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Swati Amar

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Making Excellence A Habit: The Secret to Building a World-Class Healthcare System in India

by V. Mohan

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Swati Amar said: " Hugely Inspiring and Immensely Readable

Among the recent books that I have read during the pandemic, ‘Making Excellence a Habit’ by Padmashri Dr. V Mohan has been one of the most engaging and enlightening experiences I have had. If one visualises a do Hugely Inspiring and Immensely Readable

Among the recent books that I have read during the pandemic, ‘Making Excellence a Habit’ by Padmashri Dr. V Mohan has been one of the most engaging and enlightening experiences I have had. If one visualises a doctor, researcher, educationist and a philanthropist who built India’s first chain of world-class diabetic care centres as being a nerd and a serious person, and whose book would probably be academic, Dr. Mohan springs a pleasant surprise! But it is no wonder because Dr. Mohan’s intrinsic interest in literature and poetry is reflected throughout the book, making it immensely readable and engaging, even in parts where he talks about medicine and research.

In the midst of an array of innumerable books, even award winning ones, which woefully lack good presentation and correct grammar and are replete with countless proofing errors, I would begin by appreciating the presentation, which is well-structured and has a remarkable style that only seasoned authors possess. The chapter titles are arresting and the quotes at the beginning of each chapter have been carefully chosen, reflecting the essence of what the chapter would deal with.
I would rate Making Excellence a Habit as one of the finest treatises of inspirational nature that can motivate anyone to be hopeful, despite failures or obstacles, urging people to be passionate, and give their best under any circumstance. This is the story of a young, ambitious but sensitive boy who began his school years as a romantic, much in love with literature whom destiny propelled toward a path of research and medicine, which he embraced with dignity and diligence. The journey of Dr. Mohan in the field of medicine and research has been laid out before the readers in a very arresting manner, interspersed with motivational anecdotes and candid revelation of emotions and introspection, belonging to a very evolved and enlightened mind. I may not be a great believer, but even I was moved by his chapters on spiritualism, and the power of the subconscious mind. I was totally inspired by the chapter on the power of positive thinking in healing, which can be applied to achievement of any goal in one’s life. Of course, the book offers its sombre moments to the reader who happens to be a sentimental person like me, and I quietly wiped of tears on reading how his much loved wife Dr. Rema continued to work with great commitment till her end and ensured that she would leave an impeccable legacy for the teams of their centre to follow.
Dr. Mohan unveils his journey toward building a chain of diabetic centres, his global contribution through research, presentations in conferences and publications which abound in challenges at every step of the way. Chance meetings with people who happened to give a fillip to his vision, arduous toil to the point of being a workaholic throughout his life, collaboration with his teams and people who share a similar vision as well as drawing of inferences from the lives of other achievers are all blended into the story seamlessly. The inspiring takeaway for a reader is how he reasons, rationalises and attributes logic to every development, challenge and milestone in his journey. His love for his family and the mutual love and respect the family shares form a strong foundation from which he seems to draw his strength and energy.
Everyone makes mistakes, but it is a strong mind that acknowledges the lapses, introspects and takes corrective steps. I was moved by the fact that even after several years, Dr. Mohan is able to recall mistakes he had made inadvertently and has the integrity to lay down threadbare for people to read, which only an evolved person can do.
I have read books by other doctors such as ‘When Breathe Becomes Air, a non-fiction autobiographical book by American neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi that was published posthumously and ‘The Checklist Manifesto’ by Atul Gawande which outlines the importance of a checklist in mastering tasks in a very interesting manner. These books are immensely readable too. But ‘Making Excellence a Habit’ surpasses the genre as well as the non-fiction tag in that it is one book that will find a place in the heart of any reader globally, extending beyond cultural boundaries and nations. Because it is an honest account of a doctor who harboured dreams, chased his passion adopting gruelling schedules and toil as the only means to achievement, and moved ahead in a journey with positivism, introspecting and finding meaning in every incident, event or person who touched his life. Every reader can connect with this book and be truly inspired to better himself in his chosen life path. ...more "

May 21, 2021 05:18AM · see review