A PIO physician treats Harvard grads to life lessons

A PIO physician treats Harvard grads to life lessons
TOI correspondent from Washington:
By his own account, graduates at Harvard University's convocation ceremony on Thursday deserved to hear from a star, a legend, a Nobel prize winner, or perhaps even the Pope.
But tasked with delivering the commencement speech by the university's embattled president Alan Garber, currently locked in an epic battle with the Trump White House, Abraham Verghese, physician and author of Indian-origin, proceeded to dissect MAGA-infused USA with the precision of a surgeon, although he is an infectious disease specialist.
"When legal immigrants and others who are lawfully in this country including so many of your international students worry about being wrongly detained and even deported, perhaps it's fitting that you hear from an immigrant like me," Dr Verghese told the graduating class, recalling a journey that brought him to America from Ethiopia, where he was born, via India, from where his parents hailed and from where he obtained his MBBS (from Madras Medical College).
He recalled that both countries went through authoritarian rule, and the journey had led him to an appreciation of American values that were now under siege.
Without once mentioning the US President's name or MAGA, Abraham told the largely anti-Trump assembly that a cascade of draconian government measures had already led to uncertainty, pain, and suffering in America and across the globe—and more has been threatened.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Dermatologista recomenda: simples truque elimina o fungo facilmente
Acabe com o Fungo
Undo
"The outrage you must feel, the outrage so many feel, also must surely lead us to a new appreciation. Appreciation for the rule of law and due process, which till now we took for granted—because this is America after all! And appreciation for those committed to truth—veritas--at a time when the absence of truth has come to feel almost normal," he said to applause.
Author of acclaimed novels going back to his 1994 debut with My Own Country: A Doctor's Story, about his experience with the onset of AIDS in America, Verghese said a part of what makes America great is that "it allows an immigrant like me to blossom here, just as generations of other immigrants--and their children--have flourished and contributed in every walk of life, working to keep America great."
America also allowed this immigrant to find his voice as a writer, he said, citing the novelist E.L. Doctorow, who wrote, 'It is the immigrant hordes who keep this country alive, the waves of them arriving year after year. Who believes in America more than the people who run down the gangplank and kiss the ground?'
The new grads tittered at the many subtle digs Verghese took at the White House occupant, including referring to "the trait of reading fiction in some of the best physicians and leaders I have met, including your President, I mean your university's President...And
if you don't read fiction, my considered medical opinion is that a part of your brain responsible for active imagination atrophies."
He also referred to courage of the AIDS-afflicted he had treated, and in an oblique dig at MAGA told the graduating class "They taught me about manhood—not the caricature of manliness, not the posturing that has become so fashionable lately—but the manliness that allowed them to be compassionate, generous, and steadfast even in the depths of their suffering."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Time of India

37 minutes ago

• Time of India

Minister hands over compensation for Phase II of Pazhakutty–Mangalapuram Road project

Thiruvananthapuram : Food and civil supplies minister GR Anil on Saturday handed over the compensation for Phase II of the Pazhakutty–Mangalapuram Road project to district collector Anu Kumari. At a formal event held in collectorate conference hall, the minister handed over a cheque of Rs 44.64 crore. The 20km-long and 13m-wide Pazhakutty–Mangalapuram Road is being developed with a total investment of Rs 170 crore from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB). The compensation covers land acquired for the second reach of the project, stretching from Mukkam Palamoodu to Pothencode. This phase involves the acquisition of 1 acre and 70 cents from 400 families. Additionally, eight individuals eligible under the resettlement package will receive Rs 9.5 lakh each. The minister directed officials to expedite proceedings and complete compensation disbursement by Sept so that the tendering process can be initiated without delay. In the first reach of the project, 73.4 cent was acquired from 203 families, for which Rs 5.61 crore was disbursed as compensation. The 7km road section from Pazhakutty to Mukkam Palamoodu incurred an expenditure of Rs 35.52 crore, with Rs 12.93 crore allocated for its completion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The construction on this stretch is scheduled to begin on July 1. The third reach, from Pothencode to Mangalapuram, involved acquiring 66 cent from 247 families, with Rs 9.46 crore already distributed as compensation. An amount of Rs 47.83 crore has been sanctioned for the construction work, which is currently nearing completion and is expected to be finalised by the end of July. The minister also instructed officials to take necessary steps to ease travel difficulties faced by the public during the construction phase. The review meeting was attended by deputy collector Muhammad Safeer and representatives from various departments.

