Why Roots to Steth 🌱?

I belong to a small village in the western part of India. My life is a mix of two worlds! My parents are first-generation teachers, while our traditional family occupation for generations has been farming. So, a pretty good part of my life has been spent in villages.

I feel like the “roots” of our family upbringing—farmers → first-generation teachers → first-generation physicians (me 😅)—are deeply tied to my native place. It all began with tremendous hard work here, and it still continues today throughout our three generations.

I love, love, love spending time in the fields! From driving carts, wandering into the surrounding mountains, eating fruits directly from trees in the slow breeze, spending nights irrigating crops, carrying fertilizer pumps, cooking in the open, or simply sitting there to contemplate life for hours—these are the most encouraging and grounding moments of being myself at our fields!

Though we now live in a small town because of my parents’ jobs, I visit our farm whenever I get the chance. I am sharing these photos because this is where I truly belong.

On the right side, the images of beautiful scenes are from our farm: the sunset, the standing crops, and the pure air—something you can only feel by standing there. The right bottom shows an Indian plum, usually found in the winter season. With its slightly sour taste, it’s the best go-to snack when you get hungry in the fields!

At the top are our pet animals, which we raise at home. Traditionally, farming was always carried out with the help of animals. Though nowadays machinery is taking over, we still have 2–3 cows at home and on the farm. We regard them as our mothers and receive blessings from them just as we do from God. That, too, has been a guiding force in our progress throughout three generations.

On the left top, the video is about a moment of peacefulness in our fields. In the left corner is me with a fertilizer pump strapped on my back, learning to spray crops. Honestly, it wasn’t harder than medicine! 🥹😅

On the left bottom, you can see me with my uncle, going home on a tractor trailer loaded with plants. Believe me, farming is full of adventure—just like medicine! (Right bottom—photos from my first flight)

That’s why I believe every drop of sweat shed by my grandparents, parents, and family is the main driving force behind who I am today. As a first-generation physician, I am currently pursuing the USMLE and completing my rotations here in the USA.

Another fun fact and emotional too! No one in my family had ever flown before, so when I boarded my first flight for a visa interview in South India, it was a wholesome moment I’ll never forget.

And this is why I chose the name Roots2Steth: from our roots in farming to the stethoscope of a physician. I promise to help others on their USMLE journey without asking for money for this, my very own first website—because in my family, we have always believed that help should be given freely.

Feel free to reach out if you need any guidance with your USMLE journey. I’m still walking on the path myself, but I’ll help you as much as I can.

Thank you!
Smit.