GILLIES ORATION - DISTANCE EDUCATION IN PLASTIC SURGERY

Gillies Oration is the most prestigious oration of Association of Plastic Surgeons of India and is delivered in the Annual Conference of the Association by a Past President. This year I was the orator and the topic I chose to deliberate upon was ‘Distance Education in Plastic Surgery’. Sir Harold Delf Gillies is considered to e the father of modern Plastic Surgery, though our speciality goes back to the great Indian sage and surgeon Sushruta, who practiced reconstructing cut noses from cheek flaps in 600 BC!

Though Distance Education became very popular during the lockdown that was imposed because of the pandemic, but the concept is almost 300 years old. Today it has become a vital tool for Continuing Medical Education but it has the potential of turning out to be valuable means of imparting medical knowledge to students in far flung medical institutions which lack adequate teaching faculty or facilities. Augmented Reality will soon teleport the best domain expert in a particular field of medicine to the remotest classrooms and thus offer geographical neutrality to education and training!

Plastic Surgery departments in government medical institutions are deluged with patients who require reconstructive surgery for trauma, burns, diseases and birth defects, So very little Aesthetic Surgery (Cosmetic Surgery) is taught and this has remained a grievance of most trainees. By distance education we hoped to fill this void and in the last 18 months succeeded to a great extent, By making our journal interactive, through YouTube channels and by designing an interactive lecture series complete with a set of MCQs after each lecture we have plans to take the services of the best mentors through Distance Education to every trainee desirous of sharpening his/her skills.

 

THE UNIT CHIEFS

 

Having worked in four continents under different Unit Chiefs and I have learned much more than Plastic Surgery from these superb individuals. They were all different, yet they were all exemplary leaders and outstanding teachers and while imparting a Rolls Royce class training they enriched my life in their own unique and inimitable way. While from some I picked up ‘what to do’ I remain equally indebted to those from whom I learned ‘what not to do’, and they were vitally important for my growth as a professional and development as an individual. Today, when I look back I am convinced that while there is no shortage of motivational books for people who want to improve their management skills, the lessons which these Unit Chiefs taught me were simply priceless and never to be found in books.

 

As you would rightly imagine every Chief is different, his/her man-management styles are different and as a trainee you cannot have a same stereotype attitude towards them all. You are expected to change to suit their style of functioning and therein lies the secret lessons of life. Each one of them will leave behind an indelible impression in your life which you will cherish ever after. From my experience I classify all my Chiefs into 4 categories. This I do to avoid taking names but if you have been to the same training and teaching units you might recognize them.

 

The “Get Down To Business” Chief:  

The “get down to business” Chief is focused on tasks, achievements, and results, and they like to take action and see people working. This Chief is less interested in creating a pleasant work environment and warm relationships among residents and trainees. They are very direct and you probably won’t hear praise from them all too often. Sometimes they can lose their patience when trainees don’t meet goals set for them or take a lot of time to make decisions. This trait is against their personality as for them the most important thing is to move quickly toward goals, show results and manage an efficient and effective team.

Dealing with this Chief is rather easy because their expectations from their trainees are quite predictable:

1. You need to get things done as quickly as possible
2. When talking to them make sure to keep things short and get straight to the point
3. Find solutions and not just problems
4. Try to learn to do your work yourself or seek help of your senior colleagues as the Chief will not spend time helping you out.
5. Don’t try to clash with this Chief or challenge their authority and just do what they expect of you - this is the way to gain their respect and appreciation.

 

The “Turbo Charged Energizer” Chief:

The “turbo charged energizer” Chief is one who is full of energy and optimism and has a radiant personality. This type of Chief knows how to work with people and does it with enthusiasm and a sense of humor, but they also have a tendency to take risks. “Energizer” Chiefs are able to efficiently pass on their ideas to their trainees, and they don’t suffer from mundane routine. They are happy when they are able to concentrate on future ideas and plans, often react quickly. They can sense a research opportunity much before anyone else and they encourage the trainees to achieve greater things by taking the goalposts a little bit farther every time. The “energizer” Chief likes to start new projects, but loses interest in the details or completing small steps on the way to the big goal.

To work with a Chief who is full of energy, you have to adjust to their mood, which means working hard, but not only that but a bit more, or perhaps quite a bit more:

1. Build a personal relationship with them, get excited about their ideas
2. If their ideas aren’t good, don’t try telling them so during planning sessions, rather do it personally and discreetly.
3. Plan well and carry out tasks only after you are ready
4. Finish the unfinished projects of the Chief. He will love it.
   
