Dr Saurabh Mathur, President, Indian Cartilage Society | October 19, 1975 – February 23, 2023
Dr Saurabh Mathur, fondly called by his friends and colleagues by his first name, was a never-to-die personality. Saurabh was a multifaceted and talented person in the form of a very successful arthroscopy and sports surgeon, as an academician, as an active worker in many professional organisations, as an entrepreneur in a multi-speciality hospital, as an active sportsman and as a countable person. Two weeks have passed since we lost him, but still my ears are fresh with his voice, ‘Sir, ho jayega’ meaning, ‘Sir, it will be done’. Whenever he will meet anyone, he will leave a print of his personality on his/ her heart. You meet him once, and he will remember you as a friend for lifetime. He was never interested in keeping negative memories of a person but always kept positive memories in his mind.
As President of Indian Cartilage Society, he extensively planned to take cartilage science to every small city of India and every neighbouring country. He suggested starting ICS-Regional and ICS-Connects program so that cartilage repair awareness can be created in Southern Asia. He also encouraged many fellowship programs, the topmost being an ‘Incoming International Fellowship for Asians’ to visit centre of excellence in India. He himself was instrumental in organising two very successful cartilage meetings in Jaipur, both being attended by 200+ delegates.
Under his leadership, ICS was in the process of expanding the vision to reach out to ICRS, where ICS can help in creating many opportunities for Indian surgeons to visit ICRS meetings and ICRS affiliated centres. For the upcoming Sitges meeting, he had started calling ICS members to submit abstracts and to register for the meeting. Saurabh believed in an inclusive growth of cartilage repair knowledge, from international platform to regional level and vice versa.
Saurabh is survived by his brave wife, a medical student son, an aspiring medical student daughter, his parents, family and countless friends.
Though Saurabh had many plans, it seems that God have different plans for him and he must be needed somewhere else in the galaxy. But Saurabh will live with us in our memories forever.
Narrated by Deepak Goyal, Ahmedabad, India
