In late 80s when Gitika (name changed) wanted a laparoscopic reversal of tubectomy, it was unheard of in India. But as her luck would have it, she was in the safe hands of Dr J Geeta Reddy. “That was a time when the number of C-sections performed on pregnant women was at its lowest. To perform a reverse tubectomy and that too, a laparoscopy was novel. It was my first laparoscopy surgery in India as well. Gitika finally conceived and gave birth to a son who must be more than 25 years old now,” recalls Dr Reddy who is more popular as a politician.
Currently, Minister for Major Industries, Sugar, Commerce and Export Promotion, Government of Andhra Pradesh, she had been a gynaecologist for more than a decade, including a seven-year stint abroad, and had performed scores of surgeries before entering the world of politics.
Born in 1947, Reddy studied at St Anns High School. But since the school didn’t teach Telugu, Reddy’s native language, her mother, late J Eswari Bai, a former MLA, moved her to St Francis High School. It was not all-work-no-play for Reddy during her school and college days. “Those days were fun. I was an all-rounder and never studious. I was good at dramatics and used to participate in plays. I even won the Best Actress award while pursuing MBBS,” she says. Besides, dramatics, Reddy participated and won in several elocution competitions, essay writing and debates. “Whenever I visit schools and colleges, I make it a point to tell the students that a bookworm may win gold medals, but even mischievous students will succeed in life. Because they are full of life and energy, like me,” she laughs.
Ask her about bunking classes to watch movies, pat comes the reply, “We used to skip classes to see films on and off. We were a bunch of friends and would never miss a chance to watch a movie in nearby theatres.”
“However, the concept of ragging was not prevalent those days. We were never ragged nor did we rag our juniors. But we used to make a killing on anybody’s birthday by demanding a treat.”
Reddy pursued pure sciences in her intermediate and BSc from Nizam College and the Women’s College in Hyderabad respectively. In 1968 she graduated in medicine from Gandhi Medical College, Hyderabad, before moving to Australia for postgraduation in gynaecology. “After that I worked in different hospitals and gained experience in the field for about two years. Then, I moved to London with a membership in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,” she says. According to Reddy, her basic edu coupled with exposure to western education contributed to her success in both professional and political career. “Proper education helps a lot in the overall development of a person. It's important that the fundamentals are laid properly during formative years,” she says.
Reddy calls herself an obedient child and why not? She has diligently followed the course her mother had charted out for her. “Right from my childhood, she wanted me to be a doctor, go abroad, marry a doctor and set up a nursing home. I fulfilled all her dreams,” she says with satisfaction. “Politics was never my choice. It just happened. But once into it, I realised I can contribute to the society immensely. Being a politician allows me to reach out to lakhs of families across the state. As an MLA, I realised that one signature could help many lives,” she explains.
However, unlike other doctors, Reddy hasn’t pushed her only daughter to follow in her footsteps and take up medicine. Instead, as she puts it, she let her be.
— sunithanatti@newindianexpress.com