Prejudice and stereotyping are tough habits to get rid of. Not every Chinese person is fighting against India at the border.
He was a genial, no-nonsense professional. The clinic wasn’t exactly state-of-the-art, but it was conveniently located, and the treatment was competent.
Dr. San Chai is a fourth-generation Chinese-Indian dentist.
I tried my halting Mandarin Chinese with him. But, found him to be uncharacteristically non-responsive and unenthusiastic. My next appointment was a week later. A small-statured middle-aged lady was already in the clinic. I hesitated.
‘Don’t worry. Come in. Meet my wife,’ he said cheerfully.
‘I got her here for you to practise your Chinese. She is from Tangra, Kolkata’
As expected, my nascent Chinese language skills collapsed within 5 minutes and the lady quietly left us to continue our session.
‘I can hardly speak any Chinese. English, Hindi and Marathi, surely,’ he whispered as he began prodding at a tooth.
As soon as I was done, he chided a patient in Mumbaiyya Hindi and Marathi for failing to floss her teeth.
This was in mid-2016. Hadn’t consulted him since then.
Chance encounter
Sometime in September 2020, I approached his clinic during a walk. Dr. Chai was outside, enjoying a quiet smoke in the cool monsoon evening.
Part of me wanted to stop by and say hello. But the larger part of my mind emphasised ‘Galwan’ and rest of the nasty Chinese misadventure in Ladakh.
I walked past speedily to avoid an awkward encounter.
A few days later, I looked out for the clinic. It was locked. And it stayed locked when I again checked last week.
I haven’t quite been able to live with my conscience ever since.
I have been guilty of stereotyping and shunning a good man, whom I now dearly hope to meet again.
Each of us who mean well for this country knows that acceptance and celebration of diversity are key. Prejudice is poison. Talk is cheap. Action matters. Charity must begin at home.
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