Neurologist

I have an unfathomable love for Patiala

My birth on 27 March 1945 in Peshawar was obviously a moment of joy for my parents, Mann Kaur and Mehar Singh; I had four brothers and two sisters but the sisters died before we left the newly built Pakistan. The earth-shattering events of partition brought with it misery for all of us. My parents had to flee for their lives from Peshawar to a refugee camp in Sanaur near Patiala. Here my elder brother, Uttam, contracted some infectious spine disease and died in the camp. Without money and the uncertainty of everything else, Uttam’s death was a terrible blow; my family felt that life was at its lowest ebb.

To keep the stoves at home burning, Papa took to vending fruits and vegetables and at times plying a tonga, while Mummy ji tried to run the household to her best with the minimum resources. We had to spend a few months in a refugee camp before we were allotted a house in Patiala. I remember how Mummy ji would wake me up early morning to go to the gurudwara. Seeing how difficult it was for Papa to put food on the table, I resolved to be a topper at school.

I joined Dhudial Khalsa School, Patiala, and was a good debater; I won many awards at inter-school debate competitions. I even won the second prize in Religious Studies Exam conducted by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. In 1959, when I was in grade 9, I lost my father to a stroke, the family’s sole breadwinner. Earlier, my two elder brothers, Pritam and Saran, had already married and moved out, leaving my brother Kartar and me with my mother.

Kartar, who had just completed his high school, dropped the idea of studying further and started working to support the family and I started taking tuitions. My fate seemed to be heading in the same direction as Kartar’s. It seemed imminent I’d have to give up studies after high school because of the family’s financial condition. But when the exams were over, my teacher, Narinder, urged my mother to let me continue with my studies. “I am ready to pay for Jaswant’s education,” he said, “but do not stifle his dreams.” His insistence convinced her. However, when the results were declared, I had secured third position in Punjab, much to my surprise and happiness. This made me eligible for free education for the next two years.

I joined pre-engineering in Mahendra College, Patiala, in 1960, but by the end of the first year my interest shifted to Botany and Zoology. I applied for pre-medical and completed a two-year programme in a year, topping the college. In those days, there were three medical colleges in Punjab. As a result of my academic credentials, I got admission in all three, but joined the Government Medical College, Patiala, because it was in my hometown at a walking distance from my house.

By now, Kartar too was married, but my scholarship amount of Rs 50 a month helped us pay my fees and run our household. I graduated from the college as the Best Graduate of the 1967 batch and joined the same college to study MD after my internship. I also took up my first job! I started working as an Assistant Registrar at Government Medical College, Patiala.

I had always wanted to be in academic medicine but when I joined Punjab Civil Medical Services in 1971, I received my first posting for Pathankot on 3 December, the first day of Indo-Pak War. This town was the centre of target of bombardment by Pakistan. Perhaps I was the only person moving there when others were leaving. But my duty demanded it, so I served the soldiers.

Once the war was over, I decided to look for other options of my interest. I had already cleared the qualifying ECFMG exam for residency in medicine in1970, so was offered an internship by a Booth Memorial Hospital, New York, where I arrived in July of 1972. In the initial days, I had wanted to move back to India because of the cultural difference, but this one year changed me, and I enrolled for a residency programme in neurology at New York Medical College.