A cardiologist with a heart — Story of Dr. BM Hedge Ji
I touched his feet to seek his blessing. He blessed me!!! Yes, his hand on my head felt like a strong infusion of positive energy. Seeking his blessing is one of the most priceless gifts that the Almighty has given me. With his blessing and wonderful memories with me, I started walking towards the exit. I paused on my way out, stared for a few seconds, and felt proud of meeting this amazing personality.
Let’s rewind a bit.
11.30 AM at Mangalore was my appointment with him. I stopped by a nearby tea vendor and struck up a conversation with the shop owner. That led to a monologue by the shop owner on my guest’s great teachings.
His house was beautifully surrounded by an excellent green landscape and had endless tranquility, serenity & positivity. With many thoughts in my mind, I rang the bell. I entered the house and was awestruck looking at the wall. The phrase “The wall of Fame” was not enough to capture the accolades. Every nook and corner of the wall was filled with his awards, honours, and pictures of dignitaries from all around the world.
His staff guided me further to his meeting room and there he was “Dr. BM Hegde ji”! He is so simple, humble, and down-to-earth. He made me comfortable and offered me a seat.
There I was, meeting Padma Vibhushan (2nd Highest civilian honour of the Republic of India), Padma Bhushan (3rd Highest civilian honour of the Republic of India) Dr. BM Hegde ji.
About Dr. Sri BM Hegde:
Dr. BM Hegde ji was born in Udupi, a city in Karnataka. Throughout his childhood, he was a curious student. He recalls that he was always interested in knowing “why” than merely passing the exams. His academic excellence is a testament to his sheer brilliance, depth, and command over the subjects. He dedicates his academic success largely to his mother who constantly encouraged him to ask questions. He acquired his MBBS and M.D. in 1960 & 1964 respectively. His academic credential is a huge list and is acquired from London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, USA & India to state a few.
Life as a Teacher:
Dr. BM Hegde ji is a stellar teacher and has delivered lectures in India and abroad. He has been teaching since the age of 23 years. He rose through the ranks of Professor, Principal, and Dean of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, and was later appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Manipal University).
In 1982, he was one of the rare Indians appointed as a regular Visiting Professor of Cardiology at The Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London. He was also the first Indian teacher to be invited to examine at the Royal College of Physicians’ final examinations since 1988 both in the United Kingdom and laterally in Ireland.
Life as a Public speaker:
Dr. BM Hegde ji’s passion for teaching continues to date. He continues to deliver talks at various places such as IIT Hyderabad, NIMHANS Bangalore, IIT Madras & many more prestigious institutes.
Many of his talks are also available on YouTube with millions of views. Do watch, I assure you; it will offer great insights into wellness & holistic living.
I will add some of those links below.
Life as an Author & researcher
Dr. BM Hegde ji is also a distinguished author. He has authored 35 books, and 170 research articles & published over 3500 lay articles in Indian & foreign journals.
His research organization The World Academy of Authentic Healing (WAAHS) was started with the blessings of world-renowned scientist Rustum Roy, MD, USA. WAAHS Trust sponsors the Journal of Science of Healing Outcomes (JSHO https://thejsho.com/default.aspx).
Dr. BM Hegde ji is the chairman and Editor-in-Chief of JSHO. He has been a revolutionary researcher and his work has been published in the UK, USA, Germany, Kuwait, China, in addition to India.
A great Indian Jurist Late Nani Palkhiwala, called him “a cardiologist with a heart.”
Sharing a few books which are household names in medical parlance
- What Doctors Don’T Get To Study In Medical School: https://www.amazon.in/What-Doctors-Study-Medical-School/dp/8181914198
- Holistic Living
Dear Prof. “Your efforts to relieve pain everywhere would succeed with God’s grace.” Former Honourable President of India, Late Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, Bharat Ratna
Dr. BM Hegde Ji unfolded several life lessons, a message for youth, and most importantly our approach toward wellness.
An excerpt from our conversation:
A curious mind & resort to Ayurveda:
Dr. BM Hegde Ji is born with a curious mind. His constant desire to seek answers to his questions forced him to go beyond modern medicine. He believed that modern medicine has its limitations, and he didn’t find all the answers there. He resorted to Ayurveda and discovered that Ayurveda is truly a holistic science for holistic living. He advocated minimum use of medicines and more therapies over expensive medicines. The ever-growing market of modern medicine & healthcare systems is premised on profit-making and not on holistic wellness. He strongly believes that for holistic wellness, one should be mindful of what the mind & body is consuming.
