediates the availability of items, its price, its color, its size, shape (spare for what mentioned in point No. 3 said above technology does not permit it for his wife) wasting precious business hours, then he isolates himself in the corner for another 10 minutes (private conversation) and comes back and asks if the item could be obtained for less. When you politely say ‘prices are fixed sire!’ he claims that there is another shop, who is giving the same better and bigger and nicer at lower rates, and much to your relief he goes away.
23. Only to come back again in twenty minutes flat with point no. 22 repeated all over again.
24. In the middle of a purchase or eating process when he suddenly attends a mobile, pompously self-servingly as if he is the most important person on the planet and as if all (including the hotel owner, who occasionally has to nod) should pay attention to him while he talks inanely about nothing on his cellphone.
25. To end this never ending saga there are two of my all-time favorite. First one goes like this. He always pokes a joke to the hotelier - “You are lucky man that you have a hotel. And you do not have to bother about cooking at home. You are fortunate enough that you can eat daily in your hotel Eh? To one such declaration my father had coolly replied “Aren’t you too lucky enough sire! For you have the largest, biggest and the most reputed medical shop in the town??
26. Second one (I always loved this) is the sarcastic remark of many customers who declare with anguish over occasional price hikes with food items in tandem with the grocery shop hikes. They declare that this south Indian hotel-wallah is a looter, and he has over these years prospered and become rich with our (localite's) money and has built tall buildings. Again a cool "silent customer" the hotelier my dad was who totally agreed to everything he said and had inquired back “All these time Sire! What did YOU do???”

I ask for forgiveness for the length of this post, for my experiences at the counter are voluminous.

4) MURDERING WITH POLLUTION

Today I am writing about some kind of frustration I have. It keeps growing each day and each time when I see people miss typing a lot.  I really mean those people who uses the word “you” only writing “U” and "C" for see.  I don’t know if years by years people are getting a little “lazy” to writing in lines that we can read without having headaches for understanding what they are mean, or I am getting too old for this. There are many of us who are allowing it by their own choice, however. Personally, there is no way it's going to happen to me. 

Is this the death of the English language?...or...Is it the metamorphosis and evolution of an ever changing dialect?  Linguistics rarely ever stay the same over time. By time, I am referencing a few hundred years or so. Think back to the previous periods of 1700's, 1800's and even the 1900's, there is a noticeable difference in the style English and how it is used. I am fairly confident that an English grammar teacher from the 1700's would view our use English today as utterly butchered. 

Internet slang’s and language are really killing the language. Some “u c waat I mean? ” and all those creepy lines get me sick, I keep thinking if people who are behind their computers are just kids learning how to write and type… We can see this a lot in chats, even blogs, and I still keep thinking, if someday they get a job interview, will they write in their curriculum the same vulgar Internet language as well, and see if they will be called to start working soon as they think they will….

English is not my primary language but well, I would like to write and pass the image that I am trying to be serious. The way members on social site talk or write when they are responding to comments or the replies of others and even the way they word their questions and blogs make me think sometimes that we are communicating with animals or aliens and one of extremely low intelligence. Most of them don't know how to spell the simplest words, how to compose a sentence correctly, or anything about correct grammar or punctuation.... When you type correctly, the first impression you pass to others is the seriousness about what you are doing at something.

What hurts more is when you are trying to talk with someone in serious issues they start typing like that, I get lost on their purposes and meanings, and somehow, I think they aren’t really getting serious on what I am talking. When I see some of the things that people post on the internet, particularly young people, I get extremely annoyed. Sometimes they just do things like miss out the vowels, which is really lazy in my opinion. Other times, you wonder what did they actually learn in whatever school that they went to, because they don't seem to be able to even string a sentence together without making a lot of spelling errors in the process. The majority of people and students in school cannot spell simple words anymore. They cannot formulate simple sentences, and forget about them to construct a decent paragraph. In fact, many students in colleges don't know how to write because they are constantly texting and instant messaging each other, and it shows on their answer papers, record books, projects and even in their bio-data. 

This is a huge outcome of the majority of students bunking English classes or not too serious about it. Situation is pathetic specially with Science Students, who need the language the most and are the "Prime-ignorants". I think that they should really know the English Language first, and I mean "truly knowing" the English Language before they learn to text.

Most teenagers say it’s “more fast and easy" to type something that they want”,  but hell, if you want to type, at least do it clearly so that next person can read it “more fast and easy". I am not obligated to see your assassination of my language. I want to read it clear, straight without vulgar Internet slang. Less “U” words I see, better and more serious I will think about your approach towards me or the issue. I wish to see MY students and MY people typing correctly, no matter place or occasion it is… Think about when you get a job… if you work on publicity or marketing enterprises and talk or write this way like you do, … Take time to learn and and type it good, if you want to rush and want to use less words to say than what you feel… It’s better you to just keep shut for the moment and save the typing for a later time…

I recommend my students and friends to either write in good English or write in good Hindi or Marathi. A thousand learning ehtusiastic eyes are watching you. I have decided not to not reply to any of the sentences which are using English words for Hindi or Marathi or vice-versa. Also I will not entertain using short forms, style forms, and all that nonsensical literature of the SMS that KILLS the essence literature and abuses Mother Saraswati. Literature in any language is highly sanctum and we as its users MUST respect it. 

"LEARNING" to drive away the illiteracy is what seperates humans from other life forms and "ILLITERACY" of a novel kind is what these kids are learning. This basically fails everything and everybody's efforts. They fail themselves, their lives, their parents and their teachers. The more they do it, the more rapid is the journey back to the Jungle. 

Well, sorry for all this bad mood, but I needed to say this, somehow, as this Internet slang is highly polluting and thus murderous................…