During my 27 years in Jamshedpur, working for Tata Steel, there were several occasions when Dr Pesi Bharucha (see "A first class surgeon,” pg 41) performed miracles at the Tata Main Hospital. He once saved my life.
When Jeroo and Ruki, our daughters were very small, some thugs broke into our house and shot me with a pipe gun in the room where the girls were sleeping! About 100 pellets were pumped into my body. Bharucha could remove most, but not all, the pellets the first time. A second attempt was made to remove the remaining. But by then flesh had grown over the pellets and they kept shifting their position which made it extremely difficult for him to operate. About five slugs entered my lungs and still remain there. I was given strong doses of penicillin to prevent infection. My life hung on a very thin string. He wanted to open my lungs to remove them but decided against it. When I visited him years later, when he was over 90, he inquired about the pellets!
On another occasion I was attacked with an axe. Four fingers of my left hand were nearly severed. He was summoned from a private party to operate and with 20 stitches, managed to save them.
My wife, Rati, a Bombayite, was a bit nervous when Ruki, our younger daughter, was to be born in Jamshedpur. Pesi told her, he would be there holding her hand when Ruki arrives. He and the gynecologist, Dr Kapadia, were at a party at Sir Jehangir Gandhy’s house which both of them left to fulfill the promise to Rati.
He truly led a life in keeping with Gathic principles. YEZAD KAPADIA
Delhi
yezad.kapadia@gmail.com