Deep was born the eldest of three sons into a Sikh family in the Indian state Punjab before his family settled in West Bengal. The family lived a very rural life, with Deep’s father and his partner running a business which engaged in construction as well as the servicing and repair of all kinds of vehicles and machinery.  Deep recalls that his childhood revolved so strongly around the family estate and his school in Darjeeling that he was around 11 or 12 before he ever encountered a traffic light or a bottle of Coca-Cola. Acknowledging that, as a child, he had a privileged and somewhat indulged existence, Deep retains strong memories and great fondness of his home, a huge house that the family of five shared with his father’s business partner, his wife and their four daughters. Deep thoroughly enjoyed living surrounded by others in a very loving and caring community, with many of the routine chores of life taken care of by the household servants, leaving the children free to play in the river and enjoy picnics and other social outings.

Just days short of his fifth birthday, Deep began his formal education at North Point. It was a significant choice by his parents to give their sons an English-language education. North Point is a boarding school run by Jesuits, a Roman Catholic religious order which operates a worldwide network of educational establishments. The primary stated goal of Jesuit education is to form students into leaders who are committed to making a positive difference in the world. Jesuit schools aim to develop well-rounded individuals who are intellectually competent, spiritually grounded and committed to serving others. Deep acknowledges he had some excellent teachers who would undoubtedly be proud of the career path Deep eventually chose and the mark he is still making on the world, seeing the Jesuit aim so well-fulfilled.

Deep wasn’t always the model student though, despite being a competent sportsman when it came to team sports, which he much preferred over individual pursuits. Academically, at least in the earlier years, he was middle of the road, and as he got a bit older Deep started to develop a reputation as a bit of a trouble-maker. Thus, it was quite a surprise to Deep when in Class 10, the penultimate year of school, he was made a Head Boy of his House, and then in Class 11, he became a Prefect.  This vote of adult belief in the young man, along with increased responsibility, saw Deep blossom both academically and as a role-model to other younger students. Teachers throughout the ages have truly perfected the use of self-fulfilling prophecy. Indeed, Deep rose so well to the challenge he was set that, in his final year, he was awarded the Depelchin Gold Medal, the school’s highest yearly award, presented to the student with the greatest combination of character, studies and sports, as voted by staff and fellow students.

His school years are still valued by Deep as some of the very best of his life because of the camaraderie he experienced and the values of acceptance and tolerance that were instilled in him through living in a welcoming yet multicultural and multifaith community. Not every last skerrick of rebellion in Deep was extinguished though, as his Jesuit education encouraged critical thinking and the right of individual freedom. By the end of the 1970s, Deep had made the personal choice to cut his hair and no longer wear the dastar, the turban so recognised as a symbol of the Sikh religion. However, Sikhism remains an important tenet, with a prayer book being one of Deep’s most treasured personal possessions.

Deep’s long and distinguished career has been in Medicine, a field all about making improvements to the lives of others. Graduating from school at 16, Deep spent a year doing Pre-Med studies before entering the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India, from which he graduated in April,1974. Through a contact of his maternal grandfather, Deep had also been accepted to study medicine in Moscow, but this was thwarted by the Jesuit order which would not complete the necessary paperwork, possibly unwilling to hand over such a promising student to a Communist regime. Although he attended the AFMC, Deep was not obliged to join the military, and chose not to, well, at least not at that point in his young life.

Once Deep was a qualified doctor, he was seen as a good marriage prospect so there was considerable pressure placed upon him and his family by parents of suitably-aged girls. Unwilling to be cornered into a marriage not of his own choosing, Deep decided to court a girl called Minoo whom he had known through family contacts since 1970. He was lucky she accepted his suit and so saved him from further attention from parents of eligible daughters. Deep and Minoo have now been married for 49 years and have two adult children and two much-loved grandchildren.

After completing his mandatory medical internship in a hospital, Deep’s parents encouraged him to expand his experience and expertise by living and working in the UK, so in March 1976 Deep started work in a clinical job and by 1980 he was ready to begin post-graduate specialist studies in Chemical Pathology at the Westminster Hospital and Medical School in London. Not one to rest on his laurels for long, Deep joined the British Army (Royal Army Medical Corps) as a Major and undertook initial training over a six-month period, all the while using his medical expertise, even on postings to Germany and then back to the UK. In total, Deep spent a decade with the British Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the army’s consequent down-sizing.

