In the preceding snippet, mention was made of the "Kishore" principle.
Zé Antonio, the physician working overseas aka foren, was home for another vacation coinciding with the monsoons. As it was raining cats and dogs, it was an excellent opportunity for Zé to sit and chat with his Dad. Zé's Dad worked all his working life in a the hospital. So, there was a lot in common them to talk about. Zé's Dad would ask him a lot of questions and vice-versa. On one particular visit, Zé noticed that his Dad was pacing up and down. This was not usual for Zé's Dad, so he asked him:"Dad, everything is alright"? There was no answer, just some additional pacing up and down. Eventually, his Dad asked Zé a question: "Zé, you travel to all those islands in the Caribbean, are you not afraid of HIV?" Zé initially wondered how and why this question came up. Then he realised that he sent a postcard to his parents every time he traveled to the islands for a conference or as trainer at one of the meetings. His dad must have been reading 'too much' Time magazine (a favourite of Ze's dad). No question that the question took Zé by surprise. The 'processing' of the answer could not have taken more than a few, let us say 10 seconds max. But then, Zé was not known to take 10 seconds to respond to questions. It must have felt like an eternity for Zé's dad. He had a concerned look on his face. A look which turned to one of bewilderment when he (surely) saw the semi-mischievous smile of Zé's face. Zé responded: 'Dad, one does not contract HIV from mosquito bites, does one'? Well, Zé's dad wasn't very good at hiding embarrassment ....but silence followed, and relief no doubt. On another day, just after Zé had visited the Hospicio in Margao to catch up with folks he knew and who might still be around, Zé's dad asked him what, if any, were some of the differences between medicine practiced in Goa and that practiced abroad. It was Zé's impression that generally many Goan doctors were clinically much better in their ability to diagnose problems with the lesser amount of tests than their counterparts in the west.The question, however, was whether they did so and also if they receive medical updates mainly from the medical sales representatives. There was also a question whether they treated the patients with same amount of respect and compassion as did their western counterparts or whether the practice of medicine had become a business. Now to the 'Kishore principle'. There were a number of posre (corner shops) in the village. One of them is run by Kishore. He is a calm, pleasant, honest and generally a good person. His isn't a fancy shop, it is just a very convenient place to buy odds and ends which one did not buy in Margao. Ze's dad was very impressed by Kishore's 'customer service'. He gave an example: If a customer went to any of the other village shops and complained that "two of the potatoes' bought on the previous day were spoiled, he was likely to be told off severely by the shop keepers. Kishore, on the other hand, would calmly replace the two potatoes, without much fuss. Zé asked his dad if this type of kindness would not be abused by the villagers. His dad replied that Kishore was not a naive person. What he was doing is keeping his customers happy without himself being conned beyond a certain limit. The other matter of fact is that while shopkeepers and their shops had come and gone in a flash, Kishore and Kishore's posro are having a productive and happy run spanning several decades. One supposes that Zé's dad was suggesting to Zé that like shopkeepers, there are many doctors in this world. And while many will make money, it will be the "Kishores' of this world who will make enough and still be happy. Coming up: The money sharks and hawks are watching... jc
