Nagpur: The poet in neurosurgeon
Lokendra Singh was at his best as he created a magic of words during an open interview organized by Vidarbha Hindi Sahitya Sammelan as part of ‘Samvad’ series at Mor Bhavan, on Wednesday.
Dr Lokendra Singh was in full flow while conversing with littérateur Sagar Khadiwala, sharing his life stories and also his success as a neurosurgeon. Going back to his roots, Dr Singh said his father used to write poems which did have an influence on him as he grew up.
The first time he wrote a poetry was in college when he was unaware of the power of his words. He first presented his poetry at IMA hall years ago.
Khadiwala and Dr Singh’s conversation was less of an interview and more of a conversation between two friends, catching up with each other. It is always the best of the moments when you hear two poets talk. Singh and Khadiwala charmed the audience with their wit and humour.
Singh recited one of his best poems, based on his struggles and described his success story in the best possible way. He took the audience down memory lane to the place where he was born and brought up. He spoke of all the waxes and wanes he had to face to accomplish what he desired.
As the legend has it that behind every successful man there is a woman. For Singh, the strong woman was his wife Madhubala. She believed in him when he was in doubt, and was with him through thick and thin of life.
Besides the laughter and nostalgia, they touched upon the topic of poverty. And the challenges he had to face as a surgeon.
Knowing the problems a surgeon faces, he wrote ‘Knife’, a poem, which shed light on the way the world works. Elaborating his thoughts, Singh said, “A burglar and a surgeon both have a knife; the difference is that one takes lives and the other saves them.”
In a lighter vein, Khadiwala asked Singh what would be his three wishes if those were to come true. To this, he spontaneously replied that he would like to be with his wife for ‘saat janam’ and wishes to see India as a corruption-free country.
Khadiwala aptly described the personality of Singh when he said, “Jana jata tha jo kabhi surgery ke liye, ab jana jata hai shayari ke liye.”
Details of the achievements of Singh as a neurosurgeon and the awards he received were given in the introductory remarks. Singh is not only a skilled and successful surgeon but also a poet of repute. He is as skilled with the pen as with a surgeon’s knife. His wisdom is not restricted to poetries as he has also written a few books. A new book titled ‘My jinxed trip’ will hit the stands soon. Singh has so far written over 650 poems.
(Reporting by Sakshi Bartwal)