Famed Heart Surgeon Dr Mukesh Hariawala reminisces R D Burman Surgery

Internationally acclaimed Harvard trained Indian American Heart Surgeon Dr Mukesh Hariawala, who was a key member in the 1989 surgical team of Dr John Wright that performed Open Heart Bypass Surgery on Bollywood music legend R D Burman at the Princess Grace Hospital in London , spoke to Sify news on the occasion of RD's 72nd Birthday.

R D Burman the iconic music director, revolutionized Bollywood music by inducting western mixed rhythm music in the 70s with foot tapping numbers in Teesri Manzil, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Sholay, Yaadon ki Baarat and many other hit films. Dr Hariawala who had grown up listening to his music, got to meet the legend while treating a heart condition. When Dr Hariawala enquired about RD's decline in the music charts, the maestro replied, "Dr Saab , if the heart does not have a synchronous beat and rhythm , the distraction makes it impossible to create good music that lingers on as magical melodies."

As a patient, RD was soft spoken, gentle mannered, very disciplined, and respectful of all hospital staff but most importantly he was graciously generous to all who attended to him. "He showered me with gifts including my first CD player and a bag full of his personal blockbuster collection," recollects Dr Hariawala.

It is widely believed that it was the successful heart surgery that played a positive role in RD reinventing his career. This ignited a meteoric rush of talent which gave birth to his unforgettable composition for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942 - A Love Story, enacted by Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala .

Boston, US based Dr Hariawala has operated on global celebrities including Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh , industrialists Ramakrishna Bajaj , Goenka and many top sports personalities like BCCI chairman Raj Singh Dungarpur.

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