Character Name: Arjun Shekhawat
Character Age: 35
Faceclaim: Ranveer Singh
Neighborhood: Downtown Covington
Occupation: Cardiologist at Covington General Hospital
Biography:
Arjun Shekhawat always did what was expected of him. He was what his parents would call in Hindi a “beeba bacha” (translation: a good kid). He wasn’t born with a silver spoon, but Arjun’s parents never made him feel like he was missing out on anything. They worked hard as new immigrants in America to give him the kind of childhood that never made him feel like he was lacking anything. In high school, he quickly realized that the only way to even come close to maybe repaying them for all that they did was to work hard in school and become a doctor like they always dreamed. So Arjun did. He hit pause on having any sort of personal life and hit the books. That also meant giving up on fun things like prom or college ragers. That meant spending his summers interning rather than going on vacations. And that meant saving every last dollar he earned so that it might help him pay for college. Many years of schooling and lack of sleep later, Arjun returned to his hometown of Covington as Arjun Shekhawat, M.D.
It sometimes made him laugh when he thought about what a walking, talking cliche he had become, but that didn’t make him any less proud of all the progress he’d made. Dr. Shekhawat specializes in cardiology and serves his patients at Covington General Hospital. He still works hard, but now that he’s met his goal of becoming a doctor, Arjun has also learned that it’s okay to let loose now and then. He doesn’t feel the need to make every aspect of his life about his work. He regularly travels either with his family or friends. He loves to frequent new spots or hidden gems in Covington and getting to know his fellow neighbors in the process. Arjun feels like he needs to make up for lost time considering he spent so much of his young life working day and night.
There are times when he looks back and wonders if he could have done it another way. Was there maybe a way to not lose out on all the fun and excitement of growing up without forsaking his goals of becoming a doctor? Had he taken himself too seriously when he was so young? These were all big shoulda, coulda, woulda’s for him, but the only way to reconcile any of it was to live life to the fullest and do his job well when he had that white coat on. In any case, one look at the beaming smiles on his parents’ faces told Arjun that he had made them proud with his accomplishments. His ultimate dream was to buy them a house in Avonlea Terrace. He would always remember driving through the neighborhood during the holidays as a child with his mom and dad and looking at the immaculate homes with their gleaming Christmas lights. It truly felt like they were driving through a winter wonderland. One day soon, he was going to own a home in that neighborhood and he would give it to his mom and dad for all that they did for him throughout his life. Arjun knew it wouldn’t even come close to repaying them for everything they did, but it was a good place to start.
