IGNORANCE CAUSES UNWANTED WORRY.

Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute For Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, is an Institute of National Importance under the Department of science and technology, Government of India.

The Institute has a status of a university and offers excellent research and training facilities. I was the Chief physiotherapist of the Dept. of Physiotherapy for eighteen years and retired in 2012. Around twenty percent of the staff are in academic research activities and many research programs are going on, being a central university.

I had an occult desire in my mind to have a PHD program in physiotherapy for a candidate in my department, as we had the good infrastructure for this purpose. But being a HOD of the department I had neither a PHD nor a DM as a qualification but only possessed a postgraduation. So I suppressed my desire and kept silent. Surprisingly, one smart postgraduate physiotherapist approached the Director and requested an opportunity to do PHD in physiotherapy and the Director approved his request by giving him guideship and constituted an advisory committee, consisting of eight members including me. All seven members had either PHD or DM in Neurology, but I was only a postgraduate. His PHD topic was "Conservative physiotherapy for Stroke, in association with Functional Electrical stimulation, Trans magnetic stimulation and Ayurveda".

The researcher started his work at the right time. He frequently came to me for his necessary stroke patients, who were in abundance in our dept. We had all imported electrical and electronic machines inevitable for his research work. I sincerely guided him to use these machines on patients with the hope of getting my long-cherished dream fulfilled. Nobody knew that I was keeping a burning inferno in my mind about my ineligibility of not having PHD to be on the Doctoral advisory committee. I feared if anyone raised a complaint about my not having PHD and being on the Doctoral advisory committee. I expressed my anxiety once to the Director and my willingness for quitting it. He was annoyed and said," You are the technical expert and who can be put in your place" He also consoled me not to worry about anything. Being ignorant of research methodologies, that reply did not satisfy me. I kept on burning in my mind about the humiliation and disgrace if I were removed by somebody's complaint.

But I had sufficient experience to contribute to my researcher and lavishly I provided what he wanted and he was extremely happy. But I conveniently concealed my hidden worry from him and so he gave me full respect to be given to a subject expert. One year of research passed in the meantime. He started getting traces of positive results which nobody in the world had unveiled in the domain of physiotherapy. That is what is success in research. My researcher frequently admired me that he was lucky to have an experienced guide like me and a well-equipped dept. But whatever be the storehouse of knowledge, am I, my lack of confidence in my eligibility was my apprehension. You readers may be feeling funny about my mindset. Probably, it might have been a mental disorder, that an unexpected fortune was not able to be enjoyed by me.

In the meantime, I happened to treat a paralysis case, caused by vasculitis and Rheumatoid arthritis. She was the daughter of a Professor and Dean of the University of Cochin. It is needless to mention his experiences in research and academic activities. I opened my mind to him when he became close to me in connection with his daughter's treatment. He said, "It is an unnecessary worry, you are keeping in your mind. It is the university that determines your eligibility by anything. Once the Vice-chancellor designates you in one thing, that means, you are eligible. He will have the justification for that. There are several instances." His words of vast experience were effective counseling for my melancholy.

I slept peacefully that night and comfortably slept all followed nights for three more years, within which his thesis was completed. I attended his six presentations and a final open defense program, along with the other seven members. In due course, he was awarded Ph.D., the first PHD in physiotherapy in Kerala. This PHD holder has published his thesis in an International journal keeping me as a co_author. This can be downloaded from google. He is now working as an Assistant professor at the University of Muscat.

Next episode.....Ignorance removes the unwanted worry.

Thank you.