The Hindu festival of Vijaya Dashami was ongoing. The ten-day festival is an important one in the Hindu calendar. Festivities were in the air but we as a family were sad. My father was in a critical stage in the intensive care unit, and I had flown from Kathmandu, Nepal to be with him. His condition however, deteriorated and he passed away on Vijaya Dashami day in the year 2012. Vijaya Dashami (also called Dussehra, Navaratri or Dashain in Nepal) commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over the demon king, Ravana and the triumph of good over evil.

My father was a disciplinarian and a man of principles. He had an interesting life and multiple struggles. He was born in Malaysia where my grandfather worked as an estate manager. They faced difficulties during the Japanese occupation and the threat of violence was ever present. My grandfather died in Malaysia in the 1940s and my grandmother and her children returned to Kerala in South India.

My father was fond of reading and growing up there were several magazines and other books around the house. I became an avid reader. ‘Reader’s Digest’ was one of my favorite magazines as was the ‘Illustrated weekly of India’. My father also purchased for me ‘Amar Chitra Katha‘ comic books that introduced me to Indian culture and history. I also read ‘Indrajal’ comics chronicling the adventures of Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon and other heroes. My father spent a considerable part of his career as a faculty member at the Banker’s training college and the college library subscribed to several magazines. ‘National Geographic’ always fascinated me. The production quality and the photos were out of this world. I was involved in different literary activities at medical school and during my post-graduation I served as the literary secretary and as the editor of the annual magazine and the newsletter.

My father was a person of high moral values, and he always believed that the best way was the ethical one. I have tried to live up to his high standards but was not always successful. My experience on the occasions when I did not do something ethically, I invariably ended up in trouble. My father’s voice echoing in my conscience always encourages me to do the ‘right thing’.

In medical school I met several teachers who had a strong influence on me. I mention my professor of Pharmacology and my professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) in particular. My pharmacology professor had a total grasp of the subject, and his classes were wonderful. The organization of his sessions was great. During my postgraduate studies I eventually trained as a clinical pharmacologist and a medical educator. My OBGYN professor was one of the few men in the department and he had a great practice. His bedside classes were lucid, and he taught us much during our labor room posting. He was a cool character remaining calm under pressure. I was in his unit during my house surgency, and we were a close-knit unit. Most days we used to visit the Indian Coffee house near our hospital for snacks following the morning rounds.    

Following my postgraduation, I spend several years as a faculty member at a private medical school in the lakeside city of Pokhara, Nepal. Located at the foothills of the Annapurna Himalayan ranges, the city inculcated in me a love of trekking and walking the Himalayan trails. Trekking introduces you to a simpler way of life more connected to the land. I also used to write for a Nepalese magazine, ECS Nepal. I also wrote for Nepalese newspapers and other magazines. I have been doing both creative and academic writing for several years. I became close to the Editor of the magazine, ECS Nepal. He was an interesting person and had first come to Nepal in the year 1964 as a Peace Corps volunteer. The Peace Corps had introduced several Americans to Nepal and many developed lifelong links with the Himalayan nation. He had a vast knowledge of Nepalese culture and history. He was also a great writer, and I learned so much from him about creative writing.     

My father also inculcated in me a love for the underdog and the less privileged. I am also a firm believer in simplicity. Making systems complex is counterproductive as the rich and the powerful have the resources to get around the checks imposed while the poor will suffer. In the year 2007 I enrolled for a Fellowship program in health professions education at a regional FAIMER Institute and my curriculum innovation project was on introducing health humanities in the curriculum. At that time the humanities were uncommon though over the ensuing years several topics have been introduced in the undergraduate medical curriculum. I had the privilege of developing and implementing a module in Nepal and in the Caribbean. During the last decade I have used cinema among medical, nursing and dental students. I have also co-facilitated several workshops on the subject for faculty members.

I believe in living the talk and demonstrating the values I preach in practice. I am an environmentalist and believe in reducing my impact on the planet. I do not own a car and remain physically active. I walk or use public transport where possible. During the last year I have become more interested in planetary health and climate change. My research and reading have highlighted the urgency of the problem. I am appalled by human greed and the unbridled pursuit of money. I am a keen researcher and have over 800 publications to my credit. Along with my fellow researchers and colleagues I have been active in educational research and pharmacoepidemiologic research in Nepal. We have also tried to promote the rational use of medicines. I believe I have been successful in mentoring young researchers in my research areas. I have also been very active in the health humanities. I have been included among the top 2% of researchers according to the Stanford list for the last five years. I would like to be remembered as a simple person who lived life (mostly) according to his principles and as a creative writer and a keen researcher!