DEEPAK JAKHAR, A PHYSIOTHERAPIST WHO HEALS LONELINESS By Mihir Srivastava

Mihir Srivastava
1 day ago
5 min read

Deepak Jakhar, 26, is from a village in the district of Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, and belongs to a family of able-bodied men who have contributed for generations to the armed forces—his father, uncles, grandfather all served in the army. This family tradition continues, his brother and sister-in-law are cops in Delhi. Patriarchy rules the roost, but is not of a toxic nature and the change is on the cards.

Deepak didn’t do the obvious; to pick a gun and man a post. Instead, he picked a stethoscope to serve people, alleviate their sufferings. It was a good choice for he embodies healing energy and is a gifted young man.

He studied in a rural school but his aspirations are not parochial. He competed in a public examination—which is more an elimination process than of selection—and got a coveted seat in a four-year bachelor degree course in physiotherapy in the Pravara Institute of Medical Sciences located thousands of kilometres away from his village in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

A human body is complicated biological engineering, with a mind, and consciousness; interconnected systems working in tandem to experience life. It was a great learning curve for Deepak, he understands the mechanics of the body from inside out and was fascinated to experience this interconnection in all its complexity.

Deepak understands that attention is one of the best gifts one person can give to another, especially to those who have entered the evening of life. Loneliness is far more debilitating than arthritis. He gives his clients full attention and makes for a good company. 'All my pains and miseries mysteriously vanish at the sight of you,’ says an old lady, a smile lit her face as he walked in. His presence is a panacea.

He came to Delhi a year ago after his graduation as a ‘doctor’. Initially, he joined a nursing home in Gurugram. His intervention gave people quick relief, even to the endemic patients, thanks to his multi-disciplinary approach that includes dry needling and cupping therapies in addition to manual therapy.

Working for a nursing home was limiting, so he started his own set up. He travels to his clients on a bike and provides them relief. He doesn’t call them patients; they are his clients.

An old gentleman who was suffering from perennial pain felt magical relief after Deepak’s treatment. He wanted him to visit home. After quitting the nursing home, he was free to do that. His fame preceded him, and there was no looking back. His clientele increased by word-of-mouth.

Deepak loves what he does, it is not work per se for him, but employing his talent in a fruitful way. Driven by compassion, he feels age is not an ailment but a stage in life where the people need to be provided support, encouragement, and a way to function given their curtailed capacity. He looks at the large picture, their state of body and situation in life and gives them a holistic intervention, his soothing presence is part of the package and does wonders.

However, his boyish looks are deceptive, and don't inspire confidence. But after he’s had a session, they all loved it and him. His clients have grown in numbers, and he has a tight schedule, and does his best. They are from varied fields, have accomplished big in life, include retired judges, bureaucrats, lawyers, socialites and politicians (though they never retire). Age has slowed them down, and their body can’t keep pace with the mind. There’s struggle.

An elderly lady with a regal past, was the talk of the town, but now her limbs are not receptive to her wishes. She is mostly home and tries to be a good company to herself, though loneliness can get nagging at times. One of the things she looks forward to is her physiotherapy sessions with Deepak. 'All my pains and miseries mysteriously vanish at the sight of you,’ a smile lit her face as he walked in.

She does her set of exercises, one after the other, but the best part is the stories she shares. When she lost her husband recently, she felt comfortable grieving in his company. His presence is a panacea.

Deepak gives her, and other clients of his, an honest hearing, for he’s a conversationalist, and a curious man who wants to understand what it takes to succeed in life, and he wants to learn from successful people—many of them are his clients. He understands, a balanced life is the real success, and health is the real wealth.

‘Talk to me’ or ‘listen to what I have to say’ and when that happens is therapeutic. Irrespective of an accomplished life, it’s the nature of the beast, loneliness spares no one when age catches up, for age makes people typical, most of their contemporaries are caught in their own web of circumstance, and many have already left for their heavenly abodes. This becomes acute when one of the life partners has passed away, and, though childrenmay be very caring, they don’t have the time, even if they have the time, their attention is divided.

A retired bureaucrat, who held senior positions in the government, now his movements are severely restricted, but his mind remains sharp as ever. He makes it a point to go out of the house every other day, but it is Deepak who works hard on him to keep him going and bridge the gap between the mind and the body.

Deepak now understands that attention is one of the best gifts one person can give to another, especially to those who have entered the evening of life. Loneliness is far more debilitating than arthritis. He gives them his full attention and makes a good company. That's why, perhaps, one of his clients want Deepak to shift with her to Dubai.

A working politician, holds a senior position in the government, even when he’s in town for a few hours, makes sure he has a session with Deepak. Before Deepak, he hired and fired a dozen physiotherapists after a session or two. Deepak has become integral to his wellbeing in a demanding life.

Though the engagement is professional, he ends up dealing with them on an emotional plane, by just being available. He doesn’t mind spending extra time with them, and is not so fixated about extra-time in terms of payment. He earns, invariably, the goodwill and the blessings and the trust.

He looks forward to meeting his clients like friends catching up over a cup of coffee. ‘I learn a lot from them,’ he says, when we met at a café in South Delhi.

Deepak intends to work at an old age home, where old people have a life together, they give each other company and stay busy, wanted, seen and happy.

His future plans: He’s specialising in sports, for there you get only ‘three minutes to analyse, diagnose, plan and execute the treatment,’ he tells me. That is not the best news for his present set of clients. The good thing is that he wants to make life easy for those who are being tested by life.