Inspired by personal experience a boy realises his dream of becoming a doctor
A perfect example of a Vidyadhan Covid-19 Sainik is Manoj Kumar KV, interning as doctor at the Gadag District hospital, Karnataka. Dr Manoj is on the frontlines of the fight against the pandemic in the country. He is currently on daily 12-hour night shifts from 8 pm to 8 am. The present duty cycle is for 10 days followed by a 14-day quarantine in a separate, earmarked building. Once inside the Hazmat suit, the doctors and nurses can’t even have water or coffee. It is for everyone’s safety. After the duty is over, the PPE is disposed of.
Dr Manoj lost his father to an accident when he was very young – studying in class one. After his father’s death, his mother started working as an agricultural labourer to support her son and daughter. She was determined to educate her two children. At the age of 14, Manoj was diagnosed with a life-threatening health condition. Dr. Manoj recalls, “I saw my mother borrow money to get me admitted in the hospital, and I saw the doctors working hard to save my life. These acts inspired me to focus on studies and I started dreaming of being a doctor”. In 2015, he enrolled for M.B.B.S at Gadag Medical College and Vidyadhan came forward to help him with a sponsorship.
Years back, at the time of joining the Vidyadhan program in Karnataka, Manoj had told us, “I want to save other people’s lives, like the doctors who saved my life. And, I look forward to the day when I will be able to give my mother a comfortable life.” Today he is doing both.
“Without the timely financial and moral support from Vidyadhan, I would not have been able to achieve my dream” says Dr. Manoj.
Trained in classical music and dance, also a frontline Covid-19 responder
Dr. Anvitha Joshi, Doctor Intern at the Mysore Medical College, was working with the Isolation Ward of the Krishna Rajendra (KR) Hospital in Mysore, a city that has reported many Covid-19 positive cases. Inside the ward, however, only PG doctors specializing in Medicine and nurses in, full PPE gear, are permitted. Teams of doctors and nurses in 12-hour shifts are taking care of the Covid-19 positive patients. Currently, she is working with the Gynaecology wing of the hospital.
Dr. Anvitha’s father is a priest in her native village in Shivamogga district of Karnataka. Anvitha has always been a brilliant student, spending her initial student years at the village school. She is also passionate about Bharatanatyam and Hindustani classical music. The multi-talented doctor has also studied the Bhagvad Gita and Amarkosha (Sanskrit Dictionary) and can chant Sanskrit verses exquisitely.
After her Internship is complete and current duties in times of this global crisis are over, Dr. Anvitha hopes to secure PG admission in AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi)
For Anvitha, besides her deep interest in the subject, pursuing medicine has been a way to reach out to the needy. Years back as a young student Anvitha had told the Vidyadhan team “The training and mentoring I received from Vidyadhan helped me a lot when I moved from my village to a city college to pursue MBBS. I too want to serve society like Vidyadhan. To use my learning to assist those in need will give me maximum satisfaction”. In her new role, she continues to do so.
Vidyadhan India 