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Keeping up its past
traditions of honouring the South Asian origin Psychiatrists in
recognition of their outstanding contributions in the field of
academics, psychiatry and mental health services, Midland Psychiatric
Research Group honoured Prof. Matcheri Keshavan at its 8th annual
international conference held at Birmingham UK from June 27-28th
2008. Speaking at the Banquet held on Saturday June 28th Prof.
Russell De’Souza from Australia paid rich tributes to Prof. Matcheri
Keshavan for his contributions in the field of psychiatry.
South Asian Forum for
Mental Health Prof. De’Souza said is an important component of Asian
Federation of Psychiatric Associations (AFPA) and represents Asian
Psychiatrists out of Asia serving humanity globally. We take
particular pride in recognizing the great contribution and
achievements of our South Asian Psychiatrists around the world. We
have recognized and awarded South Asian colleagues on their landmark
achievements. He thanked Prof. Rajiv Tandon for his passion, energy
and time to make the Asian Journal of Psychiatry a reality. However,
tonight Prof. Russell De’Souza said, we would like to felicitate the
resounding achievements of a South Asian which has made all of us
proud of our ancestry. Prof. Matcheri Keshavan a well known figure in
the field of world psychiatry, completed his undergraduate medical
education at Mysore India, was trained at NIMHANS, then came to UK and
got his Fellowship in Psychiatry. From here he went to University of
Pittsburgh in United States where he made a tremendous contribution
before moving to Detroit. .Now he has been appointed Vice Chairman,
Department of Psychiatry and Prof. of Psychiatry at Harvard
University. This appointment is certainly an important landmark
achievement for Keshavan. Prof. Keshavan has also been appointed as
Editor-in-Chief of Asian Journal of Psychiatry by the AFPA Board.
Continuing, Prof. Russell De’Souza said that we wish to place on
record our recognition and happiness on this achievement and the model
which Keshavan has set for future generation of our members in his
academic standards but more importantly in his humility and sincere
commitments. We all the Psychiatrists in South Asian Forum for Mental
Health, members of the Midland Psychiatric Research Group and AFPA
wish Prof. Matcheri Keshavan continued success, health and happiness
besides abundant spiritual intelligence.
An extremely humble
and polite Prof. Matcheri Keshavan in his brief address on this
occasion thanked all those present for this honour and recognition.
However, the pearls of wisdom which came from him were when he
remarked that “It is what you do matters and not a position you are”
and this brief sentence conveyed a lot. Prof. Matcheri Keshavan was
one of the invited guest speakers at the conference wherein he talked
about Insight, Compliance and Schizophrenia.
Later in an informal
talk with a group of psychiatrists during the conference Prof.
Rajiv
Tendon another distinguished delegate and invited speaker from USA
recalled that he is often invited as a guest speaker and if
he makes a commitment, he has always tried to make it. He then
narrated an interesting incident saying that just before the 9/11 he
had received an invitation to speak at a meeting being organized in
Saudi Arabia. Since he had accepted the invitation, he decided to go
to Saudi Arabia despite 9/11 and against the suggestions of many of
his friends and well wishers. It was a four days trip. When he landed
in Saudi Arabia, he found lot of sympathy for those killed and wounded
in 9/11 among his hosts but after two days of his stay, the Americans
attacked Afghanistan and he saw an immediate change in the attitude of
his hosts against the Americans. There was lot of resentment and
hatred against United States as no body liked the massive bombardments
which killed many Afghans. “I returned from Saudi Arabia but in the
next almost over a dozen flights in United States, I was singled out
each time and had to undergo detailed scrutiny at the immigration
counters. Once when I was singled out the tenth time and the
immigration staff said that I have been selected at random for
detailed scrutiny, I told them they may undertake detailed scrutiny
but at least do not tell lies. How is it that only I out of over three
hundred passengers am selected for detailed scrutiny every time and
this is for the tenth time consecutively”?
This incident just
reflects how paranoid the Americans have become after 9/11. Many
doctors going from Pakistan and other Muslim countries to attend a
conference in United States have to go through a great ordeal at times
it is just humiliation. This is one of the reasons that many self
respecting Pakistanis no more wish or travel to United States. Even
otherwise if the past is any guide, we the Muslims in general and the
Pakistanis in particular should never expect anything good from
America or the Americans. The sooner we learn this lesson, the better
it would be for us and our country Pakistan.
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