Died: Dr Behram Sarosh Anklesaria, 65, senior obstetrician and gynecologist, and a trustee of the Ahmedabad Parsi Panchayat (APP), on May 30, 2012 of a heart attack in Ahmedabad.
"His presence in his beloved city of Ahmedabad was large; it was hard to find an Ahmedabadi who did not know him… He loved everything and everyone around him: his family, his patients, his nurses, his accountants, his cousins, aunts and friends… He went out of his way for them,” Anklesaria was fondly remembered by his cousin Nitash Balsara who teaches at Berkeley University, California. Balsara further described him as "loud, gregarious, generous and forceful… When my parents were fighting illnesses against incredible odds… he used his vast knowledge of medicine to make sure that everything that could possibly be done for their comfort was done. When there was a ray of hope, he would shine light on it.”
From 2010 to 2012, Anklesaria served as chairman elect, Indian College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Earlier, he had represented India on the executive board of the Federation of International Gynecology and Obstetrics from 2006-2009, was president of the Indian Menopause Society from 2006-2007 and president of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology Societies of India from 2004-2005. On October 1, 2010 at Colombo, Sri Lanka the South Asian Federation of Menopause Societies was born, the culmination of his long held dream. Anklesaria was elected as its founder president.
Actively involved in teaching, practice and public awareness projects, Anklesaria’s vast academic interests included menopause, adolescent-youth education and reproductive endocrinology. In all Indian and foreign textbooks the standard system of clinical diagnosis and treatment of menopause goes by the name of the Anklesaria Staging of Menopause. This is widely published abroad and has been accepted at many international conferences, reveals his bio data.
As a postgraduate teacher for 33 years Anklesaria taught at the University Hospitals, the B. J. Medical College and Civil Hospital and the N. H. L. Medical College and L. G. Hospital in Ahmedabad. He was examiner for the MBBS, MD and MS examinations at various universities, states his bio data. He delivered over 250 orations and guest lectures at conferences in India and abroad. In fact he delivered his last lecture at the Ahmedabad Obstetrics and Gynecology Society just a few hours before his fatal heart attack. He contributed to medical text books and publications, organized the first audio visual sex education program for educational institutions in Gujarat state. In 2007 he published a book titled Modern Management of Menopause with Isoflavones (see "Managing menopause,” Books, Parsiana, August 21, 2007). He organized India’s first satellite conference on obstetrics and gynecology in Ahmedabad in 2004, followed annually by others in many cities in India where over 12,000 specialists at more than 100 centers participated.
Born on March 26, 1947, Anklesaria had grown up seeing at close quarters the "dedication and love” with which his parents practiced, and wanted "no better use for his life than the alleviation of human suffering.” A second generation doctor — his parents, Sarosh and Dhun were pioneering obstetricians and gynecologists who started a hospital in Ahmedabad in the 1930s — Behram Anklesaria achieved international recognition for his work in the same field. In 1971 he obtained his MBBS from Seth G. S. Medical College and K. E. M. Hospital in Bombay, completing his postgraduate studies in obstetrics and gynecology from Ahmedabad’s B. J. Medical College. He soon established a name for himself, distinct from that of his parents, and built up a successful medical practice. His opinions often differed from theirs and at times became a source of amusement to the media with one article famously carrying his mother’s pro-life views on abortion alongside his own vehement pro-choice stand!
Anklesaria’s classmate noted gynecologist Dr Adi Dastur referred to him as an "unforgettable personality.” He said Anklesaria has become immortal in "retaining a place in the hearts of others… Let us all remember the joyous, happy, jubilant and vibrant Behram that we all knew!”
When the central government was considering a scheme to give financial aid for infertility treatment to childless Parsi couples, Anklesaria was chosen as a representative of the community because of his expertise in the field. Since June 3, 2007 he had served as a trustee of the APP. At a special meeting convened by the APP on June 24, 2012, all present honored his memory. The minutes of the meeting, in Gujarati, mention how "well known he was in the medical fraternity” and acknowledge his "service to the community as an APP trustee.” The assembly then maintained silence for two minutes, followed by a brief humbandagi.
Born into a religious priestly family, religion was ingrained into Anklesaria from a young age. If "the extent of your Zoroastrianism is decided by the number of times you pray... or the rituals you observe…(he) may not qualify as a devout Zoroastrian,” elaborates his daughter Ava, a third generation doctor who is carrying the baton forward and practices in the USA. But if "spending your life trying to help those in need — at every step, to the best of your ability, without any consideration to reward” then he was "as devout as they come.” Named Behramgore, after his grandfather the eminent Pahlavi scholar Behramgore T. Anklesaria, his views on the religion matched those of his forebear, being "liberal and purist.” According to Ava, "He rejected superstition in any form. He firmly believed in equality of the sexes, where it came to issues like marriage and inheritance. He believed that if we are to survive as a community we must set aside narrow parochial beliefs and pursue the religion in its purest form.”
