What is being courageous? What is being brave? What is being heroic? Please do not rush to a dictionary to find the definition. I have one simple explanation. It is being Dr. Satish Anand.

As Dr. Anand who has turned 75 and the family decided to celebrate the landmark occasion on December 2, I thought about this unsung hero who has immensely proved beyond any shadow of doubt that grit and determination; and faith in God can overcome all obstacles and bring one fulfillment of one’s cherished desires.

Here is a man, I said to myself, who has proved himself to be a successful professional and an extremely fine human being, aware of his responsibilities and priorities despite odds of all hues in his life. A man born with an inhibiting affliction called Polio for which no treatment existed then.The family, Dr.Anand narrated to me, moved to India in 1948. His father, Manohar Lal Anand, and the rest of the family got separated during partition and were lucky to reunite after some time.

Dr. Anand was three years old when he suffered from Polio in the left lower extremity. That was in 1945. In 1948 when the family started their journey to India, his mother had him in his arms. The family was traveling in a truck which got stuck in the River Ravi. A Pakistani soldier suggested to my mother that she could throw me away in stead of carrying me with so much difficulty. Also, he said it will reduce weight in the truck which could then come unstuck. And, on top of it, he said she had 3 more children; so, she should have no hesitation in getting rid of a disabled boy of 5 years. Dr. Anand quoted his mother as saying, “I will die with him if my “OM” wishes. But you will know one day he will become a big person”.  She could easily have got rid of her disabled son, but she was not an ordinary woman. She was courageous, brave and heroic- qualities which Dr. Anand inherited from her.

Another great gift to him from his mother is the unflinching faith in “OM”. “She instilled in me power of Faith”, said Dr. Anand in one of his conversations with me recently. She told Satish, “Have Faith in your OM and do your karma (work/ duty). Everything will follow”. It is this valuable lesson of life which has helped Dr. Anand all the way in his life.

Thereafter, he read a few books by great minds, including Swami Vivekananda. He recalls how profoundly he was influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s words: “To do your duty with honesty, sincerity and faith in Almighty is the biggest worship of God”. He has always kept the golden words in his mind. He told me that since then he printed them on the front page of each of his books to always remind himself of the inspiring thought.

Another incident that Dr. Anand recalled to me was when he was being sent to England for studies in 1968. He said theirs was a middle-class family and he was the youngest of the four brothers. “My mother coordinated with my father to pull resources for my travel to UK. In one Havan at home, one of my mother’s friends said to my mother why she was sending me to England since I have a physical problem of Polio. My mother replied: “Problem is with you. See he became a doctor after all the hard work despite polio. And, he is not going alone. My OM is going with him”. Dr. Anand added: “This taught me the power of Faith and Karma and this power never ever failed me at any point in my life. I owe it all to my mother. Hope, there are mothers, like my Mom who held my hand firmly and inspired me to go forward in life with Faith in OM”.

“The values I cherish today as an Arya Samajist have come to me from my mother”, says Dr. Anand.

Dr. Anand spoke about another woman in his life who was the second most powerful influence on him. This woman is his wife, Gitanjli with whom he got married in 1976. “Ever since she came in my life, Gitanjli has been a rock-solid support and partner at every step in my life”. Well versed in teaching, Gitanjli was a professor of Home science in India. She proved to be an admirable mother to their two daughters -Aikta and Vaishali. Aikta is a Psychologist and School Counselor and the younger Vaishali is a pharmacist. Both are happily married and have families.

Gitanjli became the first woman President of India Association of Long Island (IALI) in 1995. She is a great volunteer. Be it an association or the Arya Samaj, she is absolutely dedicated to whatever work she is doing. She has been associated with quite a few organizations. Presently, she is Vice President of Association of Indians in America (AIA).

Dr. Satish Anand himself has been socially and professionally involved. He has been a member of AAPI – QLI since 1995. He was its President and now sits on Board of Trustees. He was President of Federation of AAPI NY/ NJ/ CT. He is a member of Rajasthan Medical Alumni Association. Earlier, he was president of Gajra Raja Medical College Association.

Dr. Anand’s contribution has been hailed by various organizations and institutions. In 2013, Rotary International honored him with Humanitarian Award.

Dr. Anand was born in Rawalpindi (now Pakistan) ion October 21, 1942 to Manohar Lal Anand and Krishna Kumari. He studied for school at Mhow, near Indore in Madhya Pradesh, India. He got his Medical education at Medical College, Gwalior to become a physician in 1965. In 1968, he went to UK to do his residency program and finally got his MRCP in 1973. He came to the US in 1975 and worked as full-time internist. He took retirement in 2009.

Married to Gitanjli, the couple has two daughters, Aikta and Vaishali and are blessed with five grandchildren- Manav, Meera, Milan Deshmukh, Mukta and Aksha Sethi.

The eldest child of Anands, Aikta, who says proudly she is Dad’s daughter, has this to say about her father: “Dad is the rock of our family, he is my heart my soul without whom I am nothing. He is indeed the biggest blessing in my life. God made humans, but I don’t consider my father human. He is from a different universe a totally different breed of humans. People say they have lived to feel god or even see god, but I have felt and seen god in my father. If I could accomplish 20% of what my father has I would feel as if I did something good in my life”.

Do not forget to join the family at the celebration of Dr. Satish Anand’s 75 years of grit and determination; faith and karma; and hope and love.