To our Teachers.
It is said that the true test of people is to see who stays when you have nothing. And we all have a bunch of people in our lives who hold our hands when we are nothing and make something out of us.
They wrote words and letters in our mind,
When it was nothing but an empty board.
They prepared us to take off in life,
And celebrated with us as we soared.
It’s time to cherish every teacher,
More than just today on Teacher’s Day.
Also every person and experience who moulded us,
And made a sculpture out of this clay.
A very happy Teacher’s Day to every teacher for taking us from a thumbprint to a signature.
– Dr. Manasi Rege, The Checkup
Dr. Manasi Rege is a resident doctor in the Department of Pharmacology at L.T.M.M.C. and G.H., Sion hospital. She is fond of writing short articles, poetry.
To Dr. Milind V. Kirtane Sir,
In every journey, an inspiring force guides us. For me, it is Dr Milind Kirtane. A definition of the word Guru, his commitment to teaching during surgeries, ward rounds, and bustling OPDs nurtured my academic fervor. Encouraging academic presentations, he helped conquer my public speaking apprehension and ignited an enthusiasm for research and learning. Above all, his unwavering dedication and passion for cochlear implants and selflessness in gifting the joy of hearing via his I Hear Foundation have profoundly influenced me and fueled my desire to impact the lives of those who live in silence. His mantras, “First, do no harm and care for patients. They need you.”, steer my medical practice, making him the true north on my compass. The wisdom and support of this trusted pillar in my moments of challenge continue to guide, inspire, and uplift me. If I could mirror even a fraction of his magnanimity, I would consider my path well-trodden.
-Dr. Kashmira Chavan
Padmashri Dr. Milind V. Kirtane received his M.S. degree in ENT from Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, India. He is a Consulting ENT Surgeon at P. D. Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai, Breach Candy, and Saifee hospitals, Mumbai. He is also a Hon. Surgeon at King Edward Memorial Hospital and Professor Emeritus at Seth G.S. Medical College, Mumbai.
Dr. Kirtane has a special interest and is the pioneer of cochlear implants, endoscopic sinus surgery, and neurotology in India. He has performed close to 3000 cochlear implant surgeries and helps the financially weak receive cochlear implants via his ‘I Hear Foundation’.Dr. Kirtane has been awarded the Dr. B.C. Roy award (2005), the Padmashri (2014) and the Qimpro Platinum Award for healthcare (2014) in addition to several other accolades.
Dr. Kirtane offers a fellowship program for budding cochlear implant surgeons. Almost 40 surgeons have been trained under this fellowship till-date. In addition to this, he has mentored more than 70 ENT surgeons across India and trained them for cochlear implant surgeries.
Dr Kashmira P. Chavan is a Consultant ENT Surgeon at Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, Mumbai. She is trained in Cochlear Implants at P.D.Hinduja National Hospital, Mumbai and at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, USA. She has been associated with the field of Cochlear Implants and hearing restoration for more than 15 years and currently leads the Cochlear Implant Program at Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital. She holds a special interest in vertigo treatment and manages the Voice and Swallowing Clinic. She is actively involved in academic and clinical research with numerous publications to her credit and has participated as faculty in various training programs and workshops for ENT surgeons, audiologists, and habilitationists.
To Dr. Neelima Malik Ma’am,
A surgeon par excellence, a great and a passionate teacher, a mentor to many dental students. An able administrator. A pioneer in maxillary and mandibular distraction osteogenesis in India. She has many firsts to her credit to name a few,
1. The first women president of Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of India.
2.First woman from dental fraternity to be a university Vice chancellor.
The textbook of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery written by her is a masterpiece that would be referred to for many decades. Her book has run into 5 editions in a span of 2 decades and continues to remain a standard baseline book for under graduates and postgraduate students alike.
She is a strict and disciplined lady with a kind and loving heart. Such is our teacher Dr Neelima Malik who had a fruitful teaching career for over 40 years. She has trained many maxillofacial surgeons who are now successfully practicing globally, and few of them are now teachers. I was fortunate to be your student and to do my surgical training under your guidance.
Thank you, Madam!! You have made a profound impact on my life and many more lives both in the professional and personal sphere.
-Dr Pallavi Ranadive
Dr. Neelima Malik was Former Dean, Nair Hospital Dental College, Mumbai. (N.H.D.C.), Former Professor & Head of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Department, N.H.D.C. Mumbai and Professor Emeritus, N.H.D.C. Mumbai. She has served as The first Lady President of Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons of India, (AOMSI).She had been teaching at N.H.D.C., since 1972 and was post graduate teacher at Bombay University, since 1980, and later on was also active undergraduate and postgraduate teacher of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.
Dr Pallavi Ranadive is an Addln Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Nair Hospital Dental College. Mumbai with an experience of 18 years. She has over 20 academic publications to her credit. She nurtures interest in classical dance and music, and is a trained (Nrutyavisharad) Kathak dancer.
To Dr. Seema Anjeniya Ma’am,
Healthcare or the medical profession is an extreme and turbulent job. The combined impacts of what you see, do, and face in the work environment can wear you ragged, make you sad, drain your energy, and challenge your capacity to satisfy your providing care potential. You go through your days reacting to conceivably perilous issues, making complex appraisals, controlling extraordinary treatments and medications, and watchfully checking patients to ensure quality consideration.