Time of India

37 minutes ago

• Time of India

Back on track? Western corridor tries to bypass controversies & green concerns

Bhopal: The western corridor of Bhopal that was cleared by the state govt before 2023 assembly polls, but was stuck after being marred with irregularities, is now slated to take off once again. The project, which was to start from well before Mandideep while coming from Jabalpur side, would now start from after Mandideep towards Bhopal, to avoid controversies that influential people purchased land on sides of the corridor soon after the corridor was announced. Officials said the second issue was environmental concerns from the project, as it moved from close to the catchment area of Upper Lake. To address the issue, the govt has decided to come up with an over bridge at the point where the corridor raised environmental concerns by passing through wetlands. As per the new plan, the corridor would now start after Mandideep while coming towards Bhopal. This would reduce the corridor's length by four kilometers from 42 kms, as originally planned, to 38 kms. There would be a new 500 meters over bridge over Kolans river to avoid protected wetland site on the catchment of upper lake. Officials of the MP road development corporation said the new site selection survey is underway for the project and the work for the Rs 3000 cr project was expected to start after monsoon. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Comfortably: 60 m² Prefab Bungalow for Seniors in Najaf Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo The agency that was originally finalized to carry out the project would only do the work after the new site selection. The project was expected to give the city its much awaited ring road. Officials said, the 52 kilometers existing by-pass in Bhopal city on national highway 46 starts from Gyarah Mill and ends at Bhauri Bhopal-Indore route. It covers the city from three directions due to which vehicles moving towards Indore have to cover 23 kilometers additional distance. In Oct last year the public works department constituted a four member committee comprising officials of public works dept, representatives of dist collectors concerned and representative of district registrar. The complaint was made to the PMO and the govt of India, ministry of road transport and highway has sent it to the public works department, MP. Officials said the complaint was regarding purchase and sale of land along the proposed by-pass by the officials and issues related to land along the route of proposed western by-pass or corridor. There was no issue in the project and it would take off after a new site selection survey, officials added. The need of a western bypass was felt in the city for a long time. The 38 kilometers western highway would start from close to Mandideep (on Bhopal and Mandideep road) and end on Indore road in village Phanda Kalan. It would be developed with four lane access control criteria and service roads will also be there. As per the initial plan, out of the total project cost worth close to Rs 3000 crore, Rs 427 crore would be for land acquisition, Rs 19 crore for utility shift, Rs 15 crore for environment management, apart from the corridor construction. After development of the western bypass, Mandideep industrial area would get directly linked with industrial capital Indore. Similarly, it is also expected to save time for people moving from Kolar towards Indore. The heavy vehicles coming from Jabalpur and Narmadapuram could move towards Indore from outside of Bhopal that would have saved 23 kilometers of distance and one hour of time. After completion of the west by-pass, the Kolar road and Sehore road (Ratibad village) would witness increased industrial activity and it would also get alternate routes for Indore and Rajgarh. In the project, 6 lane structures with a four lane road and two lane service roads on both sides were planned. One ROB, two flyovers, fifteen underpasses and two major junctions were proposed along the alignment of the route. It was proposed to be constructed on hybrid annuity model- a variant of the PPP model used for implementation of highway projects.

First Post

38 minutes ago

• First Post

FATF links dual-use equipment seized by India to Pakistan's missile programme

A dual use equipment seized by India from a Pakistan bound merchant vessel in 2020 is linked to Islamabad's National Development Complex that is involved in the country's missile development programme, a new report by the Financial Action Task Force has said. read more India's 2020 seizure of Pakistan-bound dual-use equipment has been linked to Islamabad's missile development programme, according to a new report by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The equipment, intercepted from a merchant vessel is associated with Pakistan's National Development Complex, a key entity involved in the country's missile development. FATF, the global financial watchdog, referenced the case in its latest report, which outlines risks and vulnerabilities in the international financial and trade systems. The incident was cited under a section highlighting the misuse of the maritime and shipping sectors to move sensitive goods, including dual-use items that can be repurposed for weapons programmes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'In 2020, Indian custom authorities seized an Asian-flagged ship bound for Pakistan. During an investigation, Indian authorities confirmed that documents mis-declared the shipment's dual-use items,' the FATF report said. 'Indian investigators certified the items for shipment to be 'Autoclaves', which are used for sensitive high energy materials and for insulation and chemical coating of missile motors,' the report said. It said these sensitive items are included in dual-use export control lists of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The bill of lading of the seized cargo provided evidence of the 'link between the importer and the National Development Complex, which is involved in the development of long-range ballistic missiles,' it said. The export of equipment such as the autoclaves without formal approval from various authorities is a violation of existing law, the FATF said. Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC) has played a crucial role in the development of Pakistan's missile programme. India had seized the dual-use equipment from merchant vessel Da Cui Yun at Kandla port in Gujarat on February 3, 2020. The Indian customs authorities had stopped the vessel for wrongly declaring an autoclave, which can be used in construction of missiles, as an 'industrial dryer'. The report said that significant vulnerabilities remain across the global financial system in countering the financing of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Despite the grave threat posed by proliferation financing (PF), only 16 per cent of countries assessed by the FATF and its global network have demonstrated high or substantial effectiveness' in a process that evaluates the implementation of targeted financial sanctions under the United Nations Security Council resolutions on proliferation. The report said that unless the public and private sectors urgently bolster technical compliance and effectiveness, those seeking to finance WMD proliferation will continue to exploit weaknesses in existing controls. The report provided a detailed analysis of the evolving methods and techniques used to evade PF-related sanctions. 'Illicit actors are employing increasingly sophisticated methods to evade sanctions and circumvent export controls,' it said. With inputs from agencies