Following a family tradition of publicly expressing one’s point of view, Dr Vispi Jokhi, (pictured) chief executive officer of Masina Hospital has taken to blogging.
On his "Musings Own Thoughts,” the orthopedic surgeon defines himself as a "simple person trying to make a positive contribution to the world.” The tag line to his blog describes Jokhi as a "humanist, pacifist, environmentalist and a seeker of the eternal truth.” Parsiana asked him about the last adjective. "It is the quest to find a purpose of existence and is based on (Mahatma) Gandhi’s experiments with truth,” he told us on October 15, 2023.
Also-a-blogger Dr Vispi Jokhi
Recent topics on the blog have ranged from the nature of austerity to the rights and wrongs of displaying emotions; from veganism to the "death” of clinical examinations by the medical fraternity (where hasty prescriptions are the norm); and from aging to the art of clarity in writing. He told Parsiana that his writing is based on "spontaneous thoughts, or something I have read or some conversation… I have started making it a habit to write roughly 200-300 words daily,” he stated, calling the practice a "discipline.” Does the doctor mull over a topic for long or is it more spontaneous? "A combination of both,” he said, and if he does not succeed he starts "a new post based on a new thought process and get back to old one later,” he stated.
The passion surfaced in 2005. "It was a kind of place to air views… Initially the writing was labored… even preachy… The frequency was once in a month or two… It was intermittent till 2021 and then came to a standstill… It restarted in August this year with a flurry of posts… I think I am on my 100th post now.”
Is his writing style similar to that of his nonagenarian mother Piroja, known for her regular letters to the Parsi media until a couple of years ago? Never one to suffer fools gladly, the doughty Piroja was a regular writer to Parsiana’s Readers’ Forum. "We are quite different in our styles,” the doctor clarified. "She uses more adjectives and her writing is based on reading and universal values… My writing is more experiential and matter of fact… Less activism and less aggression,” he stated. One could almost visualize a gentle smile on the soft-spoken doctor’s face while he wrote that.
Vispi has received mostly positive feedback from his colleagues, staff at the Hospital and family. "A few feel that one should exercise caution, given this political climate… I am inclined to write my views and not go with the majority even if it means I am alone in my views.”
He is also chairman of Ahura Support, a nongovernmental organization which provides vocational support, residential care and parent support for families with differently abled members.