5. Always check yourself twice so that your Chief doesn’t pick your mistakes, otherwise he/she might feel that you are slowing down progress more than if you were to work slowly.
6. Praise the Chief publicly, they die for it!

 

The “Punctual and Perfectionist” Chief

The “punctual and perfectionist” Chief appreciates quality and accuracy at work. They tend to be organized and orderly, and want to get all the information that exists on a particular subject before making a decision. Usually, the “punctual and perfectionist” boss has a very slow pace and response and is more concerned about mistakes than other Chiefs. They may be perceived as a serious, productive, stubborn person, but among all these, the main quality of perfectionism.

If your Chief conforms to this pattern you must slow down and avoid mistakes because that will not be appreciated.

1. Understand what motivates the Chief in his/her decision making and provide them with solutions that fit their way of doing things.
2. Don’t try to surprise them, even with things you think are good.
3. Read the subject and be prepared for tough questions on the subject you are discussing, because if you aren’t ready, they will doubt your ideas and throw them out the window.
4. Respect their work process, slow down your pace. The Chief isn’t procrastinating, but rather is weighing decisions carefully.
5. Manage your emotions well - learn from criticism and don’t be hurt by it.

 

The “Harmonizer” Chief

The “harmonizer” Chief appreciates people, relationships, stability and of course - harmony. They want to help everyone be successful and happy, and their preferred approach is to come to an agreement with the rest of team regarding the work being done because they believe that this is the only way to get everyone to work as a team. Residents and trainees tend to see this kind of Chief in a positive light, and they are usually perceived as a kind person. The “harmonizer” Chief is very much concerned with the quality of the work, but they don’t respond well to stress and problems that arise – therefore, they aren’t the biggest fan of change.

The good news is that the “harmonizer” Chief seems to be making an effort to make your life easier but stagnation in his/her unit is a distinct possibility. The work that is being currently done will be world class but newer ideas will take time to come in

1. Try working in a team format even if you don’t need the help of others, show the Chief that you aren’t working alone - they will love to it.
2. Don’t create drama at work, but rather talk to your seniors discreetly about what's bothering you.
3. Make sure your new ideas don’t undermine the stability of the team. Try to become the best among equals in the team.
4. Help the Chief to make decisions and remember they are looking more for support rather than suggestions.

While there is no shortage of books to teach you how to win friends and influence people and almost every motivational author have tried to act as Dale Carnegie once in a while, there is a shortage of books for people who would like to learn how to interact and deal with their bosses effectively. You've probably known your boss for a while, and it's very possible that they have read some motivational books and learned how to deal with you, but do you know how to work with them according to their personality? Only after you learn how to do this, you can stand out from all the other employees, impress your higher-ups, and be successful at your job. Plastic Surgery residency is one of the toughest jobs for those who intend to imbibe the knowledge and learn the skills from their Chiefs while delivering excellent patient care all the time. So dealing with different types of Unit Chiefs becomes vital for their personal growth. I feel sad when I learn from social media that residency has left a bad taste in the mouth of the trainees as for me this was perhaps the best period of my life!

MISINFORMATION - A CRISIS AND A WEAPON

 

From lack of credible information to misinformation diarrhoea we have encountered everything and almost everywhere in the world. Yet credible news is absolutely non- negotiable for the health of any democracy. It helps us to form our choices and mould our opinions. We have grown up to believe that what is printed in a newspaper is a fact and we have seen journalists going to jail rather than compromise facts during the Emergency days.  But when journalists start towing party lines and get clubbed in two teams - ’liberals’ and 'ultra-nationalists' you have the perfect recipe for a dish called 'misinformation'.

 

For democracy to succeed there has to be a free flow of credible information. We have in our lifetime seen a wide spectrum of information delivery from government restricted news, which sounded more like propaganda and less like reality. I am sure you remember the coverage of the 1962 Chinese aggression during the Nehru era and the ‘Garibi hatao' sloganeering during Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s period in their family run National Herald in India. The sugar and spice and everything nice published in Span and Life from the U.S and incomparable Tass and Pravda of the erstwhile USSR dishing out their Government manufactured news are overseas examples of this syndrome. As the news sources were scanty, with people of the world not yet connected by the Internet, truth was what the government of the specific country wanted us to believe. 

