Mahatma Gandhi once said “It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err”
To me humility as a virtue is the most understated. Because from humility comes my desire to stay true to the people who matter most to me: my patients, my staff, my peers, my students, my friends and of course my family.
When my well wishers acknowledge me for my accomplishments, I believe it’s something each of us can achieve by staying determined, grounded, and by realizing that learning is a never-ending joyful process.
Looking back, I cherish being raised by my parents on a foundation of humility and perseverance. It was such a great blessing.
While growing up in an island surrounded by Ashtamudi Lake, I would drop my ailing father on a wheel chair to a Primary Healthcare Center near our house and walk to the market to sell home grown vegetables and coconuts to make ends meet for the family.
These are my treasured moments where I learned many of life’s lessons from my father. Staying humble was of paramount importance to our family. It kept us happy every day in spite of limited resources, especially after my father passed away shortly there after.
My first tryst with perseverance was right after my high school. The nearest Pre-Degree College was a 12 km walk one way, followed by a ferry boat ride.
Perseverance became my great ally during this phase and made those walks part of a larger purpose- to be successful in life. This mindset immensely helped me complete Plus Two exams with high grades and secure admission in medical college.
When I started off as a rookie surgeon with just a degree in hand, I had not much clue on what direction my career could take. Timely guidance from my would be mother-in-law inspired me to pioneer Keyhole Surgery in spite of worthy obstacles along the way.
If I were too full of myself at young age, I don’t think I would be receptive to anyone’s advice including my mother-in-law’s.
Focusing on acquiring skills in Keyhole Surgery was tough in early 1990s. A preliminary training in Coimbatore and an endo-training box bought with a bank loan were the only two resources I had access to.
Although it seemed a bit daunting to venture into an uncharted territory, the wonderful aspect of Keyhole Surgery that it would dramatically improve patients’ experience of surgery kept me going. I am thankful to this day for a timely sense of purpose that kept me focused on a worthy vision.
During my training, I realized that ability to suture with both hands would significantly improve surgical outcome. I there upon embarked on attempts to acquire ambidexterity as I was a naturally right handed person. I would deliberately write, shave and play tennis with my weaker left hand. I would practice suturing using both my hands on sheep intestines bought from slaughter houses for a really long time. It was great fun although I occasionally doubted myself. Eventually, I could use my both hands equally well for suturing which helps me achieve excellent surgical results for my patients.
Today, our Keyhole Surgery work is considered as one of the best in India. I also get frequently invited abroad to teach other surgeons of Asia Pacific. If thousands of patients, team members, peers, friends and family did not repose their faith in what we do, none of this would be possible.
Tomorrow, science will evolve further. More and better ways of treating diseases will emerge. Its our responsibility to keep abreast of change and be able to offer the best treatment to our patients all the time.
If you asked me what do I consider most important to succeed, I would say humility as one of the top three things needed. Because when humility is the driving force, the desire to succeed doesn’t remain focused only on yourself, but it helps you care for all the people you can make life better for.
In light of that, power of all the obstacles and criticism will melt away. For as Gordon Hinkley, a noted western philosopher said “We are not on earth to see how important we are, but to see how much difference we can make to the lives of others”.
Take Care.
