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"Mara dora joyach ké (have you seen my stare)?” our Zarin fui (father’s sister) would say, widening her eyes in a bid to warn us she meant business. Formidable though that may have seemed, we learnt early that it was only one facet of the wonderful, warm-hearted, generous, spirited lady we were privileged to have as our fui. I say fui, but for us she was more like a second mother, caring for us, giving us some of our happiest times, tending to all our pediatric needs from the niggling colds and nasty upset tummies to the more serious measles, mumps and chicken pox. Her ability to remain cool in a crisis was admirable and just having her there made one feel better almost instantly.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say a couple of generations of children in Calcutta counted Dadina as their pediatrician. They would come for their routine vaccinations and the much-dreaded TABC (typhoid) shots only to find it wasn’t that bad after all. Dadina administered the shot so expertly! Children and their parents alike soon became friends with her and those friendships endured till some of the former had babies of their own. No guesses as to whom they would choose as their pediatrician!
While Dadina was a well-known and greatly respected practitioner in Calcutta’s well-heeled circles, it is in her work with the disadvantaged that she really left an indelible mark. An innate compassion for the sick and empathy with the needy led her to be a pioneer in so many ways — medical advocacy for the frailest of the frail, social advocacy for those otherwise left out and left behind, a shining light and a beacon of hope for countless children whose destinies were forever changed by her touch and her unstinting efforts to give them a second chance at life.
Dr D, as she came to be known, had a 40-year association with the Assembly of God Church Hospital where she worked closely with Pastor Buntain and his team when they first started operations in Calcutta in the 1970s. She served as medical director and later executive director of the Hospital which catered to the economically weaker sections of the population. She always believed inclusion was a right and not a privilege. And that was reflected in all her work.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Sudha Kaul, who set up the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP), wistfully recollects their association: "I met Zarin in 1972 when I took my son Arjun to her clinic. He had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and appeared to have intellectual disorders as well. She was most encouraging and comforting, the first doctor I met who treated him like a person and not a disabled child. I had started mulling over the idea of doing something for children like him. Zarin totally supported the idea and in 1974 my husband, Om, and I with a group of friends and Perin Aibara, a Bobath (neurological rehabilitation) therapist, formed an organization called the West Bengal Spastics Society. Our school was opened in the Ballygunge Military Camp on November 18, 1974. We were untrained novices with a passion and a dream; Dr D gave us the credibility and the recognition by joining us officially as our medical expert. She was on our governing body, and she ran our weekly clinic at Ballygunge too. The early years at our organization were exciting because we all got together to exchange ideas and plan for the future. Zarin was an integral part of this group. Over the years she made an immense contribution to IICP. She started training programs for doctors and therapists, wrote information booklets for parents and helped with our community programs. She built up a team of medical professionals who still continue to be associated with us. On a personal level she was my savior on many an occasion. Firm yet sympathetic. I am eternally indebted to her. And blessed that I knew her.”
Another project close to Dadina’s heart was the Foundling Home, later known as SICW (Society for Indian Children’s Welfare). The medical administration of the Foundling Home set up in the mid-seventies for preemies (premature babies), infants and toddlers, and Aashirwad which followed a decade later was Dadina’s forte and none could have done it better. She would bring in doctors and nurses, some totally new to the field, whom she would train personally and never let any of them compromise on the quality of medical intervention. The meticulous medical examination reports sent with referrals to prospective adoptive parents and her willingness to clarify any medical concern they raised was truly the envy of every other adoption agency.

 

 

 

 

 

Accompanying her on her bi-weekly rounds of the nursery and Aashirwad was a lesson in dedication. Despite her busy schedule, she always made it a point to greet the toddlers and older children with a bear hug! The knack of making every child feel special was reflected in the gusto with which the children would run to embrace her the moment she arrived. Nothing escaped her scrutiny as she examined each new arrival and each little sick baby. Their files had to be filled in meticulously, medicines unavailable with the regular supplier had to be indented from elsewhere, sometimes even from overseas. No effort was spared to try and give a child a second chance at life. Noticing just how quickly the sick children would bounce back to good health, many were convinced it was not just the medication she prescribed, it was her genuine concern and commitment, her magical touch! Many a dying child got a new lease on life thanks to her perseverance and never say die attitude!
 In spite of a thriving medical practice and commitment to a couple of hospitals, Dr D was always available for her babies at the Homes, always on red alert regarding the condition of children in the Foundling Home and Aashirwad and she would offer inputs at all times of the day or night. 
Indefatigable, that was Calcutta’s much-loved Dr D. Irreplaceable was our very dear Zarin fui who passed away in Calcutta, aged 84, on December 15, 2019 after a massive cerebral stroke. From the tributes that poured in, this one probably says it best: "Say not in grief she is no more — but live in thankfulness that she was.” 
"When it comes to our mother, we believe we had won the lottery!” daughter Varez Dadina wrote, in response to Parsiana’s request for additional information. Born to Dr Phiroze and Shera Dalal in Bombay on February 26, 1935, Zarin had three older brothers. She schooled at the J. N. Tata Parsi Girls’ High School in Nagpur and qualified in medicine from the Government Medical College, Nagpur. She specialized in pediatrics, obtaining her DCH (Diploma in Child Health) at the Jerbai Wadia Pediatrics Hospital. Married to Pessi Dadina, the doctor has a son Navzer, who is married to Bombay-based gynecologist Dr Avan, and daughter Varez by her husband Kersi Dadina who had an untimely death.
 The Calcutta Parsi community, in its write-up on their Dr D, mentioned, "She was one of two doctors on our panel for senior citizen checks, and for guidance to our 30 to 60-year-olds. Zarin Dadina was extremely helpful to the Parsi trusts of Calcutta. When we started a scheme to help our community members maintain standard health indicators, she was more than willing to help. And, she rendered this service free of any charge. Her pleasant and helpful disposition put her patients at ease. When she was incharge at the Assembly of God Church Hospital she helped with admissions and quick attention to members of our community.
"We will miss her smiling face and friendly disposition very much.”