An eye for perfection, a mind for growth

his quick smile is perhaps his most attractive feature. until he turns his professional eye on you and wheels himself closer to you to check your eyes, speaking carefully, confidently and reassuringly. this is dr sherzad byramji, 30-something, committed to his profession, demanding nothing short of perfection and who, more often then not, logs in 14-hours a day.a student of the jawaharlal nehru college, belgaum, he spent nine years (from 1988-97) first going through the mbbs course and then specialising in opthalmology. back in secunderabad, he took over his father's clinic on mg road and, before he knew it, was neck deep in work. today, four years later, he has yet another clinic and consulting room at new bowenpally with an eye care shop attached to it. and a week day to him means reaching his rooms at 8.30 in the morning, in time for the first patient and then steadily on till the afternoon meeting patients and more patients. sherzad is virtually unreachable on his surgery days, when he's performing sensitive eye surgeries like lens implants, glaucomas or sometimes even the more complicated procedures. for someone who packs in a long day, sherzad's day starts pretty early, 6.30 am in fact. he goes for a jog in the vicinity of his home in ishaq colony. rejuvenated, he's ready to start his day but not before he tends his garden which comes alive under his touch. years ago, when he still had a few hours a day to call his own, he was quite a sportsman indulging in all his favourite sports -horse riding, sailing, tennis, swimming... now, of course, all those are distant memories, with time enough only to jog in the morning and catch a few hours of sleep at night, midnight onwards. and this, he admits, is a big loss to him. sunday, however, comes as a big bonus for all the sleep he can catch up on and friends he can be with. the eldest of three brothers, he is lucky to be aided by his second brother who now runs the eye care shop at bowenpally. and though the field is dynamic with newer techniques, instruments and discoveries, for sherzad, tomorrow means expanding his horizons further to newer and more sophisticated specialities, using better instruments and constantly upgrading his techniques and knowledge of his subject.