Author Archives: deemagclinic
A Pioneer of Reproductive Science and Family Planning: The Story of Dr. Amiya Bhuson Kar
A Pioneer of Reproductive Science and Family Planning: The Story of Dr. Amiya Bhuson Kar On 6 May 1918, in Calcutta, a second child was born to Abani Bhuson Kar, a leading advocate at the Alipore Criminal Court, and his wife Prabhabati. They named him Amiya Bhuson. The disciplined, intellectually rigorous atmosphere of his father’s […]
The Surgeon Who Gave Limbs and Hope: The Story of Prof. Balu Sankaran
The Surgeon Who Gave Limbs and Hope: The Story of Prof. Balu Sankaran On 4 September 1926, in a physician’s family in Tamil Nadu (often associated with Chennai or Tuticorin), Balu Sankaran was born. Medicine ran in his blood. He studied at Stanley Medical College in Madras and graduated in 1948 with an astonishing seventeen […]
A Freedom Fighter Who Fought for Smaller Families: The Story of Dr. Dattatraya Nagappa Pai
A Freedom Fighter Who Fought for Smaller Families: The Story of Dr. Dattatraya Nagappa Pai In the restless years of the freedom struggle, a young medical student named Dattatraya Nagappa Pai—known to friends and later to the public as Dr. D.N. Pai or Datta Pai—chose action over safety. During the Quit India Movement of 1942 […]
The Surgeon Who Bridged Two Worlds of Healing: The Story of Padma Shri Dr. K. N. Udupa
The Surgeon Who Bridged Two Worlds of Healing: The Story of Padma Shri Dr. K. N. Udupa In the temple town of Udupi in coastal Karnataka, on 28 July 1920, a boy was born into an orthodox Shivalli Brahmin family of Madhwa scholars. His father, Tamayya (or Thammayya) Udupa, was a learned man of Sanskrit […]
A Quiet Warrior Against an Ancient Scourge: The Story of Dr. Prithvi Nath Khoshoo
A Quiet Warrior Against an Ancient Scourge: The Story of Dr. Prithvi Nath Khoshoo In the old lanes of Srinagar’s Chalpan Kocha near Zaina Kadal, in a Kashmiri Pandit family of quiet achievers, Prithvi Nath Khoshoo grew up among five brothers and three sisters. His father, Pandit Samsar Chand Khoshoo, had served in the Customs […]
A Royal Healer of the Mind and Brain: The Story of Dr. R. Marthanda Varma
A Royal Healer of the Mind and Brain: The Story of Dr. R. Marthanda Varma In 1921, in the royal family of Mavelikkara in Kerala—closely linked to the Travancore royal house—a son was born to Aswathynnal Kutty Amma Thampuran. They named him Ravivarma Marthanda Varma, often called Raja Marthanda Varma or simply R. M. Varma. […]
The Compassionate Heart Surgeon Who Never Sent a Bill: The Story of Dr. Thayil John Cherian
The Compassionate Heart Surgeon Who Never Sent a Bill: The Story of Dr. Thayil John Cherian On 29 August 1920, in the quiet town of Kottarakkara in Kerala, Elizabeth John gave birth to a son. The family named him Thayil John Cherian. Years later the world of Indian medicine would know him simply as TJC—or, […]
The Father of Indian Neurosurgery: The Story of Prof. Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi
The Father of Indian Neurosurgery: The Story of Prof. Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi On 30 January 1922, in the small town of Sirkazhi (then Shiyali) in Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu, a son was born to Captain T. S. Balasubramaniam, an assistant surgeon in the government hospital, and his wife Balambal. The child was named Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi. […]
A Builder of Surgical Excellence at AIIMS: The Story of Prof. Atma Prakash
A Builder of Surgical Excellence at AIIMS: The Story of Prof. Atma Prakash In the corridors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, one name continues to be spoken with quiet respect long after the man himself has left the operating theatres: Prof. Atma Prakash. A surgeon and teacher of rare […]
A Quiet Healer from the Heartland: The Story of Dr. Bhola Nath
A Quiet Healer from the Heartland: The Story of Dr. Bhola Nath In the early years of independent India, when the country’s medical services were still finding their feet and rural Uttar Pradesh needed every trained hand it could get, a doctor named Bhola Nath quietly went about his work. Little of his personal story […]
The Man Who Made Sight Affordable for Millions: The Story of Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy
The Man Who Made Sight Affordable for Millions: The Story of Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy In a small village called Vadamalapuram, about eighty kilometres from Madurai in Tamil Nadu, a boy was born on 1 October 1918. His name was Govindappa Venkataswamy. The village had no doctor. When he was only ten, three of his young […]
A Specialist of the Retina Who Took Sight to the People: The Story of Dr. Jagdish Mitra Pahwa
A Specialist of the Retina Who Took Sight to the People: The Story of Dr. Jagdish Mitra Pahwa On 4 July 1922, in the city of Multan in undivided British India, a son was born into a family that would later be uprooted by Partition. His name was Jagdish Mitra Pahwa. Like so many of […]
