A day in the life of a doctor’s son

By the time I wake up, dad has already left for his clinic. He has several patients waiting for their turn. 

I remain at home. Time passes by. I am in the middle of my regular activities when someone calls me. Their family member got some disease (likely Corona) and wanted to talk to dad for second opinion. I reply that he’s in OPD and so busy that he cannot take calls. I tell them that if not urgent then I’ll make you talk to him when he’s home, meanwhile please send all reports. 

I go back to what I was doing, and then I receive message from an acquaintance regarding a doctor dying while saving people from covid. I can only be positive about my own home. Dad is 68+, yet he goes to treat so many patients each day. He sits in a PPE with the tightest mask available, so tight that even breathing becomes difficult after some time. For many hours he listens to patients and also talks a lot while explaining things. He only knows where he gets the energy to carry on. 

His designated hours are till 1:30 PM, yet he keeps seeing patients, at times beyond 4 PM. Every patient deserves a certain amount of time, for a fair treatment. Most patients come with a negative mindset and share their shenanigans with him. He listens to what they say, so that it’ll make them feel better. 

Finally he comes home, for a late lunch. Then he changes and takes a bath. Tries his best to keep things clean. Though he had a tough day, never tells anyone about it. Is totally calm and not in a complaining mode. Quietly eats his meals, when a patient calls on landline. He tells the patient that your wife has covid, he’ll message which medicines are to be taken for next few days, and don’t worry he’ll try that she doesn’t have to go to the hospital. After the call gets over, he continues with his meal. 

If there is evening curfew then he stays at home to do things that enhance his knowledge. He’s been keeping himself updated on covid, as new findings emerge and other doctors share their experiences. I can’t keep count of how many people he’s cured from the virus. Not just Jalandhar, also in other cities including metros. Some of my friends now trust his word, even though there are many other competent people around them. 

If there’s no night curfew then he goes to clinic again and works beyond his designated time. 

It’s 7:40 PM and I call my friend who used to live in Delhi. He tells me about his relative who paid ₹50,000 to someone there for a complete course via telephone, which included medicines and one call a day. I really wonder, how much money could dad have made if he did what a few others did? The house we live in, he had to take a bank loan for the same. So many sacrifices he did for the family, but never boasts about it. He’s earned lesser money than so many others. What he’s earned more is goodwill and heartfelt respect.

It’s due to people like him, that some people tell me that humanity is still alive. 

Streets of Hemingway by Arjun Suri

Modern Punjab's Numero Uno Role Model

Whom am I talking about? Let me narrate some facets about him in various sections, before finally revealing his identity in the end.


Growing years and Academic achievements

• Though raised in a well respected family, he wasn't born with a silver spoon in mouth. Most of his childhood went eating dry Chapatis with Onions, as they were the cheapest food stuffs available.

• He remained a topper throughout, and recieved scholarship consistently. He avoided taking money from home, and his scholarship used to go in paying his school / college fees.

• An academically brilliant student, there were times when he cleared multiple classes in one year. He was destined to take up Engineering, however due to being underage he wasn't eligible to appear for IIT. So he shifted gears to Medical and in first attempt got MBBS in GMC, Amritsar, which was the leading college for that course back then. He passed from the college as a Gold Medalist.

• Post GMC Amritsar, he got admission in MD Medicine at PGI Chandigarh, which at that time had only a couple of seats in that course. He topped there as well.

Professional

• His colleagues went to North America / Europe. He got multiple offers to go abroad, but on insistence of his ailing parents to take care of them, stayed in India.

• He joined PGI Chandigarh while doing his masters and was working there when he got married.

• Soon after marriage, he relocated to Jalandhar, when compared to Amritsar there were lesser medical facilities for patients.

• Without borrowing a single penny from his parents, he opened up his own private clinic. After some time he got a Clinical Laboratory opened up for his wife as well.

• His clinic has stood the test of time for more than 30 years. Despite renowned multi-specialty hospitals opening up their branches in the city, his clinic continues attracting people.

• While some hospitals these days rely on fancy furniture, soft spoken female nurses, computerized systems, glitters in buildings, free check-up camps for increasing awareness ; his clinic emphasizes on having all the necessary facilities that a patient actually needs. Thus he doesn't charge his patients just for providing a "luxurious experience".

• He patiently listens to his patients and does not make them run away quickly in order to wind up for the day ASAP. He gives individual attention to all his patients equally.

• Remains up to date on the latest happenings in the field of Medicine and prescribes the better stuff to his patients.

Family

• His elder brother, who was extremely close to him, passed away when he was 16. Disturbed, he provided support to his ailing father and ensured he passed the exams securing top marks on scholarship, post which he got admission in Medical College on first attempt.

• His father passed away when he was 29. He became head of family and took charge of marrying his younger brother soon thereafter.

• After the death of his younger sister and her husband (he was 38 then), he took custody of their two children and educated as well as married them.

• His younger brother passed away two years ago, leaving behind a widow and two young daughters. He worked towards completing all government related work, got his sister-in-law along with daughters settle at a place closer to his own home. He has worked genuinely hard to ensure comforts for them and tried his best in whatever ways he could.

• Though he didn't have the best of facilities when growing up, he ensured his kids didn't remain deprived of it. He took them on foreign as well as national tours, made them stay in well constructed homes in the best localities, would come to home for lunch so as to meet them when they returned from school, would meet them every night before sleeping. He would never go on private vacations away from family, would take his kids along if he had to go out of town for a long duration.

