In 1993, a 70 year patient said that I have ‘shifa (healing) in my hands’. As a young surgeon, it was a confidence booster and I distinctly remember face of that bearded gentleman till date.
I choose surgery as a career to prove a point. On the 1st day of my posting as intern at casualty department of a large hospital at Mumbai a lady with roadside injury came. The CMO insisted that I repair it even though I lacked any previous suturing experience. It was a disaster as local anesthesia did not work and both the patient and the CMO were screaming at the top of their voices. Instead of guiding me in technique of suturing, CMO’s insistence that I should not become a surgeon, reinforced my conviction that I will become a good surgeon only if to prove him wrong.
During my MS days at medical college, a young girl with over 40% infected burns required daily dressings. These dressings are extremely painful for the patient and this child would refuse to get it done by anyone else as my habit of interacting with patients comforted her. I started realising the significance of small things in life.
How many times in life one gets emotional at work place?
Everyone in the packed support group meeting was tearful as a person narrated how after bariatric surgery his daughter has been reclaimed – she has started smiling, going out & interacting with family/friends once again.

Surgeon’s life is like a roller coaster ride. Despite constant learning to catch up with recent advances, turning point in my career came when I met Dr Shrihari Dhorepatil from Pune, who introduced me to bariatric surgery. There was no looking back thereafter.