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Doctor recalls how Dilip Kumar used to recite Urdu shayaris
Dr Parker was only in his 20s when he first saw the veteran actor on a podium while studying medicine at Grant Medical College, also known as JJ hospital.
Legendary actor Dilip Kumar breathed his last at Mumbai’s Hinduja Hospital after suffering a cardio-respiratory arrest around 7.30 am on Wednesday. The 98-year-old veteran actor was diagnosed with an advanced stage of prostate cancer apart from age-related illnesses.
Kumar had been in and out of hospitals recently due to his deteriorating health condition. “He had developed an advanced stage of prostate cancer. Along with it, he also suffered from kidney failure,” said a doctor from the hospital.
He was hospitalised in the first week of June after he complained of breathlessness and was diagnosed with bilateral pleural effusion which is accumulation of fluids between the layers of pleura outside the lungs.
Within two weeks of getting discharged, he was once again admitted at the hospital on June 29 with the same complaints. Just like earlier that month, doctors treated Kumar and he was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where water was pumped out of his lungs.
“On June 30, he also underwent blood transfusion but it didn’t help him much,” said the doctor. As per the doctors, the cancer had spread to other body parts and it was extremely “challenging” to treat. He also used to undergo dialysis for his failing kidney.
“He was 98 years old, so he already had several health issues and was completely bed ridden. He had a medical set up in his house for his daily treatment. But the advanced cancer further deteriorated his health,” said another doctor. “At the end, he got cardio-respiratory arrest.”
He was being treated by cardiologist Dr Nitin Gokhale, pulmonologist Dr Jalil Parker, pulmonologist and urologist Dr Anita Patel.
Dr Parker was only in his 20s when he first saw the veteran actor on a podium while studying medicine at Grant Medical College, also known as JJ hospital. He was the chief guest of the college’s annual programme—August Melodies. But never did he know that one day he would have to treat him and also declare his death.
“I remember the first time I saw him. He was so dignified and had an aura around him. As soon as he walked up to the podium, there was pin drop silence on the ground as we were all glued to his speech,” he recollected.
Infact, Dilip Kumar discussed politics and general affairs with Dr Parker while undergoing treatment. “He had respect for all the political parties, be it the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena or others. He believed in the development of the underprivileged citizens. It was really an honour to treat him,” he said.
Dilip Kumar was known for his command of Urdu language and love for ‘shayaris’ (a type of poetry). He often recited Urdu ‘shayaris’ to the medical staffers.
“He was an ardent reader. When I was younger, I had seen him reading books in his car under a reading light. In fact, in hospitals, he would read books while lying on the bed,” Dr Parker said while remembering the first superstar of the Hindi film industry.
Last year, the iconic actor lost his two younger brothers—Aslam Khan, 88, and Ehsan Khan, 90, due to Covid-19 infection.
