He is a familiar face on Bengali television and has acted in a number of popular daily soaps over the past decades. But many don’t know that Dr Bikash Bhowmik is also a successful and sought-after homoeopathic doctor who spends his one off-day attending to patients who come from far and wide in his chamber in Kolkata. On World Homoeopathy Day, the “doctor actor” as he is compassionately called by friends and family, speaks to The Statesman’s Dola Mitra about how he juggles his two passions.

Q: What does World Homoeopathy Day signify for you?

Well, it has tremendous significance, not just for me but for all followers of this form of treatment, whether doctors, patients, or anyone else who has benefited from it. 10 April commemorates the birth anniversary of one of the greatest visionaries of the world, the German physician, Dr Samuel Hahnemann, and, by doing so, highlights his absolutely amazing achievement in coming up with a holistic healing system that has the potential to cure illnesses from the root cause.

Q: Homoeopathy is also known as an “alternative” form of medical treatment, and it has its critics. What are your views on that?

To me, nomenclature is not important. Call it what you want, but there is no denying that homoeopathy is an extremely effective way of treating chronic ailments, and I think that anyone who has ever benefited from it has absolutely no doubt about it. In some cases, for instance, in cases of medical emergencies or when critical care is required, there are other systems that would work better. But that does not take away from homoeopathy’s power to heal certain diseases holistically.

Q: What prompted you to pursue homoeopathy rather than go into conventional medical studies?

I grew up in a household where homoeopathy was the preferred form of treatment. As a child, I observed how my mother used to administer doses of homoeopathic medicine for a range of ailments, from common colds to fevers, and it was such an unobtrusive method of curing diseases that I found it fascinating. Though my mother was a homemaker, she had an avid interest in reading, and she used to have a large number of books on this subject. I used to read these and wonder why there was so little research on what seemed to me to be a highly evolved form of treatment and why there was so little publicity surrounding it. I realised later that it had reasons such as a lack of corporate or governmental backing, but that did not stop me from taking it up as my main subject in college. After I completed my degree, I started practising.

Q: Your other career is acting. How do you balance the two?

Yes, I am also a professional actor, and like homoeopathy, it is also a passion. I balance the two by spending Monday to Saturday in film studios or outdoor locations for my shoots, but I keep Sunday only for my patients. I cannot describe the happiness and fulfilment I feel when people who come from far and wide for treatments tell me that they are getting better and better. The smiles on their faces are my biggest achievement.

Q: But don’t you ever need an off-day?

Yes, of course. But there are so many people who are so helpless because they are suffering from various health problems. They depend on me. There are different types of patients. Hundreds of people who have tried other medications but did not get the desired results often seek out homoeopathic treatment. They put their trust in me, and I try to give them some relief. Then there are others who are utterly unable to bear the cost of medical treatments and seek out homoeopathy, which they find more affordable. The homoeopathic method is also a milder form of medication, so many people prefer strong doses of antibiotics. Of course, the largest number of people are those who believe in homoeopathy as an effective and holistic healing system. So for me, getting an off day is not as important as attending to them. Plus, I usually have the evening off. My chamber hours on Sundays usually start at 10:30 in the morning and go on until 2:30 in the afternoon, but sometimes they get stretched to past 4:00 pm too, depending on the number of patients.

Q: Finally, what is your message to critics of the homoeopathic system?

I think they are doing a grave injustice by dismissing one of the most effective ways of holistic healing. I should try it first and then express their opinion.

Find your facts:

The German physicist Samuel Hahnemann was born on 10 April 1755, in Germany and died on 2 July 1834, in France. He is acclaimed globally as the founder of what is considered one of the most remarkable systems of holistic healing—homoeopathy. In 1997, the Government of India declared this day World Homoeopathy Day, and it has since been celebrated annually to highlight the effectiveness of this form of therapy.