A cancer specialist, Dr Ranjana Srivastava is a Fulbright scholar, author of several books and broadcaster.
In 2017, she was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours.
“I am lucky to have a job that is interesting and gratifying and gives me opportunities to learn from my patients,” says Dr Srivastava.
She is a regular columnist with the Guardian where she writes on medicine, ethics and humanity.
This International Women’s Day, she shares her story with SBS Punjabi
Her story
I was born in Canberra when my father was doing a PhD and we returned to India when I was a baby. I grew up in Bihar, where I did all my early schooling and part of high school, until we went to the US on an academic posting. I completed high school in the US and subsequently returned to Australia to study medicine.
I ended up staying in Australia after I met my husband. I credit my Indian upbringing and schooling for my strong foundation and I am proud to have stayed in touch with some of my earliest teachers who made such a difference to my education. I am proud to work in the Australian healthcare system now. Despite its challenges, it is a generous and admirable service to be a part of.
Source: ranjanasrivastava.com
Major challenges she faced
A challenge that I think is hardly unique to me is converting knowledge to wisdom. For example, I know that it's a tiny bit unrealistic to excel at multiple aspects of medicine, be an excellent mother, get to the gym, stay up to date with multiple journals, come up with a great column every fortnight, learn Bollywood dancing and make thin, fluffy roti to pair with the delicious chicken curry that my mother seems to cook with her eyes closed! I mean, it sounds silly just saying it, right? But this is how we trap ourselves - by wanting to be perfect at everything.
I am happy to admit that I am a work in progress but I find that writing a journal is a good way for me to untangle many of my expectations and motivations and help me stay on an even keel. Daily exercise is another thing I firmly believe in as a way of maintaining focus during the day. My job requires me to be mindful and compassionate towards my patients -therefore, it's really important for me to actively manage my own challenges.
Source: YouTube/TEDx
Can women have it all?
Today, I got to the gym, saw and helped several cancer patients, attended a short school assembly, wrote in my journal, and helped my children with homework until my husband came home. I squeezed in a chat with my mother, who is recovering from an operation, and called a friend who is grieving her pet. When the children are asleep, and if I am still awake, I will try to work on a new book.
I would consider this a good, fulfilling day until I am reminded that I was not home for dinner, the children ate various leftovers, the beds are unmade, and there are library books floating around that belong back in the library!
I am hopeless at pop culture and have no time to watch television. I can't read novels or write my own books as fast as I would like. So, I guess I'd say I don't have it all. But what my patients have taught me is that 'having it all' is also a state of mind. For some of my sickest patients, a hearty meal and a spot of sunshine would be more than enough.
Best advice she ever received
I am very wary of soliciting advice, preferring to learn from watching people in action. But a senior female specialist once told me out of the blue to reconcile to the fact that my children would need outside care and the occasional takeaway if I was to become a competent and fulfilled doctor. I was very puzzled by this as I was in my twenties and children were another decade away.
I now realize that she must have been going through the process herself at the time she sprung that advice upon me but I have always returned to it in my times of doubt. I have made sure to tell her what a difference this stray comment made!
The advice she has for other women
I don't feel qualified to give advice but I am happy to share what has worked for me. Keep your family close. Have few friends but cultivate fast friends. Be kind - kindness comes back in unpredictable ways. Lastly, have integrity. My favourite definition of integrity is it's what you do when no one is watching. I deeply admire people who have integrity and strive to emulate them.
This is part of SBS Punjabi’s special series dedicated to the International Women's Day. Watch this space for more such stories.
