i started my surgical life in india and am continuing to do so but in between i had interludes abroad and have friends who have worked in places like jamaica-who talk about attitudes and morals.
                    one of my friends a  brahmin from south kanara after his postgraduation in gynaecology landed a job
in jamaica-i am talking of 1982-and the culture shock that he describes is quite revealing-coming from a straitlaced brahmin family-he went into a an atmosphere where 13 year old girls were brought in for abortions by the parents-and the father was unknown.
                       the most interesting story that i have  heard is about relationships in the west indies-the commonest relationship is boyfriend and girlfriend-no strings -in factwhen the boyfriend requires surgery for his prostate-the girl friend would insist that the catheter be put into his abdomen rather than the penis-so that natural functions could continue till prostatic surgery happens-which would take 3-4months
i asked my friend about relationships in jamaica-and igot an  answer which was illuminating-a boy and a girl get together-no strings attached-the next stage is baby mother-where the person who has donated the sperm  has done just that-no further responsibilities-and the next stage is marriage-1 in thousand then it is reported in national tv , in the newspapers,etc.


                    the reason i am penning this piece is because i worked in a british overseas territory called st. helena-and discovered that the same set of rules works for a group of ex slaves-that british worked on the principle of divide and rule-is this principle of not encouraging family relationships a prime example of divide and rule?