 

Today we have reached the other end of the spectrum. The unchartered seas of social media, created by Big Tech oligarchs, are full of dangerous icebergs and hazardous shoals and reefs of misinformation and deceit. Unknown to us these new media mughals have hidden algorithms in their programmes that monitor our Internet searches and create our individual personality profiles and then they go about, in a very subtle way, to either reinforced our biases or subtly alter them for meeting their own commercial and their sponsors' ideological objectives. They prioritize the spread of lies like Trump's 'stolen elections' and propagate anger and hate instead of facts like we are observing with the farm laws in India.

 

Fabricated facts or 'factoids' as they were called during the Vietnam War days have now metamorphosed into 'truthful hyperbole ' and 'alternative facts' in Trump era. Weaponizing misinformation and repeating 'big lies' again and again are used by everyone from a defeated American President to deceitful Islamic and communist states in our neighborhood. This business of spreading misinformation and creating mischief is on steroids today and from killing of non Muslims in Kashmir to protest against CAA to farmer's agitation to vaccine hesitancy every evil can be attributed to this thriving industry of manufactured falsehood. Faultlines on the basis of political ideology, religious beliefs, chauvinism and hyper-nationalism are very easy to create, maintain and exploit and democracies are more vulnerable to them.

 

The so-called “power law” of social media, a well-documented pattern in social networks, holds that messages replicate most rapidly if they are targeted at relatively small numbers of influential people with large followings. Researchers have also looked at the relative effectiveness of trolls versus bots. Bots, which are automated programs that masquerade as people, tend to be particularly good for spreading massive numbers of highly emotional messages with little informational content. Think here of a message with the image of a popular politician behind bars and the words “Lock Him Up!” That kind of message will spread rapidly within the echo chambers populated by those who already agree with the basic sentiment that this politician is the root of all evil. Bots have considerable power to inflame people who are already like-minded, though they can be easier to detect and block than trolls. By contrast, Trolls are typically real people who spread provocative stories and memes. Trolls can be better at persuading people who are less convinced and want more information. Political parties employ a team of trollers to run their campaign of misinformation on Facebook and WhatsApp to serve their political goals.

 

Surpassing BBC, CNN, TIMES, TOI and AIR Facebook has become the largest distributor of news but instead of using this premier position judiciously and honestly what did the whistle-blower employee Ms. Frances Haugen tell us? She said that the largest news portal is putting profit before the need to curb hate speech and misinformation. Facebook is biased against facts and is making no efforts to arrest the flow of misinformation. Its subsidiary WhatsApp has created havoc in India, Brazil and Philippines causing violent protests, riots and mob lynching. Yet they claim that they are simply the medium and they are not responsible for the contents of the posts they host! So it is a case of profit without responsibility. Political parties and terror outfits use these social media platforms as weapons to inflame passion, hate, malice, revenge, retribution and anger. There are impressionable and unemployed youngsters, particularly in poor Islamic countries, who are easily swayed by these falsehoods and get inducted in and indoctrinated by terror outfits. Was this the objective of the Big Tech companies? 

 

What is the way forward? How can the information highway be recaptured from the hands of the high priests of misinformation? The Nobel Prize for Peace this year went to two brave journalists Maria Ressa of Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia who have bravely swam against the tide of misinformation in their respective countries despite being the target of troll by government sponsored zealots. Their work should serve as a beacon of truth and encourage others in their tribe to emulate them. What gets published in newspapers and broadcasted or telecasted as news should regain its sanctity and be ruthlessly unbiased. A free press is after all the fourth pillar of democracy along with legislative, executive and judiciary.  

 

Facebook today is fighting through a tangled morass of privacy, free-speech and moderation issues with governments all over the world. It has been hit with a series of scandals that have bruised its image, enraged its critics and opened up the possibility that in its quest for global dominance, it may have created something it can’t fully control. It only reminds me of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” When the scientist Victor Frankenstein realizes that his cobbled-together creature has gone rogue he exclaims “I had been the author of unalterable evils, and I lived in daily fear lest the monster whom I had created should perpetrate some new wickedness.” When Mr. Mark Eliot Zuckerberg built Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004, nobody could have imagined it becoming a censorship tool for repressive regimes, an arbiter of global speech standards or a vehicle for foreign propagandists and terror organizations. Mr. Zuckerberg has his job cut out; he has created a Frankenstein and now he has to tame it. 