Guru is Shiva sans his three eyes, Vishnu sans his four arms, Brahma sans his four heads. He is the God Shiva himself in human form.
PSM was one of my favourite subjects. Thank you for always being there for us, making sure your lessons were clear, grading was prompt. You were always understanding of our needs and taking an interest in our cultural differences. Shoutout to you, Dr. Although challenging, you made the course attainable and understandable. With all your “silly” hints and mnemonics from bulbous to Rhombus, and the passionate Met’s fan. class was enjoyable and studying became feasible! Your positive vibes kept the nerves at bay. Thank you for rooting for me and my classmates! Having a professor who wants you to succeed is a big plus!
Without medical teachers, we would be lost. They are the guides who help us navigate through the challenges of life, and their impact extends far beyond the classroom. They are the unsung heroes who make a difference in the lives of their students every day. Teachers are the foundation of our society, and their importance cannot be overstated. They play a vital role in shaping the future of our world. Thank you, medical teachers, for everything you do. For me from my school days to what I am today as a doctor are due to my God, parents and medical teachers who have guided me on the path [H10] of life in a positive direction. Hope I receive blessings from them throughout my life.
Thank you, Dr. Seema Anjeniya Ma’am.
As I recollect she was a confident and smiling professor who would teach the topics and make it simplified. PSM was interesting due to her teaching. “Only a doctor can teach how to love life.”
I would like to wholeheartedly wish Happy Teachers Day to her.
Dr Seema Anjeniya (MBBS PSM)is the Head of Department of PSM MGM Medical College Kamothe Navi Mumbai.
Dr. Nikita Pawar MBBS PGDCR General Practitioner and Post Graduate in Clinical Research & Pharmacovigilance. She is involved with her general clinical practice with corporate companies and online consultations. She has received appreciation for working as Best Doctor in Audit at Pan India Level. She is affiliated with Checkup Magazine as a writer on various subjects and has her own Unique articles page on Facebook.
To Dr Nandan Samant Sir,
“Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” -Scott Hayden
And where would we be without our teachers? I have been blessed in every phase of my life to have the guidance of some of the noblest lot, beginning with my parents, school teachers, mentors who trained us during our graduation, and my very erudite post-graduation guide, Dr. Anirudh B. Acharya.
Then, as we venture out into the real world of medical practice, we meet new teachers in the form of seniors and colleagues. They often do the tougher yet subtler and unrewarding job of aligning our academic knowledge into more practical thinking that is directly applicable in real world scenarios. Their lessons are small, sporadic, conversational that still manage to leave an indelible mark on the way we practice.
Among these, there was none quite like Dr. Nandan Samant Sir, Senior Surgeon, Kartavya Sadhana Hospital, Kudal. A consummate teacher, Sir took the initiative with Dr. Masurkar Sir, to bring together medical practitioners of all disciplines under the umbrella of Doctor’s Fraternity Club, Sindhudurg, that diligently holds monthly academic sessions right from the time of its inception. A visionary with the desire to make his district self-sufficient in terms of providing advanced medical care, Sir brought in many developments to his hospital and founded the first cutting-edge radiology centre of the district. A voracious reader, not only of medicine but of literature, history, economics, music, astronomy, geology, agriculture and politics, a two-minute conversation with Sir was sure to leave you enriched and enlightened about a topic you thought you knew all about. A quick wit with a generous heart, Sir was universally loved by his family, seniors, juniors, colleagues and patients.
He left us for heavenly abode on September 5th, 2021, leaving an irreplaceable void in our fraternity. It was Teachers Day.
Dr. Nandan Samant was an alumnus of Miraj Medical College and finished his M.S. in Gen. Surgery in 1981. Apart from his medical affiliations, he was appointed as the Secretary of Red Cross Society (Sindhudurg Branch), Director and Trustee of Tirodkar College, Pandur and was the President of the Governing Council and lifetime advisor of Doctor’s Fraternity Club, Sindhudurg.
Dr. Sai Surve Rane is a Periodontal Consultant practicing in Sindhudurg, a regular medical writer and an occasional poet.
“A tribute to My Mentors”
This Teacher’s Day, I was given an opportunity to pen a tribute to my mentor, and I have been on nostalgia ride since then. I can’t think of a single mentor, but, multiple mentors, who came in my life and selflessly shared their wisdom and time with me.
Firstly, parents play a big role in our life. I think more than us doctors, our parents sacrifice a lot in the process of becoming and flourishing as a doctor in our respective specialty, from arranging the money for medical education to not knowing when would we finally come back home finishing our non ending courses, from getting used to our absence at every festival/holiday to actually having to plan meticulously to be able to meet us once in a while amidst our already hectic duty schedules. They are the ones who understand that duty comes first, and still be there for us in all the ordeals of life, teaching to carry patience and faith all along.
