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Even this will pass away...

The momentous incident in their life was when medicos in Pinnamaneni Siddhartha College of Medical Sciences told Dr. Rao: "Sir, even this will pass away." How did it happen? Induced by a panic call from a girl student of the college, Dr. Rao went to a city hospital and demonstrated empathy to his student's family. A couple of days later, the 47-year-old father of the medico succumbed to multi-organ failure. All the girl students in the college went to console their peer.

In the next day's class, Dr. Rao read aloud a poem by Theodore Tilten to rev up the pupils' enthusiasm. That was the story of a prince, who was gifted a gold ring with an inscription: "Even this will pass away." Every time the prince enjoyed the best of things in the world and when his joy reached its crescendo, he was reminded of the reality by the words on the ring. Though struck by palsy later, he derived inspiration from the message on the ring.

An effective communicator that he is, Dr. Rao felt realized that the message indeed did wonders with the students a few months later when President Abdul Kalam cancelled his visit in the last minute following issuance of election notification February 2004. The entire effort by the students, doctors and the management went awry with the cancellation of the President's visit. A crestfallen Dr. Nageswara Rao and Dr. Sudha, surprisingly though, found themselves on an altogether different plane when the students came and said: "Sir, even this will pass away." That was paeans to them.

A. SAYE SEKHAR

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