A Salute to the Healer
(Dedicated to Dr. Hriday Kalita, Dentist, on Doctors’ Day)
Heramba Nath
Upon this hallowed, solemn day we stand,
To honour hearts that heal with gentle hand,
Whose art is more than science cold and bare,
But mercy’s touch, and solace in despair.
O Dr. Hriday Kalita, thy noble name,
Within the healing craft hath earned its fame,
For where the ache in silence seeks to hide,
Thy steady hands and wisdom there abide.
Thou dost not merely tend to bone and nerve,
But deeper cares with quiet grace observe,
And in thy work, a sacred trust is shown,
To ease the weight of woes the flesh hath known.
A smile restored, a pain made light once more,
A life made brighter than it was before —
These are thy laurels, not of leaf or gold,
But hearts of men, whose gratitude is told.
So may thy days in kindness ever grow,
As rivers to the boundless ocean flow,
And may thy deeds, though done in modest light,
Be stars to others in their darkest night.
Upon this Doctors’ Day, with voice sincere,
We raise our thanks and hold thy name most dear.