he Great Indian Medico Masala-Dr. Kumar Nirbhay

Book: The Great Indian Medico Masala
Author: Dr. Kumar Nirbhay
Publisher: Rupa Publications

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you wondered what goes into the mind of a doctor during his daily practice?

In The Great Indian Medico Masala, a collection of stories inspired by real-life incidents, the protagonist, Dr Arun, discovers that life in a hospital is anything but routine. His days are packed with encounters so hilarious, heart-warming, and medically bizarre that even your stress might need ‘ventilator support’. Within these pages, ward rounds morph into stand-up acts, ‘miracle cures’ arrive inside green coconuts, patients gleefully defy medical logic, and families create more complications than laboratory reports ever could. Meet the octogenarian flying officer who gets a high ‘flirting’ with his doctor, the mysterious midweek-only virus, and the infamous ‘chakkarometre’, an invention designed to measure dizziness with precision.

The Great Indian Medico Masala is a book that captures some interesting moments that a doctor can encounter as they practice medicine. Told from the eyes of a fictional doctor, Dr. Arun, the book starts off from the first year of medical school, and brings in instances that he faces right till some time into the practice. The book explores how sometimes it is not just medical education that is import, but also your wit and the understanding of the local customs. Set in a government hospital, the author also hilariously brings in the lengths to which people go to to skip work and pretend that they are sick. While there are funny incidents, there are also a few stories which are a commentary on how the elder members of the family are treated, and specially when there are government jobs at play, how the feelings and emotions of the family members change. Dr. Nirbhay has not spared the administration as well, and there are interesting stories around hospital administration, office bearers and the VIP culture in the government hospitals.

Overall, Dr. Nirbhay’s stories are wonderfully told and capture your attention. I loved the fact that the stories have been kept short but they are just long enough to convey the message that the author wanted to send across. His own witticisms are sprinkled throughout the book and they add a wonderful masala to the tales. The book is a definite recommendation for anyone looking to pick up a book to read after a long day at work and unwind. The book scores a 4.69/5 for me.

Grab a copy of the book from a bookstore near you or on Amazon India.