(as remembered by his batchmate and friend, Dr. P.K. Gupta, MD Psychiatry, SN Medical College, Agra)

Back in the late 1970s, the hostels of S.N. Medical College, Agra were loud, sweaty, and full of big dreams. Among the chaos of night-outs, postmortem duties and endless cups of canteen chai walked a man who could stop an entire corridor with one raised eyebrow: Dr. Chandra Mohan Taneja, the most strikingly handsome resident you would ever meet, and the only one who answered happily when someone called him “Madam”.

Yes, Madam.

It started as a joke in first year. Chandra Mohan had those film-star looks: fair, tall, wavy hair that somehow stayed perfect even after a 36-hour duty, and a walk that belonged on a ramp, not on the cracked floors of the surgical ward. Someone (legend says it was orthopaedician Vinod Rastogi) whistled and shouted, “Arre Madam ji, aap to heroine lag rahi ho!” Instead of getting angry, Chandra Mohan turned around, flicked an imaginary dupatta, and replied in the filmi-est tone possible:

“Darling, heroine nahi, hero hoon main… lekin thodi si adaayein to banta hai na!”

The whole common room burst into laughter and the name stuck forever. From that day, professors, juniors, even patients sometimes called him “Madam Taneja”, and he wore the title like a badge of honour.

I was doing MD Psychiatry while he was doing MS General Surgery under the fearsome Prof. B.L. Vatwani. We were contemporaries, hostel neighbours, and partners-in-crime for late-night maggi and gossip sessions. Chandra Mohan had this habit: every morning he would stand in front of the small mirror in Room No. 17, tilt his head left and right, and announce to whoever was half-asleep on the next bed:

“PK yaar, dekh na… aaj bhi kisi se kam nahi hoon. Shashi Kapoor bhi fail hai mere aage!”

I would groan and throw a pillow at him. “Arre narcissist, bed-tea bana de pehle, baad mein hero ban’na!”

He would laugh, that deep musical laugh, and reply, “Nahi re mere psychiatrist dost, yeh narcissism nahi, self-awareness hai. Duniya walon ko problem hai ki main sach bol deta hoon!”

He really was breathtakingly good-looking, and he knew it. But beneath the vanity was a brilliant surgeon. In the OT, the moment he wore the gown and gloves, the “Madam” vanished. His hands were rock-steady, his decisions lightning fast. Prof. Vatwani once said in front of the whole unit, “Taneja, tum agar itna mirror mein time waste na karo to Duniya ke best surgeons mein naam hoga tumhara.” Chandra Mohan bowed theatrically and said, “Sir ji, mirror mein practice karta hoon taaki patients ko dekh kar darr na jaaye… itna handsome surgeon kaun dekha hai bhala?”

After finishing MS in 1988, most of us were scrambling for jobs in Delhi or Lucknow. Chandra Mohan simply packed his bags, took his father’s blessings, and announced, “Bas ab Saharanpur jaa raha hoon. Wahan log simple hain, mere jaisa complex insaan unke liye novelty hoga!”

In 1989 he started his practice in a small clinic on Court Road, Saharanpur. Word spread fast: there’s a young surgeon who looks like a movie star, operates like a wizard, and if you tease him a little, will call you “darling” right back. Patients started coming from Roorkee, Dehradun, even Haryana. His clinic’s waiting room always had more women than strictly necessary for appendectomies and hernias; half the town’s aunties suddenly developed “stomach pain”.

I visited him in 1992. He picked me up from the bus stand in a shining white Premier Padmini, wearing sunglasses at 7 p.m.

“Madam ji ab car bhi heroine jaisi lete hain?” I teased.

He removed the glasses dramatically and said, “Psychiatrist sahab, yeh car nahi, meri extended personality hai. Ab chal, tere liye special chicken changezi banwaya hai… aur haan, clinic mein aaj bhi log mujhe Madam bolte hain, tu bhi try kar!”

Over the years, Dr. Chandra Mohan Taneja built one of the busiest surgical practices in western UP. He upgraded to a nursing home, then a multi-speciality hospital still affectionately called “Madam Hospital” by rickshaw-walas. He never married (“Kaun heroine mere standard tak aayegi yaar?” he would say), but adopted his sister’s son who is now a cardiac surgeon in the US.

Whenever we old SNMC batchmates meet, someone inevitably raises a glass and shouts, “To Madam Taneja, the most beautiful surgeon India never put on a movie poster!”

And from wherever he is now (still operating in Saharanpur, still turning heads at 68, still checking the mirror every morning), I’m sure he’s smiling that same dazzling smile and saying:

“Darlings, thank you… but sach bolun, aaj bhi kisi se kam nahi hoon!”

Dr. Chandra Mohan Taneja is an Indian medical professional with a distinguished career in surgery, primarily based in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Born on 1st May 1959 in saharanpur Uttarpradesh, he pursued his early medical education at Sarojini Naidu Medical College (SNMC) in Agra, one of India’s oldest medical institutions established in 1854. During his postgraduate studies in the late 1980s, Dr. Taneja completed his MS in General Surgery at SNMC, where he was a contemporary of notable peers such as Dr. P.K. Gupta, who pursued MD in Psychiatry at the same institution. This period at SNMC, affiliated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Agra, and recognized by the National Medical Commission (NMC), marked a formative phase in his training, emphasizing clinical excellence and hands-on surgical experience in a high-volume teaching hospital environment.

Known among colleagues for his striking good looks and a distinctive, somewhat effeminate or “girlish” demeanor—often affectionately addressed as “Madam” in jest—Dr. Taneja possessed a charismatic yet self-assured personality. He was unapologetically confident in his appearance, frequently engaging in light-hearted self-praise that reflected a narcissistic flair, endearing him to some while adding a layer of theatricality to his professional interactions. These traits, drawn from personal recollections of contemporaries, painted a vivid picture of a surgeon who blended precision in the operating theater with a flair for social engagement outside it.

Upon completing his MS, Dr. Taneja transitioned swiftly to private practice, establishing his clinic in Saharanpur in 1989. This move positioned him as a key figure in the region’s healthcare landscape, where he focused on general surgery, internal medicine, and family practice. His clinic, listed in medical directories such as Medindia and Sehat.com, served as a cornerstone for consultations in areas like abdominal surgeries, wound care, and routine procedures, catering to both urban and rural populations in Saharanpur and surrounding districts. Over the decades, he built a reputation for accessible, patient-centered care, contributing to the local medical ecosystem alongside institutions like Saksham Hospital and Pande Multispeciality Hospital.

Though specific awards or publications are not prominently documented in public sources—likely due to his emphasis on grassroots practice rather than academia—Dr. Taneja’s enduring legacy lies in his over three decades of service in Saharanpur. As of 2025, he remains an active practitioner, with contact details available through platforms like Sehat for appointments. His story exemplifies the journey of a post-independence generation of Indian doctors: rooted in rigorous training at historic institutions like SNMC Agra, and committed to community health in smaller cities. For those seeking consultations or further details, his profile can be accessed via established medical directories. 0 1