Can a rural village boy dream of becoming a doctor? Can he become one of the country’s finest cardiac surgeons? If you think that it is most likely to happen in a fictional novel, you are mistaken.
A Man with White Coat, written by Lom Harsh, narrates the exemplary life story of Dr Sunil Kumar Garassa. Lom Harsh is an Indo-Australian writer and director currently working in Bollywood. Sunil, the protagonist of the story, hailing from the rural village in Muradpur, aspires to be a doctor one day so that he can serve the poor in the country. He was intelligent and empathetic. He worked hard. But getting admission into a renowned medical college was one of the less difficult hurdles for Sunil because what lay ahead was not for the weak-hearted. Apart from academics, life as a student in medical college presents him with many things; the realization that being a doctor is a very responsible yet dangerous job in India along with the better half of his life, Dr Shalini. He learns that the profession is not simply about having deep knowledge, but also of empathy and principles.
The book inspires the reader that dreams can never be too big and too difficult to achieve. The non-linear way of telling the story through Sam, the writer who comes to India to write the biography of Dr Sunil, keeps the reader engaged. It also elaborates on the occupational hazards encountered by doctors in our country and how it affects their life. In a developing country like India, where doctors act as the pillars of healthcare system, this book reminds the people how they should be grateful to doctors.
