THIS CAN HAPPEN: VOLUME XXV & XXVI
Dr. Gangadhar Sahoo
This Happens VOL - XXV
My postgraduate period from July 1976 to 1979 in VSS Medical College Burla is the golden period of my life. This is the time when I learned discipline, believed in myself and knew what life is. It was a holistic training period not only to learn Obstetrics and Gynecology but to know how to live life in different situations, specifically facing the challenging situations.
During our internship our monthly stipend was three hundred rupees, during 1st year of PG course it was 330 rupees because we were working as PG residents (doing hospital clinical work along with PG study) and during second and third year PG the stipend was reduced to 250 rupees because we were simply PG students (no more residents) .
With that amount of 250 rupees we were managing and also saving some amount for thesis work, purchasing books and for emergencies. Still we were happy.
During my postgraduate career, for me, the most difficult challenge was to complete my thesis work and submit on time. Three journals were available in the departmental library in that period, one was the FOGSI journal, second was the American Journal and the third one was the green journal. We had to select a few topics and get one of those approved by our guide and work on it. My guide was Prof. Nanda, the HOD of our department. He selected a topic " Effect of FIBROIDS on the blood sugar level "
and asked me to work on it. I searched in all books and journals in our college library and departmental library but found no reference literature in favor of my allotted topic. So I was in a dilemma about what to do. I tried to convince Prof Nanda to change the topic through some senior teachers of the department very close to him but in vain. I was under severe stress because of two reasons. First, there was no direct literature in favor of my subject and it was totally an experimental topic. Second, there was precedent of disqualification of postgraduate students because of poor quality thesis work. Delhi national library was the ultimate hope. I contacted the librarian in charge and requested to help. Thankfully he agreed. I sent the required amount through money order, the only way of sending money at that time. The librarian obliged by sending me the only article related to my topic, published very recently by an Australian author. It gave me strength to go ahead with my research work.
I started my work seriously and meticulously. I made a proforma of case study duly approved by my guide, filled up every column with required information for the research. I preserved the operated specimens in chronological order so that it will be easy to present as and when enquired by my guide. In two years of study, total number of fibroid cases was 31. The whole manuscript of 52 pages was hand written, then typed by a professional typist at his leisure time as he was working in a government office. After the rough copy was ready it was read by three different readers to detect any mistake. Then the revised copy was checked by an English teacher to correct any spelling or grammatical mistakes. It was the standing instruction of our HOD. Then the manuscript was placed before my guide for final review. In many cases the manuscripts were outright rejected and the candidates were asked to rewrite. In some cases it was modified. I had seen the pathetic condition of the victims of such hyper academic exercises. I was apprehending such outcomes every moment. I had no answer to face such a mishap. Contrary to my belief, my manuscript was cleared by Prof. Nanda on my attempt. I prayed to all God and Goddesses on the earth for this exceptional and rare success.
The major task was over. Next was to make five copies and do the binding. At that time there was no xerox machine. I got it typed by my typist with the use of carbon paper. The last copy was faint and I marked it as a personal copy.
There was a new printing press very recently opened in Sambalpur which was doing good work. I decided to get my binding work done there. The only problem was the
Communication . The press was around 10 km away from Burla and 3 to 4 km away from the national highway. One has either to walk or take a manual rickshaw to reach the press. I had another option. My friend Bhardwaj had a bicycle which I used for this noble purpose. Daily after lunch I had to ride to the press and return back to the hostel in the evening. It took seven days to complete my binding. I got the copies signed by my guide and submitted three copies in the Principal's office , presented one copy to my guide and kept the fifth copy for me .
Submission of the thesis was the last hurdle one has to cross to appear for the final MD examination. After submission we were free from all hospital duties both routine and emergency to prepare for the final examination. It was the Month of May. Summer was special in Burla. Only way to keep the rooms cool was to water the roofs. I was staying in room number 29, middle floor. It was relatively cool. Time was around 4pm. I was engrossed in my studies, when I heard someone knocking at my door. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see my Professor. I touched his feet and welcomed him into my room. I made a cup of coffee and offered it to him. While taking sips he said, " Gangadhar! You have to write an article on your thesis for publication in the FOGSI national journal and prepare slides for presentation in the national conference to be held at Bangalore ( Now Bengaluru) . This was a rare occasion in that era when a professor and HOD came to the room of a postgraduate student. I was really fortunate and blessed. In the history of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology it was probably the first and last incident.
Mr. Joseph, my thesis typist helped me in completing the task given by my professor. The preparation of slides was the most cumbersome job as everything was being done manually. One had to write in good handwriting, draw the tables/graphs/bar diagrams etc on a large size drawing paper to be photographed by a camera in the photo studio. Then with the negatives of the photographs the slides were made.