Next I think of my school teachers, who inspired and motivated me to finally realise my full potential, Mrs. Shefali Bose, Mrs. Gulnaz Kaur, Mrs. Savita Yadav, Mrs. Swati Joshi and Mrs. V.D Kolgaonkar. I remember, when the 7th Std prelim exam results were out, and checked answer sheets were distributed to us by our Class teacher, Mrs V.D. Kolgaonkar, she came to me as I was going through it, and asked, ” Pooja, have you found out the marks of toppers of other sections?”
I said very casually, ” No mam, why would I? I am sure I am not amongst them, so why bother myself asking”.
And she smiled and told me, you are second highest scorer in this exam, you should definitely aim for scoring the highest, you can do it, I have full confidence in you, you just don’t know it yet”
I was shocked to listen to those words, because I never thought I could be amongst the brightest of all and that I could actually turn my dream true, that was to become a doctor. Since that day, I found new confidence in myself. Her words propelled me to aim higher and achieve academic excellence, and to my surprise, I topped 10th and 12th Std in my school, which I never had imagined, because I was just thinking of getting into a good government medical college ultimately. We still are in touch and recently we were discussing about the changing perceptions of marriage and choosing the correct life partner.
During my undergraduate course, MBBS days, I think of all my batchmates as my mentors, because we were whole bunch of unique personalities, growing and exploring life together under a roof, learning different things from each other. Some taught me to laugh at my worst, some taught me that, its okay to cry, some taught me the value of honesty, and some taught me the value of patience and communication. So, thank you, Batch 2010, VMGMC Solapur!
Next comes my post graduation days, most difficult one, a demandung and transformative period. I can never thank enough my mentors there, whose trust, confidence and guidance has made me what I am today. Dr. Mahesh Mangal, HOD Plastic Surgery, Sir Gangaram Hospital is most humble and greatest mentor I have ever met, his immense knowledge and experience in life is unbeatable. He is extremely caring towards us, the resident doctors, as well as strict when it comes to performing duties/surgeries. He taught us to be always punctual, grounded and dedicated, no matter how much we ascend in life. He is truly a burning candle, enlightening our path time to time.
Dr. Saha, the epitome of knowledge and experience, I feel lucky to have worked with him during my initial years of residency, his fearless confident incisions in challenging cases are so impressive, his work is an art to see while performing surgeries. He taught us techniques which no one else could. He taught us, that old is gold, even in surgery, that when you are stuck in difficult situation, there is always a way that could be found in older literatures.
Dr. Ahuja, the master of masters, has been a constant motivation, inspiration and encouragement through his present and past work. His academic grip during classes, thought provoking questions, has always been an eye opener and that always made us to jot down those questions and spend days to search the answers for same.
Dr. Gambhir, whom I call the walking talking encyclopaedia of our Plastic Surgery department, is the most patient teacher I have ever seen. He rarely ever scolded me, and answered all my queries and tolerated all our little mischiefs happily. He is a gem of a person and always encouraged me to be the better version of myself. His patience is unbeatable and his guidance is what everyone seeks all the time. He is our way out when stuck bad.
Dr. Lalit, the fastest and most accurate surgeon I have ever known, his precision and speed at surgery is unbeatable. His immense knowledge in the field has always surprised us and encouraged us to open books and study. His spontaneous lightening up a tense environment is one quality to have.
Dr. Anubhav, the most friendly one and most caring one. He has not only been a great teacher, but a great guide and friend for all of us, and helped us in navigating the difficult path of our life in general. He always gave challenging cases to me and leveling up one by one, which helped me in realizing my own potential, and never ever showed disbelief in me. His trust and confidence in me has helped me a lot to grow in my field.
Dr. Bheem, my actual mentor on paper and otherwise also. His passion, his confidence, his strength while performing surgeries is what I want to have one day. His strictness and scolding, have made me only better as a surgeon and so his confidence and trust in me. His dedication to teach and make us better everyday is remarkable. His quality of seeing through us is amazing, his inspiring words hit the exact moment when we need them the most. Dr. Anubhav and Dr. Bheem together, have been the best mentors anyone could ever have!
Next are my seniors, Dr. Sasidhar and Dr. Nikhil to be mentioned specifically, who have heard what not from me. My happy moments, my sad moments, I have shared almost everything to them. I have always searched for them during my low times and always seeked their words of advice and guidance. You need mentors not only for academic growth but personal growth too. Sometimes you are stuck in life, and don’t know how to proceed despite the fact that you are doing exceptionally good at professional front, you need seniors, friends and mentors like these two. I continue to buzz them with my problems then and now.
Lastly but not the least, Dr. Krishna and Dr. Arifa, my best friends, my mentors of life, for life. Best friends know you, your past challenges, setbacks and future goals. They are the ones, holding my hands constantly, towards reaching my self – actualization in all aspects of my life, knowing me better than myself.
I will be forever indebted to all these people in my life. I couldn’t take any one name, as everyone plays a significant role in shaping me and my future, because just like every other thing, mentors too, come in different forms and sizes.
Happy Teacher’s Day!
An old school, ambivert millenial, paving her path in the field of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Apart from loving and enjoying her job, loves exploring places, listening to music, urdu shayaris, ghazals, poems and sometimes writes too, when not holding scalpel.