Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Mumbai, India as they deal with this tragic attack on their city and country. The Indian people are known for their peaceful nature and overall welcoming culture. I traveled there in January 2008 as an invited lecturer and visiting surgeon for the Third International Tutorials in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. At the hospital where I operated and at the symposium found the Indian medical staff to be very generous and kind; I learned from them as much as they learned from their visitors from around the world.

These acts of terrorism waged against India and the Westerners visiting there underscore a complicated global problem that does not differentiate between race, creed, religion, or peacefulness of culture, and strives to destroy the things we value most: democracy, peace, freedom of speech, thought and capitalism. The attackers have no respect for human life. Everyone in the world needs to stand up against this form of evil, including we New Yorkers who experienced it firsthand with 9/11 and did not take it sitting down.

Pictured above is the sign on the entry into the Bombay Hospital in Mumbai (with a quote by spiritual leader of non-violence, Mahatma Gandhi ) where I had the privilege of performing surgery, and myself in the operating room with one of the Sisters (the Indian term for nurse). Please go to the website Mumbai Help for more information on how to help these wonderful people.

Cosmetic surgery practices have reached every corner of the earth, including but not limited to the U.S., Brazil, Asia, Europe, and now-- India. Bollywood sensation Koena Mitra, though it cannot be confirmed, may have had a little work. Her first big break was during a Gladrgs Modeling Contest in 2002, and when she became a semi-finalist in the Miss Intercontinental competition. Since then Koena has starred in movies, commercials, and advertisements and has become an iconic celebrity in India. (Read her bio at chakpak.com).