From a mediocre student to a medicine topper

Garima Upadhyay Rawat

The age old adage, ‘dreams make a man', was probably coined for him! Razor sharp wit with an impeccable sense of timing, and an effortless ability to humor his visitors (patients), differentiate this doctor from the rest of his ilk.

His experiments aimed at impressing his one-time crush led him into topping CPMT... Meet Dr. Kaushal Kant Mishra, renowned orthopedic surgeon and senior doctor at Primus,who has had a rather tumultuous relationship with success.

A leaf out of his life would depict how his never-say-die attitude and strong will to stand up for righteousness led his way to success.Born in a remote village in the far interiors of Uttar Pradesh,Khaparhna, Mishra's educational journey began in a make-shift school in his village.

Recollecting his initial steps in the world of education, a charismatic Mishra says, "At the village school, learning was not confined to the four walls, because there was nothing guarding our road to education. That was a school, where we studied under the stars and an open sky. Most of my time would go into playing and whiling away time with friends. When my father got transferred to Kanpur, only then was I introduced to formalized education. In school, I was just another mediocre student."

The journey, from a mediocre student for major part of his school life to someone who topped all entrances he sat for, would put any die-hard romantic to shame.

"During my coaching days, I fell for a girl who happened to be a better student than me. To be able to match up to her standards, I dedicated myself to studies totally. Later, both of us took PMT, however she qualified for MBBS while I only made it to BDS. The humiliation was such that I dropped a year and coached under Dr SP Singh (who taught him free since his family conditions could not support the expenditure on coaching)."

When he emerged second in PMT in his state, the result caught him by surprise. "Since then, I get a high on all achievements of mine. Be it getting into AIIMS or applying for senior residency, I dedicated myself to my dreams in totality."

Today, he is counted among the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. At a young age, he has already won laurels nationally and internationally.

Globally, he gained prominence by conducting many firsts-of-its-kind surgeries. However, in India, his claim to fame was his stance on reservation. His brainchild, Youth for Equality (YFE), caught up with the student fraternity like wildfire. One of the very few student movements that could gather so much steam, YFE put up a brave front on the issue of ‘reservation in higher education'.

"I continue my fight against a malpractice, till date. The movement might not continue to enjoy mass appeal, but, my evenings are devoted to the cause."

Ask him what fuels him to keep the movement alive and he says, "When you feel very strongly for something and people also show faith in your ideals, it is enough to keep you motivated to do something for the society."

In his medical career, he has worked under the leading orthopedic surgeons and doctors with reputed hospitals like AIIMS, Fortis. Credited with many success stories, yet Mishra is unfazed by all the attention that has come his way. Everything from his dressing style to his mannerisms, exude the ideals of simple living and high thinking.

Though he is happy easing the sufferings of people; He would like to see himself in active politics in the years to come so that he can do his bit for the nation and the society.

"I wonder, at times, that as a doctor with a career spanning around 30-40 years I will be able to better the lives of around one/two million people only. However, had I been a policy maker or a part of Indian politics, this number could have been doubled a hundred times."

He has his political career charted out quite well. However, as an authority in the profession, he advises medical aspirants to "do your job with sincerity and success will follow."

Other interesting reads:

- IIMs to graduate from diploma to degree

 - Scored below 75%? Save your career with B.Com(H)