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Celebrating a Legacy: Reality Check

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  On the 22nd of December the residents of Rustom Baug, by Parsi population   standards  a large    collection of 168 housing flats celebrated 100 years of the existence of this baug. For the uninitiated the Parsis are followers of the Zoarastrian religion who escaped persecution by Alexander the Great and later Islamic rulers of  Persia (present day Iran) and migrated to India. As with such ancient migrations the mystery and the stories surrounding this migration are not very clear. However, as with all such stories encapsulated in Qissa-e-Sanjan a minority community tales of woe are filled with tales which border on myth and reality. To cut a very long story short the Parsi community has a glorious past and even today has a stellar reputation in India the country which welcomed Parsis in the 8th to 10th century.  So, a persecuted race lived and imbibed a need to assert a religious identity, but the difficulty of remaining the same needed some compromises and a pragmatic leadership. T

Who are you? and Who am I?

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Introduction:   The questions above are ones which face each one of us in our life on a daily basis.  Do we pause to answer this question or take an answer for granted?  Is our answer the truth or is it an answer given based on the situation and the person asking the question?  Is identity constant or ever changing?  Are we forever searching for home or a final destination where we truly belong?  I will try to make a sincere attempt to answer based on experiential knowledge, scientific and Vedantic principles.  Definition:  If one were to define identity in a true sense of the word it would be attributes associated with a person based an answer to Who am I? and Who are You? The distinction is based on what you think of yourself and what the others who meet you think of you. Since the answer to both these questions is vague and complex I would divide this into the identity one is born with over which one cannot have any control and the identity one acquires over time based on the life o

Profit and Charity in Healthcare: Universal Healthcare is a Right

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Human rights are universal rights of all human beings, regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The right to health and other health-related human rights are legally binding commitments enshrined in international human rights instruments. WHO’s Constitution also recognizes the right to health. Every human being has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Countries have a legal obligation to develop and implement legislation and policies that guarantee universal access to quality health services and address the root causes of health disparities, including poverty, stigma and discrimination. The right to health is indivisible from other human rights, including the rights to education, participation, food, housing, work and information. Universal health coverage (UHC) grounded in primary health care helps countries realize the right to health by ensuring