Lifegiver : the biography of the legendary obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr. R.P. Soonawala

'Doc has delivered my two greatest joys, Ranbir and Riddhima,' says actress Neetu Singh. 'I am most comfortable with him and will not go to any other doctor.' Thousands of women feel the same way. For Dr R.P. Soonawala is the doctor extraordinaire -- an expert gynaecologist, a skilled surgeon and the gentlest of people. Growing up as the third son of a Parsi doctor in 1930s' Bombay, the young RP was more interested in sprinting and tennis than his studies. Between playing pranks on friends and dating the gorgeous Piloo, whom he would later marry, the young man's life skipped merrily from his Navjot ceremony at seven to early training in medicine. The turning point came when he witnessed the gruesome abortions performed by mercenary doctors in an era when Medically Terminated Pregnancy was illegal in India. Deciding to change that, Dr Soonawala set about devising a new Intra-Uterine Contraceptive Device that would empower women to plan their pregnancy. He would receive the Von Graffenberg Medal from the University of Kiel in 1984, and the Padma Shri in 1991 for his extraordinary innovation. Today, at eighty-six, Dr Soonawala is as active as ever. He is Chairman, Ob-Gyn, at Max Healthcare, and on the governing board of Ajeenkya D.Y. Patil University. His disarming humility and infectious humour continue to charm his friends and patients. Firmly putting behind him the media's unfair allegations at the time of Smita Patil's untimely death, he has gone on to deliver generations of Ambanis and Kapoors, as also Varun Gandhi and Laloo Prasad Yadav's grandchildren. Noted writer Rashmi Uday Singh puts together five years of interviews with the doctor and his family to produce this biography of the man who changed the face of obstetrics and gynaecology in India. This the fascinating story of Dr R.P. Soonawala, the man synonymous with gynaecology in India. He designed India's first female contraceptive in 1963, now called the Soonawala IUD; he has conducted scores of training programmes across towns and villages in India, training thousands of doctors to deliver better health care. He was awarded the Padmashree in 1991. Acclaimed writer Rashmi Uday Singh pens the story of his journey from being the grandson of an engine driver and starting work in a small hospital in Mumbai to birthing generations of Kapoors, Ambanis, Godrejs and Birlas. Interspersed are tales of a how a common love for hockey led to his falling in love with the stunning Piloo Gimi, his years of struggle as a student, and his close connection with each of his patients and ward boys.