Dr Puri, 56, will deliver a lecture at the Punjab Chapter of Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers, PAU tomorrow.

Talking about his mantra, Dr Puri says, “Staying fit and in good health gives a good feeling, and this is what I am here to say. For people of my age who prefer to lie back after their retirement, I have this mantra, that go back to your childhood. Pick up the physical activities that you loved during your days of childhood, cycle around, run, swim just do something physical.”

A body builder, a veteran of 20 marathons and 25 triathlons, Dr Puri participated in the Iron Man triathlon last August. “Iron man is one of the toughest triathlons in US which involves 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26.2 miles of running. All this has to be completed in 17 hours, and we begin at 7 am. The proceeds of this trialthon are given away as charity, and finishing this competition is proving to oneself. This is a feeling that I want to share with others, just prove yourself to your on own self.”

A product of Government Medical College Amritsar, Dr Puri did his post-graduation from PGI, Chandigarh. He also trained at Liverpool, England, before moving to US where he is settled in California. Dr Puri came to India to attend the CME at Government Medical College, Amritsar, and is in the city visiting his relatives.

Coming back to his favourite subject of healthy living, Dr Puri says, “The idea is that a healthy mind needs a healthy body, and this is what we all have to achieve. The mind controls the body; if the mind gives up, nothing can sustain. And to keep the mind healthy, one needs to keep the body healthy too.”