“Guru Govind dono khade kake lagu paay, Balihari Guru aapki Govind diyo batay”
The famous couplet by Saint Kabir aptly projects the reverence and gratitude we feel for our teachers and their place in our life. This Teacher’s Day, M Neelam Kachhap gets the industry to send in their memories of their ‘most memorable teachers’, as a way of saluting those great figures who make a difference in our lives
Name of the medical college: Medical College, Trivandrum
Name of the teacher/s: Dr Mathew Roy
Subject taught: Internal Medicine
“A dynamic teacher, always well dressed, well updated with the subject, friendly and always tried to bring the best out of a student.”
– Dr MI Sahadulla, Chairman and MD, KIMS Healthcare Group
Name of the medical college: Siddharta Medical College, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
Name of the teacher/s: Prof Eshwar
Subject taught: Internal Medicine
“A simple humble teacher, with an extraordinary knowledge on the subject, fluent and flowing were the capabilities exhibited. The most difficult subject was explained as if it was a kids knowledge.”
– Dr Umapathy Panyala, CEO of Apollo Hospitals, Karnataka Region
Name of the medical college: Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore
Name of the teacher/s: Professor DR Krishna Murthy
Subject taught: Pathology
“I must admit that I was one of those lucky ones who got admitted to Bangalore Medical college for my post graduation,under Prof Krishnamurthy who was then the HOD at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, Bangalore. He taught us basics in pathology and today we feel that this is so useful for our day-to-day application in our laboratory practice. He was very punctual, strict, more practical and was maintaining the TAT (1986) in those days. Unfortunately, today we do not see people talking about basics as they think it is not useful in view of improved technology ,but they forget the fact that the technology is based on basics in pathology. We, at times, see people making blunders due to lack of knowledge about basics. I owe him a lot for teaching me the fundamentals of pathology.”
– Dr Ravikumar HN, Director – Operations, RV Metropolis Diagnostic & Health Care Centre Bangalore
Name of the medical college: Grant Medical College, Mumbai
Name of the teacher/s: Dr TG Thariya, Dr OP Kapoor, Dr RD Kulkarni
Subject taught: Gynaecology, Medicine and Pharmacology respectively
“I distinctly remember three teachers from my days at Grant Medical College. These three teachers were special because I not only attended their lectures meticulously but paid keen attention to what they taught and spoke. Dr TG Thariya, a very renowned gynaecologist in Mumbai, had an extremely good sense of humour which added to the vitality of his lectures. He was also able to simplify a complex subject like gynaecology and make it understandable. We all used to look forward to his class because they were educative and entertaining. In medical sciences, when the study pressure is so high, such teachers and their lectures are an absolute bliss. Dr OP Kapoor was famous for his marathon classes. A physician by training, his marathon classes meant sitting for seven complete hours of lecture. One would be terrified with the very idea of such long lectures, but Dr Kapoor had a style that made those seven hours pleasant rather than hectic. He had a simple narrative style of lecturing. I recall myself sitting week after week for these seven-hour lectures to learn the subject. Dr RD Kulkarni was a pharmacologist with a lecturing style that I wouldn’t really call entertaining but hugely informative and made easy through simplified language. Pharmacology is generally considered as a very mundane subject, but Dr Kulkarni had his own informative style of lecturing which helped students grasp the topics quickly and effectively.”
– Dr Sushil Shah, Chairman, Metropolis Healthcare, Mumbai
Name of the medical college: Govt Medical College, Amritsar
Name of the teacher/s: Dr BR Prabhakar
Subject taught: Pathology
“He is a highly knowledgeable professional, master of his subject with vast experience. A strict, disciplined and ethical doctor with a golden heart. Yet to see a teacher like him.”
– Dr Jatinder Bhatia, Chief of Lab Services & Projects – North India
Name of the medical college: St Vincent’s Med school, Affiliated to University of New South Wales, Sydney Australia
Name of the teacher/s: Dr Alan E Farnsworth, HOD, CVT Surgery
Subject taught: Taught everything related to heart surgery and transplantation
“A wonderful teacher and a great human being. He always said to offer your patient the honest service that you would want for yourself, because one can’t be more honest than that.”
– Dr Mahesh Singh, Consultant Cardio Vascular Thoracic Surgeon, Kohinoor Hospital
Name of the medical college: Jawaharlal Nahru Medical College, KLE Society, Karanatka
Name of the teacher/s: Dr Kalagatti, HOD of Medicine Department
“He was very simple and down to earth but a great teacher. Beyond his subject he always appreciated and encouraged me for qualities which I was not aware that I possessed and helped me to believe in my dream which has come true now after so many years. So, a teacher plays a great role in building a personality. As a teacher he explained, demonstrated and inspired me not only in my studies but also to be what I am today. Since I have left my college, every year on Teacher’s Day, I have wished him and shown my gratitude. A true teacher’s patience is grounded in wisdom and compassion.”
