Chess, cycling make these doctors from Bengaluru tick

BENGALURU: IT city’s doctors are not just healers and specialists of their own field, but some of them take keen interests in activities such as organic farming, mountaineering, cycling, marathons, cooking and also music. DC tracked the lives of some such doctors.

Dr Somashekhar S.P., robotic surgeon, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre: “I fell in love with chess at the age of six when my father brought me chess board and my mother taught me the first moves,” recollects the 41-year-old doctor.

Somashekhar has a house filled with trophies won at state, country and inter-university level contests. About his hobby Dr Somashekhar said, “Everybody tells me it is my first profession. I used to play a lot of chess then. To a point when my mother was fed up and she broke my chess board once as I had to enter a good college.” Despite his love for the game he took a hiatus from chess for four years during which he went to US for fellowship.

“My mother’s strictness about my career was also valid, because sadly back then career and sports could not go hand-in-hand,” he said. “But it did not last long once I had a career as a robotics surgeon nothing stopped me from pursuing my dream,” he added.

The doctor has a library full of books about chess. “The books on chess are way bigger and fatter than books on medicine,” the surgeon quipped. The doctor sums up rather emotionally, “If I am asked to choose between my profession and chess it is highly likely that I would choose chess.”

Dr Arvind Bhateja, Consultant Neurosurgeon and Spine Surgeon of Sita Bhateja Hospital: He had won many academic laurels during his student days, but this  reserved neurosurgeon is also a keen cyclist and runner. However, he gave up running because of a severe knee injury. “I did not however wanted to stop my love for physical activity as I really was keen on taking my physical levels higher than what I had,” adds the 45-year-old surgeon.

“I am very short of time after my work and it makes it very difficult for me to ride. Hence, all my rides are indoors mounted on a trainer which is linked up to a cycling computer which monitors my pulse, the power generation as in how many watts am I putting out through the pedals,” Dr Arvind said.

Sharing one of his memorable achievement he added, “Turning up second on the master podium 2013 Nandi race was major personal feat as it was a 100 kilometres race with the last seven kilometres being an uphill climb towards the Nandi Hills.”

During weekends the doctor and his cycling team go on a100 km ride at the outskirts of Bengaluru. “Sundays are generally a 100 km ride to maybe Kolar or other place on the city outskirts. It is a team and our speed is almost 35km/hour,” he added.