Dukhan Ram (1899–1990) was an Indian ophthalmologist, academic, legislator and the vice chancellor of
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, formerly Bihar University, popularly known as Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU), is a public university located in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. Established in 1960, the university has 38 const ...
.
He was the principal of
Patna Medical College
Patna Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated as PMCH) was established in 1925 and originally known as Prince of Wales Medical College, is a medical college located in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, India.
It is located on the southern b ...
, one of the oldest medical colleges in India,
and the president of ''Arya Pradeshik Pratinidhi Sabha'', a satellite organization of
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sanny ...
, founded by
Dayanand Saraswati
Dayanand Saraswati () (born Mool Shankar Tiwari; 2 February 1824 – 30 October 1883) also known as Maharshi Dayanand is an Indian philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. His Magnum Opus is the book ...
.
He successfully contested the
1962 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
This is a list of the results of the 1962 general election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, a state in India, including a list of successful candidates. After the elections, the Congress emerged as the largest party, and Pandit Binodanand Jh ...
from
Sasaram
Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, with a history that goes to thousands of years. During the prehistoric ag ...
constituency, on
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
candidature
and served as the president of All India Ophthalmological Society in 1961.
The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
, in 1962, for his contributions to medical science.
Biography
Dukhan Ram was born on 15 July 1899 in a
Vaisya family with poor financial means in
Sasaram
Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, with a history that goes to thousands of years. During the prehistoric ag ...
in the Indian state of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
and did his early education at local schools in
Shahabad district
Shahabad district or Arrah district, headquartered at Arrah (now part of Bhojpur District, Bihar) was a Bhojpuri speaking district in western Bihar, India, making the western border of Bihar with Uttar Pradesh. In 1972, the district was split in ...
in difficult circumstances as his father died when he was only four.
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 joined
Calcutta Medical College
Calcutta Medical College, officially Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, is a public medical school and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the oldest existing hospital in Asia. The institute was established on 28 January 1835 by L ...
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 at
Patna Medical College
Patna Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated as PMCH) was established in 1925 and originally known as Prince of Wales Medical College, is a medical college located in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, India.
It is located on the southern b ...
from 1927 after which he did higher studies in Ophthalmology (DLO and DOMS) at the
Royal College of Surgeons of London
The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...
.
Returning to India in 1934, he joined Patna Medical College as a faculty member of the Ophthalmology and
otorhinolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
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).
Two years before the Indian independence, the British Government awarded Ram the title of
Rai Sahib
Rai Sahib / Rao Saheb / Roy Sahib / Rao Sahib abbreviated R.S., was a title of honour issued during the era of British rule in India to individuals who performed faithful service or acts of public welfare to the nation. From 1911 the title was ac ...
in 1945.
He was involved with
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sanny ...
and served as the president of the Bihar chapter of the ''Arya Pratinidhi Sabha'' in 1951, as the vice president of the national organization in 1956 and presided the ''International Arya League'' held in Mauritius in 1957. The same year, he was chosen to operate on
Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, Indian independence activist, journalist & scholar who served as the first president of Republic of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian Nationa ...
, 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
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975), natively Radhakrishnayya, was an Indian philosopher and statesman. He served as the 2nd President of India from 1962 to 1967. He also 1st Vice President of India from 1952 ...
,
Zakir Husain
Zakir Husain Khan (8 February 1897 – 3 May 1969) was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the third president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969.
Born in Hyderabad in a Afridi Pashtun family, Husain ...
,
Varahagiri Venkata Giri
Varahagiri Venkata Giri (; 10 August 1894 — 24 June 1980) was an Indian politician and activist from Berhampur in Odisha who served as the 4th president of India from 24 August 1969 to 24 August 1974. He also 3rd vice president of India from ...
and
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (13 May 1905 – 11 February 1977) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the fifth president of India from 1974 to 1977.
Born in Delhi, Ahmed studied in Delhi and Cambridge and was called to the bar from the I ...
. 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 of
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Bihar University, formerly Bihar University, popularly known as Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bihar University (BRABU), is a public university located in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. Established in 1960, the university has 38 const ...
