Poetry can bring about change in society, says doctor

Smitten by the charm of writing poems, this surgeon-turned poet who does a score of activities such as perform surgeries, advise patients, take up visits, run the hospital, utilises his travelling time to read books via Kindle. His book of poems and short stories titled Scalpel Scribbles is set for release on Tuesday.

“Poetry is not about bird’s song alone. It can tell you about the world. It can make you focus on something. Poetry represents man’s feelings. This book is about my experiences with my patients,” he said.

Dr Rajkumar, chairman, Lifeline Hospital Multi Speciality Hospital, here, said his first instinct is to advice patients to stop drinking. “When I asked a patient to undergo a scan to ascertain the damage alcohol had done to his liver, I am always startled by his expression. He probably wondered if he should spend money for a scan, though he was willing to spend thousands of rupees on drinks,” Dr Rajkumar told this correspondent ahead of the release of his book.

“But if I highlight the sufferings of people through poems, one would tend to realise the implications. Not many know that Tasmac earns an annual revenue of Rs 23,000 crore,” he said.

His book of poems and short stories – Scalpel Scribbles, is to be released on Tuesday. His poem on A.P. Hithendran, who underwent a heart transplant after he met with a near fatal road accident with his doctor parents, despite their grief, consenting to donate his organs, is really poignant portrayal.

“Each poem represents some event that had touched or affected my life. The poems are a series of snapshots of various feelings of surgery, as a son, doctor and as father. My wife too motivated me to write poems on her,” the surgeon said. He has written a text book on surgery, a book digestive system in English and a book in Tamil on surgery.