While he has worked as both medical practitioner and specialist pathologist, Deep sees his greatest achievement as being only tangentially related. Those of the Jesuit ethos are encouraged to embody a degree of selflessness – to see themselves as men and women for others, and this was mirrored to Deep by his commanding officers in Germany when he was commended for his ability to identify skills and talents in junior colleagues and help these young professionals grow and flourish under his mentorship. While working in Pretoria in South Africa, Deep found himself immersed in a strongly male-dominated Afrikaner work environment. Upon his resignation from the position, Deep received expressions of gratitude from his female colleagues for teaching them how to stand up for themselves. This is yet a further example of Deep working to empower others. Deep and the family spent a total of six years living in South Africa, with part of this at the University of Pretoria, which was positive for Deep from a professional development standpoint but less rewarding financially. When the opportunity arose, Deep moved to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where he lived and worked for a further 20 years. As Chief Medical Officer of Purehealth Laboratories, Deep received a commendation in July 2021 from the government of Abu Dhabi for the outstanding work done during the Covid pandemic. 

Eventually, Deep’s thoughts turned to retirement options but returning to the UK did not appeal. Hua Hin sprang to mind as Deep had visited friends residing in Hua Hin in the late 2000s and had been impressed by its easy pace of life, its abundant birdsong and its thriving expat community which, in the main, espouses his own philosophy of minding his own business and taking life as it comes. So, Deep took the leap of faith and moved here in May 2022.  Deep wasn’t, and still isn’t, as impressed with the way rubbish is dealt with locally, though he tries to focus on positives and remain optimistic despite feeling a bit sorry for the next few generations as they attempt to deal with the dual pressures of social media and the exponential pace of change.

So far, Deep’s retirement has been filled and fulfilling, with a number of trips to the Americas, both north to Alaska and south to Patagonia with stops in many places in between, including Canada, the US, Chile, the Pantanal in Brazil and also Argentina. Deep has also taken the opportunity to return to India, to the place that he describes as uppermost in his heart, Darjeeling, where he can stand and gaze in awe at the majesty and glory of Mount Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak and part of the formidable Himalayan chain, something he did every day of his schooling at North Point. Deep has been fond of trekking since the 1960s when he undertook a basic course in mountaineering and was lucky enough to have the legendary Tenzing Norgay as instructor. The Himalayas also hold importance to Deep because of their link to the Dalai Lama, the living individual he most admires. Deep has been one of the lucky ones who has had a face-to-face meeting with His Holiness.

In his retirement, Deep has been able to indulge his interest, and considerable skill, in wildlife photography, from majestic elephants, to deer, jaguar, birds of many varieties as well as local Thai favourites such as the golden babies of dusky langurs which can be found within the Prachuapkhirikhan province. Deep confided he was never really a bird fancier previously, though his recent photographic efforts reveal birds captured in flight and in silhouette, with Deep also experimenting with digital enhancement. It is certainly no exaggeration to say that many of the images he has captured are worthy of publication in National Geographic, though Deep himself would not be so bold as to make the claim. Flick through the image carousel and decide for yourself.

Deep’s greatest hope for the future is to continue to remain healthy, both physically and mentally, so he can live without regrets. While he claims not to have a specific bucket-list, Deep wants to have further outdoor adventures to encounter more wildlife. On a fine, free day, Deep likes nothing better than a trip to one of the national parks so readily accessible locally, to hunt great photos with his camera. In recent times, Deep has also been known to hit the gym to ensure his endurance for longer trekking experiences at altitude. Deep takes pride in learning every day and still holds hope of improving his culinary skills, despite the limited incentive since his wife is such a great cook. Perhaps a good start would be with a grilled, garlicky seabass and a cracking crème brûlée, his favourite dishes. While Deep claims to be as good at relaxing as he is working, he is yet to completely remove himself from the realm of medicine, and may well never do so. Deep holds an honorary position as specialist pathologist on the Advisory Committee of BeWell Medical Centre and happily helps some of its doctors with their outreach programs which bring medical care to people in rural and remote areas of Thailand.

Sport has long been one of Deep’s obsessions, though these days he is more a spectator than an active participant. His real down-time might include a few beers or a whiskey while watching his favourite sports, cricket and football, into the small hours of the morning. Thank goodness for subscription TV. One might postulate that Deep is so fond of team sports because he characterises himself as a patient and resolute team-player in all his interactions with others, with little interest in the pursuit of personal acclaim or glory. Indeed, his teenage self certainly never expected to be recognised as a leader, but rather had leadership responsibilities thrust upon him. And Deep has managed leadership well, though he knows that on some occasions he has been too trusting and so left himself open to being taken for granted or indeed being misused. “No” is still never an easy word for Deep.

Deep has a profound gratitude for all the opportunites to experience diversity which have come his way; to live with so many different people, in such a range of places. He intends to continue taking life as it comes, engaging with people and doing everything to the best of his ability, in the certainty that the rest will take care of itself.