Dr. Sukhvinder Ranu is among those successful professionals who fully enjoyed the love and affection of a joint family. A son of High School teacher, Sardar Gurnam Singh, Dr. Ranu grew up in a family that valued higher education. Inspired by family traditions and equally influenced by his elder brother, Dr. Amrik Singh Ranu who worked as a medical doctor, he not only chose the medical profession for himself but also excelled in it. Today he is settled in Garden City Park, Long Island, New York with his wife and two young children while maintaining a close contact with his 84 year old father who lives in Vancouver, Canada with Dr. Ranu’s sister and mother.

Born in village Sarhala Ranuan in the famous Banga Tehsil of district Nawan Shahr in Punjab, Ranu completed his medical degree from Government Medical College at Patiala, Punjab and gave a helping hand to his elder brother in his private clinic. After a brief stint of working in a government hospital at Soondh in Nawanshahr district, Dr. Ranu moved to Canada in 1990 to join his parents where he soon realized that a better career awaited him in the USA. He moved to New York in 1995 to do his residency as a Pediatrician. He joined the State University Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Ranu emerged as a respectable name in the field of Neonatology. Serving in the Department of Pediatrics at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY, he is helping the community as a specialist who takes care of the new born and the prematurely born babies. As a neonatologist, he evaluates, stabilizes, and treats infants who require medical intervention, including premature babies, babies who need help to breathe at birth, and babies born with lifethreatening medical conditions.

Content with his professional life, Dr. Ranu is involved in a number of social and professional organizations. In recent years Dr. Ranu got increasingly involved in community service. He regularly participates in social and cultural celebrations organized by various organizations. Earlier this year he was elected as the president of India Association of Long Island, the premier organizations of Indian American population in Long Island area with a membership of 1600. The association is the largest group of Indian American population in New York Metro region

representing people with roots in India irrespective of their religious or political affiliations .He is also a board member of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Queens and Long Island, which is a professional organization supported by more than two thousand physicians from Queens and Long Island. A cheerful family man Dr. Ranu attributes his successful medical career to his family. He likes to spend time with his wife Darshan, a housewife and sons Ashvinder who is doing major in Psychology and Business Administration at Stonybrook University, preparing to be a lawyer and Akaashdeep who is in High School and plans to go in to medical profession.

Speaking about his wife, Darshan, Dr. Ranu said his wife enjoyed the role of a housewife. To her tending her husband and two young sons is a pleasure she loves to indulge in. However, she has diverse interests. As the First Lady of the India Association of Long Island, Darshan has been working closely with IALI‘s Women’s Forum that aims at educating and updating women members on various important issues, including family’s health. Because of her leadership role, the participation of women in the Forum activities tripled. An achievement, in deed. The Ranu family is fond of traveling and seeing places. They have been to most parts of the US, Canada and Mexico. Dr. Ranu has a passion for nature photography and has a rich collection of photos on various moods of nature.

Q. How do you describe yourself?

DR. RANU: I am a physician specializing in Neonatology-looking after ailments of premature and newborn babies. I work hard to ensure that the society is blessed with healthy new citizens who could meet the expectations of the future. I am a family man who is blessed with two school going children. I am fortunate to be receiving the love and affection of my mother and father who live in Vancouver, Canada.

Q. How do you define success?

ANS: I think I am a successful professional working as an Assistant Professor in medical field. I enjoy my job teaching young physicians in New York. I have a happy family who make me feel very content with life.

Q: What was your family’s contribution in shaping your life?

ANS: I learned from my father that education is very important for succeeding in life. He retired as a principal of a High School and inspired me to do well in my school and college. I was a bright student who had not much difficulty pursuing the medical career. I also followed my elder brother, who owned his medical practice, and helped him for a few years in his clinic.

Q: How did you arrive in America? What challenges you faced here?

ANS: In the Eighties I graduated from medical school and got employment in a government hospital in Punjab. Meanwhile my father immigrated to Canada to live with my sister. He wished me to live with him. In order to get my father and mother’s affection and with a desire to stay close to them I decided to move to Canada. Afterwards I moved to New York to pursue higher studies in Pediatrics and specialize in Neonatology.

Q: What is your future plan?

ANS: I would like to continue working in the hospital but also would like to work towards setting up my own practice. I am also interested in social and community service. I want to spend more time in community organizations. As a leader in the India Association of Long Island I will continue play a role in mobilizing our people for good cause and hold meaningful activities.

Q: Is there something you miss in your life?

ANS: Our community is known for successful professionals. Indian American doctors and professionals are highly respected in this country.We are dedicated to our family values and keep our unique culture alive in this country. Though we are very successful in our professions we are deprived of the social warmth that is easily available back home in India. People of my generation clearly view the changing values in this country with a lot of concern. In spite of our commitment to Indian values I feel that the younger generation of Indians,who are born and raised in this country, are not fully aware of our traditions and care little about concerns and feelings of their ageing parents. This situation bothers me a lot.

Q: What is your message for the younger generation?

ANS: I would like to advise the younger generation to be sensitive about their family values and traditions. They shouldn’t deviate from the culture of their parents and grand parents. I would be very happy if the younger generation would continue our tradition to look after their elders without sending them away in long term care facility. Our elders deserve a lot of love and care because they had sacrificed a lot to ensure good future for their offspring.