Dukhan Ram | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1899-07-15)15 July 1899 Sasaram, British India |
| Died | 16 April 1990(1990-04-16) (aged 90) Patna, Bihar, India |
| Occupation(s) | Ophthalmologist Medical academic |
| Years active | 1926–1990 |
| Known for | Medical and general academics |
| Children | Six children |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan Rai Sahib |
Dukhan Ram (1899–1990) was an Indian ophthalmologist, academic, legislator and the vice chancellor ofBabasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University.[1] He was the principal ofPatna Medical College, one of the oldest medical colleges in India,[2] and the president ofArya Pradeshik Pratinidhi Sabha, a satellite organization ofArya Samaj, founded byDayanand Saraswati.[3] He successfully contested the1962 Bihar Legislative Assembly election fromSasaram constituency, onIndian National Congress candidature[4] and served as the president of All India Ophthalmological Society in 1961.[5] The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of thePadma Bhushan, in 1962, for his contributions to medical science.[6]
Dukhan Ram was born on 15 July 1899 in aVaisya family with poor financial means inSasaram in the Indian state ofBihar and did his early education at local schools inShahabad district in difficult circumstances as his father died when he was only four.[7] It is reported that his studies were with the help of scholarship as well as the earnings from part-time jobs as a tutor and as a garment peddler during holidays. His marriage took place when he was 16 years of age but he continued his education and joinedCalcutta Medical College in 1920 to graduate in medicine from there in 1926, during which time he studied Bachelor of Science course concurrently to pass out in 1925. His medical internship was atPatna Medical College from 1927 after which he did higher studies in Ophthalmology (DLO and DOMS) at theRoyal College of Surgeons of London.[8] Returning to India in 1934, he joined Patna Medical College as a faculty member of the Ophthalmology andotorhinolaryngology department where he rose in ranks to become the professor of the department in 1944. During his tenure there, the institution started four courses, DO, DLO, MS (Eye) and MS (ENT).[9]
Two years before the Indian independence, the British Government awarded Ram the title ofRai Sahib in 1945.[7] He was involved withArya Samaj and served as the president of the Bihar chapter of theArya Pratinidhi Sabha in 1951, as the vice president of the national organization in 1956 and presided theInternational Arya League held in Mauritius in 1957. The same year, he was chosen to operate onRajendra Prasad, the then President of India. He continued his association with Indian President's office by serving as the honorary ophthalmic surgeon to the next four presidents viz.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan,Zakir Husain,Varahagiri Venkata Giri andFakhruddin Ali Ahmed. In 1959, he was appointed as the principal of Patna Medical College and it was during his tenure as the principal, he was selected as the vice chancellor ofBabasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University. As the vice chancellor, he was reported to have contributed in the establishment ofRajendra Institute of Medical Sciences, Ranchi as well as the medical colleges inMuzaffarpur andBhagalpur.[7] When the Government of India set up a Health Survey and Planning Committee for reviewing medical relief and public health services and proposing guidelines, chaired byA. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar (later known asMudaliar Committee) in 1959, he was selected as a member of the committee.[10]
Ram was the founder president of the Bihar unit of the All India Ophthalmological Society,[11] chaired the organizing committee of Patna andJamshedpur annual conferences in 1952 and 1956 respectively and was the national president of the organization in 1961.[5] He presided the 1953 and 1961 national conferences of otorhinolaryngologists and ophthalmologists held inHyderabad[8] and was the president of Bihar chapter of theIndian Medical Association during 1954–55.[12] He was the founder-president ofIASINDIA - Institute of Administrative Studies, a Patna-based institution of higher studies in administration and management.[13] He was one of the founders of theNational Academy of Medical Sciences[14] and was its elected fellow (1961).[15] The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of thePadma Bhushan in 1962.[16] Later, he contested theBihar Legislative Assembly election of 1962 as anIndian National Congress candidate fromSasaram assembly constituency and won against Bipan Behari Sinha ofPraja Socialist Party by a margin of 11984 votes.[4]
Dukhan Ram, whose wife had predeceased him, died on 16 April 1990 in Patna, aged 90 and survived by his six children.[7] A public school in Patna,Dr. Dukhan Ram DAV Public School, has been named after him.[17] The Bihar and Jharkhand State Branch of The Association Of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgeons Of India have instituted an annual oration,Dr. Dukhan Ram Memorial Oration, in his honour.[18]
