Malaysian doc still grateful to Sonia

Full gratitude: Dr Andrew (right) showing his book to Rahul in Klang.

KLANG: When consultant psychiatrist Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj was about to enter medical school in India, he met former Indian National Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi to seek her help to get a scholarship.

Sonia was not involved in politics at the time (1987) and her husband Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister of India.

Through Sonia’s recommendation coupled with his excellent pre-medical studies results, Dr Andrew managed to obtain the Commonwealth Scholarship offered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, which paid for his five-year medical course at the Calicut Government Medical College.

“I used to send my progress reports and results to Sonia regularly to show her that I was doing well and living up to her expectations,” said Dr Andrew.

So when Dr Andrew heard her son and current Indian National Congress Party president Rahul Gandhi was in Malaysia, he called on him at Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Dr Andrew wanted to convey his thanks to Sonia as well as show Rahul a letter his mother had written to him 37 years ago.

“When Rajiv was assassinated, I immediately wrote to Sonia conveying my deepest condolences to her and her children. I did not expect a reply but received one merely two weeks after the tragedy,” said Dr Andrew.

Sonia thanked Andrew in a handwritten note and also sent him a poem titled It Feels a Shame to Be Alive by Emily Dickinson, which was also handwritten.

“Rahul was moved by the content of the letter and said he will convey my regards to his mother,” said Dr Andrew.

Dr Andrew also gave Rahul his book titled Battling Adversity, which is a compilation of his articles in The Star, to be presented to Sonia.

Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, the charismatic 48-year-old Rahul shared his hopes and vision with hundreds of youths who were present for a town hall session at the Malaysian Indian Youth Conclave (iYCON) yesterday.

Rahul said youths in Malaysia and India should further build relationships in the education and entrepreneurial sectors.

During the session, Rahul was asked how he remains calm, des­pite having brickbats thrown at him. Rahul said he is a very curious person and tries to understand why things are the way they are.

Rahul arrived in Malaysia from Singapore after speaking at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.