Life comes full circle for compounder at Dr Dinesh Toprani's clinic in Colaba, whose son has bought the beloved GP's clinic and continues its legacy with a practice in dentistry
Standing before their clinic in Colaba, Dr Pranay Pradeep and his father, Pradeep Kumar, are teary-eyed. Life has come full circle. Forty-five years ago, Pradeep had started out as a compounder at this very clinic on a princely salary of Rs 150. Today, his son, Pranay, a dentist, has bought the 55-year-old clinic from its benevolent owner, Dr Dinesh Toprani.
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In 1973, aged 16, Pradeep Kumar started working as a compounder for Dr Toprani, a general physician. He had five mouths to feed on his salary of Rs 150. Fortunately for Pradeep, the son of a dhobi, Dr Toprani, now 82, egged him on to study further. Under his guidance, Pradeep completed his MA, LLM and PhD in law, which earned him a job with the Reserve Bank of India. Today, he is an advocate with the Bombay High Court.
Dr Dinesh Toprani; (below) With wife, Meena, and daughter, Vaishali, at his Cuffe Parade residence Pic/Suresh Karkera
"When I completed my SSC, I was desperate to start earning for my family. I had no ambition for myself. But, Dr Toprani kept encouraging me and I began to read even when I was at the clinic. Whenever, there were fewer patients, I would open my books. If I hadn't started working at the clinic, I would never have been what I am today," an emotional Pradeep told mid-day at his home, which is just a floor above the clinic.
Debt of gratitude
Pradeep repaid Dr Toprani's debt of gratitude by continuing to work for him for the next 24 years on a salary of Rs 700. "In 1976, I joined the Indian Navy as a civilian and two years later, joined Food Corporation of India. Yet, I always managed time to assist Dr Toprani in his work. In fact, after I joined RBI in 1988, I continued to work for him out of deep respect," said Pradeep.
But, the one thing that makes Pradeep extremely emotional is that Pranay now owns the same clinic that was responsible for giving them the life they now enjoy. After Dr Toprani fell sick, he decided to sell the clinic to Pradeep and his two dentist children; Pramita, Pradeep's 24-year-old daughter, is also a dentist.
The Kumars at the clinic they now own. Pic/Bipin Kokate
Taking a legacy forward
For Dr Toprani, this is a very proud moment. "I have seen Pradeep since he was only 16, a naive teenager, who was willing to work hard. I saw myself in him. Now, his son and daughter will take my legacy forward," said Dr Toprani, at his Cuffe Parade flat.
Pradeep and Dr Toprani share an eerily similar background. Dr Toprani remembers how his parents had fled from Pakistan during the Partition and didn't have a single penny when they landed in Mumbai. They lived in a small chawl in Borivli, where there was no space even to study. Dr Toprani remembers sitting under a lamppost to study. In fact, his own first salary, too, was Rs 150, when he started taking tuitions to feed seven family members, just like Pradeep.
Pradeep Kumar
"Pradeep, too, used to study under lampposts as there was no space in his house. His son, Dr Pranay, would take tuitions after he completed Std XII. He would then tutor the children of guards and maids free of cost. You can see how this clinic has woven our lives together," said Dr Toprani, teary-eyed.
Dr Pranay, is planning to reopen the clinic from September 17. He is currently working as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon after doing a fellowship in oral and neck oncology from Brahma Kumaris Global Hospitals and Research Centre. Dr Pramita, too, will practice with him at the clinic. Dr Pranay told mid-day, "I remember how, as a kid, I would often slip into the clinic and play with the indoor games kept inside; they are still there. I used to watch how Dr Toprani's patients thanked him and that inspired me to take up medicine. This clinic has seen me go from a teenager who was extremely bad at studies to becoming the college topper."
Beloved Dr Toprani
Dr Toprani is a much-loved figure in Colaba. "Earlier, almost every family had one family physician. Nowadays, people rush to specialists even for things that can be cured by simple medicines. It has become such a money-minting business. Doctors today think specialisation will earn them more, whereas the need of the hour is general physicians, who can provide a more economic and faster treatment."
His daughter, Vaishali Shah, wrote about her father's connect with his patients in a farewell write-up, "He's enjoyed daily visits and quick guppa sessions from his children of the neighbourhood, especially Sunil Belani, a regular with dad for hi-n-chai and some heart to heart chats and business talk."
Mehul Bhansali, a patient of Dr Toprani's since 1964, recollected how he often visited his clinic for chai. Their relationship started as doctor and patient, but over time, it turned into a close friendship. "We used to go to his clinic late at night when there were fewer patients. He is punctual to the minute and was never late at his clinic. Unlike many other doctors, he never asked us to do unnecessary tests or examinations. Dr Toprani will always be remembered," said Bhansali.
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