Time Out

The Man Who Follows his Heart

A self-confessed chocolate aficionado, who loved bike-racing in his college days. Meet Somnath Das, COO, Manipal Cure and Care and Senior Vice President - Manipal Education and Medical Group, Bangalore, up, close and personal

Medical profession runs in his genes, literally! Not only his father was a doctor, but even his grandfather was a medical professional who served during the British times. So, not surprisingly even Somnath Das (36)-COO, Manipal Cure and Care, grew up dreaming about being a doctor. But, as they say, life never goes as per your plans. Destiny had bigger and better plans for him! Today, he is considered as one of the youngest administrators in healthcare and the journey seems to just have started. He recollects, "My father was into the medical profession with the Orissa Government. I was inspired to make a career in this field. But, due to cancer he passed away the year I completed my graduation and I wanted to take care of my family. So, I contemplated over the fact that medicine would take a long duration to finish and hence I chose to take an administration course which would finish off earlier and hence would start working early. But, right through the start I was sure that I wanted to be a part of the healthcare industry." He passed out with the degree in hospital administration from Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Mangement (IISWBM), Kolkata in the year 1996-98. At the age of 25, he joined as a management trainee, with Manipal Hospital and Heart Foundation and within a span of nine years, he went on to head Manipal Cure and Care— one of the most ambitious projects of the Group CEO, Dr Ranjan Pai.

"Chasing money never helps one grow up the ladder," is what he believes in and besides his efficiency and skills he is also blessed with values like perseverance, hard work and integrity. Self-admittedly a very emotional person, he is quite approachable at work as his subordinates can walk up to him and escalate matters irrespective of whether it is professional or personal. He believes in giving space and freedom to his subordinates rather than being bossy.

Hailing from Balasore, a small town in Orissa, he did his schooling at various places in Orissa, since his father was into Government service and got transferred often. "I enjoyed that life as I came across new people, new places and liked to make new friends. I like maintaining relationships. If I know someone, I always respect that relationship I have with that person, irrespective of whether I gain something or not," opines Das. Being the youngest among his two sisters he was the most pampered kid of all.

"I was born very late, my sister was 16 years elder to me and I was the only son," he says. "It is all thanks to my parents, upbringing and the values ingrained in me that I managed to climb the ladders of success. We had no heritage property left and in a way I feel that was good because when you don't have money in abundance you earn your own," opines Das.

A complete family man, his life revolves around his wife, Sheoli Das (29), daughter, Aditi (1) and his mother, Annapurna Das. He works for almost 10 hours everyday, and Sundays are meant for the family. His family members form an inseparable part of his life.

He doesn't like attending parties and prefers spending time with family whenever he extracts time out of his busy schedule. Likes to watch old movies and prefers soft-music. "I have affinity for old Hindi songs and also soft English tracks from 70s."

As far as movies are concerned he doesn't watch many. "I'm fond of old Hindi films. The original 'Don' is my all time favourite."

While he may come across as a very friendly, sentimental and a sober gentleman, he possesses an adventure streak too! He has a passion for driving and loved to ride motor bikes in college days. He used to ride Yamaha RX100 in his college which was a gift by his father for which he had to convince him for almost three months! "Driving is something which gives me immense pleasure. We were a group of bikers who went for long rides and used to enjoy bike racing!" exclaims Das. He is not much into reading. "I rarely read and am into the occasional business books." As far as holidaying goes, he likes visiting hill stations out of which Gangtok is one of his favourite one. "Unfortunately due to my busy schedule nowadays, I hardly get any time to holiday with my family. I absolutely adore sea, waves and beaches (especially Puri) as it is not meant only for the elite, but it is a place where anyone can visit irrespective of his pride and possession," he philosophises.

Well, as of now we take him to the 'mixed bag' to share his memorable experiences in life so far.

The Mixed Bag:

Somnath Das with his wife

Your best prize in life so far

The pen I received from my dad in class 10. Till date I have kept it.

Your first day in school

I was too young to exactly tell you about that, I don't really remember my first day at all. I just remember the name of my kindergarten's which is 'Wonderland' in Rourkela.

Your first ambition

Always wanted to be a doctor.

Your favourite subject

I liked zoology quite a lot, in fact I did my honours in zoology in 1994.

Your first day at work

My first day was at Manipal Hospital and Heart Foundation on December 1, 1998 and I had a great time because I already worked at Manipal, Bangalore for internship. So it was a nice feeling as I was already accustomed with the work environment there.

The first time you fired somebody

It was long back at Manipal hospital where I fired one of my subordinate due to integrity issue. I strongly believe that nothing is pardonable when it comes to integrity.

The toughest decision you have taken

The decision where I had to make a career choice of either becoming a doctor or getting into administration.

The best childhood memory

I used to play a lot and get scolded by my dad for my mischief and despite of it I used to repeat those mischief and silly pranks and irritate my parents by escaping from the back door and the stern look of my father was enough to make me realise that I better take behave myself. I was quite mischievious and being the youngest was pampered a lot.

Your happiest moment

I think the happiest moment in any person's life is at the birth of his/ her child and so was mine when I saw my daughter's face.

Three things I cannot do without

My Blackberry, spending quality time with family and chocolates. When I travel to any place I ensure collecting chocolates from there.

One trait you would like to change about yourself

I think I am too emotional.

One parental advice that you always remember

I owe my parents for all the values that they have thought me and their timely advice and suggestions were always there to support. As kids or adolescence we never experienced any communication gap. Instead, my father was very approachable. The one advice given by my father that I remember and cherish would be, ‘Always follow your heart and be honest to yourself.’

Your first vehicle

I still remember at that time I liked Zen and always wanted to possess it. So when I started working, Zen was the first four wheeler that I bought despite of the fact that I was in a position to go for some better car but then since Zen was my dream car I bought that just to fulfil my dream and now I have Maruti SX 4.

One thing you like to do the most

I love driving, I like going for long drive.

Priti Pathak