On 24th June, 2017, Dr. Kekoo Kavarana, our prominent 76-year-old veteran orthopaedic surgeon, passed away at the Breach Candy Hospital, succumbing to severe smoke inhalation injuries – the result of a fire breaking out at his residence at Malabar Hill, while he was asleep on 22nd June (Thursday). Medical sources explained that Dr. Kavarana was admitted to the hospital in a critical, unconscious condition and was put on life-support since. His wife, Firoza, who was also asleep in the house when the calamity struck, is currently still under treatment at the same hospital and is recovering. His pet dog too lost his life in the fire that looks to have started from the air-conditioning duct of their home.

Dr. Kavarana’s son and daughter-in-law, who also lived in the house, managed to escape but were unable to return and rescue the elderly couple amidst the blazing fire, which was doused only after four hours. The police were the first to respond to the emergency as they noticed the flames from across the road, alerting other residents of the building to rush to the terrace till the fire brigades arrived. Dr. Kavarana was rescued by the fire-fighters who broke in through the windows.

With a service spanning over three decades, Dr. Kavarana built an immaculate reputation as a successful and sought after orthopaedic surgeon, known for his humility, warmth and accommodative nature. Hailing from a family of doctors, Dr. Kavarana graduated from Grant Medical College in 1966, completing his Masters in Orthopaedic Surgery in 1970. He went on to pursue a seven-year stint in the UK, mastering the finer nuances of arthroscopy, and returned to Mumbai to practice, gradually establishing himself to be appointed as a Consulting Orthopaedic Surgeon with the Breach Candy Hospital, Parsee General Hospital and the Conwest Jain Group of Hospitals.

He was invited to join the prestigious Rotary Club of Bombay in 1984 and became its President in 1995. Dr. Kavarana firmly believed and lived by the saying ‘there is no substitute for hard work’ and one must keep trying to succeed. Working hard with patience and diligence always pays rich dividends, believed the great man, whose sudden and tragic loss has saddened the community, which condoles and stands by his family in this time of grief.