But it was not all work and no play for Anklesaria who had wide ranging interests, being very well read and traveled. "He had a great love for world history, western classical music and chess,” mentions his daughter. He also had "the ability to make everyone in his presence feel special…For a child he was fun, funny and indulgent. My childhood is filled with memories of Sunday lunches or late night dinners where he kept us regaled with his humor,” she recalls. Anklesaria’s son Sarosh opted to become an architect and teaches at Syracuse University, New York. Ava enjoyed studying with her father "because he was smart and he had the ability to make the most boring subjects interesting.” She would often wake him up at 3 or 4 a.m. to keep her company while studying and "it is in those early morning hours that I learnt some of life’s more important lessons — sometimes in the form of a poem, or a speech or an anecdote from his life.”
The family still recalls the time when Anklesaria had packed them in a car for a road trip to see the paintings of renowned artist M. F. Husain. When they reached the "gufa” (cave) where the works were housed, a sign at the entrance indicated that the display had been closed for several months. Most people would have chosen to go elsewhere, but Anklesaria spoke to people in the vicinity, smiling warmly while introducing himself. He found a young man sleeping under a tree near the gufa and gently woke him up. The man recognized him as the doctor who had delivered his child some years earlier after a somewhat complicated pregnancy. Anklesaria inquired after the man’s wife and a few minutes later the man returned bearing the keys to the gufa! The company was able to enjoy the paintings undisturbed.
As one of his close friends remarked, "For Behram, life was a celebration!” That was true not merely for himself but for those whose lives he touched. Balsara refers to the time his aunt had passed away under very difficult circumstances and he had come to Ahmedabad. He recalls, "An hour or so after I landed, (Behram) declared, ‘We remember the loved ones who passed away, but we do not let it come in the way of majja (fun)!’ It will take me a while to live by his words, but I think he will understand. Beneath it all, he always did.”
The gregarious doctor is survived by his wife Persis, son Sarosh and daughter Ava. from in any manner: occupying, receiving
any benefit from, alienating, selling, transferring, encumbering, disposing of, parting with possession of, inducting any persons into, or creating any third party rights or interests in or over the assets forming a part of the estate of the deceased…
"Receiving any benefit, making any representations to any person on the basis of, and/or from acting upon or in furtherance of the alleged will dated September 8, 2011…
"That pending the hearing and final disposal of the suit, the defendant No. 1, be ordered and directed to:
"Disclose on oath the movable and immovable assets left behind by the deceased at the time of his death, and all acts, deeds and things done by the defendant No. 1 with regard thereto, including the cash, jewellery, gold, and other assets taken charge of or otherwise dealt with by him and all amounts and/or realized therefrom.
"Render a true and full inventory and accounts of his dealings with the assets and properties of the deceased and the profits, if any therefrom.”
In a miscellaneous petition filed by Sukhadwalla claiming that Avasia did not "have a caveatable interest in the estate of” Dalal, Justice Sayed on July 25, 2012 held that "the deceased testator (Purvez) was about 75 years of age and was residing alone at the time of his death. Admittedly the petitioner (Sukhadwalla) is not related to the deceased testator and came in contact with the deceased testator only a few months prior to death of the deceased testator and the deceased testator died within three months of his making the second will.
"Furthermore, I find that besides the above two wills that are being propounded, there is in fact another will dated August 23, 2011 of the deceased testator. This would be evident from the letter dated September 8, 2011 (the same date as the second will)... A perusal of the said letter would reveal that on the original of the will of August 23, 2011 of the deceased testator, an endorsement has been made by the deceased testator’s family physician Dr L. S. Ballani at the foot thereof that the deceased testator is not in a fit condition to sign the will with proper understanding. Apparently, the petitioner was present at the time of the execution of the will of August 23, 2011, however that will is not forthcoming and the petitioner may have some explaining to do in that regard. Suffice it to say that in the facts and circumstances of this case, it would be unsafe at this stage to presuppose that there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the execution of the second will propounded by the petitioner and that the second will in favor of the petitioner is a genuine will...
"Before parting, it needs to be recorded that it has been very fairly stated by the learned senior counsel on behalf of the respondents (Avasia and Lawyer) that the respondents are willing to let go their claim if the petitioner agrees that the estate of the deceased testator can go to charity by appointing a retired Judge of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India to administer the estate of the deceased testator. The learned counsel for the petitioner got back to the court after taking instructions, and also measured up in fairness and agreed before the court that the estate of the deceased testator can be donated to charity in favor of Tata, Godrej and/or Wadia Trust and a retired Judge of the Hon’ble Supreme Court can oversee the proper application thereof. However, the only hitch is that the petitioner desires to act as an executor and administer the estate of the deceased testator, to which the respondents are not really agreeable. This issue however, I have no doubt in my mind, can be resolved by adopting a via media which would be acceptable to both the parties and would need to be explored at a later stage, after considering the claims made by other parties/heirs.”
An application for the appointment of an administrator for the estate is set to be heard on November 23, 2012.
Iqbal Chagla, Faredoon Devitre, N. A. Agarwal, A. R. Borkar and Doijode and Associates appeared on behalf of Avasia and Lawyer. Fereshte Sethana, Rani Kakkar, Aagam Doshi, Pooja Karadia and Duttmenon Dummorrsett appeared for Sukhadwalla.