PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Growth beyond proportion is akin to cancer and it is essential for one to differentiate between ‘development’ and destruction. Padma Shri awardee orthopaedic surgeon Dr BKS Sanjay said this at a discussion on the book ‘From the Pen of Surgeons’ co-authored by him and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Gaurav Sanjay. The book is a compilation of their columns published in The Pioneer. The discussion was organised at Valley of Words (VoW) Café here on Sunday.
Sanjay said that growth is natural and part of life but one must be able to discriminate. “We have all grown physically since childhood. Natural growth doesn’t cause pain and if ‘growth’ causes pain, it is cancerous. We must learn to differentiate between ‘development’ and ‘cancer’. About two decades ago when I established my set-up in Doon, it was an ideal place, but today it is as if a ‘Paltan Bazaar’ has been erected in my once peaceful neighbourhood,” he said while referring to indiscriminate urbanisation in Dehradun.
Recalling his background and motivation to enter the medical profession, Sanjay talked about his rural upbringing and his initial plans to either become a government official in the village or enter the agricultural field, adding that his elder brother motivated him to become a doctor. Based on his experiences, he opined that professionally, a doctor and a teacher contribute a lot to society considering the aspect of humanity. A person without compassion is unfit to be a doctor and a person without tolerance is unfit to be a teacher, he added.
Talking about his experiences, Dr Gaurav Sanjay said that his mother had actually given him wings by boosting his confidence consistently. Responding to a question about some doctors not explaining enough to their patients, he said that such scenarios are a thing of the past as no proper doctor will keep the patient or the attendants in the dark. Stating that the family of the patient has the right to know about the medical condition and line of treatment of the patient, he said that the doctor’s side of the story must also be considered. He warned that considering various factors, the future might see doctors who are unlike the ones today.
Earlier, Sanjeev Chopra of VoW said that though a surgery has a limited lifespan just like the humans it is done on, words live much longer. He also appreciated the Sanjays for raising pertinent issues through their writings.
