A PERSON named Arvid Carlsson working for some time in a medical university in Goteborg, Sweden, used to live close to my house there and we used to travel via tram on our way to our respective workplaces. He used to take the tram one stop after mine and his workplace was one stop before mine.

Within days, we became good friends. I just knew that he was an expert physiologist and was fond of discussing culture, science, etc. Once when he boarded the tram, I found him dressed quite nicely. He told me there was a conference in Chalmers University where he was going to deliver a lecture.

We got down from the tram, had a coffee together and then departed for executing our tasks. Some of my colleagues saw me with him and asked me how I knew this man. I told them that he was a good friend and we were tram companions.

He was from Uppsala and was associated with the Goteborg Medical University. They told me that Arvid was a Nobel laureate in Medicine and Physiology. I was indeed shocked to know that because he had never told me about it. The next morning, I was so excited that as soon as we were together, I started the conversation even without saying hello first.

I asked him if he was a Noble laureate and he replied in the affirmative. I said he never told me about it and he replied that I had never asked. I said he should have told me that he was a Nobel laureate.

On this, he said: “Well, it is not necessary that you recognise a person by what he has done or what he is doing in his profession. The mutual friendship and our relations are well above our achievements.”

Even after two decades of this conversation, I remember every single word of it. I get disappointed when I look at people here who have little knowledge and debatable academic status and yet go around with stiff collars. Prof (Dr) Arvid Carlsson was born on Jan 25 and died at the age of 95 in 2018. He was what we should aspire to be.

Dr Intikhab Ulfat
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2022