Senior Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Hospital, London, the renowned Dr. Diya Kamaluddin entered a hall to attend a ceremony held in his honor after a visit to Cairo following an absence of more than 15 years.
At the hall’s entrance, he noticed an elderly newspaper vendor spreading newspapers on the sidewalk. He stopped, closed his eyes, and then quickly reopened them, recalling the distinct features of this elderly man engraved in his memory.
Pulling himself together, Dr. Diya entered the hall but remained silent, lost in thought about the vendor.
When he was called to receive the First-Class Medal of Creativity, he stood up but, to everyone’s astonishment, did not proceed to the podium. Instead, he exited the hall.
Outside, he approached the newspaper vendor, took his hand, and brought him into the hall.
The vendor resisted, saying, “Please, I am not begging you. Let me go. I support my family and promise to leave this spot and never return.”
In a hushed tone, the doctor replied, “You will not leave this place or anywhere else, but I request you to accompany me into the hall, please.”
The vendor continued resisting until he saw tears streaming down the doctor’s face. The vendor finally asked, “What is wrong, my son?”
Without saying a word, the doctor held his hand and led him to the platform. Everyone in the hall looked on in amazement. Suddenly, the doctor broke down in tears, embraced the vendor, kissed his head and hands, and said:
“Don’t you recognize me, Mr. Khalil?”
The vendor replied, “No, by God, my son, I don’t recognize you at all.”
Holding back tears, the doctor said, “I am your former student, Diya Kamaluddin, from Central Preparatory School. Do you remember? You were the first person to encourage me, and you were my beloved teacher back in 1966.”
The elderly man looked at the doctor, hugged him tightly, and said nothing.
Dr. Diya then took the medal and handed it to his teacher, addressing the audience:
“These are the people who truly deserve honor” – teachers.