God give me strength to serve you for another 45 years

A dialogue between Krishan Kumar and Dr KK Aggarwal

Today I would like to share with you a little anecdote about how I came to be called Dr KK.

My name was Krishan Kumar till I came to Moolchand Hospital. All my school days and through college I was called Krishan. I joined Moolchand Hospital in the year 1983 and began my professional career with Dr (Col) KL Chopra. His wife said that she could not address me by my name Krishan as that was the name I shared with her husband, Dr KL Chopra. So, she gave me a new name, KK.

And that name has now stuck and it is by this name that I am now known as.  To my colleagues I am Dr KK and to my friends, I am simply KK.

Krishan Kumar was my name in my pre-Moolchand days and after 1983, I got the name KK.

Below is a conversation between Dr KK, the present me and Krishan, my school and college past and how grateful Dr KK is to Krishan for having lived his life the way he did.

Dr KK: Krishan, why did you not take up smoking?

Krishan: My family values were such that they did not allow me to smoke. Also, I came from a very humble background. We were not financially well off and so also I could not afford to develop such habits. I went to Wardha for my MBBS and MD and there I was greatly influenced by Gandhian ideology.  

Dr KK: What about alcohol. Why do you not take alcohol?

Krishan: I never thought of taking alcohol for the same reasons I never started smoking. My family values, financial status and the teachings of Gandhi during my college days were my motivation in not drinking alcohol. They helped me to be strong and resist any peer pressure or such other influences.

Dr KK: Krishan how did you become interested in spirituality?

Krishan: My parents were very religious. So, I think my inclination towards spirituality began right from by childhood.  I went to Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (MGIMS), Sevagram. This was the place where Mahatma Gandhi set up his ashram. We stayed in Bapu’s ashram for 10 days. We also had prayers every Fridaywhile in college. This further fuelled my interest in spirituality. When I began working with Dr (Col) KL Chopra, I was exposed to spiritual teachings. All these contributed to my moral make up. Later on, I was greatly influenced by his son, Dr Deepak Chopra.

Dr KK: You had to go far away from home to Wardha to study medicine. Krishan, were you disheartened that you could not secure admission in a medical college in Delhi?

Krishan: No, in fact, this proved to be a blessing in disguise. I topped Nagpur University in the aggregate of all MBBS marks and received two University gold medals. I was declared the Best Graduate of the College in 1979. I returned to Delhi a person of good character and the capability to be a good doctor.

Dr KK: Krishan, I am very thankful to you that through your hard work and perseverance, I became a much better person and so became a good doctor. It is because of the person that you were that I received the prestigious Dr BC Roy National Award and subsequently the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of our country.