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| EDITOR’S NOTE: OBITUARY |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 36
| Issue : 4 | Page : 365 |
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Professor BS Chavan: The ever optimist
Nitin Gupta
Gupta Mind Healing and Counselling Centre, Chandigarh, India
| Date of Submission | 17-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 17-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 31-Dec-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Nitin Gupta
Gupta Mind Healing and Counselling Centre, Chandigarh - 160 009
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_448_20
How to cite this article:
Gupta N. Professor BS Chavan: The ever optimist. Indian J Soc Psychiatry 2020;36:365 |
Serendipity is what comes to mind as I pen down these few lines for Professor BS Chavan (b. 25 March 1961), in my position as the Editor-Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry (IndJSP), as a Note of Tribute in his memory!
He had unlimited compassion and empathy for people with mental illnesses and their caregivers, especially for the marginalized sections among the mentally ill and the developmentally challenged. He was actively involved in professional organizations and nongovernmental organizations alike, and was an administrator par excellence. He single-handedly transformed the face of mental health in Chandigarh and made it a force to reckon within the areas of community psychiatry and rehabilitation of persons with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities. He was always full of energy, and his passion and zeal for his profession, people in distress, and life in general were unmatchable.
How do I eulogize the man and his life journey?
Probably, the best way I can describe is with lines taken from the famous song picturized on Dev Anand, sung by Mohammad Rafi, penned by Sahir Ludhianvi and composed by Jaidev from the Hindi movie “Hum Dono” (released in 1961):
Main Zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya; Har fikar ko dhuyein main udata chala gaya;
Barbadiyon ka sog manana fizool tha; Barbadiyon ka jashn manata chala gaya….
Professor Chavan was unstoppable, ever optimistic, and would not take “no” as a response…!
I was fortunate to have been associated with Professor Chavan in different capacities over a period of two decades. His premature passing away (d. 4 December 2020) has robbed the world of an exceptional mental health professional and a human being.
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