The real danger is if regulators end up losing their patience with digital literacy initiatives and find greater willingness to employ illiberal solutions. This is no longer limited to autocratic governments, which have a willingness to leverage the issue to crack down on political dissent; increasingly democracies are testing the waters too. In the absence of effective and democratic policy remedies, the misinformation problem might lead developing countries to adopt an increasingly autocratic approach to governing.

THE SPELL OF ISTANBUL AND THE MAGIC OF BOSPORUS

 

 

Istambul not like Paris or Rome or Prague, where elegance and grandeur pour out of every side street and sprawling square. Istanbul’s beauty is nuanced and complex, and it reveals itself slowly, day by day, layer by layer. But Istanbul has the Bosphorus (or Bosporus) which will remain the envy of all cities.

Before Istanbul grew into the cosmopolitan city it is today, it was conquered, fought over, and rebuilt many times. It was Byzas the Megarian who named the city Byzantine in 700 BC, and until 300 BC a small colony of Greeks inhabited the area. For the next 1,000 years, Byzantine thrived as a trading and commercial center, which caught the eye of the Roman Empire who conquered the area in 193 AD continuing to use it as a trading hub. When Roman Emperor Constantine left Rome in the 4^th Century, he deemed Istanbul as the new capital.

History

With its seven hills, control of the Bosphorus, and easy access to the Golden Horn harbor, the city was a prime example of strategic advantage. As the empire’s new capital, it was re-organized and widened, while new temples, official buildings, palaces, hamams, and the hippodrome were built. In 330 AD, the city was declared the Eastern Roman Empire’s capital and renamed Constantinople with an official ceremony. Constantinople remained the capital for many centuries and enjoyed a golden age in the 6^th Century under Emperor Justinyen.

After several attacks, including the Arabs in the 7^th and 8^th Centuries and the Bulgars in the 9^th and 10^th Centuries, the capital fell to the Crusaders in 1204 who destroyed and raided it for many years. Even though the Byzantine Empire regained control of Constantinople by 1261, it never reached its former glory and in 1453, after a 53-day siege, the Turks conquered the city and renamed it Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire. Under Ottoman rule, the city saw a rise in population with Greek, Armenian, and Jewish immigrants enjoying religious freedom and social rights. Out of all the Ottoman leaders, it was Süleyman the Magnificent (1520-66) whose military conquests brought wealth to Istanbul.

Following the death of Süleyman, the empire began to decline, losing territory to the West in the 18^th Century, and being occupied by allied troops after the end of WWI. It was with the leadership of prominent commander and war hero Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that a four-year War of Independence resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. When the capital was moved to Ankara, Istanbul remained a commercial and cultural center with its remaining historic sites left to tell the story of its exuberant past.

The Bosporus

The Bosporus is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and, by extension via the Dardanelles, the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, and by the Kerch Strait, the sea of Azov. The Bosphorus strait is one of the world’s important maritime routes for the transportation of oil from the Caspian Sea region and Russia to regions including Asia, Western and Southern Europe.

It’s where Europe comes down to meet Asia, the heart of multiple civilizations. The Bosphorus strait draws the city of Istanbul together, connecting its European side to its Asian half with chameleon blue strokes. And while the iconic body of water has featured in more movies, songs and Instagram accounts than can be counted, the economic and strategic importance of the Bosphorus will always rival its cultural impact. 

 

The Bosporus strait has played a major role in world trade for centuries. About 48,000 vessels transit the straits each year, making this area one of the world’s busiest maritime gateways. The strait is 30 kilometers (19 miles) long with the maximum width being 3.7 kilometres (2.3 miles) at the northern entrance and minimum width 750 metres (2,450 feet) between two Ottoman-era forts, Rumeli and Anadoluhisari. The depth ranges from 36.5 metres to 124 metres (120 to 408 feet) midstream.

The Bosporus is one of the world’s most important chokepoints for the maritime transit of oil. Over 3 percent of global supply or 3 million barrels per day, mainly from Russia and the Caspian Sea, passes through the waterway. The route also ships vast amounts of grains from Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan to world markets.

It is also a two-way passage for sea life. It acts as an ecological tunnel between the Mediterranean and Black sea. Fish pass through the strait in order to feed on the rich nutritious waters of the Black Sea. This in turn makes the Bosporus Strait one of the most dynamic regions in the world for fishing.

