Geology is a fascinating science, which solidifies your union with the picturesque Mother Earth. You witness a terrain and instinctively the structural processes behind it start playing in mind. The work that geologists do takes them from the office to the laboratory to rocky terrain, underground mines and the ocean floor.
I consider myself privileged to have had a memorable career as a geoscientist. My first fieldwork began in Garo Hills in Meghalaya and there was no stopping from there.ADVERTISING
Exploration and curiosity blended in my life to become a part and parcel of my existence.
Graduating in Geological Technology opened doors to examining vast Himalayan ranges – from Shiwaliks in Dehradun to Tethyan Himalayan stretch in Zanskar (Ladakh)- Spiti Valley. Meeting new people, living a life of hardship on the field and extracting microfossils in laboratory procured from great Himalayan heights, imparted a sense of thrill like never before.
As my career advanced, my interest in Geology solidified. I thrived and was chosen to join an international oil and gas major. Life became further stimulating and geology more complex.
Fields changed, now it was rugged terrains of Southern Spain, Sandstones of Utah and Colorado, rainforests of Borneo and threatening war zones of Iraq.
Early on this year I quit my job to build a robust healthcare company. From being an earth wanderer to speaking about ailments and cures, it was indeed a paradigm shift.
I have been asked quite a few times now, to shed some light into why the transition.
There were a few prominent propelling factors, which provided the requisite thrust to take a plunge out of a steady, rewarding career and dwell in the unchartered territories of uncertainty.
- My tryst with healthcare: Growing up in a remote area in Assam, it was difficult for our family to find prudent medical advice for my ailing dad. My father was diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension at a relatively young age. He was not able to manage his condition optimally; largely because there was no one to guide him, empower him with the right information on how to do so. When things turned bad and he developed complications, his kidneys failed and he needed a transplant.
We had no clue which hospital or doctor to go to, how much we might have to spend and how to actually get this done. We ended up going to a hospital in Chennai, spending all our savings and losing our sole bread earner who succumbed to the complications of his condition. It disturbed me to think that there are so many more families like mine who had to stand damaging loss just due to unavailability of comprehensive medical counsel.
- The intriguing spirit of entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship has always been my calling. My first venture was at the age of 20. My co-founders and me launched Northeast’s first satirical tabloid. Hailing from a hardcore business oriented family, my mindset would always trigger me to create, learn and unlearn. I aspired to work for myself and accomplish ideas, which I had supreme faith in. Exploring healthcare became my next challenging frontier, just like any other regular outcrop decoding.
- Magnitude of impact: There is no denying that doctors and paramedics form the core of healthcare delivery, but an ordinary individual like myself, coupled with technological arms can create impact, every passing day. Each family that my venture effectively helps, directly enhances my gratification and happiness.
- Outreach: My life as a geologist was interesting and adventurous. But how many human lives was I reaching out to? Probably none directly! Healthcare gives me the opportunity to increase my ability to reach out and serve families in need. This is my chance to bring about a difference.
Being a geologist has taught me firm lessons like working in hostile conditions, perseverance, keen observation and most significantly patience. These life skills coupled with undying passion inspire me to deliver smiles to all those who long for the touch of prudent medical help.
I am a happy healthcare professional now, doing my bit to augment, “care” to healthcare. And for geology, my travel and adventure trails have only multiplied, and this time not for the money.