Dr. Niranjan Natwerlal Jani

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL Dr. Niranjan Natwerlal Jani 04.10.1955 - 01.15.2021 Dr. Niranjan Natwerlal Jani, M.D. does not need an obituary or any introduction. He lived and continues to live in the hearts and memories of his family, friends, colleagues, students, and patients for generations to come. He often said his heart is Hindustani, but he was born in Tanzania to Dr. Natwerlal and Mrs. Chandrika Jani. Growing up as the son of the Royal Physician of President Nyerere, Dr. Niranjan Jani could only fondly recollect assisting his father with surgeries as a young boy and once trapping a lot of monkeys in a shortly thereafter destroyed Peugot because he thought it was an efficient way to get a new pet. He had four brothers (Subhash, Devendra, Kirti, and Bharat) and one sister (Indira) and is now frequently described as the “rock” for his generous and optimistic views and advice given to many of his many nieces and nephews. He grew up near Lake Victoria and was highly aware of the danger levels of hippos but happened to have nearly 15 dogs and cats with some other exotic animals. He attended a British school where he once admitted to stealing test answers in order to be able to play more soccer. Following the events of a disrupted government and mass resettlement of Asians, he relocated to England and attended a school in Sudbury-Suffolk. He was made to wear a striped uniform that he believed he should continue wearing when he moved to Hebron, Indiana but that was quickly rectified when he met Midwestern high schoolers and then he seemed to lean towards jeans. He attended Indiana University to remain near his parents but eventually attended medical school in Mexico, fully aware that Swahili, Gujarati, and English would not be useful languages for him. Regardless, he learned Spanish in a trial by fire and graduated. He then married the love of his life, Dr. Sushma Janie nee Dave, in Mumbai, India. The couple moved back to Indiana and attended Indiana University School of Medicine’s Psychiatry Residency Program. At that time, family photos indicate they liked laughing on boats and having 80s haircuts. Dr. Sushma Jani would grow outrageous amounts of calabashes but they never seemed to eat any of them; Dr. Niranjan Jani just liked photographing her. He was eventually accepted to the George Washington University School of Medicine’s Consultation Liaison Psychiatry fellowship, which meant he had decided to specialize in the highly difficult task of explaining to doctors that their patients aren’t crazy, they (the doctors) are. Dr. Sushma Jani, eager to understand other parts of America with far less corn, went to Johns Hopkins University and became a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, the most patient kind of psychiatrist. Then, the couple’s reign of overachieving truly began. They gave birth to Suni, who Dr. Niranjan Jani frequently and super casually introduced as a doctor who went to Harvard later in life, and then he became a neurology resident at Georgetown who then specialized in sleep because he clearly did not have enough of it. Later Raja was born, attended film school, found it difficult, and opted for neurosurgery. While Dr. Sushma Jani was a pediatrics resident, she and Dr. Niranjan Jani brought Roma into this world, and in a life characterized by pure defiance, she became a civil engineer, basically suffering through the toughest undergraduate program in an attempt not to go to medical school. Basically, Dr. Niranjan Jani’s children are the light of his life not only because he was proud of them and their accomplishments, but they were proud of him as their father, mentor, teacher, pillow, wallet, travel agent, and in- home clown. Dr. Jani proudly recalls that he might have changed one diaper but all of his children may or may not have used him as a toilet at some point in his early foray into fatherhood. He happily allowed all children to sleep on his stomach when they were babies. Every morning, he performed aarti with his children who he lured into religion with prasad and eventually with his limitless love of God and unwavering faith that he had retained since childhood. He was very proud he adhered to the brahmanical values of his parents, an observant Hindu who abstains from alcohol and meat his entire life but always befriending anyone, regardless of their values, faith, or practices. He eventually learned there was more to the US than Indiana and took his children to almost all 50 states, and multiple countries in Europe, Asia, and South America. He took his family to get a SCUBA diving certification and then was so taken with certifications (nevermind all the medical degrees and qualifications), he then got a Class C motorcycle license and a Pool and Spa Maintenance Certificate. These are proudly hung up on the Wall of Fame along with his children’s many participation awards. Out of love for his wife, he added a tennis court, pool, trampoline, and tiki hut with a renovated pond to his backyard, lovingly naming the resort “Mom 50” (the birthday that led to all the purchases) and texted his family each morning with a Jai Shree Krishna (JSK) from M-50 followed by an absolutely weird photo and poignant quote. Eventually, in 2004, Drs. Niranjan and Sushma Jani took their love of working for the underserved and began working in the Eastern Shore of Maryland which led to the opening of Community Behavioral Health, an outpatient mental health clinic that provided his specialized brand of psychiatric care to thousands of underserved patients. As the Chief Administrator, he overlooks a hundred employees, gardens, buildings, furniture, and had a true love of creating patient care spaces that allowed for treatment in dignity. Despite working about 100 miles away from civilization most of the week, he made time for his second love, neurology, with a dedicated group of private practice patients who stayed with him for over 30 years and teaching psychiatrists about neurology at George Washington University. He is a beloved physician and teacher with many patients who will absolutely not see anyone except him (with good reason). More importantly, he is honest, moral, hard working, honorable, and cared deeply about his culture, values, and family. He enjoys the simple moments in life such as sitting around with his children, eating Taco Bell, watching cartoons, and enjoying a solid set of silly stories. This is not the end of the life, there is no need for past tense, he continues and is loved very much. ॐ भूभु वः वः त स वतुव रे यम भग देव य धीम ह। धयो यो नः चोदयात॥ AUM BHUR BHUVAH SVAH TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Dr. Jani's favorite non-profit, Global Health Linkages Inc. (globalhealthlinkages.org), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that creates technological and financial solutions to overcome healthcare access issues: paypal.me/globalhealthlinkages

Tributes

Dr. Niranjan Natwerlal Jani

April 10, 1955 - January 16, 2021