In the early years of independent India’s medical institutions, Professor Prakash Narain Tandon laid the foundations of modern neurosurgery. Born on 13 August 1928, he graduated with an MBBS in 1950 and an MS in 1952 from King George’s Medical College, Lucknow. After obtaining his FRCS in London in 1956, he trained further in neurosurgery at centres in Oslo, Norway, and Montreal, Canada. Though opportunities abroad beckoned, he returned home, briefly serving as a professor at his alma mater before moving to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi in 1965.

There he founded the Department of Neurosurgery, building it from modest beginnings into a national centre of excellence. “The brain is the last frontier of medicine,” he would tell his students. “We must approach it with both courage and humility.” Over the decades he trained more than fifty neurosurgeons who went on to lead departments across India. His research focused on conditions especially relevant to the country—tuberculosis of the central nervous system, head injuries, epilepsy and brain-stem haemorrhages—producing monographs that became standard references.

Tandon’s vision extended beyond the operating theatre. He championed the creation of a dedicated institution for brain research; the National Brain Research Centre at Manesar stands as the realisation of that dream, and he later served as President of its Society. He was elected President of the Indian National Science Academy (1991–92) and held fellowships in numerous national and international academies, including the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. The Government of India recognised his contributions with the Padma Shri in 1973, the Padma Bhushan in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2006.

From a young surgeon returning from overseas training to the architect of neurosurgery and brain research in India, Prakash Narain Tandon’s long career remains a story of institution-building, scientific curiosity and an unwavering commitment to advancing the understanding and care of the human brain.