– Dr Sunita Dube, Radiologist, Chairperson, Medscapeindia, Director of Aryan Hospitals, Mumbai
Name of the medical college: Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
Name of the teacher/s: Dr PS Gupta
Subject taught: Medicine
“A very meticulous teacher with emphasis on basics and importance of thorough clinical examination. My admired teacher is a wonderful human being. With his very systemic clinical approach, he is able to unravel the diagnosis in difficult cases easily. His punctuality and simplicity is what I admire the most.”
– Dr (Prof) Harsh Wardhan, Chairman, Department of Cardiology, Rockland Group of Hospitals, Delhi
Name of the medical college: Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Sion Mumbai
Name of the teacher/s: Dr Ravin Thatte
Subject taught: Plastic Surgery
“Dr Ravin Thatte not only taught me plastic surgery, but also how to live for others! He is a hard working, insistent, intellectual scientist, scholar and philosopher for whom word impossible does not exist in the dictionary. No wonder that all possible awards and trophies, national and International, are on the display in his living room. Just to mention one of many is Honorary F. R.C.S. (ad hominem) degree awarded to him by the Prestigious Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. What I feel great about him as a teacher is that rather than imposing his ideas on our minds by force, he gave all his students a mental freedom to think and think different. He supported and guided each and every student who came to learn from him. Thus, our department at Sion Hospital holds a record for maximum number of articles published in the most reputed British Journal of Plastic Surgery in the stipulated time of a decade. Over years of his practice, he created a brigade of talented enthusiastic and innovative plastic surgeons who have reached all parts of the world. They all are bound by one umbilical cord – Department of Plastic Surgery headed by Dr Ravin Thatte. One should learn how to make the best use of time from him. He is never late! It is said that in the 1980s, sisters used to adjust their watches on arrival of Sir in operation theatre to know the right time. Be it a scientific debate in a plastic surgery conference, fight for a social cause, philosophical discussion, gossip in surgeon’s room over politics, cricket and finance, every listener and participant in discussion or debate is sure that finally ultimate winner will be Sir. He has an excellent command over languages and is a great writer and orator. What is a unique about the man is that he is always calm, composed and balanced, even when he is facing a huge problem. It is surprising that after seeing all possible ups and downs in his personal and public life he has remained the same at the age of 75 years, what he was before 50 years! Of course his yoga, regular exercises and simple lifestyle has kept him physically fitter than all his students! I feel proud to say that I have known and worked with Dr Ravin Thatte. On the occasion of Teacher’s Day, I pray to God that may every student in the field of medicine be as lucky as me to have a teacher, a guru like Dr Ravin Thatte. I wish Sir a long and healthy life.”
– Dr Shailesh Ranade, Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Coordinator, Burns Unit, Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai
Name of the medical college: Indira Infertility & Test Tube Baby Centre, Udaipur
Name of the teacher/s: Dr Ajay Murdia
Subject taught: Infertility
“His vision gave me the thought to make the costly test tube baby (IVF) treatment economical so that it can be made available to all stratas of the society. This would ensure that more and more people would benefit from this technology which was not possible before due to sky high costs.”
– Dr Kshitiz Murdia, Gynecologist & IVF Specialist
Name of the medical college: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
Name of the teacher/s: Late Dr Padma Rao
Subject taught: Obstetrics and Gynaecology
“Late Dr Padma Rao, our OBG professor is my favourite teacher at KMC Manipal as she taught us with passion and affection. She was strict but at the same time very humane.”
– Dr Nagendra Swamy, President & Chairman- Quality Council, Manipal Health Enterprises, Bangalore
Name of the medical college: JIPMER, Pondicherry
Name of the teacher/s: Prof Dr Soundara Raghavan
Subject taught: Obstetrics & Gynecology
“He is my mentor, God and Guru not only in the profession but also in life. He imbibed in me all skills required to do my duty ethically and proficiently. His selfless service to the medical profession has inspired to give my best in the women care.”
– Dr Sunil Eshwar, Obstetrics & Gynecologist, The Cradle
Name of the medical college: Government Medical College, Patiala
Name of the teacher/s: Dr BK Chopra, Professor – Department of Medicine
Subject taught: Internal Medicine
“A great teacher and a greater person, Dr BK Chopra taught medicine along with technical skills and competency. I learnt that the doctor’s behaviour is at times more important than his incredible technical know-how in their field. It is important for him to be trustworthy, dedicated and a mentor to his patients. Dr Chopra’s mere company taught the ability to remain calm and proficient when under pressure and still make clear and timely decisions.”
– Dr SS Sibia, Sibia Medical Centre, Ludhiana, Punjab
Name of the medical college: Sri Ramachandra Medical College
Name of the teacher/s: Dr Binu Ninan, HOD Dept of Neonatology
Subject taught: Medicine
“I am what I am today because of him. I hated him during my post graduation days but I now realise the importance of his teaching and the love behind those harsh words. Thank you is a very small word to appreciate his efforts.”
– Dr TP Karthik, Paediatrician & Neonatologist, Yashoda Hospitals, Sec.bad, Hyderabad