Three bridges have been built across the strait with the first being the Bosphorus Bridge completed in 1973. The bridge was renamed ‘July 15^th Martyrs’ bridge after 34 civilians were killed by putschists during the 2016 coup attempt.

The locals and the Bosporus

Many Istanbulites take the Bosporus for granted, continent-hopping by passenger ferries daily to get to work, school or to conduct their daily affairs. But the ferries of the strait are special; they host the daily commuters with the spirit of Turkish hospitality. People on the ferries can find buskers and other performing artists hoping to earn some money while trying to make the cross-continental jaunt a little more pleasant.

The Bosphorus is always one of the most popular areas of Istanbul for its inhabitants, especially during hot summer days. If you will take a cruise along its shores, you will observe Ottoman palaces, old wooden villas, fortresses and fine arvelousoods. I am always fascinated by the nostalgic wooden mansions and imagine the stories behind them. Years ago they were inhabited by poets and high ranking officers. Now they belong to the wealthy or inherited from generation to generation. Some of them are also the most expensive houses in the world.

Two sporting events

The iconic Bosporus Cross-Continental Swim is a very popular event on the city’s colander. The strait in Istanbul comes to a standstill as thousands of swimmers cross from Asia to Europe in the world’s only intercontinental swimming race. As swimmers take over the Bosphorus waters and one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world is temporarily closed to traffic. The course is 6.5 kilometres (4.3 miles), the water is fast, clear and furious with a major current making the swim challenging.

The Istanbul Marathon is the only marathon in the world to be done across two continents. Runners start the race by crossing the July 15 Martyr’s Bridge giving the participants a arvelous view of the Bosphorus. The route passes many historic and iconic sites such as the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia and ends in Sultanahmet in the European part. All in all the race crosses three bridges, one in the Bosphorus and two over the Golden Horn.

The mythology

The name Bosporus comes from a Thracian word meaning “passage of the cow.” The name is derived from the legend of Io who was one the many lovers of the Greek god Zeus. Hera, the wife of Zeus, became suspicious and came down from Mount Olympus to see what her husband was up to. The name is derived from the legend of Io who was one the many lovers of the Greek god Zeus. Zeus in haste to hide his affair changed Io’s form to a white cow. Hera saw right through the ruse and asked to keep Io as a present, to which Zeus agreed. She had Arges, a Cyclops, watch over it, but Io got free eventually. So Hera sent flies to sting and bother Io for all time, this pushed her to madness and trying to escape, she travelled the world!

Istanbul and Bosporus a true double delight

While Istanbul is beautiful every hour of each day, the best time to see the real beauty of it is during sunset and sunrise. With its amazing silhouette, Istanbul makes both visitors and residents fall in love with the city. 

 

The city can take you back centuries with its landmarks, including Galata Tower, Maiden’s Tower, Haghia Sophia and the mosques that rise to the sky. Even when you are stuck in a traffic jam while crossing the bridge from Europe to Asia and feel completely overwhelmed, seeing the Istanbul skyline over the bridge can make you forget all the negative effects of Istanbul as a metropolis. Sunset in this city is divine. From cotton candy clouds to drama queen shades, each day ends in different colours.  

Salacak

Salacak is a perfect spot hidden away in the Üsküdar district on the Asian side. Salacak is where Maiden’s Tower salutes Istanbulites every day. The closest destination to the tower is tea houses located on the shore. All the colours of nature, from yellow to pink, give a visual feast to visitors during each sunset. Looking to the historic peninsula right behind the Maiden’s Tower, a perfect Istanbul silhouette can be seen complete clearly when the sun bids farewell behind one of the seven hills of Istanbul. If you are on holiday in Istanbul, there is a good chance you saw a photograph of the sun setting behind the Maiden’s Tower before you arrived. Yes, the photos can be stunning, but the sunset view from Salacak is more beautiful and mesmerizing that it is in the photos. The best place to see the sunset over the tower is Büfe Taner since it is located exactly in front of the tower. 

 

Camlica hill

Istanbul’s seven hills are known for their magnificent beauty. Among the hills, Çamlıca is the tallest one. If you would like to watch an incredible sunset view in the city, Çamlıca hill is a perfect spot. Including views of the Prince’s Islands, Sultanahmet Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Ortaköy, Çamlıca Hill offers a host of landmarks for you to watch adorn the sunset. 

