Googling your way to knowledge

 The other day a North Indian friend called to ask me the name of a  variety of a spinach which is very good for curing mouth ulcers, which I had recommended to him earlier. I promptly told him it is `Manathakali Keerai` in Tamil. When he wanted the English or Hindi name. I told him I would  get back. Like all writers I make extensive use of  Google to research on any topic. However I was not sure if Google can help me  with the translation of a Tamil name. I decided to give it a try. I googled `Manathakali Keerai` in English and pressed the enter button. Lo &  behold , the next minute not only did it give me the name of the spinach in English ( Black night shade) and `Makoi` in Hindi but also gave enough information to write a thesis on the subject.

Until I discovered Google I would refer to the bulky Oxford Dictionary, the Thesaurus or even  a book of popular phrases whenever I needed help for my writing assignments. Google has helped me to clear my table of these books and make it less cluttered. Whoever conceived the idea must be a genius. Imagine being able to access any information, on any subject in any language at the press of a button, even on your mobile. The world at your finger tips. It is awesome!

I also use google to identify a carnatic singer of my choice for the day and click the enter button and  I am presented with a choice of his/her concerts to listen to. I do this every afternoon. I have the complete schedule of Music Academy for the season, which I use to select my singer for the day. As a person who is no connoisseur of Carnatic music but listen to it only for the joy it gives me, I am very happy  with this possibility.

While I have learnt  to use Google to fill my knowledge gap on any issue, one thing I don`t do is to consult Dr.Google for any of my health issues. I know of many of my curious  friends who  would  enter their  symptoms and seek Dr.Google`s help  to identify their  ailment. Dr.Google being an expert on everything under the Sun, has  no qualms about  advising  my friend about various possibilities from Cancer to the worst form of other diseases.  In  panick the friend  would rush to a five star hospital  for treatment  where a specialist would  prescribe all kinds of tests (even unrelated to his area so that he can meet his targets) just to rule out all possibilities. At the end, he would either say that the friend has  no problem  or recommend a preventive surgery to avoid future complications arising out of the symptoms turning out to be a major problem later. Either way my friend would have wasted his time and money and will then go back to complaining about the exploitation by corporate hospitals.

No sir, not for me Dr.Google. Any day I prefer my family doctor ( fortunately I have one) who knows enough about my body that as  I  am describing  my symptoms, he would be ready with his prescription. He would recommend Tests only if he feels it is important. Even as I come out of his clinic after paying his modest fees I feel better. In our family we call him a Rasiana (lucky) doctor!