• To inject values into his kids, he first emphasized them on the need of being a good human and then assured them about the stuff done by people with angelic qualities. He developed a friend circle of similar people and taught his kids to learn from the right role models in history. He made them feel they were following the right path by doing so, never made them feel inferior in any way.

• He acts as an unofficial guardian to some of his friend's children, giving advice on various matters such as personal, investments, job security, future planning, etc.

Serving the people of Punjab

• Didn't leave the state despite the terror of 80's. He continued doing his medical practice, treating patients in times of need.

• Treats few patients for free everyday who aren't financially well-off, and has never advertised about the same in news papers or pamphlets or web sites (the author got to know about this via various sources who themselves had been present at his clinic, the man never told self about this).

• His fees is very nominal. Not more, not less. Just what it should be.

• His referrals of patients to other hospitals is based on merit instead of commission.

• He doesn't have any corporate tie ups for providing medical facilities to employees.

• Everyone is treated equally in his clinic. There is no VIP area, and you have to wait along with other patients even if their background differs from you in various terms.

• Till date he never advertised about his achievements. Whatever his clinic has sustained for the past 30+ years, is solely on word of mouth.

• He has done more work for financially underprivileged people than a lot of NGO's. He does not put of photos of him treating such patients on web sites, magazines, posters, etc.

Love for the country

• Remained connected to roots by staying in India, and has devoted his life to helping people who come to him for assistance in various fields, be it Medicine, Psychology, Philosophy, Development, etc. He has gone out of the way to help establish several careers of those who weren't related to him by blood. He does that due to inborn interest.

• He raised his kids as Indians. Never in his house did he tell them that you are 'Punjabi'. He taught them the emphasis of respecting people from other states on the basis of character, knowledge, and virtues. He ensured their proficiency in Hindi due to it being the National Language.

• He is well aware of Indian tradition and values. He educates people about the same and has cleared several misconceptions of those around him on various topics.

• He knows the ground reality of the country, where it is going right and where it can do better. You have to talk to him to know what the actual picture is.

Lifestyle

• Gets up 5 in the morning, sometimes 4. Does regular exercise, prepares tea for wife, reads newspapers for remaining abreast with local developments. Leaves for clinic by 10, treats patients till 2 PM (often this extends), reaches home for lunch, does family related work if needed, leaves again by 5, stays till 7:30 PM (often extends), reaches home, does family related work if needed, reads books/magazines, watches TV, goes to sleep.

• Does not drink alcohol. Does not smoke tobacco. Is not into drugs. Consumes Lacto Vegetarian food, often eats 1 Chapati at a time. Avoids fried, fast food, excess sweets.

• With his friends, he does not discuss about where to party, the newly introduced luxurious entities in market, toys for rich, which top brass officials to please in order to gain favours, etc. He discusses about the issues in society and viable solutions.

• At times he walks to his clinic, other times he goes via his two wheeler. He rarely uses his car to commute to office.

• The clothes that he wears, aren't very different from what he used to wear when he was a kid. Simple and basic, no designer brands. He never shops for his apparels himself. Some people deliberately gift him fine stuff so that he'd wear them which otherwise he wouldn't have.

• When many of his contemporaries are thinking about where to have the next drink and how to remove the hangover thereafter, he is thinking about how to make life comfortable for those around him and shaping path of young individuals.

• He attends his phone calls himself. He hasn't kept a PA to look after his accounts or to take care of his financial matters. He has kept minimal dependencies on his employees. He talks to his juniors himself without asking anyone else to fix a meeting with them or to handover his card / phone number.

Personal

• He doesn't believe in birth based Caste system and his last name signifies the organization he belongs to. He did not accept any dowry at the time of his marriage, and had self belief that he'd be able to take care of his wife with his income.

• His often gifts books to his close associates. The books he presents are the ones he has purchased on his money and has himself gone through it. There is always a purpose behind him gifting a book to someone.

• Does not go to theater to watch movies. Does not go to Casino to do gambling. Does not invest in "easy money" schemes.

• Watches News, Science, Spiritual channels on TV.

• He does not change his behaviour with patients, after they get promoted to high government posts. Nor does he forget them after they are no longer in power.

• He spends very little on himself. But on family he spends generously, whatever is their need he fulfills it. When his son was in Kindergarten he used to buy one new toy for him everyday. He always insisted his kids on getting the best instead of inferior cheaper options, provided it was something they really needed for their education / development / health.

• Though some of his patients happen to be prominent industrialists / actors / politicians / MP's, he does not click photos with them to display at his clinic / house.

• He sends New Year greetings to his close associates every 12 months. He himself writes on the cards with pen, without making use of a Computer generated mechanism, to give more personal touch.

Revelation of identity

At a time when India is often accused for its unethical practices, he has laid down an example as to how one can lead a life of simplicity, honesty, ethics, first generation professional in his respected field, sacrifice for the nation, and putting family above personal leisure.

This line in my poem 'The purpose of life' was based on him.

'Some people live to compromise, so as to provide joy to their closed ones'


His name is Dr. Rishi Kumar Arya.

Happy Birthday, Papa ji.

Dr. Rishi Kumar Arya