Dr. Dinyar F. Daruwalla : Doctor for and of our Heart

 It has been a week since the demise of my dear friend Dinyar. While it is true that he was ailing and was in hospital for over a month and was struggling against cancer and infection which had ravaged his body for the last few years, the news of his passing away led to a collective grief which was more than usual. As I step out of his condolence meet I  want to pay a personal tribute to him and celebrate his life with you. 

Dr. Daruwalla became a cardiologist in the 1980's and 90's which saw the beginning of the decline of ethical medical practice. Among all the fields Cardiology seemed to top the charts in terms of the erosion of trust of doctors by the general public which remains true till today. As far as Dr. Dinyar was considered he was and remained to the end a completely honest cardiologist. I have seen many patients who have been on the verge of going under a surgeons knife or getting multiple stents being saved by Dr. Dinyar. They would follow up with him for years and he would keep them alive without the sternal scar or stents. While most of us take our skill sets for granted Dr. Dinyar was constantly training and upgrading himself going to annual conferences and learning to do the angiographies and angioplasties better. 

Dinyar epitomized Parsipanu and Parsi values. The quality of Good thoughts, Good words and Good deeds shown through in the way he dealt with patients. The reputation of integrity and honesty which Parsi doctors carried were amplified as a Cardiologist. Yet among most Parsi doctors he was not backed by family of doctors backing but his rise was the story of "Aapro Dadar Parsi Colony no Dinyar". The boy next door, ex student of DPYA who played volley ball in the garden and the ever smiling doctor. His middle class upbringing and values led to him being one of the most approachable and friendly doctors. Many patients who came to him for advise became like family and shared easy banter and even private jokes with him. He had to build his practice from scratch against competition which was not always fair. He used to go to Jaslok Hospital and Nanavati hospital, and at times his humility and self deprecatory attitude led to exploitation by seniors. At that time S. R. Mehta hospital was established by a visionary Manharbhai Shah who wanted to make Cardiology and Cardiothoracic surgery accessible and affordable. Without the regulatory pricing of drug eluting stents the hospital sold stents at cost lower than the labelled maximum retail price. Manharbhai valued ethics above reputation or commercial worth. This led to a union of minds and purpose leading to an immensely successful partnership. One more feature of Dr. Dinyar was that in the face of cut throat competition he always did cases with another colleague in the interest of patient safety and true partnership. He also mentored and worked with junior and contemporary colleagues sharing his skill and knowledge unconditionally. 

On Dadar TT circle at the P D Dikshit polyclinic, we shared long chats and conversations about life in general and medical practice. We both shared common values and ethics. During these times, I saw the tremendous backing and support he had from his family and wife Maharukh. He unhesitatingly admitted that he was spoilt by Mahrukh and when he went home she treated him like a king. The upbringing of the boys Ashish and Zubin was left to her. Both the sons daughters in law and extended family including his sweet grandchildren make an adorable family. In Hoshi Madon he had a friend who was his literal physical and mental support for many many years. His doctor colleagues which included my wife Daisy were a constant support to him and his family. In all these the Lord Ahura Mazda was kind to him. Still the question always beckons, why does the Lord inflict such pain and suffering on a person who by his skills, smile and healing touch literally saved the hearts of so many and in doing so won the hearts of many more. In the spirit of surrender I think we will need to accept God's will. Personally, I feel Dinyar our friend from our colony has enriched my life and created an inspiring role model for all doctors. His simplicity and humility touched every human being he came in contact with. These qualities will live on forever. We will miss him but we must celebrate his life and times today and tomorrow as he would have wanted us to do. 

Dr Vispi Jokhi