This story is from September 5, 2014

To Ma’am, with miniature love

When her student randomly took pictures of her on his smartphone during the paediatrics lectures, Dr Pushpa G Kini, professor and head of the department of paediatrics at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, didn’t give it much thought.
To Ma’am, with miniature love
When her student randomly took pictures of her on his smartphone during the paediatrics lectures, Dr Pushpa G Kini, professor and head of the department of paediatrics at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, didn’t give it much thought. “Little did she know I was taking pictures of her to make a memorable memento for her as my token of appreciation,” reveals Dr Geogy Vennikandam, with an impish grin.
This young paediatrician from Illinois, Chicago, didn’t know what he wanted to gift his favourite teacher, he just knew it had to be unique. “I brainstormed — a drawing of her, a card with a collage of her pictures? Then I stumbled upon a shop called Culture Future while driving on the Manipal-Udupi Road. Gyan, the owner, told me he specialized in customized gifts. Geogy had more than 20 photos of Dr Kini and he selected the ones he liked the most. A miniature life-like clay doll of Dr Kini was ready in two weeks, ahead of her birthday on August 8. Geogy presented it to her personally.
“The gift itself was unexpected. I guessed it would either be a photo frame or wall display. When I saw this cute miniature of me, I was stunned,” says Pushpa. “It was so humbling, knowing I was appreciated by my student,” she adds with humility.
“I’ve known her since my first year at medical school. I wasn't a stellar student but she pushed me to excel, teaching me that having good marks alone doesn’t entitle me to be a great physician, but compassion towards all patients, irrespective of status, caste and religion will help achieve that feat," says Geogy.
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