Orations

Dr. Soloman Padman Singh

(1921-1978)

Dr. Padam Singh was born in February 1921 at Bangalore. He graduated from Andhra Medical College in 1955 and later joined the Christian Medical College, Vellore as House Surgeon. In 1961 he left for U.K. and started working as Registrar in Hammersmith Hospital and obtained a DMRT and FFR during the five year period of his training. In 1966 he returned to CMC, Vellore and worked as a Reader in the Radiotherapy department.

In 1967, he took charge of the department and was instrumental in starting DMRT and MD training in Madras University and the M.S.R. course at CMCH, Vellore, awarded from U.K.

In 1969 he was promoted as Professor, In 1967 he relinquished the post of the Head of the Department for health reasons and settled in Bangalore continuing his service for establishment of the Bangalore Medical Trust for cancer patients.

Dr. Padam Singh’s enthusiasm for everything in the Radiotherapy department was highly inspiring to his colleagues. His concern for patients was exemplary. He had all the hallmarks of a successful doctor. As a doctor, he had the ability to establish rapport with patients as a diagnostician and as a therapist. He had immense experience with orthovoltage X-ray and Brachytherapy. His students remember him for his humanity and outstanding guidance as a teacher and for interdisciplinary clinics in the treatment of malignant diseases, as the foresight to plan for the future. He was instrumental in obtaining a 42 Mev BETATRON, the first machine of its kind to be operational in South East Asia, which was commissioned in 1978. He was also instrumental in substituting radium with cesium 137 tubes and needles from Amersham. England in 1975 at CMC for the first time in India.

Dr. Rangi Prasad Singh

(26/02/1926-8/12/2001)

Prof. Dr. Rangi Prasad Singh was the pioneer in the field of oncology in Bihar. He nurtured the Prince Wales Medical College based Radium Institute of Patna from its nascent stage in the 1960’s to a stage when it was transformed into a premier Oncology centre in Eastern India, as Professor and head of the department.

He graduated from the Prince of Wales medical College in 1952 and obtained his M.S. (Gen. Surg.) in 1958 and M.D. (Rad.) in 1965. He obtained his DMRT from Middlesex Hospital, London in 1970 and was associated with Hammersmith cancer Institution, Royal Marsden Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, Manchester. He was fellow of the Royal Society and Royal College of Physicians, London. He was fellow of the Indian College of Radiology.

During his illustrious career he adorned several posts in all fields. He was President IMA Bihar, President Bihar State Radiology Association, Founder president AROI Bihar Chapter, Senior Vice President of the Indian Radiological and Imagine Association (IRIA), President, Bihar State Health Services Association and Vice President of Bihar Literacy Forum. He was a visiting Professor at the Howard University Hospital, Washington and National Institute of health Bethesa, U.S.A.

In the literacy field, he has over a dozen publications both medical and non-medical; to his credit. He was Vice President Akhil Bhartiya Bhasha Sahitya Sammelen.

It will be an exercise in futility to entirely dimensionless the influence of his gentle personality, but in his demise, it is indeed profound. He was a great son of the soil, a self-made man, and simple in taste with immense character.

Padamshri Dr. Ketayun Ardeshir Dinshaw

President AROI 1994-96
16^th Nov 1943 to 26^th Aug 2011

Dr. Ketayun Ardeshir Dinshaw, an internationally renowned cancer specialist and former Director of Tata Memorial Center, lost her personal battle to the same disease on 26th August 2011, which she ironically fought through her professional career as a visionary for four decades.

Born in a Parsi family in Kolkata on 16thNovember 1943. She was trained at the Christian Medical College, Vellore. After her specialization in Radiotherapy and Oncology at Cambridge, she returned to India and worked tirelessly for the cause of cancer at the Tata Memorial Hospital for over 35 years from where she retired in November 2008, having served as its director for 13 years.

As an outstanding doctor and administrator, she had the ability to bring out the best in the people around her, enabling her to bring about a sea change in many aspects of cancer management, education and research in the country. With her intense and persistent efforts, she brought the practice of oncology and especially radiation oncology in India and more so at the Tata Memorial Center on the world map of oncology care. A stickler for punctuality, decorum and ethics, she could find ways for delivery high-quality public service even in the government-funded mechanisms-signed, sealed and delivered through her trademark left handed green signature. She always had pertinent and practical views and policies to recommend. Her efforts brought special meaning to the state of “Institution before Individual”. She was an Institution builder – ACTREC, the 60 acre research campus of Tata Memorial Center, the Homi Bhabha Block at Tata Hospital and the Tata Medical Center at Kolkata, to name a few. She was a part of the team spearheading the development of Indigenous tele cobalt machine now called Bhabhatron.

An example of her zeal to get new and relevant technology into the country saw her role in establishment of the medical cyclotron on the TMH Campus with the first PET in the country and followed soon by the first PET-CT (positron emission tomography) on the TMH Campus itself.

Being a staunch patriot and an eternal optimist, in various international forums, she stood not just for India but for the cause of cancer in the entire developing world. She served as the president of the International Society for Radiation Oncology. She nurtured voluntary groups and NGOs like the V Care, Woman’s Cancer Initiative, CPAA, and several others. She was a serving board member of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and was awarded the lifetime achievement award by the Indian Nuclear Society and the Padmashree.