Anyhow it was done. My article authored by my guide and I was accepted for publication in the FOGSI national journal and the paper for presentation in the national conference.
Prof. Nanda asked me to attend the national conference and present the paper on his behalf. Because of financial strain I missed a golden opportunity; again a rare opportunity comes once in a blue moon in the life of a student.
My article was published in the FOGSI journal in 1983, four years after I passed the MD examination. Again it was a rare achievement. My article had the honor of being the second in world literature after the Australian author on that topic of the relationship of fibroid uterus on blood sugar. It was highly appreciated. I had received many appreciations from different corners of the world and many requests to share the copy of the article.
As I always say, "Medical science is neither easy nor difficult. It's either made easy or made difficult." If one is disciplined, sincere, dedicated, hardworking and persevering, nothing is impossible. HARD WORK NEVER GOES UNREWARDED.
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THIS HAS HAPPENED Vol - XXVI
(YOU ARE A DUPLICATE MAN)
Dr. Gangadhar Sahoo
My father was staying with me in the last part of his life in my official residence of VSS Medical College, Burla. My mother was staying in my village , one of the remote most area of Anandapur subdivision of Keonjhar district, around 300km away from Burla. In Burla myself, my wife , my daughter reading in class two and our caretaker were staying. My father was happy . He was busy in house hold works starting from cleaning, marketing to rooftop gardening. Gardening was his hobby. Another special quality with him was making friends with local amicable persons. So his friend circle grew very fast . Many of the doctors in our colony, employees of Govt. and private offices, shopkeepers , vegetable sellers and patients who visit my clinic were his good friends. People say he had more friends than me . It's true. That was his divine inborn quality. When I was posted in a Subdivisional Headquarters before joining the medical college, he had enrolled record number of friends of different categories of people.
He was happy, healthy and active. Life continued as a routine for many years very smoothly . Once he was diagnosed as severe anemia ( Hb% < 5gm%) but without any symptoms. All possible investigations were done at Burla but cause of anemia couldn't be detected . Examination of stool for occult blood came to be positive showing that there was bleeding from the GI track. The treating physician advised for a gastroenterologist consultation. The facility was not available at our station. I took my father to SCB Medical College, Cuttack (The Premier Medical College of Odisha) for detailed evaluation. There, the upper GI and lower GI endoscopic examinations were done under the supervision of the consultant gastroenterologist, but nothing positive came out. Ultrasonography examination of abdomen and pelvis revealed no pathology except sludge in the gall bladder. Ultimately no definite cause could be found out as regards the occult bleeding from the GI track. The consultant prescribed some hematenics , multivitamins and advised for follow up after three months. He suggested that if there was no improvement you should visit a higher center to detect the site of bleeding and further treatment.
I was planning to take my father to Hyderabad to consult the renowned gastroenterologist Dr. Rabindran in Global hospital. But because of many family issues it was delayed. In between intermittent blood transfusion was being given to raise the Hb% to 7gm%. With that my father was OK.
Gradually my father became weak. His freedom of movement was restricted, almost confined to home. One day he was sitting on the bed in jolly mood after a gap of seven days of palliative treatment in a nursing home.
I just casually told him that we should go for an outing to Cuttack/Bhubaneswar for a change. Moreover we should plan to go our old places to meet our relatives, friends and well wishers.
Listening to my suggestions he suddenly got angry and frowned at me , " You are a duplicate man . Have you ever kept your promise? You must have told thousand and one times to travel to so many places. But have you ever fulfilled that ? With some plea or other you had canceled those proposals. Today's suggestion is nothing new. "
His remark, " You are a duplicate man " came as a bolt from the blue. I was not expecting such a comment from my father. I took it seriously and tried to introspect because my father's observation can never be wrong. It must be a spontaneous outburst of his pent up disapprovals against me because I must have failed in my duties to read the mind of a father. A father never expects his son to fetch the moon from the sky . But he is right to ventilate his anger when his busy son had no time to talk to him leisurely for a few minutes and asks ," Bapa , How are you ?" He has every right to be aggrieved when his doctor son couldn't be free to take him to a higher center for medical check up.
Yes I have failed in my duties from all fronts as a son . I confess it . My father's comment “ You are a duplicate man” is a wake up call for all working sons and more so for working couples. The working couples are imprisoned within the four walls of their duty bound time schedule, extra care of their only child as over achieving parents and with self centric euphoria.
In modern days hardly one can find parents staying with their children. The generation gap is too big . The young couples think that their freedom will be shrunken in the presence of old guards.
Lucky are they,who stay with their parents. They are secured under the umbrella of their invaluable blessings.
My message to the next generation,
"Never commit the same blunder,that I have done. I repent today for my mistakes.
Pray Lord Jagannath to bless all sons on this earth with the wisdom of taking care of their parents."
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