A Pioneer of Blood and Compassion: The Story of Dr. Jamshed Nowroji Vazifdar
A Pioneer of Blood and Compassion: The Story of Dr. Jamshed Nowroji Vazifdar In the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Bombay, in a distinguished Parsi family known for its contribution to medicine, a son was born who would later be known simply as Jimmy. His full name was Jamshed Nowroji Vazifdar—sometimes recorded in official documents as […]
The Gentle Giant Who Gave India New Joints: The Story of Dr. Kandarp Tuljashankar Dholakia
The Gentle Giant Who Gave India New Joints: The Story of Dr. Kandarp Tuljashankar Dholakia On 12 August 1920, in the city of Rajkot in Gujarat, a boy named Kandarp Tuljashankar Dholakia was born into a modest family. His father, a schoolteacher, died when the child was only two years old. His mother, Sukhwa Ben, […]
Dr. Madampath Kalathil Menon
Dr. Madampath Kalathil Menon In the quiet tharavad of Madampath Kalathil, nestled among the coconut groves of central Kerala, a boy named Menon grew up listening to the monsoon rains drum against tiled roofs and the soft murmur of his grandmother’s stories about healers who walked village paths with nothing but herbs and quiet resolve. […]
Dr. Nandlal Lachmilal Bordia(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine)
Dr. Nandlal Lachmilal Bordia(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine) In the bustling medical wards of Indore’s Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, long before air-conditioned corridors and digital records, a tall, soft-spoken professor moved among the iron-framed beds with the quiet authority of someone who had seen too many young lives fade under the weight of tuberculosis. […]
Dr. Narendra Singh Jain
Dr. Narendra Singh Jain(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine) In the polished consulting rooms of 1960s and early 1970s Delhi, where senior politicians and diplomats waited their turn, Dr. Narendra Singh Jain moved with the calm precision of a man who understood that sight was not merely an organ’s function but a person’s window to the […]
Dr. Prakash Narain Tandon
Dr. Prakash Narain Tandon(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine) In the early 1960s, when neurosurgery in India was still a fragile, almost experimental field, a young surgeon returned from the operating theatres of Oslo and Montreal with a quiet determination. Prakash Narain Tandon had seen what modern neurosurgery could achieve. He also knew how little of […]
Dr. Ramchandra Krishandas Menda
Dr. Ramchandra Krishandas Menda(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine) In the busy consulting rooms and operating theatres of 1960s and early 1970s Bombay, Dr. Ramchandra Krishandas Menda was known as a surgeon who combined quiet precision with an unhurried kindness that put anxious patients at ease. As a consulting surgeon in the city, he handled a […]
Dr. Ramesh Nigam
Dr. Ramesh Nigam(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine) In the lecture halls of Maulana Azad Medical College in the 1960s, students sat in complete silence when Professor Ramesh Nigam entered. He could no longer see their faces, yet he seemed to know exactly who was present, who had prepared, and who needed encouragement. Born on 12 […]
Dr. Ramchandra Vishwanath Wardekar
Dr. Ramchandra Vishwanath Wardekar(Padma Shri, 1973 – Medicine) In the villages around Sevagram in the early 1950s, a quiet revolution in public health was taking shape under the guidance of a soft-spoken pathologist who had once run a comfortable private practice in Bombay. Dr. Ramchandra Vishwanath Wardekar, born on 27 October 1913 in Pune, had […]
Dr. Ram Kumar Caroli
Dr. Ram Kumar Caroli(Padma Shri, 1969; Padma Bhushan, 1974 – Medicine) In the corridors of Willingdon Hospital—later renamed Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital—in New Delhi, patients and colleagues alike knew they could trust the calm, precise judgment of Dr. Ram Kumar Caroli. Born in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, he completed his medical training and earned an MD […]
Dr. Raman Viswanathan
Dr. Raman Viswanathan(Padma Bhushan, 1974 – Medicine) In the early years after Independence, when India was still building specialised medical institutions, one physician from the southern tip of the country quietly laid the foundations of modern chest medicine. Dr. Raman Viswanathan was born on 8 September 1899 in Nagercoil, then part of Travancore. After graduating […]
Dr. Jagmohan Lal Karoli
Dr. Jagmohan Lal Karoli(Padma Shri, 1974 – Social Work) In the lists of the 1974 Padma Shri awards, the name Dr. Jagmohan Lal Karoli appears quietly under Social Work from Uttar Pradesh. Like many dedicated medical professionals of his generation who moved beyond the clinic into broader service, he combined the discipline of medicine with […]
