My dear Dhruv
Today October 24 will go down in our small medical community in Goas history as the most crushing and devastating days we have woken up to.
Your family has lost a priceless jewel, your Mom a sterling husband, you a complete hero father and We our beloved, beloved manju.
Your father was not an ordinary man, my boy.
In our land devoid of any level of selflessness and tireless service he was a magnificent Rockstar, a cardiologist sans pareil and most importantly a human being that spoke to everyone in the only language he knew : The language of the goodness of his heart.
Every single patient that reached out to him prince or pauper was accorded the same level of expertise, courtesy, compassion and empathy.
With his amazing technical expertise and his nuanced wisdom and knowledge of the science of cardiology he didn't just treat heart diseases , but invariably touched the mind, soul and being of every patient he encountered and changed them for the better.
Never once did he shirk work,
Never once did he refuse to attend a call in the dead of night,
Never once did he hold a grudge against anyone
Never once did he lose his calm his composure or his boundless compassion.
We met often over dinner and despite the emperor of maladies, he was battling over the years he never lost his charm or his smile, never once flinched despite the pain and most importantly always admired the beauty and glory of Life itself.
We used to have constant discussions like two boxers readying for a round.
Me in my unhappy agnostic corner and he in his confident, resplendent religious corner.
I asked him often about the vedas and the shastras and the deeper meaning of the epics.
And invariably he used to tell me
"Sir those are all too complex
To be a good hindu you must always do your service , you must do it right and you must do good"
That's all.
And he lived by that credo every single breathing moment of his life
Let me tell you one more thing , my boy,
All my life I have encountered myriad folk in our journey of life.
In moments of weakness or as force of habit almost all of us turn fake and behave as frauds for some reason or the other , as an act of spite, as an act of second nature or simply sometimes as an act of survival.
Not your Dad!!!.
There was not one fake bone or tissue in our dear manju.
His most remarkable quality was his GENUINESS
Genuinely humble and humane
Genuinely compassionate and helpful.
Genuinely a friend and a guide.
And he wore the honor of being Goa's most loved and brilliant cardiologist, ever so lightly.
As you navigate this treacherous terrain of life along with your mother Poonam , who stood by Manju like an infallible rock, you will realize a few things.
The moment you mention you are Dr manjunath son, an entire generation of Goans, will stand by you, assist you and accord you the warmest respect.
Your father leaves you that legacy.
Of a lifetime of service.
A lifetime of respect for others
And a lifetime of Love he bequeathed to all who had the good fortune of knowing him
As I see the sacred flames rise to the sky, as your Dad proceeds on his onward journey
I am reminded of that immortal dialogue by Rajesh Khanna in a film
ZINDAGI BADI HONI CHHAIYE LAMBHI NAHI
Your Dad gave us Anand Dhruv, My God, did he give us so much Anand in countless measure.
Thank you Manjunath for having come our way
Lots of Love
Uncle Oscar.