Sporting Spirit

“Actually,there was a blood clot along with recurrent severe infection inside my nasal antenna causing me great pain. It was excruciating at times and I thought I had to live with this for the rest of my life. I went to a lot of specialists,but nothing happened. Then I met Anirban in 2004. He did a minor surgery and suddenly the pain was gone,and gone for ever,” says Banerjee.

Right diagnosis,they say,is the hallmark of a good doctor. But what makes Sengupta special is his care for humanity. Those who have been treated by him say that going to him is like tumbling into the soft embrace of the couch — all squeals and nuzzles and squirmy delight.

He does it day in and day out and sometimes goes out of his way,especially if he is attending a sportsperson.

“There runs a strong sports culture in my family. I represented my school in football and cricket. Sports is my second love after surgery. Treating sportspersons is a way of staying in touch with something that is very close to my heart,” explains Sengupta. The oral and maxillofacial surgeon thanks Banerjee for bringing him to the Maidan.

Between sips of a cappuccino,the doctor talks about his career. “I started my practice in 1999 but my perspective changed after I met Banerjee in 2004. What I learnt from him is humility. He has helped me widen my canvas. Today I treat sportspersons like an extended family. I’m always at their service free of cost,” says the 35-year-old doctor.

His charity is not confined to only the well-known. A kabaddi player from Tripura came to him with a broken lower jaw and Sengupta was happy to attend to him.

“Every now and then I send players from different districts to his clinic. The youngsters don’t have the money,neither has Aniraban asked for any. He gives them advice and medicines for free. He says he will do it for any Indian sportsperson. He is a good man,” Banerjee elaborates. Sengupta,on the other hand,describes his effort as “sporting spirit”.

Awards and citations are coming thick and fast. The Indian Dental Association has presented him with the Merit Award. The Adelaide School of Maxillofacial Surgery acknowledged his case study that saw him fix 30-mm-high upper jaws of Saikat Paul and Sahana Chakraborty. But the young surgeon wants to scale new heights. Segmental osteotomy — changing bone structure of both upper and lower jaws — is his latest area of research. He also wants to introduce the open-jaw method of surgery.

“Doctors Sailen Bhattacharya,Subrata Moitra,Sumant Garur,Vikram Rathore and Uttam Deb have had a huge influence on me. Taking their work forward will be my gurudakshina ,” says Sengupta.