Remembering Aalok Modi

Aalok: friend, mentor, 'big brother'

If ever there was anyone who came so close to attaining perfection in all its facets, Aalok Modi was the one. His perseverance, his wisdom, his intelligence, even his endearingly mischievous sense of humor-all his qualities bespoke a person who embodied purity and humility. Aalok's most amazing quality, however, was his boundless, limitless kindness. The day never came when one had to ask Aalok twice for a helping hand. He was always concerned, and always considerate; his own needs always came last.

Aalok's qualities exemplified those of a budding humanitarian and a compassionate physician. Yet Aalok was more than just a great doctor in the making-he had already achieved that goal in many ways through his interactions with his friends. Whether it was a minor scrape or a twisted ankle, he was the first to dig into his giant box of medicine to offer help. He would effortlessly hoist the person in need over his shoulder and carry him or her home. Whether we were anxious the night before a big exam or embroiled in a personal dilemma, Aalok would offer a healthy dose of perspective, giving us one of his "big brother" talks to reassure us and enliven our spirits. For us, Aalok was both a physical and emotional pillar.

But Aalok was not satisfied with sharing his kindness with just those immediately surrounding him. Truly, he sought to give his generosity wings. It takes an uncommon man to see beyond the problems that cloud everyday life. It takes an even more uncommon man to seek solutions to the seemingly insurmountable problems that plague the world. But Aalok was just that kind of person.

As his friends, we can speak volumes about his unquenchable passion for global health, especially through his work with the Global Health Initiative. Aalok's work spanned every echelon of the University community-from undergraduates, to graduate and medical students, even extending to faculty and administrators. As per his usual style, he sought to include everyone. Much of his work involved bringing different campus groups together and creating a forum for dialogue and discussion about global health. As he himself so succinctly put it: "As long as there is suffering in this world, I know what my purpose is."

The same passion that Aalok evinced in his global health endeavors spilled into his academic pursuits. As a chemistry major and an aspiring physician, he never hesitated to take anything but the most rigorous courses. Aalok always embraced the biggest challenges, never settling to wrestle with anything less than the most difficult subjects. His enthusiasm and zeal for learning was infectious, and wrought changes even in those of us who had become jaded with the daily grind.

His absence has left an immeasurable void in our lives; a void that we doubt will ever be filled. He was not just a friend-he was a brother, a mentor and a confidant. It seems impossible to see past the grief that immerses us and imagine life without him. But at the same time we must realize that this is not how Aalok would have wanted us to remember him. The Aalok we knew would have always wanted us to be happy. He would have wanted us to come out of this tragedy stronger, full of hope and more determined to move ahead with life. He would have wanted us to remember him for how he lived his life rather than for how he left it.

Whether we knew him for a month, a year or a lifetime, we are grateful for the time we had with Aalok. Through his example, Aalok has inspired each of us to reach for greater things and try to be better people in what we do. Our "big brother" will always be there for us: when we laugh together, when we work to achieve our dreams, and when we strive to make this world a better place. This legacy was his gift to us. Aalok, we will always love you.

Raj Shah, Pratt '09

Because Global Health was his passion

For the past few mornings we have woken up in anger and shock. Part of us believes that when we wake nothing, in the world has changed and no one in the world has been lost. Yet when our feet finally do hit the floor, it all becomes real again, as if for the first time. Aalok's gone. And we will never see that characteristic grin again.

We knew this inspiring and hardworking individual through our work with the Duke Global Health Student Action Committee. Yet to know of Aalok's passion for global health is to know a large part of Aalok. The week of Aalok's death, he had sent an e-mail to his father stating, "Dad, I finally realized why I want to become a doctor... I know why all of you want me to, but now I know the real reason. As long as there is suffering in this world, I have a purpose."

