“You can be a victim of cancer or a survivor of cancer. It’s a mindset.” – Dave Pelzer
This aforesaid quote holds true for Nitin Pandey, who is a Dehradun-based Pediatrician and General Physician. The 58-year-old doctor was detected with cancer of the tongue 10 years ago and had undergone radiation and surgery. Since then, he is a cancer defeater and has lately turned into a fitness enthusiast who is becoming a source of inspiration for many!
Sharing with us his fitness regime, Nitin says, “I’ve been into running for the past 4 years and started to undertake long jogs in the recent past. My daily regime includes running from my house on Subhash Road to Shehenshahi Ashram in Rajpur and back. The distance of this circuit is 21 kilometers. Once or twice a month on weekends, I go for lengthy jogs of over 40 kilometers and have undertaken Dehradun to Suakholi via the Kipling Trail, as well as Dehradun to Selaqui. I’m also prepping myself for the upcoming 42 KMS Millennium City Marathon on the 13th of December in Gurugram. I would like to add that one cannot just plan, get up, and go for long runs; it is a gradual process that takes time. I myself started with slow jogs on my clinic’s terrace before starting running on the roads and eventually challenging myself for lengthy and tough runs. I can proudly say that running has indeed become an integral part of my life and would continue with it for as long as possible!”
“Apart from running, I had adopted the practice of cycling to work, and from the past three weeks, I’ve been going to my clinic via bicycle which makes it 12 kilometers to and fro. The reason behind my traveling to the office via cycle is that I often see people cycling long distances in the morning but using two-wheelers or four-wheelers for small and petty tasks. I feel that if we can cycle 100s of kilometers in the morning for ourselves, then we can cycle for at least 10 kilometers for our environment”, adds Dr. Nitin.
Sharing with us his views on cycling in the city, Nitin says, “I’ve come across many people who consider cycling as an unsafe means of transport considering the heavy traffic in the city. I, on the contrary, feel that cycling is much safer than even riding a two-wheeler. I can say this with personal experience as I never faced any issues while cycling to my clinic. I feel that if you’re subtly cycling on your side, other commuters would be polite and respectful to you; at least this has been the case with me.”
Speaking further, Nitin says, “As I’ve been cycling to my workplace for quite some time now, I, and I’m sure many cycling enthusiasts, would want the government to take certain steps in support of the cyclists. Firstly, dedicated cycling tracks in the city would be a boon for cycling enthusiasts as it would ensure safe and smooth commutation via bicycles. Secondly, it would be great if authorities could make dedicated cycle parking stands at selected locations. For instance, it would be amazing to have a cycle parking stand at Gandhi Park, which is at the centre of the city.”
Lastly, being in the presence of a reputed doctor, we couldn’t end the conversation without asking Nitin’s viewpoint on the ongoing COVID situation. Talking about the same, Dr. Pandey says, “As per my findings, chances for a healthy person to contract the coronavirus are quite less until he/she is present with a COVID positive patient in a small enclosed environment having no ventilation at all for a minimum of 10 minutes. Also, chances of contracting coronavirus are very less through contaminated surfaces. If you exercise on regular basis, eat well, work on your immunity, and follow basic precautionary measures, you’ll be safe in this ongoing worldwide pandemic.”
