On Dr. Jayant Haribhakti’s centenary birthday we reflect on a famous saying by Mahatma Gandhi

“ My life is my message”

Dr. Jayant Haribhakti’s life can be described as a “Karmayogi " In his daily life through every action, he emanated Lord Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita.

To paint a picture of this Karmayogi, close your eyes and imagine:

A man with a genuine smile; who emits divine radiance on his face; stemming from a compassionate and courageous heart and his unmatched surgical skills were enhanced by the mindset to selflessly serve everyone taking any opportunity to do so.

He was a healer of pain, a giver of love and a doer of good.

The beauty of the contribution made by Dr. Jayant Haribhakti lies in the fact that it is plausible for anyone to imbibe his simple values in their daily living and make a difference to the society around them.
His life epitomises these simple values which we have summarised in the hope that all of us can follow these in our daily lives

Give unconditional love to all around

There is only one way that love can last a lifetime and it is when it’s unconditional. Dr Jayant Haribhakti’s life was a living example of the truth that love is not determined by the one being loved but rather by the one choosing to love. Such was Dr. Jayant Haribhakti who gave unconditional love, warmth, attention and time to everyone he met.

Each and everyone who met him felt that “He was theirs”. He was always the first to arrive and be present to share in everyone’s happiness or sadness creating a feeling of “oneness” through his giving of unconditional love.

Serve selflessly and give generously out of joy

Being a Karmayogi, Dr. Jayant Haribhakti served selflessly out of joy.

Through his daily actions he practiced these words by Ravindranath Tagore – “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Every wakeful moment he looked out for opportunities to be of service to others and answered a persistent question” What are you doing for others?”

Imagine asking yourself this question in every moment of your life and proactively seeking to serve others. There are just many opportunities all around in our everyday lives for us to practice Karmayoga and serve others. By being observant and thoughtful in every little and big moments of daily life, Dr. Jayant Haribhakti changed the course of life for many through his endless generosity and philanthropic deeds.

Always be humble and unassuming

One who serves selflessly is humble and unassuming. Dr Jayant Haribhakti helped everyone around him with utter generosity. His only purpose of selfless service was to spread joy without any expectations, recognition, pride or favours. This made him an indomitable force of unassuming humility and generosity.

He best lived by the principle of “The left hand didn’t know when the right was helping someone”.

This value of his is best described in the words of Narsinh Mehta in the famous bhajan (song) of Vaishnav Jana to:

પર દુઃખે ઉપકાર કરે તોયે, મન અભિમાન ના આણે રે 

સકળ લોકમાં સહુને વંદે, નિંદા ન કરે કેની રે

This translates to:

“Even when one helps others still no egotistical-pride enters their minds.

They respect everyone in this entire world and

never criticise anyone”

Be self-disciplined to truly excel in each of life’s many roles

Dr. Jayant Haribhakti lived a multi-faceted life and achieved great success through his self-discipline. Together with being a busy surgeon, a loving family man and a reliable friend he also held many volunteering and leadership positions that helped him make a true difference in the fields of education, urban development, healthcare and the community at large. Very few in a lifetime can achieve excellence in so many varied roles. This is only possible through self-discipline and applying it until your wish and your will become one. And that is exactly what Dr. Jayant Haribhakti did- He did what he wished to no excuses of being busy.

He was a devoted son, a loving husband, a doting father and grandfather, a fatherly brother, a caring uncle, a reliable friend, a trusted guide and a magical healer for his patients.

Be courageous and decisive

Dr. Jayant Haribhakti was a fearless surgeon who took bold decisions as his only mission as a doctor was the true care and well being of his patients.

This very well resonates with a quote by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu ‘From caring comes courage.’

A surgeon par excellence, Dr. Jayant Haribhakti was able to follow his heart with conviction in complex surgeries and life defining moments only through his extensive training. He always told his juniors that knowing when to not operate is as important to knowing when to operate.

Always smiling and witty

A simple smile is all it takes. That’s the start of opening your heart and being compassionate to others.

It is no easy feat to always have a smile on your face. However, such was the persona of Dr. Jayant Haribhakti. He always had an infectious smile on his face which radiated from deep within his beautiful heart and brought immense joy to the onlooker. This genuine smile is credited to have immensely lessened the physical pain of his patients and sparked the faith of goodness in the hearts of many. His great sense of humour made him easily relatable by all- young or old.

Be authentic and fair

Dr. Jayant Haribhakti was an everyday hero and leader who captured many hearts by his honest opinions and unbiased advice. He was the same person- publicly, privately or personally. Always authentic and fair, caring and giving because he wanted to and not because he had to. He was believed, followed and trusted by all around him.