She had multifaceted personality. This great connoisseur of music and art was also an ardent admirer of the plant kingdom, ferrying lovely plants from all over the world. She had special respect and admiration for the serving and retired men and woman in the armed forces and their families and extended immediate care to all who happened to need the services of the TMC.

Dr. B.D. Gupta

President AROI (1982-1984)
Editor JCRT (1988-1996)

Prof. Brahm Dutt Gupta was born in Uttar Pradesh on 8th March 1934. After graduating from Medical College Agra, he did his post-graduation in Radiology (combined Radio-diagnosis and Radiotherapy) under the eminent Dr. P.K. Haldar in 1963. He went to Manchester in United Kingdom and worked at Christie hospital, the Mecca of radiotherapy and obtained the FRCR degree from London and came back to the country to practice exclusively Radiotherapy and Oncology. Following a brief stint at the AIIMS, New Delhi, he joined PGIMER, Chandigarh in November,1971 and founded the Department of Radiotherapy and served as the Head of this department till 31st March, 1994. He was also responsible for establishing the Department of Telemedicine at the institute after his retirement from Radiotherapy, where he was an Emeritus Professor.

Prof. Gupta had passion for developing Radiotherapy as a separate discipline and built a independent department of Radiotherapy at PGIMER Chandigarh which went on to become one of the best in the country and gained recognition not only in India but abroad also. He is also responsible in planning and establishing number of Radiotherapy centres in northern India including one at AIIMS New Delhi. Beginning with a basic 250 KV machine, the department at PGIMER , soon acquired modern tele-cobalt machines for therapy. He was instrumental in bringing the first CT-Scan machine and first Linear Accelerator in this institute free of cost. He was instrumental in developing first indigenous Linear Accelerator in collaboration with SAMEER,Mumbai and CSIO Chandigarh and first prototype machine was installed at PGIMER which worked for 10 years. His pioneering work in brachytherapy brought international recognition. The department started its MD (Radiotherapy) program where he trained numerous students who now are senior Radiation Oncologists in the country and abroad. Even after retirement, he remained busy treating patients free of cost, advising, training manpower and spreading cancer awareness till the very end.

During his illustrious career, Prof. Gupta won many laurels – the B .C. Roy and ICMR awards being the more prominent ones. He was the founder member of AERB and the National Cancer Control Program of the Government of India. He founded along with Dr. T.K. Datta and Dr. Harish Kulkarni, the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India ( AROI ) in 1976 and became its President in 1978. He also served as the editor of AROI journal He has delivered a number of Orations and invited talks.. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Kamlesh Gupta and two sons, Prashant and Nishant Gupta ,both are happily married.

Prof. Dr. M Krishnan Nair was born in Konni, Kerala in 1939 Dr. Nair completed his mbbs from the university of Kerala in 1963 and joined as a tutor in the department of radiotherapy oncology, medical college, Trivandrum in 1965 thereafter he went on to attain md (radiotherapy oncology) from the university of punjab in 1968 he also obtained training in the uk leading to the award of frcr (clinical oncology) from the university of london Dr. Nair returned to become professor in the same department and went on to become the founding director of the regional cancer centre Trivandrum(rcc) in 1981 he retired in 2003 after 22 years of untiring service as director of an institution he built up from scratch Prof. M K Nair was a visionary with social commitment alleviating the suffering of patients was his primary focus he was an excellent clinician with high optimism during his tenure at rcc, Prof. Nair started many new departments such as paediatric oncology, community oncology and pain and palliative medicine which were the first of their kind in india morphine availability was very poor in india in the eighties he made it available to patients through the pain clinic at rcc he started a facility for manufacture of oral morphine which has been a boon for suffering patients he initiated an innovative hospital based health insurance programme called cancer care for life whereby economically weaker individuals could obtain life time cancer treatment on paying a nominal one time premium in addition, paediatric and adolescent curable cancers were treated free of cost from revenue generated by rcc Prof. Nair implemented a 10 year action plan in Kerala and led the anti tobacco movement in Kerala he highlighted the need early detection of cancer and addressed the issue of travel hurdles by setting up screening, early detection and follow up clinics through the length of kerala at ernakulam karunagappaly kozhenchery and palakkad it was during his time that rcc was designated as a who collaborating centre for cancer control for developing countries Prof. Nair had unparalleled international and national repute in his time and served on several committees for cancer control to name a few, he was a prominent member of the planning group of the national cancer control programme of india and a member of the expert advisory panel on cancer of the world health organisation ( for a decade he has served in the advisory committee of the director general, who and cancer technical group of who he also served in the scientific advisory board of icmr and board of radiation and isotope technology of the department of atomic energy of india Prof. Krishnan Nair was a founding member of the association of radiation oncologists of india and served as national president from 1984 86 he had over 300 publications his areas of interest were health effects of background radiation in coastal areas, cancer epidemiology and empowerment of health care workers for cancer screening apart from clinical oncology research Prof. Nair has inspired and trained a large number of medical professionals, who practice around the world and hold leadership roles in their own right he has received numerous awards including the bhishmacharya award of outstanding contribution in the field of medicine and roll of honour 1996 by international union against cancer ( geneva he was awarded the national civilian award padma shri in 2001 for his contributions to the field of cancer care following his retirement, mkn, as he is fondly known, practised at the amrita institute of medical sciences, kochi and sut hospital, Trivandrum Prof. Nair passed away on on 28 10 2021 but will continue to inspire the medical fraternity with his untiring work ethic and optimism in the fight against cancer.