An Achiever s Diary

abroad. However, in India, I could make a much bigger difference to my own countrymen’s lives if I could contribute to the development of this speciality.  

MM: Whom do you consider as your mentor and influence in your life?
If I had to choose one person, it has to be Sir Roy Calne, the father of modern liver transplantation and Professor of Surgery at University of Cambridge with whom I worked and trained for five years. His versatility in surgery, innovative thinking, boundless energy, open mindedness especially in respecting his juniors’ views, and his multifaceted personality in being a painter, writer, orator and a keen sportsman apart from being a world renowned surgeon were awe-inspiring and continue to be the source of my motivation to this day.

MM: How do you feel to be a pioneer in very many surgical procedures in India?
All surgeons get a high when they do a new or challenging operation and save a life. I would be less than honest if I said I didn’t feel the same everytime. But much more important than personal gratification is the fact these are all life-saving procedures that have taken the practice of liver transplantation in India to the global level. 

MM: Which has been your toughest and the most memorable case so far?
It’s the case of a lawyer suffering from a fatal chronic liver disease. When he came to me in May 2006, time was running out. Both his sons readily agreed to undergo tests for liver donation. Although they were both of the matching blood group, his elder son had some abnormailities of the blood supply to the liver that would have made the operation much more difficult. So I went ahead with the younger son being the donor. They both did well after the operation. However, lightening struck twice and around 18 months after his transplant, he developed liver failure again due to Hepatits E. This was the first time I had ever seen this happen. He started deteriorating very fast and again required an urgent liver re-transplant. Now, such a re-transplant of the liver using half a liver from another living donor had never been done in the country before and in fact, only ever been done once before in Seoul. Also, this time, he had about 30 per cent risk of losing his life during or after transplant compared with the seven-eight per cent risk of a usual case. Add to this the fact that the elder son’s liver anatomy would pose additional technical problems for me in a case that was complicated enough as it is. After careful planning, we went ahead. It took us 18 hours compared to the usual eight hours. We were able to eventually complete the transplant successfully and create history. 

MM: With such rich experience in hand, do you think you’ll have an independent set-up some day?
Not really. Besides the fact that I do not have a single entrepreneurial bone in my body, the practice of liver transplantation requires high-level expertise in nearly 15 allied specialities. That kind of multi-disciplinary set up can only exist in a large multi-speciality hospital. Also, my research and teaching aspirations will not be met in such a centre.

MM: What attracts you to teaching? How do you find time in such a busy schedule to teach?
I have been teaching for 20 years–it’s a passion. And one always finds time for whatever one is passionate about. One’s teachings last beyond one’s lifetime. What good is your expertise if you haven’t passed it on? It is true in