How to become a doctor in 30 days
Photo by: Guneet Kaur, 11C & Khushi Malhotra, 11C
Cambridge International School for Girls
Scene 1: Me travelling in a train, going to the most clichéd yet popular Indian summer vacation destination, “NANI KA GHAR”. Since the duration of the journey was around five hours, I was utterly bored. Maybe God had heard my inner weeps and winked at the railway department for me from his heavenly adobe, because our train abruptly came to an unexpected halt.
This is one time when Nehru's “Unity in diversity ” literally comes to life as the whole C 1 compartment took to its common agenda- criticizing the railway department ( nonetheless, no one moved a muscle to try and find out the reason for the stoppage #typicallyIndian). Lunch boxes popped open and I could suddenly smell all parts of India in the vicinity of my seat, pickle from one side, Sāmbhar from the other.
Suddenly there enters the protagonist of our story 'A VENDOR'.
VENDOR: Padne wale logon ke liye tohfa aur na padne walon ke liye ummeed.
{Translation: A gift for those who are studious and a hope for those who are the “chitters” (A special variety of homosapiens, who can be seen in most exam halls armed with cheating material in form of 'chits')}
Seeing the thickness of my glasses, I think the vendor assumed me to be a member of the first category, whilst according to my mother I was the leader of the second…
As my eyes adjusted to the new situation at hand, I focused on a book in his left hand, ”HOW TO BECOME A DOCTOR IN THIRTY DAYS”. With his right hand pointing towards the book, he started, ”bimari ke lakshan, bachaav aur ilaaj...dil ki bimari, dimag ki bimari, sehat banana ke nuske ...Sab kewal 30 rupaye mein”
I glanced over to my brother, sitting next to me. He was burning the midnight oil to prepare for an admission test into a decent medical college (which might transform him from a parasite to a life giver).
INNER ME: What a liar! If only becoming a doctor was a thirty-day job, there would be all doctors and no patients. Also this book would be a bestseller - A STUDENT'S BIBLE. That too the gist of all life and whole anatomy in 30 pages and 30 rupees.
I glanced towards my brother who was gasping for breath and I could see the symptoms of all heart and brain disorders the book promised to cure.
Is saving lives so easy? The hard work, the perseverance, the selflessness of one of the noblest professions to be taught in just 30 days, that too by an author who is nondescript? A book claims to heal the deadliest of all diseases?
The journey of making of a doctor (or any profession, honestly) is a long journey, requiring passion, zeal and unwavering self-confidence. No one, as they say, has ever found the elevator to success, one has to take the staircase. For, excellence comes with no shortcuts, no quick fixes, no 'I'll do tomorrow' and absolutely no excuses. Naresh Trehan, India's leading cardiologist serving as the President's personal surgeon didn't achieve the prefix “Dr.” to his name in a day or “thirty”, for a fact. It not only took him years of hard work but additional years of practice to attain all his expertise. For, being a doctor, theoretical knowledge isn't what does the magic. Definitions in words don't cure patients; it's the hands-on experience that brings the distinction.
“Practice doesn't make us perfect, instead reduces the imperfections” is a famous saying. Is it easy? Nope. But is it worth it? Absolutely yes.
Such books in a country like ours aren't very hard to find. Here shortcuts are worshipped and loopholes are deliberately made. If the easier path would be highlighted, would we ever tread the path of honesty and perseverance? In Frost's words “I took the path less travelled by, and that has made all the difference”. Just like the motto of our school “Dream, dare, do” we should recognize and live through the whole process. Dreams don't turn into reality by mere thoughts; they require unwavering hard work. It is only hard work and the daring spirit to walk on a difficult path that makes people achieve their dreams.
“The hardest climbs end with the most beautiful views”
Fools are the ones who write such books, cultivating false shortcuts and even bigger fools are the ones who believe in them.
And yeah, if we were online, this article was completely a 'clickbait'. For there are no “30 day doctors”
{P.S. My brother bought the book...Failed MBBS and is now the Bestselling author of the Book “WHY NOT TO BECOME A DOCTOR IN 30 DAYS”}
Kashvi Choudhary 10 B
Cambridge International School for Girls
2019-2020