“So, will u go to Kolkata Babu?”  These words of my Uncle still buzz in my ears even after all these years. With good academic records and a childhood dream of being a doctor, this was a dream come true for me; being selected for MBBS course in a prestigious college in Kolkata but at what cost?? Being the only child of my parents, always pampered and never been far from home it never was an easy decision. I never knew fulfilling my dreams would be so extravagant. Nevertheless, I made a decision, the right decision.  The initial days were difficult but in no time city showed why it’s called ‘The City of Joy’. It became my second home. A day, a week, a month, a year and then just like a flash, I graduated. I got that prefix I had always longed for and that instrument around my neck- my identity; my Stetho. 

I was at the base camp and the mountain was yet to be climbed. In front of me stood an Everest, an Everest of MD selection and further studies. But even before the journey could begin, there was an avalanche sweeping everything and everybody on its way; the earthquake of 2015. My house demolished but luckily and to His grace my family survived. Mustering up all the courage I had, with all the ropes, the harnesses and the axes, the journey to the top began. With lots of hard works and supports and bits of luck, I was able to secure good ranks in two premier colleges of India. And then I was struck, struck hard by a dilemma; a dilemma of selecting a path to the top. Selecting what I want or what I should-selecting MD Medicine, what I have always desired of, a physician with a white coat and a Stetho or selecting MD Radiodiagnosis, a radiologist, maybe with a white coat on but not with that prized possession around my neck. With all considerations and consultations, I decided to go for what I should do rather than what I always wanted to do. Surpassing all the bad weathers, ups and downs, the three long years passed by and then there was-another feather in the cap; my postgraduate degree. Despite all these journeys and achievements, I know I am not at the top of Everest and I will never be coz there isn’t any. No matter how high you reach in this field, you will always be at the base of some other Everest.

Now that I am back to my hometown working as professional, I often ponder. I ponder if  I made the right decision of letting go the Stetho, and everytime I find myself saying “Yes”. If you are back to your country after a decade trying to serve it, back to your home sipping evening cup of coffee with your family, what more could you ask for??  Just as John Lennon once said when we grow up, all we want to be is “Happy”.