A Doctor's Death

The Man Who Sold his Rolls Royce

By Manuwant Choudhary

Dr.Bindeshwari Prasad Mishra - a pathologist - passed away at his Muzaffarpur residence last week. He was my maternal uncle but someone I always knew as a child as "The Man Who Sold His Rolls Royce' to buy two brand new ambassador cars!
Dr.B.P. Mishra as he was popularly known had humble origins...as a child in his Chapra village he didn't even have a proper house but then he studied hard and went on to become a doctor. And then his marriage to Sumitra - the daughter of well known Dr. Sheetal Prasad Sinha. An uncle of Dr. Mishra came to Darbhanga to fix the marriage but he said he could allow his nephew to marry Sumitra only if he got the dowry he wanted - an elephant!
Dr. Sheetal then explained that he didn't own an elephant and offered instead a modern elephant - a Rolls Royce!
Dr. Sheetal himself was the personal physician to the Maharaja of Darbhanga and the Maharaja had gifted their doctor some nine cars - the Rolls being one of them.
In the early 70's a Ranchi businessman told Dr. Mishra that he could offer Rs.30,000 for his Rolls with which he could buy two new ambassador cars for his family. Not quite knowing the real value of a Rolls Dr. Mishra sold the car!
Many years later I heard that the car is in Deogarh, Jharkhand, as the businessman gifted the car to his Guru Anukul Thakur. So some years ago I visited the Anukul Thakur Ashrams car musuem only to be told that photography is strictly prohibited. But an uncle who works in the ashram somehow convinced the swami on duty that the Guru's Rolls once belonged to my grandfather....so I was allowed to take photographs of the car for two minutes.
This story is amusing but for those who know Dr. Mishra personally he was a very practical man, a family man, a doctor educated abroad but who chose to serve poor and backward Bihar. He left his full practice in Darbhanga to his equally capable younger brother Dr. Baikunth Mishra and went off to Ranchi. Dr. Baikunth Mishra now runs a large R.B. Memorial Hospital in Darbhanga. At a time when the Darbhanga Medical College Hospital, once a premier medical college and hospital in the country, being in the pits...its the private R.B. Memorial which has saved lives.
Dr. Mishra was also the founder principal of Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur and after retirement he made Muzaffarpur his home. He also built a house in his village for his elder brother - a retired post master.
So when he passed away his family members rushed...even fourth grade employees from the medical college wept, "Doctor saheb never raised his voice even once."
He did not cheat but he did cheat death many times....being a heart patient himself he had a bypass in The US in the seventies from the famous Dr.Kelly.
On His last day after his six hours at his Modern Jaanch Ghar he bought samosaas for his wife and they spent the evening together, had dinner, watched TV and then he told her, "How long do you want to keep me in this world? Let me go now..."
His heart failed him. He was almost 87.
And worth a lot more than a Rolls.

CRICKET CRAZY WORLD CUP

By Manuwant Choudhary

In England cricket is a gentleman's game, in India it is religion and in Pakistan - fundamentalism.
A decade ago when I was still training to be a journalist my editor the great Behram Contractor from the Bombay newspaper The Afternoon Despatch & Courier asked me to cover a press meet by some foreign coaches at the Bombay Gymkhana. I had little interest in the game..played it at school but I wasn't a cricket nationalist and didn't care for religions and had no ambition to be a sports journalist, so my editor's request was strange considering the newspapers sports editor was none other than Mr. Rajan Bala, besides there were other sports reporters who could have easily done the job. At the office it became quite an issue but then I finally relented and did go to the event only to learn the event was cancelled.
The issue seemed so important that many days later the editors wife asked me, "So Manu, did you finally cover the sports presser?"
For many years I wondered why my editor chose me. Now my editor is no more. But when the match-fixing stories were first exposed, I understood why.
And in this years World Cup with the humiliating defeat of both India and Pakistan and the mysterious death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, I understand better that editors don't send reporters to events only as a daily chore.
Watching Pakistan captain Inzimam smilingly answer murder charges on STAR Sports it is clear sports doesn't need just sports journalists.
Yet, I am thankful there is a Harsha Bhogle driving some sense in all this...and yes my senior Rajan Bala saving a foreign coach Greg Chappel from lynch journalism.
Greg Chappel has exposed that the players who went for the World Cup were not a team.
As for who should share the blame? Greg has honourably resigned, Rahul Dravid should step down and yes Sharad Pawar too. As for moral responsibility...considering cricket is religion in India...even Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh could resign for a good cause.
More seriously, cricket is a game like any other...the only difference is that Dawood Ibrahim watches only this game.
The hysteria over cricket in India is unreal and the media plays to the gallery -they too have deals - so the only way to restore sanity to the game and India is to make the media moghuls hon.members of BCCI.

FASHION HOUSE

A GOOD LOOKING SOAP

Catwalks and catfights apart this soap on STAR World is a must watch....its slick and yes even if you've never been The Bold & Beautiful type you will be entertained..Starring Bo Derek as fashion moghul....who owns the House of Gianni the soap is bitchy enough like the real world and while models will do anything to be the Face of Gianni...its Natalie Martinez as Michelle Miller who steals the show. Wonder why Hollywood has still not discovered her talents?? From the internet we learn that Natalie is a Miami-born Cuban girl and the face of Jennifer Lopez clothing line, beating 5000 hopefuls. Her quote, "Cubanas are very strong women. So don't mess with us, don't take us for granted."