Volume 11 Issues 12 December, 2021
Dr Sarada Menon…A Personal Note…
I was passionate about psychiatry since early days of my undergraduate career and once I shared it with my grand uncle Dr RV Rajam (who was Dr Sarada Menon’s teacher), he put me in touch with her and I joined IMH soon after finishing my house surgeon period.
“We meet so many people in life, but we connect to the heart of very few and Dr Sarada Menon was one such person. Personally I will remember her for her kindness, compassion, benevolence and as an abiding source of inspiration“
After a few months, one day her attender came and said that Dr Sarada Menon wanted to meet me. With much trepidation, I entered her office. She remarked that she has been monitoring my interest and progress and advised me to pursue my passion in other centers of learning and my own journey in psychiatry began.
The next time I met her was as my MD examiner. She had a reputation as a very strict examiner and I was quite anxious facing her. At the end of the day, while walking out, she told me, “Your uncle will be proud of you” and turned to the other examiners and said, “Look at him, he quotes poetry in a psychiatry paper!” (There was a question on empathy and I had quoted a poem of e e cummings!).
In all occasions subsequently whenever I met her, she would fondly enquire about me and Ahalya.
I met her last during the NIMHANS alumni meet. She told her nephew who was accompanying her and said, “He did so well in the MD exam and answered all questions, except one.” Then with that inimitable twinkle in her eyes, she asked me “Ragu, do you remember that question?” and walked ahead. I was totally astounded that she remembered a question that she asked in the exam decades ago!
That question still remains unanswered…
We meet so many people in life, but we connect to the heart of very few and Dr Sarada Menon was one such person. Personally I will remember her for her kindness, compassion, benevolence and as an abiding source of inspiration…
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