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LEWISTOWN -- The Malhotras journey together first began in India. They met at Glancy Medical College in Amritsar where they were in the same graduating class. After they completed their medical school boards at Glancy they decided to move to the United States to continue their education.
The Malhotras first came to the states in 1973 where Rajeshwar did his residency training in Danville, Montour County. After four years of training Rajeshwar was contacted by someone in Lewistown stressing the need for OGBYN in the area and invited him to visit.
Rajeshwar said coming from India he and Shashpal didnít really know what to look for and what was important or not important in a region. "When I came here this looked like New York City to me, because Danville was so small," Rajeshwar said. "Right away we liked it the both of us."
So, the Malhotras were offered incentives to stay and start their practice in Lewistown.
When the couple first started out in Lewistown, Rajeshwar said the best thing that happened to them was acquiring the building on Main Street in Lewistown.
Rajeshwar recalls meeting a surgeon at the hospital named Dr. McClain, who offered the Malhotras to take over his office to start their practice. Rajeshwar said Dr. McClain basically gave them the office fully equipped with all the instruments needed for them to start taking patients. "I was surprised that immediately we were extremely busy," Rajeshwar said. "Our practice had been busy from day one and we thoroughly enjoyed it."
Rajeshwar and Shashpal built a home close to the hospital in Highland Park so they could be closer to their patients. "When you do OGBYN and you have to do a lot of deliveries, you have to run back and forth to the hospital. So, I wanted to make sure I was really close."
The Malhotras tried to recollect the number of patients they have attended to over the years, a number that is hard to determine.
"Since we got the computer we've had ten thousand charts for patients. But before the computers people used to just walk into the delivery room or here (the practice). It's a lot of people," Shashpal said. "He has not only delivered the patients' babies but he delivered their children also."
Rajeshwar added that they had stopped counting after around the 2,000th delivery. "At one time, many years ago I used to say, 'Anybody you see 20 years or younger in town, every third person was delivered by me,'" Rajeshwar said.
Life for the Malhotras was a struggle when they first opened the practice. Rajeshwar said that there were no midwives at the time so he would have to perform the deliveries on his own. "Our initial four or five years, life was absolutely miserable to tell you the truth, because it was so busy that sometimes days I couldn't get a chance to sleep," Rajeshwar said. "So, then we just slowly and slowly take time off at least one weekend a month or two and go away somewhere."
Rajeshwar recalled one especially hectic day at his practice when he had five patients in labor at the same time. At the time there werenít any doctors employed at the hospital to assist him, so he had to deliver the children on his own.
"Trying to deliver five babies, on the same day, some of them within an hour or within minutes. So, that was the most dramatic day I can remember."
During his time practicing in Lewistown, Rajeshwar helped many patients with infertility. Rajeshwar recalled one patient who came to him despite treatments at larger hospitals like John Hopkins.
This patient came to Dr. Malhotra for check ups, and he told her he could give her treatment but it might not work. After trying different treatments, the patient finally got pregnant.
"The family was so thrilled. It was unbelievable," Dr. Malhotra said. On the day of the delivery Dr. Malhotra said the father of the child was very excited. "That guy was jumping up and down! I was holding the baby in one arm and took the father's hand and I was jumping with both of them,î Dr. Malhotra said.
Dr. Shashpal said her husband is skilled in performing tubal reversals. That is the process of undoing a tubal ligation or more commonly known as having one's tubes tied.
The Malhotras have employed many people over the years at their practice, but the employee with the longest tenure is Marlene Varner . She worked with Dr. Malhotra for 22 years.
"She has been really the pillar of our practice," Dr. Malhotra said.
ìSometimes I would wonder, ëIs the patient coming to see her or are they coming to see me?í She has been really really nice. I like her.î
Over the years the Malhotras have done a lot to support the community they love. In 2015, the Malhotras gave The Shanti Malhotra Endowment for Women's Health Services to Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital in memory of Rajeshwar's mother who passed away in 2012.
The gift went toward women's health services including clinical care, patient and provider education, applied research and close-to-home specialty care.
For over a decade Rajeshwar and Shashpal have sponsored a spelling bee competition for students from Sacred Heart School, Mifflin County Christian Academy and Belleville Mennonite School. Each year the winner of the spelling bee receives a $500 scholarship in honor of the Malhotra's daughter, Dr. Anita Malhotra, who was a state spelling bee participant and an alumnus of Sacred Heart School. The Malhotras also have scholarships set up through some schools in India.
The couple contributed to the ongoing success of the Lewistown Country Club. "The country club wouldn't be open if it wasn't for him (Rajeshwar)," club president Kevin Walker said.
Back in the mid-ë90s, the clubhouse needed to be rebuilt following a fire that destroyed the building. According to Walker, Rajeshwar made a substantial contribution to the Lewistown Country Club during the rebuild which led to the construction of the second floor banquet room. More recently, Rajeshwar purchased materials needed for the construction and installation of walking bridges throughout the course.
Including his one time donations, Dr. Malhotra also makes annual contributions to help the Lewistown Country Club. Each year in September, Rajeshwar sponsors the Malhotra Maintenance Tournament to raise funds for the country club's maintenance budget.
Throughout the years, the Malhotras have also contributed to the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata, sponsored the area community concert and sponsored performances at the Stone Arch Players theater.
The Malhotras will have more time for their hobbies after retirement. Rajeshwar said that he and Shashpal learned all of their hobbies after moving to the United States. "I knew nothing except education, going to medical school, studying and studying and studying. Then when I came here, obviously we worked hard in the office, but we developed many hobbies that the people do here. That's what we did."
Shashpal recalled one of the first recreational activities they did was learn how to ski at a small resort in Bloomsburg. Early on, the Malhotras also learned how to play tennis but consider themselves more golfers now than tennis players.
The couple have learned ballroom dancing and each year enjoy dancing at Mount Julian School senior prom and when Mobile Big Band Society played in Lewistown.
Rajeshwar also learned to play the saxophone in his years living in Lewistown. "It's rusty right now, but I have to get it going and cleaned up and start doing my lessons," Rajeshwar said of his saxophone playing. The Malhotras also say they enjoy playing cards in their pastime, especially bridge.
Rajeshwar and Shashpal married in 1974 in Bloomsburg and started their family after they settled in Lewistown. The couple have three children, two daughters and a son all of which graduated in Mifflin County.
"They all are doing well, but now obviously they are grown up. Nobody has come back to settle here so it's our time to go see them more often because we have now five grandchildren. Ages two and a half to eight," Rajeshwar said.
And traveling they will do, as their children live in Hershey, New York state and Austin, Texas.
Shashpal and Rajeshwar said they like the area and have no plans of moving after they retire.