WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO
MEET DR. ANITA SIRCAR
What motivates you?
To be better than I was a year ago. I have only ever been in competition with one person my whole life and that is mysel f. Life is too short to live in the “in betweens” and in the “halfways”. Mediocrity scares me. As a physician, I am reminded daily that we only have one chance to live our highest potential. I am forever striving to reach that.
What is the best part of your job?
The bes t part of my job is knowing that the person I have spent my whole life growing into and becoming is used daily in the service of others. I can think of no better way to live a life. Being a physician allows me to access many sides of myself at once. The scientist in me is drawn to the rigor and precision of practicing medicine; the artist in me, awed by the beauty and complexity of the human body ; the empath, quieted by the pains of patient stories and the humanitarian in me, invigorated by the injustice of health disparities . All sides of my self are called to work each day. This keeps me whole. This keeps me balanced.
How long have you lived in the community and how did you get here?
I grew up in Rolling Hills and have lived there all my life. I went to elementary school at Learning Tree, then Rolling Hills Country Day and eventually graduated from Chadwick high school. My dad, moved us to California from the East Coast when we were very young. He was in residency training in Massachusetts General Hospital in Bostonand had come to California for a conference. When he returned to Boston, he told my mom we were moving West! I think he was lured by the ocean and sunshine and dream that all things were possible here. He bought our home in Rolling Hill s when he was an orthopedic fellow at Harbor-UCLA in the 70s and we have been here ever since. My parents are Indian, and theirs is your classic immigrant story. Dad and mom worked very hard to give us all the things they never had, the best of everything really . I think for my dad, moving to California and living in Rolling Hills was his version of the American Dream. I think he was absolutely right about that. I can’t imagine calling anywhere else in the world home. . .
The best part of my job is knowing that the person I have spent my whole life growing into and becoming is used daily in the service of others. I can think of no better way to live a life.
Dr Sircar with sisters (Kanta & Shoma) and her mother, Vidya
A few things your neighbors might not know about you or would be surprised to know about you!
I didn’t always want to be a doctor. I majored in English at UCLA because I wanted to be a photojournalist for National Geographic. Travel is one of my biggest passions so whenever I get a chance, I travel. I like to photograph new places and tell their stories.
What do you like most about PV?
How it’s a world onto its own unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. There are so many beautiful places , hidden and in plain view, that still , after all these years , give me cause to stop and breathe and take it all in. I often find myself saying how blessed I’ve been to live here my whole life.
I want people to know, that those of us working day in and day out in the hospital for the COVID-19 response, truly and sincerely appreciate their acts of love, kindness and generosity. It is most definitely not lost on us. I also want them to know, the greatest gift they are giving the frontline right now, is the gift of staying home. That heroic act of staying put and in one place is helping us more than they will ever know and we thank them for that.
Dr Sircar shown with other healthcare workers and Ramon Zuniga (50) who spent 30 days in the ICU fighting the
coronavirus and 20 of those days in a coma on a ventilator was releasted on Easter Sunday. This story of hope has gotten much attention from the media.
