*Nutraceuticals book release function revisited

8 August 2022

From left: Dr Vinod Kotwal, Member Secretary, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, and Ex-Director, FSSAI & MOPFI, GOI; Dr Mayurika Goel, Associate Fellow, TERI Deakin Nanotechnology Centre and Honorary Fellow, Deakin University, Australia; Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director-General, TERI; and P K Jayanthan.

TERI video conference room, 27 July 2022.

Dr Vinod Kotwal, Mayurika, Sangeeta, Anupama, Sonal, Radhika … they were all already there. Mr Rakesh Kacker should have been there, too. But Covid advised him, ‘Take rest for a week’. But he was there on the screen as were Yateen and Dr Kiran Sharma.

My first thought: where are the microphones?

Those two tiny UFOs, one on each table – are they the microphones?

Those teeny-weeny itsy-bitsy toys?

Will they catch voices from all corners of the room?

They were, and they did.

Enters Vibha.

Sharing the dais with TERI DG! It didn’t happen while in TERI.

It is happening now – 14 years after leaving it.

Post-release:

I pester Radhika. The ever-smiling, soft-spoken sweet­ little girl.

‘Please, the recording, please’ was my demand – of the book release function.

One might ask, ‘Why? You attended it!’

Well, I did. But my ears had said, ‘We are on work-to-rule’.

One ear was ill from childhood [‘a hole in the eardrum’, the doctor had said].

Got worse after radiation and chemo therapy four years ago.

So, the recording.

Radhika was very kind to pester the computer centre in turn.

And I got it today – the link. Great!

Thank you, Radhika.

I revisited the programme today.

Thank you, Vibha, for all those good words. Didn’t hear them then, but heard today. Better late than never.

The recording shows how foolish one talked or acted.

Didn’t hear Anupama urging us to untie the ribbon on the book. The others did.

It is only when she, frustrated, signalled me to untie, did I realize, ‘Oh God! How foolish of me!’

But by the time the photos had been taken. So, I ended up looking at the ribbon: ‘To untie or not to untie?’

Maybe I am older than I want everybody to believe!

Seven minutes of ‘and’s, ‘eh’s, ‘uh’s, … was really boring. Reading the prepared text would have been cleaner and faster. Could have saved three minutes. Apologies.

Would like to reiterate one point Yateen said – authors must respect editors’ work.

The book is the author’s baby, no doubt. Every word in it is dear to him/her.

The editor, however, as Yateen said, connects the author and the reader. He/she keeps both and sometimes also the publisher, in mind.

No, I am not telling editors are gods or their words are bible. They also oversee or make mistakes. Authors may have different opinion on certain points. But rejecting the editors’ views without understanding them is not good.

Overall, a day well spent!

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* Nutraceuticals in Human Health, by Mayurika Goel, TERI Alumni Association, New Delhi, August 2022. 42 pp.