Meeting my Guru

Meeting the person I had looked upon, as my “Guru” was something I had looked forward to for quite sometime now. There was a unique coherent connection I felt towards him. I had come across his profile by chance on Sulekha.

He is a prolific writer on many sites & one just needs to google him & get aplenty links with information citing the various research papers he has submitted in varied fields ranging from pediatric conditions, anatomy, dermatology, urology, environment, ornithology, art, social norms & practices & many more that I have lost count of.

Dr Arunachalam Kumar better known as Ixedoc on Sulekha is an enigma to many. The feeling of an unknown connection was so strong that it made me contact him. Something, that’s totally uncharacteristic of me on a virtual site.

He came across as a very simple, warm & highly informed individual. It perplexed me that his own had abandoned a man of his stature. The reasons were bizarre but my instinct signaled that he had been wronged for no fault of his.

I finally got the opportunity to meet him on 20th May, 2006. His long hair & beard made me instantly recognize him. He had come to pick me along with Ravi, his man friday & driver & Laxmi’s husband. After the initial respectful greetings, we were on our way to his home where Laxmi & Krishnamma his caretakers & now family awaited us.

The moment the car approached, the four hounds… Jaws, Claws, Chin Chin & Jo Jip went berserk with excitement & they had to be closeted with Doc for a while to release the adrenalin & settle them before they finally got to meet us.

The dogs were a delight & we got along naturally in no time. The Rajapalayam & Mudhol hounds are known to be a ferocious lot. And here they were, smothering me with more attention than I could handle. After a while, exhausted, I just sat there, being manhandled by the lovable rowdies to their hearts content.

Laxmi & Krishnamma welcomed us with a kind of flair earned from previous experiences of playing host. I pondered. We seemed like one happy family. Just that no one was connected to the other by blood.

Doc had the day planned & after some tittle-tattle over coffee we headed for Kasturba Medical College to check out the anatomy department. I had indicated an interest to know more about Doc’s profession as a professor of Anatomy & he had been gracious enough to relent.

Doc had worked at KMC for more than three decades & had recently joined K S Hegde Medical Academy as Vice Dean. This was his first visit to his alma mater as well as ex-work place after his resignation.

The moment he stepped out of his car, ex-colleagues from all backgrounds surrounded him. The liftman, lab assistants, the Head of Dept of Anatomy, lecturers & students all seemed to be genuinely happy to see him & most of them greeted him with their palm touching the left side of their chest in a heart felt gesture, shaking hands with him.

I felt stirred from within witnessing the small pan & tea stall owners come forward to greet him with the purest of affections. This was definitely a man of the masses.

The anatomy dept, like expected had students bending / probing over different human body parts. A right arm, a left leg, kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, small intestines, uterus along with ovaries & the ureter, testes, skull etc

There were five cadaver’s preserved in formalin in a septic tank for students to study, learn & help heal.

A bold message displayed on the sidewall read, “LET LAUGHTER CEASE & COMFORTS FLEE, THIS IS A PLACE WHERE DEATH ENLIGHTENS TO EDUCATE THE LIVING”.

A cadaver was brought out for me to get a better understanding of the harrows the young medical students have to go through on the road to becoming a doctor.

Looking at the cadaver lying on the dissection table made me reflect about the dead man & how death had stripped him of his dignity, as he lay naked for people to probe his insides. Where was his family & why had they abandoned him? Did they know he was dead? Was this dead man so poor that his family couldn’t afford to give him a decent funeral & left the body unclaimed? Question, questions & more questions answers to which I shall never know.

After this sobering experience, we headed to Doc’s by now famous on Sulekha coffee joint, The Taj Mahal. The owner was surprised to see him at that part of the day. In all probability he didn’t recognize him since Doc looked different than what he looks at 5am every morning. After some strong coffee by Mumbai standards, we headed home.

On our way, as we passed a Govt hospital Doc informs pointing at the tall building that as a student leader, he was instrumental in closing down the establishment for four days. He reminisced how he had been rusticated three times during his student life for fighting for the medical students cause only to be re-instated after winning the legal battles each time against the medical college.

Wow! This was one part from the past that I didn’t quite digest about my Guru. But I reasoned…what the heck! It’s been a long time ago.

Later that evening, Garvit one of Doc’s favourite student joined us for dinner at the Royal Durbar. Meeting people connected to Doc from various walks of life gave me an understanding of this multi faceted person who has bravely beaten all odds & walks chin up. I sure am mighty proud of him.

The next day I headed to Madikeri in Coorg & came back again on 26th May to spend half a day with him before hitting the road to home.

During my short stay at Mangalore, Doc initiated me to the world of ornithology. The first bird he identified for me was the purple sunbird that flitted from one branch to another in his back yard. Doc is a pro where birds are concerned. He was selected for the post of director at BNHS - Bombay Natural History society after Dr Salim Ali’s death. He has an awesome collection of bird books & can recognize an abundance of birds from their calls.

By afternoon, the mood was sullen. Time to say au revoir had finally come. The parting was emotional & heart wrenching.

I often wonder about the bonding that we develop for people in our lives. People who are not related to us by blood & yet there is this immense attachment. Doc is my extended family & there to stay for life.

Copyright © BuntysBanter 2006