Author Dr. V. Srinivas is a renowned doctor by profession. As an author, A Tale Of Two Medics is his third book. The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta caught up with the doctor in an exclusive chat over his third book. Excerpts…

How did you come up with the idea for this book?

Dr. V. Srinivas- I felt that ethics in medicine is very important and the younger generation of doctors should not lose sight of this. So I decided to write about this in a simple manner bringing out snippets that highlight various aspects of ethical and unethical medicine, and hopefully, people will realize that medicine is still a noble profession and not a commercial business.

You are a doctor yourself. So did you derive matters for the book from real-life experiences?

Dr. V. Srinivas- A few of them are true and many are fictionalized.

Is this your first book?

Dr. V. Srinivas- This is my 3 rd book. First was a TEXTBOOK “UROLOGICAL ONCOLOGY: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR STUDENTS”. The second was a fictional novel “A TALE OF TWO HOMES”. These are available on Amazon.

How much time did you take to write this book?

Dr. V. Srinivas-  About 2-3 months. I generally put down all the points I need to touch upon on a rough piece of paper in the morning and then type a chapter on the computer in the afternoon. I go through it again in the next couple of days and make corrections before moving on to the next chapter.

How did you manage your time- looking after patients and writing a book?

Dr. V. Srinivas- During my morning walk (6-7 am) I would think of the story and chapters to write, then jot a few points down and go to the hospital at 8-8:30 am for surgery or outpatient clinic. I came back by 2 pm and then sat on my computer for 1-2 hours typing the chapter before going to my clinic at 4 pm to see patients. I gradually moved forward in this way.

What kind of books do you like to read?

Dr. V. Srinivas- My choice is easy reading, suspense, adventure novels, nothing serious. Our medical books (and surgery ) are serious enough. I only read novels when I am on vacation: John Grisham, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, Arthur Hailey.

What kind of stories will you like to tell your audience? Will they again deal with the medical fraternity?

Dr. V. Srinivas- Haven’t yet thought of my next book as I am having problems getting the word out regarding this book due to the Covid pandemic. So my thoughts are focused on this aspect at present.

Have your colleagues or friends from the medical fraternity read the book? What is their reaction?

Dr. V. Srinivas- I am enclosing some comments made by colleagues in the medical faculty and sent to me directly:

Dr.B..K.Misra, chief of Neurosurgery, Head of Dept of Surgery, Hinduja Hospital: “Just finished reading your book on Kindle. Congrats, could not put it down. Forgot the time and got delayed to my Teleconsult appointment for which I hold you responsible and I would have sued you if you were still in the US for distracting me! Keep writing “

Dr.Ajith, Chief of Liver Transplant, Brazil University: “Finished the book you shared. Light reading, but sheds light on some aspects of medical practice that are probably unknown to others. May be fictional but seems generally based on true characters. A very interesting read. Please congratulate Doc on my behalf for his efforts. There are so many stories to tell, but it has to come out in a compelling”

Dr. Ratnathicam, General surgeon, New York: “Read your book. It was like a walk through my past. It almost seems like an autobiography with names changed to protect the innocent and also the not-so-innocent. Great effort. You effectively laid out the importance of ethics, and how wealth corrupts. Thankfully we did get a sound grounding, despite our innate shortcomings. You do have the makings of a great author.”

Ambi Harsha, Prof of Dramatics, California: “Congratulations..it was a fascinating read. Jagdees and Centertown. Unbelievable. I must come up to K’giri and over a drink reminisce about the antics of J. Still cannot believe all this happened and is happening. Now I can understand about writing a book. Perhaps you can start thinking about a sequel (Set in Brazil of course, where you travel to visit the inlaws and guess who you run into ???)”

Dr. Kasturi, Internist, Arizona: “Read your new book on the two medics, couldn’t put my iPad down till I reached the end (on kindle ). This book along with kindle will sell lot more copies than your first one. Especially interesting for the medical profession. Your imagination is fantastic to craft such interesting stories. I’m sure you’ll write many more books in your retired life. Wish you great success in all your writings. “

Dr.Suhaib Rawoot, Urologist, training in Robotics: “ Just finished reading your new book ‘A Tale of Two Medics’ and couldn’t help but write to you immediately I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, you have chosen to keep it lucid & easy to read. I am sure others would find it interesting as well. I could not help but compare Dr. Soundar with you, with all those little stories that I have heard from you. The book has reinforced my faith in ethical medicine, and I will try my level best to stick to it, the last line will remain etched in my mind for times to come. Last but not least, I am very lucky to have trained under you & in my practice, I try to follow the principles repeatedly reinforced by you.”

Dr. Wijian: Top reviews from the United States:

WijayanRatnathicam

The truth about Medical Ethics

Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020As a physician who was trained in India, practiced in the US, and now retired I can relate to this narrative. There are a few takeaways from this book. In India, as stated in the book, there is a two-tier system for education. You can earn your way in or buy your way in. In the latter category, money rules the roost. This applies to the students, teachers, and administrators. In the former ethics and a sense of service rules supreme. Most Indian physicians in the US are highly accomplished and are sought by patients. Unfortunately, the Dr. Cannons of this world besmear the majority and tend to create a stereotype that is ill-deserved. Dr. Srinivas has illustrated these facts in his inimitable way. This is a book which had to be written. I recommend it to everyone in the Indian Subcontinent and all in the US, including physicians.

Dr. Vinit Shah, consultant urologist, Mumbai: Just finished reading your new book. Enjoyed reading it and could identify with a lot of the characters like Soundar(yourself). Dr. Ajay AGP and Dr. Suresh or Dr. Gupte. Very keen on knowing who is Jagdees or Cannon. Having said that enjoyed the book. Practice in Mumbai is EBM or envelope-based medicine. And the epilogue only fuels the never-ending debate on nature versus nurture. I have been blessed to have been trained by both Dr. Ajay and Dr. Soundar who have nurtured values probably ingrained into my nature.

What is next in line for you as an author?

Dr. V. Srinivas- At the moment, as I mentioned earlier, I need to get the word out on this book as I feel there is a younger generation of doctors who would benefit immensely from it. Hopefully, they would be influenced to hold up the banner of medicine as a noble profession and realize a person is putting their life in your hands and you cannot let money cloud your decisions.

We sincerely hope that the readers come to know about this wonderful book!! Wishing the author all the best for this fantastic work on the medical fraternity.