Between thoughts and words

Within a few minutes of starting the clinic we got news from the village nearby that Mrs. M had passed away. The news of Mrs. M's passing was constantly in the back of our minds as we went about seeing patients and treating them. We had a full clinic that day and immediately following the clinic, we had committed to conduct a medical camp for children who were orphaned by COVID 19 in the nearby region. We were unsure whether we would even finish clinic early enough to head to the camp. But surprisingly the clinic slowed down and closed sooner than we expected. There was time to visit Mrs. M's home quickly before we can head to the camp. My colleague and I went in her car and as we neared Mrs. M's village, my heart started racing. I have witnessed so many deaths of patients, relatives, friends and even students, and have attended funerals. But it never gets easy. With a lot of trepidation we reached the village. It was not difficult to spot. Mrs. M's home is right on the...

Trigger Warning - bullying, suicide attempt content.  Yesterday I saw a young boy in the clinic. Our clinical encounter last for roughly 20 minutes and it is strongly etched in my mind. I was disturbed for a long time even after I had come home last night. I am still thinking about him. My predominant thoughts when I think about this 15 year old boy studying 11th standard in the local school are helplessness, a gross feeling of insufficiency as an adult in the community and still not being clear how to help him.  My colleague brought him to me so that we can see him together. The boy had repeated episodes of fainting and falling over the past 6 months. He had lost consciousness and fallen at different times which were totally sudden and unpredictable. Sometimes, he had fallen at home, sometimes in school. The mother said at those times he completely became cold and lay still like a log of wood. We spoke to him and got more details about these episodes. It was not making sense ...

Suzanne Koven in her article titled “What is a Mentor?” published in the New England Journal of Medicine wrote, “…a true mentor is someone who has more imagination about you than you have about yourself”. Today is 5 th   of September, Teacher’s Day in India. It has been particularly sentimental for me, because I resigned my job as a teacher about 7 months ago. Teaching is not my main job nowadays. I have been reflecting all day about my teachers and how they have influenced my life and what being a teacher meant to me.   When very important events happen, the Universe pauses for a second and focuses all its energy on the event. I know this, because every time I think of the moment I stepped into Room 101 in Apollo Hospital to meet Dr. K.P. Misra, my teacher and mentor, I feel that the whole Universe paused for a second. It was a transformative moment. Initially it was just awe and wonder of being so close to such a great man, an exemplary teacher and one of the most compassion...