Ganesh Baraiya, ‘Gani’ to friends, doctor to patients, 3-ft inspiration to many

Returning to a chamber for medical officers, which is occupied by two batchmates and two interns who are on duty with him, Baraiya says the change in his fortunes has barely sunk in.

And it all started with his father — an illiterate farmer, from Gorkhi village of Bhavnagar. The eighth of nine siblings, and the first son of his parents, Baraiya was born with dwarfism, with 72% locomotor disability due to a growth hormone deficiency. Among his siblings, he is the only one with the condition.

When he was 10, a circus troupe offered to “buy” Baraiya for Rs 5 lakh, telling his father he was good enough to “only work in a circus”. The father chased them away, and as per the family, fiercely protected Baraiya from then on, afraid he might be “abducted”.

“My elder sisters would carry me everywhere. My father would carry me on his shoulder to school,” Baraiya recalls. “Even as a child, I accepted my condition.”

As he grew up, Baraiya would require other shoulders – and he credits many, leading up to the letter on November 26 announcing his formal appointment as ‘Bonded Medical Officer Class-2’ at Bhavnagar General Hospital.

It was seven years after Baraiya had cleared the NEET exam for medical entrance in 2018 under the disabled quota. Just as Baraiya was preparing to take admission, the Medical Council of India (MCI) denied him entry saying he could not pursue MBBS as his disability would be an impediment as a doctor.

When the Gujarat High Court upheld this, a despondent Baraiya decided to drop his medical dreams and enrol in B.Sc. But Dr Dalpat Katariya, whom Baraiya calls his mentor, “pursued the case in the Supreme Court without informing me”. Dr Katariya is the Director of Neelkanth Vidyapeeth High School in Talaja, where Baraiya studied in Class 11 and 12, after his father agreed reluctantly to send him away from home, assured that he would stay in a hostel on the campus.

By the time the Supreme Court ruled in his favour, a year had passed. Baraiya finally enrolled for MBBS at Bhavnagar Government Medical College in 2019. But then he faced another setback: he could not clear his written exams in the first semester, as he was not able to finish answering the question papers.

“I was unable to cope with the speed and the length of the answer sheet… It left me crushed. But Dr Katariya approached one of my seniors, Dr Yash Dave, to help as the latter had also helped draft my legal petitions before courts. I was not only granted a writer but also an hour extra for exams. I managed to clear my remaining MBBS semesters in my first attempt,” Baraiya smiles, noting that it was the first time a writer had ever been provided to an MBBS student.

Besides Katariya, Baraiya credits Neelkanth Vidyapith Principal Raivarsinh Sarvaiyya for encouraging him to pursue medicine.

Throughout his MBBS course too, every time he needed a hand, people were there, he adds. “My journey has been possible because of the people with me, most importantly Dr Katariya and Sarvaiyya Sir… Then, there is Dr Dave, who not only helped during my legal battle but, after I secured my seat, became a guiding light.”

Soon, Baraiya also had his classmates. “They would save me a seat in the first row so that I was able to see and take notes. During practicals, especially in anatomy, professors and classmates would prop me up on the table or arrange a stool for me to stand on. Sometimes, one of them picked me up so that I could follow.”

Classmates also pitched in to help Baraiaya, who had studied in Gujarati medium, follow the lectures.

As he recounts his long journey to the Medical Officers’ cabin where he is sitting now, a steady stream of announcements forming the backdrop, Baraiya’s classmates listen keenly. Dr Deepak Vadher, Baraiya’s roommate since the first year of MBBS and now a co-Medical Officer at Sir T Hospital, says: “When Ganesh walked into class in the first year of MBBS, we all wondered who this child was… It took about a month for the batch to bond with one another, and we became the thickest of friends. Most of us lovingly call him Gani or Ganiya, and are in awe of how he overcame his challenges to study MBBS.”

Dr Dave says Baraiya never expected any special favours, nor was given any. “For me, Ganesh’s journey is inspirational, right from the time I learnt of his father chasing the circus people away… He has come this far on his own.”

Before courts, Dr Dave adds, their basic argument was that not every doctor treats patients after an MBBS degree. “Many go into teaching, research and even medical administration; so denying him the opportunity to even earn an MBBS degree was unfair. We are grateful though that the Court did not lay down any conditions while allowing him to pursue medicine.”

As he walks the hospital corridors, Baraiya is aware of the many sets of eyes following him. He takes it in his stride, including the requests for selfies. “My case was widely covered, and a lot of people also know me through my village and community.”

But there are others who now come seeking his advice on similar problems they are facing. “I am happy to help,” says Baraiya, who has also set up a non-profit with Katariya for the education of students.

Katariya admits apprehension that not all the people Baraiya goes on to meet – or treat – would be as supportive as those he has come across so far. “Patients might be hesitant… and it is natural. So, I suggested to him to pursue UPSC and take up a medical administrative post… But his heart is set on pursuing post-graduation.”

He understands his “limitations”, Baraiya explains. He does not wish to pursue any specialisation, or to “put his patients in jeopardy”. “Surgical procedures require able-bodied doctors. Why should I put anyone at risk?” he says, before heading off to complete his duty hours.

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