In Memoriam

                                    Prof Dr Bijoy Kumar Patnaik, FRCS (4.11.1928-6.11.2014)

Publishing an “Eulogy” for a towering personality like Prof Dr Bijay Kumar Patnaik was always going to be a challenging as well as an absorbing task.  His extraordinary journey of more than eighty six years is replete with awe inspiring anecdotes, humanitarian stories, and incredible zest for life, care and compassion: all ingredients of a best seller.

Then, as the only doctor of the unusually large and extended family, he was always on the call, patients and attendants camping round the year in his cramped official residence inside the medical college campus, getting ungrudging attention as if there is a celebration in the family. A make shift poultry firm was raised on the backyard of the official residence to cater to the “protein requirements” of the patients and to “treat the taste buds” of the attendants.  The story of institution building- the creation of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Unit at SCB Medical College- has become folklore. Everyone who has come in contact with him has a story to share. Story of pure and undiluted gratitude and admiration. Story of enviable human qualities.

His amazing zest for life and variety of interest which I could never match even at my prime, much to the playful annoyance of Lisa, was unbelievable. His range of interest was as varied as a rainbow. From agriculture to aquaculture (Malcolm Sonii as a superior variety of sweet water prawn he cultured), travelling to adventure sports like paragliding at the ripe age of seventy-five to motivate the hesitant grandson to glide in tandem, swimming and driving – all he used to enjoy with great passion. In spite of professional pre-occupation and  demand on his time, he was a doting father (a grandfather too) and a loving husband, another comparison which I often had to endure. 

He lived an uncompromising life in his own terms and bed farewell to us in his terms too-without sufferance on the auspicious day of “Kartik Purnami”, few hours after cutting his last birthday cake.

So, when we informally discussed to publish an “Eulogy”, responses poured in from all quarters. Initially, I mentioned it to be challenging because no eulogy or encomium could fully describe his persona and all combined may fall short of a befitting tribute to him.  And absorbing because everyone has a touching story to share. 

May his soul attain “Mokshya”.