My motorcycle ride two weekends ago was a trip down memory lane.
However, this is not about the sights and sounds heading to Kuantan, but the journey of meeting a great man, mentor and friend – my first boss, Datuk Dr T. Vasantha Kumar (main image, seated).
Dr Vasantha is a humble and true gentleman. He is a dedicated doctor and an exemplary retinal surgeon. He covered the East Coast states single-handedly, for many years.
But this journey began many years ago with my first exposure to ophthalmology in medical school. There was Dr Chandrasekhar, a taciturn, no-nonsense professor of ophthalmology. A man of very few words, but of action.
Watching him walk by, his patients lining the corridor and looking at him with appreciative eyes, his entourage of consultants, specialists, registrars, post-graduate and undergraduate students in tow, can be quite awe-inspiring.
It gave the man an almost God-like stature for restoring vision to the visually impaired. I decided then that it was going to be ophthalmology for me.
I was posted to Taiping Hospital for my housemanship, and there, I met the charismatic and suave Dr S.S. Gil, with his two able and efficient medical officers.
One went on to become a first-rate paediatric ophthalmologist, and the other, a skilful oculoplastic surgeon. They further reinforced my urge to do ophthalmology.
Upon completion of my housemanship, I got a transfer order to Pahang for my medical officer posting. It was like “no man’s land” – one can be posted anywhere, urban or rural.
In desperation, and without even thinking of what I was doing, I tried my luck by calling Dr Vasantha over the phone from Taiping. I spoke to the operator and introduced myself, gave my designation, and stated that I was interested in ophthalmology. I asked if he would be able to accept me into his department as a medical officer.
He was such a kind soul, not irritated by the fact that a houseman whom he hardly knew, had had the audacity to call him out of the blue, in the middle of his busy clinic, which I later learnt.
He listened to my request patiently and told me to meet him the very next day in his department at 8am sharp.
Here I was, 550km away, confused and wondering, what had I gotten myself into.
The protocol in a transfer order is to report to the state health department, fill out the forms, and the department will then post you to any part of the state where there is a vacancy.
With my not-so-well-thought out, ad hoc call to the chief ophthalmologist of the state, who happened to be the personal eye doctor to the then Sultan, I figured I had nothing to lose. After all, they say fortune favours the bold. But here, it was more of a case of putting my foot in my mouth.
I clocked out my last day of housemanship at 7pm, cleared all my discharge summaries, cleared my hostel, loaded everything into my car, and drove to Kuantan.
The butterflies were having a gala time flying around in my stomach. I arrived in Kuantan at 2am and checked into a budget hotel. Sleep was very elusive.
I got up early, got ready and arrived at the department at 7am – the eager beaver that I was.
At 7.50am, Dr Vasantha walked into his department and the nurse at the counter told him that I was waiting to see him.
Here I was, sick to my stomach, quivering, and not sure of what to say, when he goes, “Hi Dr Naren, welcome to the department,” before introducing himself.
I was immediately put at ease. He asked whether I had had breakfast, and I said ‘No’. He took me to the hospital canteen and bought me a meal.
We talked over food. It was more like an interview session – he was asking the questions and I was answering.
He then told his nurse to inform his patients in the clinic he would be a little late. He drove me to the state health department, and we met the deputy director in charge of postings. Dr Vasantha told her he needed doctors in his department and asked her to post me to the Kuantan Hospital.
She acceded, and with the joining order, we went back to the hospital. We met the hospital director, and sure enough, I was posted to the hospital’s eye department.
Dr Vasantha took me back to the department, introduced me to the staff, and went on to run his busy clinic.
At 10.30am, on Aug 16, 2000, I started my journey into ophthalmology.
I learnt so much from him and his team of doctors, Drs Wong, and Norma.
A few months later, I found myself sitting down and having a drink with Dr Vasantha on a Saturday night.
Yes, I was the first medical officer by far in his department to actually socialise with him after office hours. Of course, there was one other person who joined us later, and today, he is a big-time retinal surgeon in Adelaide.
I asked Dr Vasantha what made him do what he did for me at the start of reporting for duty. He said he wanted to see the level of commitment and time keep on my part. My OCD for being on time actually helped me with my career.
So, guys, that’s me. I’m a person who values the trust and responsibility placed upon me.
One Saturday night, about 11pm, Dr Vasantha asked if I would be able to prepare a patient for surgery at 8am the next day.
I answered in the affirmative, left immediately for the hospital, prepared the patient, and informed the on-call anaesthetists. We started on time and completed the surgery at 9.30am.
My respect and admiration for Dr Vasantha reinforced my sense of duty to patient care, no matter the situation.
Ever humble and helpful, he moulded me into wanting to be a retinal surgeon, too.
At no point did I ever take liberties with the friendship I had developed with him. I was a regular feature at his place for dinner almost every other day, and on days when I was not there, I would get a call from his wife, Datin Dr Kalavathi, who was the head pathologist at the same hospital, as to why I was not at the dinner table.
To maintain that relationship, I worked extra hard to ensure that I did not mess up at work.
In public service, no posting is permanent. Out of the blue, I received a transfer order out to Selangor. I did not appeal… I just “ikut perintah” (obeyed) and left with a heavy heart.
But with a well-forged friendship, life went on for the both of us.
After reporting to Selangor, I met my future wife. Now I know where the transfer order came from – even God listens to my wife!
When my wife delivered our firstborn, I called and informed Dr Vasantha, and he visited us in hospital, in Kuala Lumpur, the very next day. In fact, he was the first person, other than my wife and I, to carry our daughter.
We Indians have a tradition whereby once we name the child, we have to whisper the child’s name into his or her ears to imprint the name with the child. Dr Vasantha honoured us by doing the same for our daughter.
How appropriate as she was named Nethraa, which means Beautiful Eyes, by none other than the man who got me into this field.
So, two weekends ago, I paid obeisance to my guru. In Indian culture, it’s ‘Mata’, ‘Pitha’, ‘Guru’, ‘Devam’ (mother, father, teacher, God) in order of respect and importance.
Following my meeting with Dr Vasantha, I met up with three friends of mine, Selvi, Mala, and Dr Aidila, for coffee.
Selvi, a homemaker, was my patient in 2005, and over the years, became a good family friend. Mala is a successful lawyer, while Dr Aidila, besides being a skilful retinal surgeon, is a wonderful soul. We trained together at Selayang Hospital.
It was a good meet up, and it now looks like Dr Aidila’s husband is itching for a motorcycle. Of course, yours truly had to convince Dr Aidila of the “practicality” of it.
All of us, in our respective life’s journey, will come across various people who will play big, small, important, trivial, or fleeting roles in our lives.
For me, it has always been an enriching experience, as they have made a difference in my life.
I have learnt much from them, and the circle has grown, and will continue to grow, with the great distances I’ve clocked on the road.
This journey will continue for years to come. It looks like I am going to have to be a bigger ‘kaki ronda’.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
