Chronicle of a doctors’ struggle

LUCKNOW: Writing an autobiography is no mean task. Writing it under the shadow of death, with the clock ticking mercilessly, it becomes exemplary. Professor SR Naik has done just that, fighting Providence and providing inspiration to the multitude.
On Saturday, exhibiting the same resolve, he sat through the book release function of his maiden venture, Metamorphosis: A Doctor’s Autobiography, despite being strapped with a tube to drain intestinal fluids, breathing laboriously and speaking in a trembling voice.
The book was released by Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) — the institute where Dr Naik has served for more than a decade. The function was presided over by the chief secretary DS Bagga.
The head of gastroentrology department at SGPFI, Professor SR Naik, was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer in 2001, despite having a healthy medical record. Even after undergoing major surgery and chemotherapy, doctors had not given him more than a few months. However the grit and determination with which he fought so far has amazed both doctors and his relatives.
The Governor Vishnukant Shastri in a poetic eulogy said “sorrow can be defeated by fighting it. Being aware of impending death and a limited life span, the efforts of the doctor are inspirational.� Praising the role of ‘aayee’ (Professor Naik’s mother) in his moral and intellectual development, he added “the simplicity and humility of the individual reflects in the writing style.
Unfolding the dramatic tale of his will to fight back, the SGPGI director Professor Mahendra Bhandari, said “Professor Naik has been an inspiration for everybody, he took the news with stoic calm. The book will immortalise his contribution.�
RK Gupta, additional director disclosed that despite being in a critical state, he continued taking classes for two hours daily and dictated his autobiography in long sessions.
Noted film director Muzzaffar Ali, while speaking about the autobiography said “ The book is intense, not only does it provide a holistic view of medicine to understand how disease become a part of life and affects family, relationships and individuals. On another level, it’s a montage of the creative evolution of relationships, sensitivity and tender moments in the life span of a doctor.�
The book traces his evolution and development as a child in Goa to a surgeon responsible for others’ life. The domineering influence on his life by his own admission has been of his ‘aayee’.
No stranger to tragedy, he lost his father when he was just 17-month old and grew up in a joint family. Professor Naik has dedicated the book to three women in his life, wife Sita, daughter Mukta and his mother. When questioned whether he had a message for other cancer patients too, he simply replied “Every individual has the inner strength to fight. I am no prophet and cant dispel wisdom.