COVID sadly has become a part of life now. Its been almost six months now yet there seems to be no end to this pandemic. Last week, I went to office for the first time since the lockdown. I was looking forward to going to office for the past few weeks and finally got a chance when I had to go to attend a client meeting. I never thought that sitting at my office desk would bring such joy!
Despite all the challenges that a developing economy like India faces in deal with the pandemic, one of the institutions that has stood out is All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Established in 1956 by India's first Health Minister, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, as an institution of national importance for imparting medical education, AIIMS is playing a pivotal role in shaping the medical response to COVID in India . From devising medical strategies to deal with infected patients which serve as a guiding light for other hospitals / institutions across the country , designing and co-coordinating vaccine trials to advising the government on various Public Health interventions required at this critical time, the institution is truly living up to the vision of its founders. Having had a family member who has been treated at AIIMS, I can personally vouch for the top class evidence based medicine that the institution practices. While the waiting queues may be long, however, it is one of the few successful institutions where top quality medical treatment is not just the preserve of the rich and elite. It is truly a common man's hospital.
Not many may be aware, but an important role in the establishment of the institution was played by a fellow Sindhi, (Late) Dr. Nandkumar Hemraj Keswani, who joined the institution as the founder head of the Department of Anatomy and History of Medicine and later went on to become the Dean and Interim Director. Born in Bunguldero in Larkana District in Sindh, Pakistan in 1923, Doctor Dada left his career at Mayo Clinic / University of Rochester in USA to join AIIMS as a founding faculty member and served the institute for approximately 22 years along with his wife , Marianne (Colburg) Keswani and their four kids. He has often been described as the "finest" anatomist of his times, having regularly co-authored with Dr Hollinshead , whose Anatomy textbook is as relevant today as it was then. He was also instrumental in creating the museum of the History of Medicine at AIIMS. Dada Sahib has also served as the medical director of Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai which was established by another Sindhi family, Chanrais. Keswanis returned to USA in 1970s and Dada passed away in 2011.
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| (Late) Dr. Nandkumar Hemraj Keswani Photo Courtesy : Internet |
Whilst much has been written about Sindhis as a trading community and as being astute businessmen , not many are aware that Sindhis have equally contributed to the country's growth and development in other areas as well - whether in Politics through stalwarts like (Late) Acharya Kriplani and L K Advani, in legal field via maverick like (Late) Ram Jethmalani and (Late) Nirmal and Kapila Hingorani or in Medicine via Dada Sahib and many others. May Sindhri be blessed with many more stalwarts like Dada Sahib. His dedication and commitment to helping India reach greater heights is unparalleled and is as much needed today as it was then.
Keswani family is involved with Keswani Family Fund at American Academy of Pediatrics which intends to bring one additional scholar from India to USA for advanced neonatal training. Interested reader may want to visit their webpage https://services.aap.org/en/aap-global/keswani-family-fund/
I end with this wonderful Jhulelal Pallav sung by Mohit Lalwani during Cheti Chand celebrations in March at his home. I enjoyed listening to the Aarti and I hope you too like it.
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