Breaking the common perception of armed forces personnel as being serious or intense, Navy veteran Pravin Tulpule, 63, served for 17 years until one phone call changed the trajectory of his career.

In 2001, the former lieutenant commander received a call from a friend requesting him to dress up as a clown and perform a few tricks for a group of children. “Since I was young, I was known for my sense of humour and had the reputation of being the funny guy; I learnt magic tricks when I was around 13,” says the Kharghar resident, the designated entertainer among his family, friends and at his workplace.     

At the location of this performance, he was aghast. “The room was full of about 40 children wearing face masks, some wearing caps, and I could tell there was no hair underneath. Some were in wheelchairs; a couple had IV tubes attached to their hands,” he shares. They were young cancer patients. He thought to himself that he wasn’t up to the task and decided to leave. 

“But then I thought, what is the worst thing that can happen? The show will be a disaster, the kids won’t enjoy it, but it won’t kill me!” So he entertained the young patients, making everyone happy, especially a young five-year-old who kept following him around.

A day or two later, Tulpule’s photo with that child was published by a newspaper and when he called the friend hoping to contact the child, he was informed that the little one had passed away.

That terminally ill child had asked to meet a clown, one of his last wishes, which is why Tulpule had been called to perform. “One wish from his bucket list was ticked and the soul went off in a happy mood. I realised that perhaps I was the last person in his life who actually gave him a lot of happiness without expecting anything in return. And that set the tone for me,” he explains. Since then, he created his clown alter ego called Happy Uncle and there has been no looking back. 

For 23 years, Tulpule has been a medical clown putting smiles on the faces of sick children. So far, he has made approximately 6,000 appearances. “I thought it was time that I should give back to the society and make as many people as possible happy, so that they can forget their pain, even if it is for a short while,” he says. Tulpule even missed out some retirement benefits by leaving before completing 20 years of service, which would have qualified him for the perks. 

Tulpule explains that a medical clown is someone who may or may not be a medical person, but understands the psychology of the patients. Due to paucity of time, doctors and nurses can’t perhaps offer warmth to patients.

“That’s where I step in. I talk to the children, show them some tricks and have a gala time. Me doing all this and being there in the gloomy hospital wards not only helps the young patients, but also brings a smile on the faces of medical staff and the caregivers.”

For over two decades, Tulpule has been doing this work free of cost. His only aim is to bring peace and smile to people who are going through something that’s hard to even imagine.  

Dr Srinivas C S, director-academics, Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centre for Child Heart Care, Kharghar shares that Tulpule is known as the clownji and a philanthropist, who brings smiles on children’s faces, who are suffering from severe medical ailments. “He goes into the crowds of sick children in various medical institutes and creates a positive impact. At our centre too, he leaves children and their parents happy and smiling, freeing them of the anxiety and sorrow.”