I miss you Doc !

Today I missed my previous doc, Dr.Sharma.

He was my doc when I was living in my native place. I just happened to meet him accidently. I developed a slight pain in the right side of my stomach and I consulted a general physician. And he referred me to a Surgeon. On that day, There were two of them available for consultation and I happened to sit in front of Dr.Sharma’s OP. He was a short man, well dressed … his mustache wasn’t that black so was his eyes. He talked to me very pleasantly and I liked him. After observation, he prescribed some tabs and sent me back and asked me to visit him after sometime. I visited again and he said he suspects an Appendicitis. I had option to wait till I get lil more pain but we decided to get it operated.

The usual custom here is, we need to bribe the doc before the surgery, else many docs will postpone the surgery, or wont give enough attention. So , on the eve of me getting admitted to the hospital, I went to his home. (Usually all docs practice at home too, privately). There weren’t any patients waiting when I was there. His son was standing near the gate, looking out. I told him that I want to meet the doc. Doc came and son went inside.

“yes, what you want?”

“hmm, I mean, I just want to remind you that I am supposed to get admitted tmrw…”

“look, I know why you are here…but I don’t need your money and don’t think that just coz I did not accept your money I will not perform my duty or I will not give much attention….you have money to give, what about the poor? Should I operate them or not?


“you have to…”

“yes, so, you just go and get ready…take care”

That was a shocker for me….

That time I never knew that he was one of the best Surgeons available in our town. I never knew that he had another hospital of his own, in another town.

The surgery was over, he took good care of me and after that, for every illness, I used to consult him. On certain evenings, he used to sit in a small old house next to his house, which he used as clinic for private consultation (don’t remember the days) and he did not accept any fee. One of the best doc available for consultation for free…can you believe it? I came to know that he was doing that just for the poor people.

We got acquainted. I was one of his most curious patients and he used to give answers with a smile. Once I entered his room with a list of doubts written on a piece of paper and I had some disagreements with what he said last time.

“oh! Really? In which book you read those?”

I said the name of some reference book (I had books on human anatomy, physiology, pharmacology etc with me…and I still have many such books for my reference).

“That is the theoretical aspect you are talking about. That way you are right, but I am practicing since 25 years…what I told you is based on my own experience…”

Then, whenever we met, he used to tease me

“you don’t have any list with you today?” and he laughs

One day, I sat in front of him, crying..

“hey, what is this..”? he asked

But he did not ask me to stop crying….

“Ok OK, enough now….” He said after sometime

“Look, I considered you as my younger brother when I saw you for the first time itself…you can talk anything with me….”

Whenever I needed to talk to someone about my problems, he was there to listen.

He was working with a charitable hospital run by a Hindu Missionary. But one day I came to know that he quit that hospital. So I went to meet him at his home clinic.

“I just asked to shuffle my OP dates with the Swamy (a monk, who was a qualified surgeon) and he hesitated and there are some other politics too, it seems..”

“So, where are you now”?

He said the name of another hospital, which was very famous multi specialty hospital. I knew that hospitals will queue up for him.

“……and that too with a very good package…” he smiled at me “I will be available at Rotary Hospital (which again was a charitable hospital run by the Rotary Club) too, coz, many of my old patients cant afford my new hospital…”

Once I happened to visit that hospital too and I brought my sister and brother in law too with me coz, they were ill.

That hospital wasn’t free. We need to pay a consultation fee and he was a specialist. But it was reasonable compared to many big hospitals.

“did you pay for all of you?” he asked me

“yes “ and I gave him the receipts

“Nurse!…..take this, cancel it, and give them back the money” he said that and handed over the all the receipts except one..

“its ok, doctor” I said

“well, I am sitting here for free….

I got married… he could not attend my marriage…I moved into this new city…I became a father….and then I happened to visit the hospital where he was working as a paid doc, while I was visiting my native place, to give one vaccine for my son. But I came to know that Dr.Sharma is still there so I waited outside his OP (well, I did not take any OP ticket)….

“Doctor, do you remember me?”

“Of course I do”

I introduced my wife and son and had a very small talk….

That was the last time I saw him and he is no more (I think I blogged about his death, sometime ago)

He was the first noble-humble-honest-best human I met in my life , in every aspect.... A human who really cared for his society and fellow humans...a loving personality who was spiritual at the core...A man who asked me to pray (I think I was a sort of atheist that time) He was a gem of a human....such souls wont visit this place very often... I am one of the luckiest to meet him in this life !