Prof. Prakash Narain Tandon (born 13 August 1928) is one of India’s most distinguished neurosurgeons and neuroscientists. He founded the Department of Neurosurgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, trained generations of neurosurgeons, and played a pivotal role in establishing dedicated brain research in the country.

Hailing from Himachal Pradesh, Tandon graduated with an MBBS in 1950 and an MS in 1952 from King George’s Medical College (now University), Lucknow. He obtained his FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1956 and received specialised training in neurosurgery at Ulleval Hospital in Oslo, Norway, and the Montreal Neurological Institute in Canada.

Although he initially considered cardiothoracic surgery, mentors in Norway drew him toward neurosurgery. After a short period as professor at K.G. Medical College, Lucknow (1963–65), he joined AIIMS in 1965 and founded its Department of Neurosurgery. In the early years facilities were limited, and many patients were still referred to more established centres in South India. Tandon began carefully with spinal cases before moving on to complex brain tumours, steadily building both expertise and confidence in the new department.

“He is directly trained more than 50 neurosurgeons, many of whom are practising in different parts of India,” colleagues later recalled. Even after formally laying down his surgical instruments in 1990, he continued teaching, research and mentoring as Professor Emeritus and CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow.

Tandon’s research focused on neurological problems of particular relevance to India, including tuberculosis of the central nervous system, epilepsy, head injury and subarachnoid haemorrhage. He authored or co-authored hundreds of papers, monographs and textbook chapters, and co-edited major works on neurosurgery.

He was a driving force behind the creation of the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) at Manesar, Haryana, and has served as President of the National Brain Research Centre Society. He also served as President of the Indian National Science Academy (1991–92) and is a Fellow of several national and international academies, including the National Academy of Medical Sciences and the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1973, the Padma Bhushan in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006. He has also received the Dr. B.C. Roy Award, the Dhanvantari Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Madras Neuro Trust. In 2019, at the age of 91, he published his autobiography Closed Doors, Open Windows, handwritten over many years.

Prof. Prakash Narain Tandon remains an inspirational figure in Indian neurosurgery and neuroscience — a clinician-scientist who built institutions, trained leaders, and never stopped advocating for deeper understanding of the human brain.