I watched a squirrel yesterday at dawn in the custard apple tree in our garden adjacent to our walkway. It was looking for its morning meal. Knowing the squirrels resident in our garden, they reach the ripe papaya and custard apple fruits before we can pluck them.
When it reached the custard apple fruit in the tree, it was fully covered by red ants and the squirrel had to move away disappointedly. But it would have found the papaya tree not far from this site, while on its journey for its meal.
As I was downloading the pictures to the lap top, I remembered a disappointment that I had to endure for a while.
In the year 1989, following a meeting with Dr G Kumaresan, a Paediatrician trained in adult Neurology, attached to the Institute of Neurology in Chennai, knowing my interest in Developmental Neurology encouraged me to register for a full time PhD programme. There was no paediatric neurology training programme in the country at that time. He suggested that, it was the only way to pursue a grounding in Developmental Neurology as I was already in the pursuit of supporting children with Neuro-developmental needs. Dr Kumaresan tried for two years to get himself recognised as a guide for a PhD programme at the Medical University. For some reason that did not happen. I remember how much I longed for the training experience to become a reality!
In 1993, I was invited to speak at a meeting of organised to create awareness about epilepsy and its management protocols. The organisers invited me to speak on epilepsy in developmentally challenged children. The meeting was chaired by Prof. C.U.Velmurugendran, who was the head of the Institute of Neurology at the Madras Medical College. After my talk, which was the last one, he came to me and said, 'You spoke with considerable understanding. Are you a Paediatric Neurologist?'. I told him that I was trying to get a registration for two years to join a PhD training programme in Developmental Neurology as there was no formal training programme in India in Paediatric Neurology. We had a ten minute conversation on ASHIRVAD Child Development Centre where I was working at that time. He asked me a few questions to check my interest in Developmental Neurology. He asked me to come to his office the next day for registering for the PhD programme at the Institute of Neurology,
On reaching his office, he gave me a form to be filled up on that same day, as that was the last day to register for that year. He told me that I might be the first one in India, who would be starting a training in Developmental Neurology. He spoke to the Vice Chancellor of the University to accept my application form, whom I met later in the day. The Vice-chancellor was curious to know about Developmental Neurology.
That was how my training programme of four years started as a clinical trainee in Developmental Neurology at the Institute of Neurology. My research was on the 'Pattern and significance of Minor Neurological Dysfunction in pre-school children'. That took me to gather data from about 400 children from five Pre-schools in Chennai.
On the day of the convocation, when I received the award, Prof C.U.Velmurugendran told me, that, 'Your work was seminal to give a new meaning to the significance of Soft Neurological Signs, which remained ambiguous in clinical and developmental neurology for sometime'. His prediction came true. There is more value offered to Soft Neurological Signs now, while ascertaining the Neuro-developmental profile of pre-school children who are developmentally challenged.
The time spent in the Institute of Neurology for 4 years was the most enlightening season in my life academically. It was a place where I felt welcomed and affirmed. It gave me an opportunity to have a good enough exposure to clinical neurology as I was able to be attached to two children's neurology units during that time. The electrophysiology section of the Institute of Neurology was doing advanced work which introduced to the way it can be used in Developmental Neurology.
What appeared to be a journey into disappointment for three years turned out to be for granite me a promising outcome. I recall, Helen Keller's comment, 'When one door is closed, another door would open'.
When I was opening the gate in the evening yesterday on return from the hospital, what I noticed was this butterfly resting on a lily plant adjacent to the gate. It stayed still. It was a sobering sight.
As I stood watching, what surfaced in my mid was an overwhelming consciousness of gratefulness. It was 25 years ago I was awarded the PhD. I strived to register for it for three years. When what I pursued did not take me any further, another door was opened in a surprising way.
In one's life, there are times when restfully waiting is a better option than stressfully striving!
The squirrel would find its meal...so also all of us who have a need! We might not get it in the way we planned! We would be given in a surprising way, which would turn out to be better in the long run!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment