Introduction to a Future Doctor and Leisure Philosopher
Hello all! My name is Vinay Kalvacherla, and I am a sophomore Religious Studies, pre-med major. Many people wonder why I chose this major - when I introduce myself to people, one of their first questions is usually always, "what are you going to do with that?" That question usually becomes clear when I tell them that I am pre-med; but regardless, people often wonder why I'm not a stereotypical biology or biochemistry major. My reason for pairing Religious Studies and medicine stems from many things. Primarily, I came to college to learn more about people. I believe that it's impossible to be an effective healthcare provider without knowing about people and being able to interact with people. And, more specifically, I feel that religion is a foundational aspect of understand why and how people think the way they do - another consideration that can significantly impact patient-provider interactions.
Having said these things, does that mean that my sole purpose of studying religion is to become a better provider? Absolutely not. I love learning about different religions both for the rich historical contexts they contain and for the deep philosophical considerations, both of which prompt me to think more about my own personal philosophies. I do not plan to give up my study of religion once I head on into the STEM field for my career, thus my self-imposed label of a "leisure philosopher" in the title. That doesn't mean that I plan to become the next Socrates or Nietzsche, but I plan to continue to be a lifelong learner and thinker.
On a lighter note, I love to play tennis, play my South Indian classical instrument (called the veena, pictured below), and work out in my leisure time. I am a food addict, and appreciate good food to the moon and back. I have also studied abroad in Europe this past summer - more details of which are in my "ideal place" blog post!
Having said these things, does that mean that my sole purpose of studying religion is to become a better provider? Absolutely not. I love learning about different religions both for the rich historical contexts they contain and for the deep philosophical considerations, both of which prompt me to think more about my own personal philosophies. I do not plan to give up my study of religion once I head on into the STEM field for my career, thus my self-imposed label of a "leisure philosopher" in the title. That doesn't mean that I plan to become the next Socrates or Nietzsche, but I plan to continue to be a lifelong learner and thinker.
On a lighter note, I love to play tennis, play my South Indian classical instrument (called the veena, pictured below), and work out in my leisure time. I am a food addict, and appreciate good food to the moon and back. I have also studied abroad in Europe this past summer - more details of which are in my "ideal place" blog post!
The veena, a stringed South Indian classical instrument that I learn and play
Vinay, I just have to say WOW about you playing the veena. That is really about the coolest thing I have read in an Introduction post to this class: do you have any recordings or video of you doing that? I would love to share that in the class announcements! And the veena is one of the most fascinating things about Ravana; Ravana and his veena and his musical exploits in general could be a whole project of its own in this class!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite writers on Indian mythology, Devdutt Pattanaik, started out in the medical/business field, but then moved to becoming a professional mythologist. Are you familiar with him? We have several of his books in Bizzell for people to read in this class, and Epified TV has also made some videobooks that do a great job of presenting his words together with the images that illustrate them; you'll see them in the extra credit reading and free reading options for class later on. I am such a fan! Here is his series on Seven Secrets of Hindu Calendar Art.
And do let me know if you have any veena audio or video I can share with the class! :-)
Thank you, Dr. Gibbs! Unfortunately, I don't have any clips of just me playing, but I do believe I can find some clips of me playing in a group with my teacher (who lives back in Dallas). I actually only started playing the instrument in my junior year of high school - many people considered that a very late start, but I loved the sound of the instrument so much that I just HAD to play it! I'm actually trying to organize a performance with Dr. Sherinian from the Music department here at OU featuring my veena teacher, so if that happens to work out, I'll let you know!
DeleteOh, that sounds very exciting! Please say hello to Dr. Sherinian from me. I don't live in Norman right now (I'm living in North Carolina for family reasons), but she and I came to OU around the same time, and I am such a fan of her work. Having a veena performance on campus would be fabulous!
DeleteHi Vinay! So, I had to go find a youtube video of someone playing a veena, because I had no idea what it was...it was so cool! That is some of the most haunting (in a good way) music that I've ever heard. Also, I think that combining religious studies and pre-med is really quite brilliant. One of the biggest complaints about doctors is a lack of bedside manner...it often seems that they just don't consider it important. But, the morale of the patient can have such a massive effect on their outcome, and a good bedside manner can do wonders in that regard. It seems like you've taken such a unique approach, but I hope that more will follow such a path.
ReplyDeleteHey Vinay! I think it's really cool that you are a religious studies major along with Pre-Med. I'm Psych Pre-Med and a religious studies minor actually so that's kinda cool! I get why you combined the two, because understanding religion definitely will help you understand your patients later on in life and allow you to have a perspective different from others.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think it's so amazing that you know how to play the veena! That takes some real talent and it's such a great way to keep in touch with your culture too. And I'm not sure if this is something that interests you, but I'm a part of ISA and we always host Diwali Night, which is basically a lot of musical and dance performances. If you wanted to perform, we would love to have you! (again, you don't have to - just fyi if you would like to broadcast your talent on our campus!)
Vinay, I must say that I have never met someone with that major! But it is so interesting to me. It definitely sounds like you have your response for when people asking you why you are studying that. I also like to play tennis, though I am not very good. It is still so fun! Food is also one of my favorite things so I guess I am an addict too!
ReplyDeleteHi Vinay,
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have ever met someone with that major and pre-med. Most of the pre-meds are science major so that is really cool that you are doing something totally different. You are right that if you want to interact with the patients efficiently, you have to understand them. I think your major will defiantly help you with that. Also, that's cool that you know how to play veena, how did you learn to play that? I used to play Harmonium back when I was little, but unfortunately I forgot since I didn't get to practice it once I moved here.
Hey Vinay! Is it possible that we have Islamic Theology together with Vishanoff? I might be getting you confused with someone else, but I thought I would check. I am also a religious studies major! It's a really fun program here at OU, and I'm sure you and I will find ourselves in the same places. I'd like to here more about why you chose Religious Studies!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!
Hey, Matthew! I believe we do have Islamic Theology with Vishanoff - I know I recognized your name from somewhere! Wow. I haven't met another religious studies major until now, actually. think it's super cool that we have multiple religious studies classes, too - it would be cool to meet up in person sometime!
DeleteHi Vinay! That's really amazing that you paired Religious Studies and Pre-med together! Of course people would go for the typical degrees, but the ones that are different and stand out are really incredible. It really displays what you're all about and what you want out of life! Since you're really interested in understanding people's interactions, if you haven't already, I suggest taking PSY 3703 - Social Psychology! It'll definitely give a different take on the social interactions people have with each other.
ReplyDeleteI play tennis too! It's so great to meet people that play, when it's not such a popular sport. That's really awesome that you got to study abroad in Europe and even play the veena! It's so great to meet you! Good luck in the course and can't wait to read your stories!
Hi Vinay,
ReplyDeleteVery very cool introduction post. You really have some interesting things about yourself, that not many people can say about themselves. Your description of why you chose your majors is my favorite part of this post. It is very sophisticated on your though process for the two. I like how you want to understand people better so you can provide better healthcare. I hope everything is going well so far and that you have a great semester!
Hello Vinay,
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting that you are a religious studies major! I am actually in both Sociology of Religion with Dr. Perry and introduction to religion this semester. I believe Dr. Perry teaches both religion and sociology courses, so if you have the opportunity to take one of his courses, do it! He is an incredible professor and such a passionate lecturer. He makes the content so interesting and makes it even more fun to learn. I think this major is definitely going to help you accomplish your goals of learning more about people!
Hi Vinay! I think it's so cool that you're studying religion before you go on to study medicine. I agree that it will so enrich you as a doctor. People are so diverse, and I'm sure they will adore having a doctor who has some understanding and respect for their beliefs. And I love the term leisure philosopher. It's always good to be a lifetime learner!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, Vinay.
ReplyDeleteI was also majoring in pre-med before I switched to pre-dental. It is kind of unique to major in religious studies and pre-med. After reading your explanation, it all makes sense to me. I can see the passion you have towards the medical field. It is super cool that you play veena. I have only heard about it from my Indian friends but never seen it in real life.
Hi Vinay. I have never heard of someone being a religious studies pre-med major before, but after reading your reasoning behind why you chose that route it makes perfect sense. It's different but very interesting and I think that will help you a lot when applying to med school so you stand out from the rest of the crowd! I can tell how passionate you are about medicine and I think that is incredible. I hope you're having a great semester!
ReplyDeleteHi, Vinay!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, religious studies and pre-med: that really is an interesting combination. But I can see where that can help you understand people through your future medical profession. Even outside of said profession, that will definitely give you a rounder outlook on life with what is concrete and (to some) not so concrete. It's also really cool that you know how to play the veena. Ever since I first discovered it, it has been one of my favorite instruments to listen to.
I hope your semester is going well!
Hey Vinay!
ReplyDeleteI truly respect your decision to major in religious studies and pre-med and your reasoning behind it! I'm sure you've gained so much knowledge and understanding from studying religion, and it will definitely relate to the medical field in patient interactions. That's so cool!
Anyways, I love that you mentioned you appreciate good food. ME TOO.
I'm extremely jealous that you studied abroad in Europe, I bet that was amazing!
Good luck to you this semester and in the future!
Hi Vinay,
ReplyDeleteI think your major is so cool. I firmly believe that you should grow in your passions in college so that you can incorporate everything your learned into your future professional life when you won't have as much time to just learn for the sake of learning. Any doctor that can understand why people are making the choices they are is automatically got a leg up on other physicians in my opinion. I really enjoyed your introduction and look forward to reading more!
-Elizabeth
Vinay,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you are majoring in religious studies as I think it is such a big part of peoples lives and not enough people truly understand them. Everyone believes to have some religion in their life but not a true understanding of them. I think combining this with your other degree will be very beneficial to you from a resume standpoint as I think you will stand out. I hope all works out how you want it to!
Hi Vinay!
ReplyDeleteWhen reading your intro I was very intrigued by your double major. I really love that you are using it as a way to learn more about people and to be able to better understand your future patients. I feel like people nowadays try to ignore people's religious backgrounds, but It's so cool that you want to embrace them.
Best wishes as you finish out the semester!
Hi Vinay!
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you consider yourself a lifelong learner. I feel that many people think that once they are done with school, but in my own experiences, I have learned so much more outside of the classroom than I could ever imagine learning inside of one. I also think you have a very interesting and admirable approach to your future profession that will be built on relationships with the people you will treat instead of treating every case the same.
It was very nice to learn more about you, and I wish you luck through the rest of the semester and beyond.
Hello Vinay!
ReplyDeleteI hope your semester is going well! I think that it is really cool that you are a Religious Studies major ! I actually took intro to religious studies my second semester here and I really wanted to minor in religious studies but unfortunately you can not minor in everything or you will be in school forever ! LOL! It is great that you choose to a major in Religious studies and not the typical science major because you are pre-med. You are actually studying other things that interest while you reach your goals in the medical world! Best of luck!
Vinay,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I loved that you called yourself a philosopher! I am a philosophy major, so I was so excited to see someone else love studying religion and philosophy as well! Pre-med is an extremely difficult set of classes anyways, so I can't imaging taking those courses on top of religious studies. You definitely have your work cut out for you! I also think it is so cool that you play the veena; I did some research on Indian musical instruments for my project for this class, and I read about the veena briefly. I love that you have such a strong purpose in mind for your major; learning about people will definitely make you a better provider, and it will also make you stand out from other medical school applicants. Good luck with the rest of your semester!
Hi Vinay!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I really like the design and layout you have chosen for your blog. I also like the image you have incorporated into your introduction. I think it gives your blog a nice touch! I think it’s cool that you are studying religious studious and you are a pre-med. I hope you are having a good semester so far and I can’t wait to explore the rest of your blog!
Vinay, I know that I have read a number of your stories already this semester, but I had never read your introduction! I feel for you having to explain your major to everyone. "What are you going to do with that?" is my most hated question. It sounds like you have a pretty good reason for being a Religious Studies major, though, and a great plan for the future. Also, I never knew that this instrument was called the veena.
ReplyDeleteHey Vinay! I think your reasoning for choosing a religious studies major is incredibly interesting. I had never thought about the medical field in that way before. I hope hat you find what you are looking for here at OU.
ReplyDelete