FORTUNE'S WHEELS TURNED TO BE WITH NOBLE VETERANS.

After specialisation I worked as a Physiotherapist in Air force hospitals and after retirement in a Civil hospital. I joined as a senior physiotherapist, in gazetted rank in a medical research Institute, under Govt. of India immediately after retirement in 1985 and retired as Head of the Dept. in 2012.

Our hospital being a reputed Institute of National Importance, Governors, chief ministers, ministers of centre and state, etc. usually preferred this hospital for medical treatment like AIIMS. Most of them being senior citizens, suffering from some arthritis, needed some kind of physiotherapy, for different old age ailments as a supplimentary treatment. I had many opportunities to provide physiotherapy for so many VIPs. VIP physiotherapy is not very comfortable for a physiotherapist. However efficient you are in your job, that alone is not sufficient. This I learned from my senior Airforce physiotherapist, who gave treatment on official duty to Sri. Jagajeevan Ram, our former minister of Defence in New Delhi. You should speak polite Hindi or English but not Shakesperean English. You should have a standard, noble,high-tech skill of soothsaying( buttering). This 'butter' may miserably melt and wash out if your style is not acceptable to the individually different attitude of the VIP and may result in a negative effect. Field Marshal, K M Cariappa, whom, I gave two sessions (each session seven days) of treatment in Command Hospital Bangalore, is an exception to this. He was not bothered about any subjective elements, other than the duty, one is supposed to do. He did not allow the Officer in charge of the dept. to do physiotherapy for him. He said in a noble tone" Mr. ###, You may keep sitting in your office and receive other patients for treatment, this boy ( I was LAC) is posted in this cubicle and he will do what is required, as per your advice ". Usually, the VIPs desire that they should be surrounded by the whole medical team.

The greatest, noblest and funniest thing is that, once, after the treatment, while going back to his suit, he saw a stray butt end of a cigarette thrown by someone on the Verrandha. He silently stooped, took it, and put it in the waste bin. I saw it with my naked eyes. When I saw this I ran and reached there to pick it up before him. But he said," It's alright" and did it before me.

When he remained in the hospital, the heavy traffic on HAL road in front of Command hospital was controlled by the traffic I G. in such a way that no loud horn was blown proximal to the hospital.

Such great personalities were the embodiment of veteran nobility.

Thank you.