Foodie’s delight

 

If you love traversing the city for hours, walking down the streets and hopping on to local transports like the locals, which is my style, then you can never miss gorging on everything from Simit to Borek Manti while enjoying Istanbul. The locals directed us to an outdoor patio at a cafe next to the Bosphorus. These guys specialized in slices of syrup-soaked baklava served with a tulip-shaped glass filled with apple tea. Turkish food is so diverse and so innovative that if you have not tasted it you are missing out on some pleasures of life and cafes by the sides of Bosphorus offer both tasty food and breathtaking sights!

Lahmacun is a street food version of pizza minus the sauce and cheese. Dough is rolled, flattened, and spread with a premade mixture of finely minced lamb, onions, tomatoes, and parsley. It's then baked and served with a salad.

Balik Ekmek is one of their best dishes is fish preparation. A lightly seasoned filet served on a bread roll with onions, tomatoes, and lettuce, the fish is largely deboned

My local friends were avid foodies and very serious with the correct name and pronunciation of each culinary delight. People often confuse kebabs, gyro, shwarama, and doner so they helped us with their profound gastronomic knowledge. A Turk originally invented the large blocks of spinning meat you see around the world before introducing them to Greece to become what you commonly call a gyro (Greek for "turn"). The main difference between the Greek and Turkish versions is the sauces and spices: gyros have tzatziki, while kebabs do not. Shwarama is actually Arabic for the same dish so gyro, shwarama, and doner are essentially the same thing.

Kebab is any type of grilled meat on a skewer. They come in many forms, but will never be served as a wrap with the exception of a doner kebab (simply translating to “rotating meat” in Turkish), making everything technically a doner. Chunks of diced meat cooked over an open flame with vegetables, be sure to try Adana Kebab for a kick of savory Turkish spice accompanied by fresh veggies.

In a nearby narrow pedestrianised street we sampled menemen, a classic Turkish breakfast omelette-like dish, at a local al fresco café in the fashionable suburb of Kadıköy on the Asian side of the city.

The national drink of Turkey, Ayran is a cold yogurt, which you'll find all over Istanbul. It has a bitter and salty taste, but a smooth finish. It's normally served with grilled meat to cleanse the palate

The local transport

I've visited many of the great transport cities of the world such as San Francisco, Lisbon and Hong Kong but for sheer variety of public conveyances in stupendous settings, Istanbul comprehensively mows all of them down. Cities like Istanbul, possessed with intricate, colourful and at times vintage transport networks designed to conquer both land and water and which are still actively patronised by their citizens, are akin to mammoth theme parks. Every ferry, funicular, tram or train is a thrill ride of sorts to be savoured and enjoyed.

There are two Nostalgic tram lines in Istanbul - one on the European side and another on the Asian side. We caught the one on the European side. Here a diminutive, ketchup-coloured tram trundles along at barely a walking pace, the vehicle's driver furiously sounds his bell in a vain attempt to thread a path through a throng of hundreds, maybe thousands, of oblivious pedestrians. This is the less than a two-kilometre journey aboard Istanbul's so-called Nostalgic Tram, a faithful and convincing replica of the original 19th-century version which once operated along here until it was, like so many city trams around the world, withdrawn from service. Happily it was revived in 1990 with Istanbul's transport officials having to rely largely on old photographs of its predecessor in order to recreate it. Today it connects two famous squares, Tünel with Taksim, the latter being Istanbul's main public gathering point.

 

In order to reach the Asian shore, I need to take the modern Istanbul metro from Gayrettepe, the station below Raffles Istanbul, and connect to the Marmaray railway tunnel, among the great feats of modern-day engineering. The name "Marmaray" is derived from the combination of the name of the Sea of Marmara and the word "ray", Turkish for "rail".

The metro may be a great technological marvel but by taking it one misses the sheer joy of the ferry ride across the busy Bosphorous and its awesome views of the city with its emblematic dome and minaret-studded skyline. By crossing the two continents on the Bosphorus one is able to glimpse the city's magnificent historic palaces, the summer houses of the Ottoman Sultans and the famous Maiden Tower in the middle of the ever-turbulent waterway.

And then there is the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Spice Market and many other visual and culinary delights. We have talked about the Hagia Sophia in the past https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2020/07/hagia-sophia-changing-with-changing.html

and we will talk about the others at a later date.