In too many ways he was the glue to the Duke Global Health Student Action Committee. Every week his e-mails revealed excitement about our meetings and events; everything was pushed aside for global health, except for his other love-basketball. It was his initial vision of the Global Health Forum that we adopted and began to bring to life. For Aalok, uniting the campus together under the umbrella of reducing health disparities was a No. 1 priority. No one was more passionate or committed. Aalok stuck with the Global Health Student Action Committee through countless name changes and transformations, taking the transitions in stride, letting nothing inhibit his ideas and the vision he wanted to accomplish.

We began planning for Global Health Week as a way to bring the various interests of global health groups on campus together towards something that was bigger than any single group alone. Aalok always thought it important to provide a platform for more to get involved. Between our e-mail blitzes to secure speakers, grant applications to support the endeavors of our peers and brainstorming sessions, Aalok's motivations had always been simple and honest: he wanted to do good in the world.

For too many of us across campus, we lost a friend, a colleague, an inspiration. But it is our hope that Aalok's charisma and passion will never be lost. There is much work to do in the world and Aalok's vision will be the guiding force for how we move towards better quality of life on all levels. We hope that Global Health Week will unite both those that were guided by his leadership and those who never knew him but who are impacted by the work he accomplished.

Anyone who knew him can attest that he touched the lives of every person he met. He was a leader that took initiative. He sparked a flame in every one of us-and we will now carry on that torch. He has certainly left an inconsolable void, on the Global Health Action Committee, on campus and in our hearts.

The Aalok Modi Memorial Global Health Week will take place March 24 to 29, 2008.

Frances Aunon, Trinity '10

Stesha Doku, Pratt '08

Shilpa Modi, Trinity '09

Duke Global Health Student Action Committee

Spanish professor remembers Modi's wit

My husband Steven and I were very much moved by the candlelight vigil held in Aalok Modi's honor last Friday night. We walked away feeling that Aalok was loved by many people; we also saw the tremendously positive effect that he had on his peers. As his Spanish language professor from last Fall, I too witnessed in and out of class the character that his friends so admired.

I particularly remember his wit. In our elementary Spanish class, students frequently talk in pairs to practice the grammar structures under study, and Aalok (like all beginning language students) would occasionally use the wrong noun. I would correct him, but he'd insist, "No, no, that's what I wanted to say." He'd then keep using the wrong word to hilarious effect. Aalok showed up for class daily at 8:45 a.m. as if he were on a mission. There was nothing passive about Aalok. Even when dealing with the minutiae of grammar exercises, he worked as if he always had in mind the goal of which he spoke often: to become a doctor. I will miss him dearly.

Lisa Merschel

Visiting associate professor

Department of Romance Studies

In Remembrance of Aalok Modi

Aalok Modi was irrepressibly enthusiastic about global health. He was known to all of us for his remarkable generosity of spirit, warmth and caring and a commitment to global health. It was all of these qualities that made him so exceptional in his leadership bringing together students and campus groups into the fold of the Global Health Forum's activities.

Aalok was particularly passionate about reaching out to find the common ground among our campus leaders in global health, and he stood tall among them. In building the Global Health Forum, he found common cause with those involved in Project Heart, and it was just like him to find his voice through helping others find theirs. He was the glue that kept the group together, but now our memories of him will. Where others might not listen, he was attentive, always seeking input, taking in ideas. Before you knew it, he had transformed those ideas into something concrete, like the grants competition for Global Health Week. Where others might flag, he was quietly determined. The Global Health Forum Web site and its listserv now reaching hundreds in our Duke community are part of his legacy.

Never a raised voice, always a ready smile-he possessed the gentle and caring demeanor of someone who not only wanted to be a physician, but that you wanted to be a physician. It's a calling that he earnestly sought, and no doubt, he would have distinguished himself as one.

He was only beginning to explore what the future might hold and how he might contribute to that future. Perhaps that is what makes us saddest and pains our hearts the most. Our thoughts are with his family and his many other friends. No words can express our shared sense of loss.

Each of us will want to find our own special way to remember Aalok, and collectively, we will find a way of doing so through the work of the Global Health Forum that he shepherded at Duke. We will deeply miss him, but remember him always as among the best of what we all strive to be.

Anthony D. So

Director, Program on Global Health and Technology Access

Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy