Good Samaritan with a spine

He’s a neurosurgeon and spine specialist, whose heart is in the right place. He cycles for a good cause — to raise funds for the underprivileged that require spinal surgery. Besides the good karma that he has earned, Dr Arvind Bhateja has made a name for himself by participating in the Iron Man 70.3 (113 kilometres) triathlon in Singapore. He has also been a part of two editions of the Tour of Nilgiris. This week-long cycling event spans 900 kilometres across rugged terrains in South India. Every journey has a beginning. In Arvind’s case, it dates back to his childhood love for cycling. “As a kid, I used to cycle across Bengaluru. I was a long-distance runner at Bishop Cotton Boys’ School,” he says. During a vacation in Thailand, he found himself scanning the pages of a runner’s magazine. And he knew instantly that he wanted to run again. “But I developed a knee strain and was advised against taking up this sport. I was asked to look at the option of cycling. I realised that the cycling scene had evolved considerably since my childhood. I saw some fancy bikes, was instantly attracted to them and soon got together with a group of cycle enthusiast friends. We went for rides three to four times a week,” says Arvind.

One day, the adventurous group decided to cycle all the way to Nandi Hills from Hebbal — a 100 km ride which takes five hours. “We were completely psyched. We spoke to people who had done this ride, carried water and electrolytes with us and obviously took breaks while climbing up the hills,” recollects Arvind. You can’t help notice a faint hint of pride in his voice, when he adds, “Nowadays, I leave home in Richmond Town at 5.30 am for the same ride, and am back by 10.30 am. I carry two bottles of water and need only one coffee break.”

The conversation gravitates back to the Tour of Nilgiris (TFN). For Arvind, his association began in 2009. The co-founder of TFN, Ravi Ranjan found it difficult to get medical support for his event. “So I decided to help him out. We became medical partners, I got a rider’s slot then and nominated a friend. In 2013, playwright Gautam Raja who was also a part of my cycling team wanted to participate in this event as a sponsored rider. He asked me if there was any message he could carry during this journey. That’s when I decided that we should raise funds for patients who cannot afford spinal surgery. The surgery costs vary between '60,000 to '2 lakh. We get the patients to pay '30,000 and the rest is subsidised. And we are doing this as we’d like to reach out to as many people as possible,” he says.

There are huge demands on Dr Bhateja’s time. He also runs the famous Sita Bhateja Nursing Home in Bengaluru. The 70-bed hospital is named after his gynecologist mum, who has influenced her son. “I have learned my work ethics and the corresponding discipline that comes with it, from her. My mother is also an avid philanthropist, and that aspect of her personality has rubbed off on me too,” he says. Arvind is a multi-tasking neurosurgeon who used technology to balance his time. “I call myself a time crunched cyclist. I have set up an indoor training section, which helps me train in a practiced manner. I have a US-based coach, we do a web interface where I upload my workout data and he tweaks it online. I train three days a week indoors, and three days outdoors. I’m up at 4 am and finish training by 7 pm. Fortunately, I don’t have too many emergencies, so I get home by 7.30 pm and am in bed by 9 pm. I need to get a lot of rest given the demanding nature of my daily routine,” he adds. During his travels, Arvind relies on his efficient team of doctors, who are well aware of his schedule and manage accordingly.

Arvind has touched many lives with his selfless act and feels gratified when poor patients express their gratitude with simple gifts. “There are many emotional moments. What touches me most is when my patients who are not well to do, come back to thank me with bags of rice or veggies. One patient, who couldn’t move his hand before the surgery, wove a coir map for me,” he says.

This Good Samaritan doc is also a family guy with two grown up kids. “My son will turn 21 next month and is studying abroad. My daughter is 14. If you ask my kids, they will tell you, I don’t balance my life at all. But I do the best I can. When I am travelling on my cycling tours, I take a few days off, and spend time with my family,” says Arvind, whose ultimate goal is to participate in the world masters race which is held every year in July, says, “From what I gather, no Indian has participated in this race so far. I’m doing the qualifying race in March and I need to finish in the top 25 per cent to take part in the race held in France this year.”

Given his steely determination, this is one more milestone he will certainly accomplish.