Dr. Mysore Shrikanta Pandit Nilkantha Rao
(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine)

In the quiet determination of post-Independence India, few doctors dedicated themselves so completely to one of the most stigmatised diseases of the time—leprosy. Dr. Mysore Shrikanta Pandit Nilkantha Rao (often known as M.S. Nilakanta Rao) was one of them. Born on 5 April 1927 in the erstwhile Mysore State into a family where his father was a medical man, he grew up with both academic promise and a sense of service.

After earning a BSc from Central College, Bangalore, he entered the Medical College in Mysore in 1946 and completed his medical degree with a bright record. He spent a few years as a lecturer at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, then went to the United Kingdom in 1957 for postgraduate training in chest diseases. Returning in 1961, he made a decisive choice: he joined the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation (GMLF) at Wardha as a Medical Officer.

There, under the pioneering influence of Dr. R.V. Wardekar, he found his life’s work. What began as clinical service grew into leadership. He rose to Joint Director and, from 1970, served as Director of the Foundation. During his tenure he became an expert consultant to the National Leprosy Eradication Programme and played an active role in the National Leprosy Organisation, a network of voluntary agencies. As its President he helped coordinate efforts across the country at a time when leprosy still carried heavy social stigma and required both medical skill and quiet courage.

One colleague later recalled a conversation in which a young worker expressed frustration at the slow pace of change and the fear surrounding patients. Rao answered calmly, “Leprosy is not only a disease of the body. It is a disease of isolation. Our first medicine must be the simple act of treating every patient with dignity. The rest follows.”

His sustained contributions earned national recognition when the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 1974. After retiring from the Foundation he settled in Bangalore, continuing private practice in tuberculosis and leprosy and serving on the Karnataka Expert Committee on Leprosy, guiding both government and voluntary efforts in the state.

Dr. Mysore Shrikanta Pandit Nilkantha Rao passed away in February 1998. He is remembered as a physician who chose the difficult path of leprosy control, combining clinical knowledge, administrative leadership and deep compassion to help reduce the suffering and isolation of countless patients across India.