Dr. Joginder Lal Gupta
Dr. Joginder Lal Gupta(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine) In 1963, when Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Health Minister Dr. Sushila Nayar visited Nagpur and saw the work being done in burns and plastic surgery, they recognised a rare talent. They invited the young surgeon to Delhi. At the age of thirty-five, Dr. Joginder Lal Gupta […]
Dr. Kadiyala Ramachandra
Dr. Kadiyala Ramachandra(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine) In the wards and lecture halls of Madras Medical College and the Government General Hospital, Chennai, Professor Kadiyala Ramachandra was known as a physician of quiet authority and wide learning. Born on 6 November 1919 in Tamil Nadu, he studied at Doveton Corrie Boys School and Loyola College […]
Dr. Lala Suraj Nandan Prasad
Dr. Lala Suraj Nandan Prasad(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine) On New Year’s Day 1914, in the town of Bihar Sharif, a boy was born who would one day give organised paediatric care to the children of Bihar. Lala Suraj Nandan Prasad, son of the lawyer Babu Ram Prasad Lalwas, showed early academic brilliance. He topped […]
Dr. Mani Kumar Chettri
Dr. Mani Kumar Chettri(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine) High in the tea gardens of Teesta Valley near Darjeeling, a Gorkha boy named Mani Kumar Chettri was born on 23 May 1920. From the quiet hills he carried a lifelong sense of discipline and quiet determination to the busy medical wards of Kolkata. After schooling in […]
Dr. Mysore Shrikanta Pandit Nilkantha Rao
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 […]
Dr. Nagarur Gopinath
Dr. Nagarur Gopinath(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine) In 1962, in the operating theatre of Christian Medical College, Vellore, a team of surgeons held their breath as a heart-lung machine took over the work of a young patient’s heart and lungs. When the atrial and ventricular septal defects were successfully closed and the boy recovered, India […]
Dr. Venkatarama Narayanaswami
Dr. Venkatarama Narayanaswami(Padma Shri, 1974 – Medicine) In the Republic Day honours of 1974, the name Dr. Venkatarama Narayanaswami of Tamil Nadu appears among the recipients of the Padma Shri for distinguished service in medicine. Like many dedicated physicians of his generation, he belonged to a time when medical practice in the state was expanding […]
Dr. Darab Jehangir Jussawala
Dr. Darab Jehangir Jussawala(Padma Bhushan, 1975 – Medicine) In the post-Independence years, when cancer was still spoken of in hushed tones and specialised care was scarce, one surgeon set out to change the landscape of oncology in India. Dr. Darab Jehangir Jussawala, born on 13 April 1915 in Bombay into a Parsi family, became one […]
Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose
Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose(Padma Shri, 1975 – Medicine) In the princely state of Travancore at the turn of the twentieth century, a young woman from Aymanam quietly rewrote what was possible for her gender and her profession. Born on 2 August 1886 as the only child of Dr. T.E. Poonen—the first medical graduate of Travancore—Mary […]
Dr. Ali Mohammad Jan
Dr. Ali Mohammad Jan(Padma Shri, 1975 – Medicine) In the valleys and villages of Kashmir, patients would travel long distances and sometimes stop cars on the road, refusing to let a certain doctor pass until he agreed to examine them. That doctor was Ali Mohammad Jan Fazili, known simply and affectionately as Dr. Ali Jan—or, […]
Dr. Dhanpat Rai Nagpaul
Dr. Dhanpat Rai Nagpaul(Padma Shri, 1975 – Medicine) In the long battle against tuberculosis in India, one name stands out among the architects of organised national control: Dr. Dhanpat Rai Nagpaul. Born in 1920, he dedicated his career to turning scattered efforts into a systematic, district-based programme that reached deep into rural India. As Director […]
Dr. Stanley John
Dr. Stanley John(Padma Shri, 1975 – Medicine) In the early 1960s, when open-heart surgery was still a rare and high-risk adventure in India, a young surgeon at Christian Medical College, Vellore, helped turn it into a regular, reliable service. Dr. Stanley John, born in August 1932 in Munnar, Tamil Nadu, became one of the true […]
Dr. Krishnaswami Srinivas Sanjivi
Dr. Krishnaswami Srinivas Sanjivi(Padma Shri 1971, Padma Bhushan 1976 – Medicine) In post-Independence Madras, when quality healthcare remained out of reach for most ordinary families, one physician chose to step away from a distinguished government career and build something new. Dr. Krishnaswami Srinivas Sanjivi—known simply as K.S. Sanjivi—became the architect of a model that many […]
Durga Deulkar
