A doctor with God's signature in his hands

"No legacy is so rich as honesty," Shakespeare. He is a loner in the crowd, a rare gem among doctors and altruistic in a money-minting medical profession.Calm,gentle and compassionate Dr.Nelson Kattikatt walks alone in the privileged world of medical field with the serenity and grace of a blessed healer.His compassionate care makes him stand out among the doctors when a majority among them are immune to the plight of patients. His calm and sagelike aura is quite tranquilising even to the violent mental patients at the Government mental hospital in Trivandrum where he is the Chief Psychiatrist. Today when society as a whole belive that success is about amassing wealth and sensual gratification, and care little about the humanity as a whole, with his ethical and socialy responsible practice, he tries to live up to the words of Gandhiji that “ The best way to find yourself is to lose yourselves in the service of others.” He lends compassionate ear to each patient at the hospital and helps those who cannot afford costly medicines. No wonder, his patients adore him and shower him with adjectives as ‘ doctor with the signature of God and doctor with a blessed hand.’ Despite his humble back ground, money hardly tempts this brutally honest doctor and he does choose the road less travelled when pharmaceutical companies bribe the doctors with costly gifts and free overseas travels and laboratories with commissions. He stays away from such temptations and suggests laboratories to give reduction to patients instead. He has been maintaining this principle since his medical college days and those values are always very dear to him. And he strongly believes that doctors have a duty towards society unlike many other professions. ‘Service to humanity is the primary duty of a doctor.’ He says. How can he be detached to money in a world of materialism?” As a deeply spiritual person, it is easier for me.” pat came the reply. When speaking about the adoration of his patients, he speaks with the same detachment, ‘Whatever I am today is due to the grace of God, I am just a tool." In many of my interactions with him, I never have seen him losing his cool even in extremely tough situations; the hard realities in life might have tamed him to be tolerant, he reasons.As the son of a small shop keeper and the shame and inferiority complexes that thrust upon him by a society that glorifies money and influence, had deeply haunted him throughout his childhood, yet fighting against all odds, he has emerged as the Chief Psychiatrist of Kerala by his strong will, which reminds me of the quote of prophetic writer Khahlil Gibran, “Out of suffering emerges the strongest soul.” Like many exceptional people Dr. Nelson seems to be a misfit among his colleagues, has been misunderstood often and struggle to cope up. But nothing detracts him from serving his patients. For him it is service beyond the call of duty. Dr. Nelson is a voracious reader too and used to write poems during his school/college days, won many accolades for elocution,poetry writing,essay writing etc . But his creative side is in hibernation after became busy with medical practice, which he feels to be dusted off. Unfortunately, as the saying goes that no prophet is revered in his homeland, noble souls like him are not recognized in their own land.