Contest entry : The meaning of respect
This incident took
place a couple of years ago.
A bunch of us
post-graduate doctors had gone to attend a medical conference in Coimbatore. As
it usually is during such conferences, various topics from diabetes to cancer
were discussed in detail by senior professors and faculty members, highlighting
their personal observations and newer treatment regimens. At the end of a
lengthy afternoon session of lectures, all of us took a break for high tea
wherein the speakers and the students could interact on a more personal level.
As is the case usually, medical queries soon gave way to friendly banter.
Senior professors spoke of their children and how they were studying or settled
abroad in various continents of the globe. Of the senior staff, there was just
one professor who sat quietly and watched with a serene smile as his compatriots
spoke of their children and their successful careers. As the other staff got up
to leave, one of the students asked this old man about his children and whether
he was a doctor too.
The other senior
doctors looked at him with what we students perceived at the time to be an
embarrassed grin and we instantly regretted the personal nature of the question
to this distinguished staff member. The smile on his own face though never
dampened as he looked down at his cup of tea. He finally replied "My son
is more into games than medicine. He plays cricket."
Residents who were
there later confirmed the thought that crossed all their minds simultaneously
: That the kid was some brash guy who was living off his dad's name and
earnings, playing in local leagues and squandering the family wealth. We
had all seen such children during our lives, we knew.
One of the residents
persevered. "Does he play for Ranji league?", referring to the
cricket tournament of the country based on state selections.
Again a sheepish
grin. "Well, he used to a while back, but not so much these days."
Seeing the man trying
to cover the embarrassment of his obviously spoilt brat, some of the doctors
felt sad for the distinguished doctor. It was then that a resident picked up on
the clues in front of him and asked this mild mannered doctor who had travelled
all the way from Hyderabad to teach his junior colleagues "Sir. What is
your son's name ?"
The man looked up at
him and said in that familiar unassuming soft voice that he had passed on to
his son "Venkata Sai."
Better known to you
and me as VVS Laxman. This incident occurred less than a month after VVS
Laxman, with a bad back and incapable of running, did the impossible and
singlehandedly won the 2010 Mohali test against his 'favourite' opponents, the
mighty Australians. That victory had been the one bright spot during those
months for the people of a nation disillusioned after a series of scams
had been unearthed. It was a moment of immense pride for the family and yet here
he was - a senior professor coming all the way across the state just to impart
his medical wisdom to fellow doctors who he had never met. There had
neither been any air of being the father of a star nor any demands for any
special privileges. He just wanted to teach young doctors like us and
share his observations so that we could all heal our patients better.
Nowadays, whenever I
read the word 'Indian culture' in a newspaper, I actually cringe inwardly
because invariably it is being mouthed off by a bunch of fanatics or hypocrites
who use the term as an excuse to either hide their own sins and scandals or to
hurt and blackmail someone else into submission. And the attitude seeps down
across generations naturally, with sons of politicians and superstars demanding
VIP treatment to showcase their superiority. They demand you salute and
genuflect before them and sadly, fame and fear does make many bow down. On
the other hand, you have this soft spoken old gentleman, who rather than
resting on his son's laurels, still came to give talks on health issues to
junior residents and preferred not to go around showing off, even though his
son was the toast of the nation's other religion - cricket. It reflected
too, in his son's behaviour, because even the Aussies who he had tormented for
over a decade, admitted that they have never met a nicer, more soft spoken
gentleman than V.V.S.Laxman.
That evening, as we
returned back to our rooms, we may have learned a lot about atherosclerosis and
newer diabetic drugs but we also learned a valuable lesson. We were so used to
seeing actors and politicians being hyped by the media and getting their
entourages to build up a crowd to make them look more famous and loved than
they really are. But it takes more than a media crew and paid sidekicks to be
able to earn the respect of every young doctor from over half a dozen states
just by being yourself. That day, we learned the true meaning of the phrase : 'People
can demand your fear. But they cannot demand your respect. That can only be
earned.'
There may be a
thousand articles, celebrating VVS Laxman and his silken batting skills. But
this is not one of them. This was written for an unspoken hero in that family :
a father who taught his son well. We have enough superstars in India, be it in
politics, cricket or movies but there are very few good men whose character we
would truly wish to emulate.
Lost in a medical
conference, devoid of any hype or media, we were all lucky that day that we
found one such man.
wow ! the whole build was just too good :)
ReplyDeletewww.subzeroricha.blogspot.in
Thanks.. loved your blog !
DeleteNice post..brought back some memories when I was in school and Lakshman was the chief guest for our sports day...so humble and down-to-earth..like dad; like son
ReplyDeletewow.. lucky you :D They seriously were a class apart.. compare to the modern generation of superstars :D
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