For example, eating fresh, natural, and healthy food in moderation, with thinking & processing positive thoughts significantly enhances the quality of our life.
His teachings & public discourses are so simple, easy to understand and so relevant in modern times that they created huge popularity in every age group. No wonder he is popularly called a people’s doctor.
Importance of health & role of sleep: Health is the most important part of everybody’s life. Make health a number 1 priority in your life, and rest will follow. In a fast-paced life, we tend to put everything on 1st priority but health. Similarly, sleep is a great gift to us and helps us rejuvenate & refresh. We should sleep adequately to refresh our bodies which automatically translates to better productivity and mindset.
4 life lessons
- Be Enthusiastic: It originates from the Latin enthousiázō. En in Latin means Inside, and theós means The God. It means The God inside us provokes us to work. This is the true meaning of Enthusiasm. Always be enthusiastic in every walk of life.
- Work hard: There is no shortcut in life to succeed. Work very hard until you reach your goals. Doing nothing and waiting for things to change will not lead anywhere.
- Be consistent: Consistency is the key. Build a habit to work consistently. Working in bouts or bits and pieces will not last long.
- Being persistent: Like there is no shortcut, similarly there is no quick fix in life. Be persistent in your action until you achieve what you set out to. Don’t get disappointed if you don’t get quick results. Great things take time.
Other formative contributions:
Positions held:
Currently:
- Editor-in-Chief of the medical journal, Journal of the Science of Healing Outcomes
- Senior Consultant Cardiologist (visiting), PMDRC, Chennai
- Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mangalore
- Member, Board of Management, D. Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, Pune
- Member, National Committee of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
Formerly:
There is a long list of prominent positions held by him. For an extensive list, follow http://bmhegde.com/hegde/viewpage.php?page_id=8
Awards
His list of awards & honors is way too long to be included here, however, I could pick only a few and add a link for the rest of his awards & honors.
- Padma Vibhushan (2nd Highest civilian honour of the Republic of India)
- Padma Bhushan (3rd Highest civilian honour of the Republic of India
- Dr. B C Roy National Award for the year 1999 in the category of “Eminent Medical Teacher”
- Jagdish Chander Bose Award in Life Sciences for the year 1999
- Karnataka Rajyothsava Award in 1997
Many more, for an extensive list of his Awards, Positions held and Educational Background, follow http://bmhegde.com/hegde/viewpage.php?page_id=8
I will be frank, writing about a living legend Dr. BM Hegde ji is such a great learning experience. Summarizing his life journey in this article is only an unfinished task. A complete book should be written on him.
Well, my meeting time was over. I moved forward to touch his feet to seek his blessing. With his blessing and wonderful memories with me, I started walking towards the exit. I stood for a few seconds at the exit, stared for a few seconds, and felt proud of this amazing personality.
I must thank his staff, family friend, and most importantly his son. His entire family is so down-to-earth, extremely kind, and helpful to coordinate the entire meeting. I will always remain grateful to him.
Key Links
Dr B M Hegde’s All India Radio Interview from February 2003
https://youtu.be/K-mgmIjaRlY [Your health is governed by your Environment]
Dr. B M Hegde’s TEDxIITHyderabad TED talk at at IIT Hyderabad (March, 2017).
Dr. B M Hegde’s talk at a physicians conference at NIMHANS Bangalore (November, 2013)
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-god-within/article3874975.ece
[The God within] Dr. B M Hegde’s article in The Hindu newspaper from 2012
ttps://youtu.be/3fYK21wOdTo [Wellness and the art of stress management — an Extra Mural Lecture] Dr. B M Hegde’s talk at IIT Madras (Feb, 2016)
https://www.moneylife.in/article/pain-responds-to-exercise-and-not-rest/46713.html
[Pain Responds to Exercise and Not Rest!] Dr. B M Hegde’s article in Moneylife from 2016
https://youtu.be/TH1y3MYWkP8 [Modern Life & Spirituality]
Dr. B M Hegde’s talk in Nagpur, Maharashtra ( January, 2014 )
https://youtu.be/xPr78ne62BY [Masterclass — Integrative Health]
Dr. B M Hegde’s talk at Fergusson College, Pune (April 7, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-rlxCxq6Q4&t=1460s — God’s Own Doctor — Documentary on Dr. B M Hegde (January, 2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptSi4xIHDtU&t=1674s — Dr. B M Hegde addressing graduating doctors at his Alma mater King George’s Medical University, Lucknow on December 23, 2017. Dr. Hegde got his M.D. from this institution in 1964.
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