Durga Deulkar(Padma Shri, 1976) In the decades after Independence, when the education of women and the practical skills of home and family life were being reshaped across India, Durga Deulkar stood at the forefront of that quiet transformation. An educationist, writer and institution-builder, she served as Director of the prestigious Lady Irwin College in Delhi […]
Dr. Bhikhubhai Khushalbhai Naik
Dr. Bhikhubhai Khushalbhai Naik(Padma Shri, 1976 – Medicine) In the developing field of cardiology in independent India, one physician from the west of the country helped establish specialised heart care in the south. Dr. Bhikhubhai Khushalbhai Naik—known professionally as B.K. Naik—was born on 13 October 1921 and went on to become a pioneering cardiologist whose […]
Dr. Krishna Pai Narayana Pai
Dr. Krishna Pai Narayana Pai(Padma Shri, 1976 – Medicine) In the 1976 Republic Day honours list, the name of Dr. Krishna Pai Narayana Pai of Kerala appears among the recipients of the Padma Shri for distinguished service in medicine. Like many dedicated physicians of his generation in the state, he belonged to a period when […]
Dr. Muni Inder Dev Sharma
Dr. Muni Inder Dev Sharma(Padma Shri, 1976 – Medicine) In the 1976 Republic Day honours, the name of Dr. Muni Inder Dev Sharma of Delhi appears among the recipients of the Padma Shri for distinguished service in medicine. He belonged to a generation of physicians who practised and taught during the decades when specialised medical […]
Dr. Ravindra Santuram Dharkar
Dr. Ravindra Santuram Dharkar(Padma Shri, 1976 – Medicine) In the 1976 Republic Day honours list, the name of Dr. Ravindra Santuram Dharkar of Madhya Pradesh appears among the recipients of the Padma Shri for distinguished service in medicine. He belonged to a generation of physicians who served the people of central India during the decades […]
Dr. Amy Dhunjibhoy Engineer
Dr. Amy Dhunjibhoy Engineer(Padma Shri, 1976 – Medicine) In an era when few women rose to the highest ranks of academic medicine in India, Dr. Amy Dhunjibhoy Engineer carved a distinguished path in obstetrics and gynaecology. Born in Bombay on 10 October 1915, she became one of the pioneering women specialists of her generation and […]
Hakim Saifuddin Ahmad
Hakim Saifuddin Ahmad(Padma Shri, 1976 – Medicine) In the rich tradition of Unani medicine in India, Hakim Saifuddin Ahmad of Uttar Pradesh stood as a respected practitioner whose lifelong service earned national recognition. In 1976 the Government of India conferred upon him the Padma Shri for distinguished contributions to the field of medicine, specifically the […]
Dr. Perugu Siva Reddy
Dr. Perugu Siva Reddy(Padma Shri 1971, Padma Bhushan 1977 – Medicine) In the dusty villages and crowded hospitals of Andhra Pradesh, one name became synonymous with the gift of sight: Dr. Perugu Siva Reddy. Born on 12 September 1920 in the village of Dinnedevarapadu in Kurnool district, he rose to become one of India’s most […]
Prof. Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi
Prof. Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi(Padma Bhushan, 1977 – Medicine) In the early years after Independence, when neurosurgery was virtually unknown in India, one young surgeon from Tamil Nadu laid the foundations of the specialty and earned the title “Father of Indian Neurosurgery.” Prof. Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi—affectionately known as Prof. B.R.M. or simply “Chief”—was born on 30 January 1922 […]
Dr. Lucy Oommen
Dr. Lucy Oommen(Padma Shri, 1977 – Medicine) In the bustling wards of St. Stephen’s Hospital in Delhi, one woman quietly transformed a modest maternity home into a major centre of care for mothers and children. Dr. Lucy Oommen, born in Kerala to P.K. Oommen and Kochannamma, became the first medical director of Indian origin at […]
Dr. Ram Narain Bagley
Dr. Ram Narain Bagley(Padma Shri, 1977 – Medicine) In the busy lanes of Saharanpur in western Uttar Pradesh, one physician became known not only for his medical skill but for the quiet generosity with which he treated the people of his town. Dr. Ram Narain Bagley—often called Dr. R.N. Bagley—received the Padma Shri in 1977 […]
Dr. Viswanathan Shanta
Dr. Viswanathan Shanta (11 March 1927 – 19 January 2021) was an Indian oncologist who spent nearly seven decades making cancer care accessible, affordable, and compassionate. She helped transform a 12-bed cottage hospital into the world-class Adyar Cancer Institute (WIA) in Chennai and became known as a “Mother of Oncology in India.” Born in Mylapore, […]
Dr. Santosh Kumar Kacker
Dr. Santosh Kumar Kacker is a distinguished Indian otorhinolaryngologist (ENT specialist) and former Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He is known for his long service in clinical practice, teaching, research, and contributions to care for the communication-handicapped. He graduated with an MBBS from King George’s Medical College (now […]
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