. As the vice chancellor, he was reported to have contributed in the establishment of
Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences
The Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), established on 15 August 2002 by upgrading the then Rajendra Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) originally setup in 1960, is a medical institute of in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, India
...
, Ranchi as well as the medical colleges in
Muzaffarpur
Muzaffarpur () is a city located in Muzaffarpur district in the Tirhut region of the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Tirhut division, the Muzaffarpur district and the Muzaffarpur Railway District. It is the fourth m ...
and
Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Silk ...
.
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 by
A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar
Sir Arcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar , FRCOG, FACS (14 October 1887 – 15 April 1974) was an Indian educationist and physician. He was the identical younger twin brother of Sir A. R. Mudaliar. Initial education was in Kurnool and they moved to ...
(later known as ''Mudaliar Committee'') in 1959, he was selected as a member of the committee.
Ram was the founder president of the Bihar unit of the All India Ophthalmological Society,
chaired the organizing committee of Patna and
Jamshedpur
Jamshedpur (, ) or Tatanagar is the largest and most populous city in Jharkhand and the first planned industrial city in India. It is a Notified Area Council and Municipal Corporation and also the headquarter of the East Singhbhum district. It ...
annual conferences in 1952 and 1956 respectively and was the national president of the organization in 1961.
He presided the 1953 and 1961 national conferences of otorhinolaryngologists and ophthalmologists held in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
and was the president of Bihar chapter of the
Indian Medical Association
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is a national voluntary organisation of physicians in India. It was established in 1928 as the All India Medical Association, and was renamed the Indian Medical Association in 1930. It is a society registered ...
during 1954–55.
He was the founder-president of ''IASINDIA - Institute of Administrative Studies'', a Patna-based institution of higher studies in administration and management.
He was one of the founders of the
National Academy of Medical Sciences
National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), better known by its acronym, NAMS, is a nodal agency under the Government of India, which acts as an advisory body to the Government in matters related to National Health Policy and Planning and as a ...
and was its elected fellow (1961).
The Government of India awarded him the civilian honor of the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1962.
Later, he contested the
Bihar Legislative Assembly election of 1962 as an
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
candidate from
Sasaram
Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, with a history that goes to thousands of years. During the prehistoric ag ...
assembly constituency and won against Bipan Behari Sinha of
Praja Socialist Party
The Praja Socialist Party, abbreviated as PSP, was an Indian political party. It was founded when the Socialist Party, led by Jayaprakash Narayan, Rambriksh Benipuri, Acharya Narendra Deva and Basawon Singh (Sinha), merged with the Kisan Mazdoo ...
by a margin of 11984 votes.
Dukhan Ram, whose wife had predeceased him, died on 16 April 1990 in Patna, aged 90 and survived by his six children.
A public school in Patna, ''Dr. Dukhan Ram DAV Public School'', has been named after him.
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.
See also
*
1962 Bihar Legislative Assembly election
This is a list of the results of the 1962 general election to the Legislative Assembly of Bihar, a state in India, including a list of successful candidates. After the elections, the Congress emerged as the largest party, and Pandit Binodanand Jh ...
*
Patna Medical College and Hospital
Patna Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated as PMCH) was established in 1925 and originally known as Prince of Wales Medical College, is a medical college located in Patna, the state capital of Bihar, India.
It is located on the southern b ...
*
A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar
Sir Arcot Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar , FRCOG, FACS (14 October 1887 – 15 April 1974) was an Indian educationist and physician. He was the identical younger twin brother of Sir A. R. Mudaliar. Initial education was in Kurnool and they moved to ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Dukhan
1899 births
1990 deaths
People from Sasaram
Arya Samajis
Indian National Congress politicians from Bihar
Bihar MLAs 1962–1967
Indian ophthalmologists
Indian medical academics
Indian medical administrators
20th-century Indian medical doctors
Medical doctors from Bihar
Heads of universities and colleges in India
Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata
Fellows of the National Academy of Medical Sciences
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in medicine