An Introduction to "The Dispatch" by Aparajeya Shanker
I remember telling one of my friends about an observation I made “We learn to live with our own hypocrisy”, and of course, being a fan of dry humour and irony, I have come to the conclusion that the many little philosophies that we live by are nothing more than little rules we make for ourselves but seldom truly follow. For example, I don’t read email newsletters, I absolutely detest the modern internet experience of the thousand little pop-ups begging for a “subscription” or a “like, share and comment”. I do none of these things.
Yet, here I am, with a grandiose title for a creative effort aimed towards allowing myself the ability to write and dispatch my observations to the ether of the world.
When I am requested to speak at conferences, or asked to join a working group or organization, I am often asked for a little summary of who I am. My biography is often my first introduction. I am always conflicted between writing and saying too much and too little. For example, I recently decided to include my hobbies in my bio, for the simple reason that maybe people needed to see beyond my professional work. An effort towards humanizing myself, maybe.
However, this is an introduction, and if I am allowed to take some liberties, I would like to attempt an introduction that is not entirely self-aggrandizing, but also doesn’t sell myself short.
I am Aparajeya Shanker, an Intern Physician currently studying medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, Medical University Pleven. I am currently a member of the Working Group of Public Health at the European Student Think Tank, a research coordinator at the Department of Oncosurgery, Georgi Stranski University Hospital, Pleven, and I am also a member of the Council of Control and Quality at the Association of Medical Students of Bulgaria. These are my professional titles as of now, and some would say that I am selling myself short.
I have been a medical researcher for a few years now, involving myself in various research projects in Public Health, Surgery, Cardiology and Oncogynaecology, and Forensic Medicine. Aside from this, I have been an avid debater for almost 15 years, and I founded the Medical University Pleven Debate Society. I am also an amateur boxer, a writer, a poet, a photographer, and recently, I forayed into the world of Airsoft.
No current effort can be mentioned without a little sample of the past. I was educated at St. Paul’s School, in Darjeeling, India, an all-boys boarding school established in 1823 which holds the honor of being the highest public school in the world and is considered one of India’s best schools for boys. To say that I have been shaped by my boarding school is indeed an understatement, but I will say that the foundation of my hobbies began in my days at school. My educational achievements, however, are a mix of my own efforts, my helpful colleagues, my invaluable professors and of course, my parents.
Now that the business of introducing myself is over, I would like to introduce “The Dispatch”. This newsletter is an effort towards sending my observations to you, and they will be not be limited to one area or subject. There is a joke about doctors that all we say and do is related to medicine, and in most social gatherings, doctors love talking about their jobs, but they absolutely adore the idea of talking about their jobs to each other. Like all social wisdom, I too have found this to be true. Recently, I was at a social gathering and I overheard a debate between a Philosopher and a Psychiatrist on what constituted a mental illness, and I unashamedly inserted myself into the conversation. Of all the interesting conversations I could’ve talked about, I decided to wax eloquent on the cultural differences between patients with Schizophrenia in India and the United States.
In the clear vision of hindsight, I do understand that this is a regular habit of mine. My friends have been kind enough to not point the obvious discomfort of the gruesome details of colorectal surgery or autopsies, but I have decided that the barrier between us, the medical folk and them, the non-medical folk is something that should be destroyed. Instead of waxing eloquent at dinner, or in a coffee shop, I will be waxing eloquent here, and call it “The Dispatch”. Come, join me.