Very few people who knew Dr K M Srinivasa Gowda knew the full breadth of the man.

For some of who us have known him from before his days as Pathologist at Republic Nursing Home, even we didn't know his complete and eclectic interests, his depths of study, or where he would go.

Medicine may have been natural to him but he rose to be Principal of KIMS and subsequently Registrar of The Rajiv Gandhi University of Medical Sciences.

Politics may not have been natural to him but he knew Chief Ministers, Chief Secretaries, Commissioners etc from all parties, espected and spoken to by all.  He knew both the excitable Mr Lankesh, and the politicians he would criticise in his paper, and often acted as buffer between the two!

The Arts, cinema and television may not have been natural to Dr. Gowda or simply ŒDoc' as we knew him, but he knew actors, painters, sculptors, writers, poets, musicians, film and television producers, directors, cinematographers and he spoke with facility and knowledge with them about their subjects.

Horse racing may not have been natural to him but with sheer depth of study he came to know racing, national and local racing personalities, owners, trainers, jockeys, even punters and syces, and rose to become Chairman of the Bangalore Turf Club.

Theatre may not have been natural to him but with his knowledge, interest and passion, he came to direct plays for the Bangalore Little Theatre, Abhinaya, Theatre Lab, Gnatak, and many more. He made the transition from Kannada to English theatre and back again with equal facility. His sense of humour was always prevalent. He once remarked about the actor Kumar Iyengar Œthe most dangerous actor to work with' because our friend Mr Iyengar had a habit of forgetting the playwright's lines and inventing some of his own, thereby sometimes confusing the audience, the other actors and often the director himself!

Sports may not have been natural to him but he had a deep and passionate interest in all sports, particularly cricket, and he knew tons of sportsmen and often had interesting anecdotes about them. He wrote about sports, theatre, politics and would often quote humorous headlines from newspapers around the world.

He once mentioned a headline that appeared in an Australian newspaper after Australia was on the brink of defeat to England and the English bowler John Snow was running through the Australian batsmen. The Australians prayed for rain to save the test match but the headline the next day read: ŒNo rain, more Snow!

Many people who didn't understand so many people's lifelong affection for Doc didn't know the deep respect we all had for his integrity, honesty, sense of humour, and his abiding commitment to his family and to all that he took an interest in.

He will always live with us.