Title - V.Q.E
Author - Dr Vivek Gumaste
Genre - Memoir
Publisher - Notion Press
ISBN - 978-1-64467-978-4
When I first saw the title of the book, I wondered what does
V.Q.E denote though I had a hint about the content after going through the
cover which said “The tale of an Indian physician in the United Kingdom of the
1980’s
Before I could begin writing about the book, I must say that
I was thoroughly impressed with the Preface and Prologue. I usually do not care
to write much about this but the content in these two sections kindled the
interest within me to finish reading the book in no time.
The content of the book can be put up in a single line as
was mentioned in the quotes. The experience of Dr Vivek Gumaste who had
graduated from one of the top medical institute (JIPMER) in the country was
nothing less to be compared with an adventurer or explorer who was set to
travel to an unknown land keeping only the education and work experience as his
defense.
I was glad in a way that I saw some similarities with the
author. Yes. I did work for a UK based bank for 8 years and not even once in
those 8 years, had I worked on our Independence Day (August 15th).
The sense of patriotism was very much evident in the writing of the author
which brought out the reality of the so called “Developed Nation” during the
1980’s. The Country was riddled with racism and when he himself was a victim on
couple of occasion, what more could stand as a testimony to it?
The book has been divided into Three Parts with 24 chapters
in total. Though this is a memoir, author begs to differ. By all means, his thoughts
are justified as well.
What I liked in this book is the way, the events were
narrated which is nothing less than a fiction making it a real interesting one.
It gives a vivid picture as to how favoritism ruled the appointments even in
the incumbent field of medicine where only the Knowledge and Experience should
have played a vital role. He also outlined the difficulties he faced with
regards to food, culture, climate and customs. Lot of critical events have been
vividly described and what I must appreciate in this book is the inclusion of
intricate details which shows that the author possesses a great memory power
considering the fact that this book was written almost after 30 years.
His struggle did yield him the desired results in the end
but in order to achieve that, he has to undergo so many rigorous procedures
braving his life, at times. Since I worked for a UK based company and was in
the customer service department, I could clearly connect the difficulties an
Indian would have faced in the initial stages especially when it comes to
understanding their language and dialect.
There are two things I would like to mention among many
learning points for me in this book.
1 1. Dr Vivek Gumaste set his foot in the U.K. in
July,1980 and I was just a month old by then, to be precise.
2 2. We usually call the nurse as “Sister” which is
reality is designated only for the “Head Nurse” and not for everyone.
Read this book which would open up new thoughts removing
your doubts over how even a successful doctor has had to undergo so much in
their life before they reach the place, where they are today…
This book is available on Amazon
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